Greetings From Florence!


Apologies for my lack of a post yesterday, but jet lag hit me hard! I don't normally struggle with jet lag. Usually it is just a day or two of going to bed and waking up early. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for this trip. I have some tips for avoiding jet lag here, which almost always work for me!

I departed the US Sunday evening and arrived in Florence around 3 pm Monday. I forced myself to stay up until 9 pm. I can't sleep on planes, so I was exhausted. Usually forcing myself to stay awake means I pass out, sleep through the night, and wake early the next day on Italian time (more of less). Well, not this time. I woke up at 12:30 am and just could not go back to sleep. I finally fell asleep around 4 am, but was up for work at 8 am. Let's just say it was a rough first day back.


Other than sleep deprivation, I am settling back into Florence nicely. Like Tampa when I first got home, it seems a little surreal. It feels like I was gone forever, but at the same time, not at all. Florence, however, is much different than when I left. Tourist season is subsiding and the weather is finally starting to cool down, which I could not be happier about. Plus, unlike living in Florida, I actually have a fall to look forward to and dress for!

I definitely missed my morning espressos, fresh fruit and veggie market, walks past the Duomo, and the cheap, yet oh-so delicious, prosecco. I don't have much planned this week other than to get back into my routine at the archive and unpack.


In addition to catching up with friends and cuddles with Ophelia, I spent much of my time at home reviewing all of the research I had collected over the past seven months. It was the perfect moment to reflect, allowing me to collect my thoughts and refocus my research for these final four months.

Although I have a lot of research and writing to tackle this fall, I still plan on capitalizing on being in Europe and traveling as much as I can. My motto is work hard, play hard(er). I have some really exciting trips planned, which I will share more about tomorrow. Speaking of travel, I came back to Florence to find one of my pictures from Springfest gracing the cover of FlorenceForFun's Fall Semester Brochure. Um, I am kind of, almost, famous you guys... Ha!


Ciao for now!

PS - I am trying this whole Snapchat thing... One more social media I have to remember to keep up with! No promises about consistent posting, but if you want to follow along I will try to highlight daily life in Florence. My username is HinHH.

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