And so it begins...

I haven't yet got over the fact that my year abroad has actually, properly begun. But somehow I managed to get myself vaguely organised; flights booked, insurance bought, and a code word agreed with Jason in case of kidnap by the Mafia. All the essentials. I even got my luggage under the 23kg limit, thanks to a few last minute sacrifices. After two years at Oxford, where the next black tie event is always just around the corner and you can never have too much bunting, choosing which of my possessions would make the cut was like Sophie's choice, if not more difficult. After all, Sophie only had two kids, nothing a quick round of rock/paper/scissors couldn't sort out...But in the end I ended up with a suitcase that was a more-than-respectable 21.5kg, and set off for my first year abroad destination: Bologna.

I was incredibly lucky in that a friend from university has family living here, who have invited me to stay with them until I find an apartment. It's made a huge difference not to have to start off the year (and my panicky search for somewhere to live) completely alone, and they couldn't have been more welcoming, so much so that I can even excuse their dislike of tea. Another bonus is that it's definitely helping me with my Italian, not to mention being the best introduction to the famous Bologna cuisine! Every meal I've had so far has been amazing, and I'm determined to learn to cook alla bolognese over the course of the year. 

Another reason I already feel quite at home here is that Bologna is quite similar to Oxford, other than the fact it has a H&M, and instead of bicycles everywhere, there are motorbikes. And instead of punting, there's... more motorbikes. But they're both historic university towns of about the same size, with pretty impressive architecture all around. Every street in Bologna is beautiful, and I've spent most of my first two days just walking round, getting used to the fact that this is my home for the next four months. One way in which it's very different to Oxford, though, is how much less tourist-dominated it seems. Two and a half days in, I've yet to hear anyone speaking English. Cristiana, my host mum, told me that the bolognesi can be lazy when it comes to conserving their monuments, largely because they don't actually want tourists, and it's a rich enough region to manage without. It's the tourists who are missing out on the city though; home to Europe's oldest university (soz Oxford), it's a fun, studenty place, plus there are sights aplenty for the more culturally inclined. As well as the ornate porticoes it is most famous for, Bologna's got towers, churches, museums - including the recently opened ICE CREAM MUSEUM, the first in the world and a part of Italian culture I feel it would be rude not to embrace.

Other than gelato-based activities, I'm going to be spending my time here doing an internship at the Goethe Zentrum – the Institute of German Culture in Bologna, with tasks like organising and publicising cultural events, assisting with German teaching, as well as secretarial and admin work. I'm looking forward to starting  work on Monday, although slightly terrified at the prospect of a job which juggles both my foreign languages - that's a few too many verb endings for my liking. But all in all, the year abroad is off to a great start, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!