Those of you that know me probably know that I came back to Florence this week for spring break. I was so excited to come back, but also slightly worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. Boy, was I wrong. It has been incredible. But don't worry, this post isn't going to tell you all about my trip and serve simply to make you jealous. I know I tend to see other's posts on social media and think, "Shoot, their life is so exciting. Why isn't my life that exciting. I suck." I suck sometimes too, it's okay. Just not this week. This week I'm one of the cool ones. But I digress.
I studied abroad in Florence in the fall of 2012, so about a year and a half ago. It was full of beautiful sights and new experiences, but my favorite part was the people. There are such interesting people half way around the world, and they may speak a different language, but they are talking about the same things that you would be talking about in English. Luckily, most of the people in Florence speak a fair amount of English as well, so it is pretty easy to converse. I made it a priority to connect with people as often as possible, and as a result made a few decent friends, some of which I even keep up with on Facebook now and then.
Late Sunday night, after about 20 hours of travelling and about 3 hours of sleep, I met up with one of my Italian friends because he would be gone for the rest of the week. I was nervous that it would be awkward or I wouldn't be able to speak good enough Italian, but as soon as he saw me he gave me a huge hug, and we had a great time with one of his friends and one of mine, speaking in Itanglish. When you put forth an effort to speak someone else's language and probably sound stupid, you definitely humble yourself. Both me and my friend were profoundly humbled with our attempts at the other's language, but we both appreciated the effort, and it gave the conversation a genuine feel as neither of us felt the need to prove how cool we were.
As I have been going around Florence the past few days, I ran into 3 or 4 more people who I had known when I was here. I tend to remember most people I interact with, but I tend to assume that most people don't remember me. It has been so cool to have this assumption proven wrong, as I see the recognition on people's faces when they see me again after a year and a half. As I reminded one of them of my name, he goes, "Of course I remember your name! Why wouldn't I? We had good conversation." That is when it me - genuine conversation is what people enjoy, because it is so rare. Having a real conversation with someone connects you. Bear with me while I try and make a somewhat poetic simile (I'm a biochemistry major, the closest we get to poetry is the abstract of a lab report). Our lives are like lines, and every once in a while when you genuinely connect with another person, your line intersects with theirs. All of those intersections are so much more beautiful than a single line. And you never know when a simple intersection will turn into something more - a person you can visit abroad, a lifelong friend, a relationship. But even if they never do, and it is only a single connection that lasts for 10 minutes, an hour, a plane ride - why not make them? Your life will be full of beautiful memories.
Ok, and here are some obligatory pictures to make you jealous/depressed. I'm sorry.
**Side note - same logic applies to food. The more good food you can eat, the better. I love food. In case that wasn't ever made clear.
-S
