Category: Living

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

By Chelbie Smith
Photo by Amanda Cassels

A comfort zone is a situation where one feels safe or at ease, it means settling for something we already known. It is so easy to slip into the safely of routine, but living away from home encourages you to bring change into your life – in more ways than just admiring a different scenery.

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Abroad in Florence: Tips and Tricks to Eat Well Staying Within Your Budget!

By Caroline Kaczynski & Carly Dorsen 

1. Don’t limit yourself to just one grocery store!

It can be tempting to fall into a routine of going to the most conveniently located grocery store. We want to encourage you to push your boundaries! By experimenting with different grocery stores, you will be able to see a fresh selection of goods every day. We recommend you check out the Mercato Centrale. In the mornings, the bottom half of the Mercato serves as a local produce market – stop by for a wide array of meats, cheeses, and local delicacies. By trying out new stores you will be able to find new foods, which we think makes grocery shopping more fun! 

2. Experiment with Italian recipes & take cooking classes!

Just because you might not be able to buy all the meals you hear about ready-made, doesn’t mean you cannot cook them yourself! We suggest you push yourself out of your comfort zone and try to prepare a local Florentine dish! Since you are in Italy, it is easy to acquire all of the right ingredients for the perfect homemade dish. If you are feeling adventurous, you can sign up for a cooking class to do with friends. We recommend you check out the experiences section of Airbnb, where there are a lot of cooking classes offered for an affordable price. You can check out these experiences here. Once you learn how to make the dishes they teach you, you will have that skill for life! 

3. If you are feeling homesick, cook one of your favorite meals from home! 

As unbelievable as it sounds, you might get sick of pasta! On those rare occasions, we suggest that you try to recreate one of your favorite dishes from home. One night, we were really missing the mexican food that is readily available at home. As a result, we decided to host a “Taco Tuesday” night where we prepared some of our favorite mexican dishes. 

4. Treat yourself to a restaurant every now and then!

Although we love cooking, you should absolutely make the most of your time in Florence to try out all of the delicious restaurants. As a student, you can get various discounts around the city. We also suggest you look up a menu online, to make sure the offerings are within your price range. You can also grab inexpensive bites to eat such as pizza or paninis, which are still a nice change! 

Hopefully these tips and tricks help keep you and your stomach satisfied as you enjoy your time in Florence! 

How “Slow” Am I? Sustainable Habits while Studying Abroad

By Beatrice Ramasauskaite

Many students studying in foreign countries often forget the main and easiest ways of sustainability. This short guide will not only help you remember the sustainable ways of life but will also lower your expenses and enrich your studying abroad experience.

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Why Florence Makes Me Want to Ditch My Social Media

By Chelbie Smith
Photo from Unsplash

Social media is probably one of my favourite outlets for not only communication, but also to platform my thoughts and creativity. I mean how amazing is it that I can connect to family who are thousands of miles away just by a few clicks? They can stay updated on what I am doing in all of my posts appreciating the charming, Firenze. But now that I am living in a town during tourists’ peak, it has made me question my treasured social media.

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Easy Living in Florence

By Sydney Pogue
Photos by FUA Staf

Rising in spirals of marble and stone, Florence is a city known for its architecture, culture, and as being a cornerstone of the Renaissance, to say the least.
But amidst this place of ancient cobblestone and accented archways, lies a small gem no one would expect to see so far inland from the coast. Along the Arno, there is a place where stone turns to sand, volleyball nets and lounge chairs: Easy living. 

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Unprepared for the Florentine orchestra

By MacKenzie Gellner
Photo by Unspalshed

For the first time, I experienced a symphonic performance. It was held in St. Stephen Auditorium by the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, featuring violinists Marco Lorenzini and Kevin Mucaj. It may have had to do with it being a Florentine orchestra, but it was far more magical than what I had expected. Realistically, since having no previous experience to compare, I attempted to not have too high of expectations in case I got my hopes up. The only symphonies I’ve ever seen are in films (and I’m not really sure if that counts).

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Hunting for the best coffee cup

By MacKenzie Gellner
Photo from Unsplashed

Traveling abroad for work, school or pleasure will inevitably have a traveler noticing differences between their home versus their placement. It is a classic case of culture shock, where the foreigner is unfamiliar with the lifestyle of their new temporary home. As a Canadian interning in Florence, I’ve had the chance to put this theory to the test myself. One aspect I assumed I’d notice differences in when it came to Canada versus Italy was the coffee lifestyles, and I had decided it was my mission to find the perfect cup of coffee in Florence. Perfect to me anyways.

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