I left my heart in Firenze.....

Sometimes I have these pangs in my heart because I miss my mom, or I miss PhillyBoy... but other times it is because I miss.... Florence.

My junior year of college was by far my favorite year of school, probably because I spent 8 months of it in Florence, Italy. I left in the middle of January, and came home a few days before fall classes began.. what an experience it was! I felt like I finally learned who I was and what I wanted; I became completely independent; I saw, felt, tasted so much! I always felt at home in Italia because not only do I speak Italian fluently but I have one of those looks that can blend into a lot of different cultures (which is funny because although my mom was from Italy, moving to the states in the 1980's, she was a BLONDIE because she was from the north.. but I have olive skin and therefore everyone always assumed I was Fiorentina anyway haha)

So yesterday I realized that I picked up more than a few habits from my time in Italia...

When I was studying abroad I couldn't always tell the difference between the Italians and the stranieri (foreigners), that is.. until the spring came! During the first days of sunshine all the stranieri would be in their flip flops and short sleeve shirts and new spring jackets, yet the italians would remain in their winter boots and coats. Yesterday the sun was shining. it was 60 degrees! and I saw SO MANY PEOPLE in short sleeve shirts and capris... and of course I chuckled to myself as I walked by them in my winter boots and fleece... without even realizing it, I still had some of my habits of my time abroad.. four years ago....

so funny the things we remember, the habits we pick up...