Arriving to Florence!
Ciao World!
My name is Orlando Montalvo Avalo. I am a current Junior at Rhode Island College studying Music as a Performance Major. My hope and dream is to someday be in all the major operatic stages. I am so lucky and blessed to be studying abroad in Florence, Italy: a city full of music, dance, arts, theater, with a little bit of everybody in the world.
I was so fortunate to have been able to study in France 3 summers ago in Angers, France where I was able to perform an entire opera in French, meeting people from all over the world. People who I am still friends with, even though they live all over the world. This experience in France sparked an interest in me studying for a longer period of time in a country where opera flourishes out of, and what better place than Italy: the birth place of opera.
Getting to Florence was the most adventurous travel I have ever been in. I departed from Boston to go to the Portugal Airport to then land in Florence. My flight from Boston to Portugal was beautiful - minimal turbulence, great food, comfy chairs, and I even got to meet a german couple who were returning home. Now, when I landed in Portugal was when things started to get a little shaky. I looked at my connecting flight ticket, and I realized that my plane was leaving in less than an hour. I started creating some sort of backup plan just in case I was going to get stuck in at the airport. Thankfully we got off the airplane fast enough where I was able to go towards my gate - or so I thought. I needed to go to the bathroom by this point so I found one, thank god. Soon enough this turned into the worst thing I could have done. I try to find the gate that connects me to Florence, but, instead, I was found with passport control... after about three full airplanes had just arrived. The lines were ginormous. By this point I was becoming even more nervous because I really don't want to miss my flight. Thankfully, as if an angel heard my panicking, they formed an express line for flights that were leaving very soon. My panicking turned into relief and then I felt like a celebrity because they cleared the lines for me and couple people who were arriving late for their flights... that was a cool feeling.
The flight to Florence was a little more turbulent than my first place, but that was because it was a smaller plane. My stomach by this point was full of butterflies because I couldn't believe that I was getting closer to Italy, a place where I never thought I'd have the privilege to be in. When I arrived at the airport, all my worries melted to the ground, having realized that I stepped into Italian land. I started to get goosebumps the second I started to hear the baggage handler scream to his co worker in Italian to help him.
The second I exited out of doors of my gate from the Florence airport, I was getting by my schools director, Antonio Vanni. I was the first person to arrive from all the other study abroad students,so he was very excited to see me. After exchanging some words of excitement of my arrival, he offered me a true Italian cappuccino. I usually don't drink coffee, but by this point I had not slept for a while and I needed by body to get used to the 6 hour time difference. I decided to take the cappuccino and oh my gosh... you can taste the difference. (Ever since I landed in Italy, I have more coffee than I have ever had in my entire life)
My name is Orlando Montalvo Avalo. I am a current Junior at Rhode Island College studying Music as a Performance Major. My hope and dream is to someday be in all the major operatic stages. I am so lucky and blessed to be studying abroad in Florence, Italy: a city full of music, dance, arts, theater, with a little bit of everybody in the world.
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| The sight of Italy from the sky - absolutely stunning. |
Getting to Florence was the most adventurous travel I have ever been in. I departed from Boston to go to the Portugal Airport to then land in Florence. My flight from Boston to Portugal was beautiful - minimal turbulence, great food, comfy chairs, and I even got to meet a german couple who were returning home. Now, when I landed in Portugal was when things started to get a little shaky. I looked at my connecting flight ticket, and I realized that my plane was leaving in less than an hour. I started creating some sort of backup plan just in case I was going to get stuck in at the airport. Thankfully we got off the airplane fast enough where I was able to go towards my gate - or so I thought. I needed to go to the bathroom by this point so I found one, thank god. Soon enough this turned into the worst thing I could have done. I try to find the gate that connects me to Florence, but, instead, I was found with passport control... after about three full airplanes had just arrived. The lines were ginormous. By this point I was becoming even more nervous because I really don't want to miss my flight. Thankfully, as if an angel heard my panicking, they formed an express line for flights that were leaving very soon. My panicking turned into relief and then I felt like a celebrity because they cleared the lines for me and couple people who were arriving late for their flights... that was a cool feeling.
The flight to Florence was a little more turbulent than my first place, but that was because it was a smaller plane. My stomach by this point was full of butterflies because I couldn't believe that I was getting closer to Italy, a place where I never thought I'd have the privilege to be in. When I arrived at the airport, all my worries melted to the ground, having realized that I stepped into Italian land. I started to get goosebumps the second I started to hear the baggage handler scream to his co worker in Italian to help him.
The second I exited out of doors of my gate from the Florence airport, I was getting by my schools director, Antonio Vanni. I was the first person to arrive from all the other study abroad students,so he was very excited to see me. After exchanging some words of excitement of my arrival, he offered me a true Italian cappuccino. I usually don't drink coffee, but by this point I had not slept for a while and I needed by body to get used to the 6 hour time difference. I decided to take the cappuccino and oh my gosh... you can taste the difference. (Ever since I landed in Italy, I have more coffee than I have ever had in my entire life)
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| Italian Cappuccino's are the best |
Because I was the first person to arrive to the airport, they figured they would have me go to the apartments. I felt like a super celebrity because I was given a private escort to the apartments in a black SUV and a chauffeur all to myself. I could not believe what I was seeing, the people walking, the small cars, the vespas, the motorcycles all the buildings. It reminded me of New York, but less chaotic.
After we were introduced to the apartments and did all the fun paperwork, we headed towards a welcome dinner. This was the opportunity for all of us to meet one another in a environment where we all enjoy something in common, pizza! Arriving to the restaurant I noticed a very big church, then we were told that it was Santa Croce. This church holds inside the body of Gioachino Rossini, one of the leading operatic composers of the classical period of time.
I can't wait to share more with you all!
After we were introduced to the apartments and did all the fun paperwork, we headed towards a welcome dinner. This was the opportunity for all of us to meet one another in a environment where we all enjoy something in common, pizza! Arriving to the restaurant I noticed a very big church, then we were told that it was Santa Croce. This church holds inside the body of Gioachino Rossini, one of the leading operatic composers of the classical period of time.
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| Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy |
I can't wait to share more with you all!
Ciao tutti. Bacci e Abbracci,
Sincerely,
Orlando
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