Ciao, Mela!

This is surreal; I don't know what to feel. I'm tired, excited, nervous - roommate will be arriving tomorrow, please do not be Amanda Knox... paranoia, that’s what you get from reading too much.

Flight from Paris to Florence was fun! Most of the passengers were Italian and they seem to know everyone! They were all talking loudly, waving to others in the back and when the plane landed, they cheered and clapped! Are they for real?!

I got to the apartment around 7pm and Laura Tucci, the landlord’s sister, showed me around Florence. No time to rest. We walked around the piazza, had gelato at the gelato festival - found out about the festival week before leaving Manila, last day is today. She brought me to this supermarket, Esselunga, where the locals go, 10-minute bus ride from my apartment, only to arrive there 2 minutes before closing time. We went to her apartment instead. She introduced me to her Turkish roommates, they were cooking dinner and they were having trouble deboning the fish, I happen to be a fish expert so I volunteered. It was a very memorable first day. I get to experience Italian hospitality. Laura gave me supplies to last me til breakfast. It started to get dark past 9pm so I took my first cab in Florence and went home to 33 Via dei Neri.

Joyce, 29 May 2011

I am in Amsterdam and I checked in at Yotel, a cabin-like hotel inside Schiphol Airport. It's actually pretty cool but I am in no mood to take pictures or explore the airport. Jetlag sinking in. My first time out of Asia and I'm travelling solo. It's nerve-racking! I went through immigration and felt embarrased asking the officer/surfer guy if I have to get my luggage. I have a connecting flight to Paris then Florence tomorrow, he said it'll be automatically transfered to those flights. 

I'm feeling a bit homesick. Why do I have to do this again?

Joyce, 28 May 2011