By Teresa Derouin
As of now, we GIF students have been abroad for almost an entire month. We began with an exciting yet slightly overwhelming opening tour that started in Paris that included trips to the The Louvre, The Arc de Triomphe, and of course, the Eiffel Tower. Many of us ventured to Versailles and became quite proficient at using the famous Parisian Metro. After Paris we moved on to the charming city of Strasbourg where we discovered history of France’s involvement within World War II, and finally, ventured to the Bavarian city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen where our opening tour came to an end.
Opening Tour reminded me and many of the other students of our Freshman Orientation experience. There were so many new faces, an environment we knew almost nothing about, the experience of being on our own and out of our comfort zones. The independence we were given to explore during the tour helped us to get to know each other and navigate the places that we would soon become familiar with. It was difficult not knowing the languages of each place, but we were able to pick up common phrases, greetings, and questions that made the transition much easier.
A long bus ride out of Garmisch-Partenkirchen led us to the city of Florence, where we were all very excited to unpack and move into our pensiones. We no longer had to live out of suitcases and more importantly we began to eat homemade Italian food that consisted of several courses for each meal. Soon after moving into the pensione, Florence began to feel more like home, especially after finding the best gelato shops.
This past week we have all been exploring Florence, visiting the Duomo, numerous restaurants, Piazzale Michelangelo, and other places recommended to us by past GIF students. 153 of us experienced a Fiorentina soccer win first hand and many of us toured local museums with the GIF staff. On the first weekend of travel various students went on trips to Croatia, the Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, Sicily, Oktoberfest, and many more places. Although we have been here for just one month, the adventure is surely just beginning!
Ciao parents
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