After a break of almost six weeks without students, the AIFS Florence office was looking forward to Friday September 13 as that marked the arrival of students from Pasadena City College.
The city had gotten back to normal following the traditional August shutdown. The staff were busy cleaning the office and classrooms with some repainting in places. The history of Piazza Peruzzi where the school is based can be traced back almost seven hundred years, indeed the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre that we can see out of the main classroom window was completed in the year 130AD!
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| The area around Piazza Peruzzi in 1584. The current AIFS Study Center is just by the arch where the number 167 is written. |
Ged and Marta went to the airport. The flight was on time and things were not so busy, so we were able to meet the group and get situated pretty quickly. By 7.30pm, two hours after landing, everyone was in the apartments and unpacking/showering/updating the Facebook status.
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| If you are coming on a program in the future, always look out for the sign! |
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| Nancy, Brittany and Caroline in their new home. |
Of course, it is a Study Abroad program and in order to make the most of class starting on Monday, the weekend was taken up with orientation. Sophie and Marta spent Saturday going over information about the city, particularly safety and security, particulars about the housing and the events we have planned. Sunday looked into cultural differences and a few tips about travel opportunities. This was all so the students could hit the ground running and be ready to go for class on Monday.
On Tuesday evening, it was time to take a break from the books and host the new students at a Welcome Dinner. Marta took the group to La Martinicca for a three course dinner.
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| Let's have a "Salute" to the new students! |
It was great to see everyone and the dinner went on well into the evening. One of the highlights is kept to the end with the appearance of the dessert trolley. Basically, you can have whatever you like. Tiramisu, Torte al Cioccolato, Fruit and Millefoglie (Napoleon cake in the USA, apparently) were the choices and it took 30 minutes to serve everyone, such was the level of decision making!
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| The slightly worried looking owner of La Martinicca as dessert choosing begins... |
A good time was had by all. For the rest of the week, classes are continuing as normal, with the weekend beginning on Friday. This week we're taking the students up to Fiesole to enjoy the view and go for a little hike upto Montececeri.
Of course, we cannot forget that the World Cycling Championships start in Florence on Sunday as well. More about that later this week.
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