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My First Blog Post

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

– Dylan Thomas

The quote above is a section from my favourite poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night”, by Dylan Thomas. Poetry and reading is a favourite past-time of mine, as you’ll grow to learn as my blog posts continue. My reading interests aren’t completely fictional, I also enjoy reading political journalistic reports- which makes sense as my approach to journalism is completely political. I have written small, unpublished articles about Australian politics, but I take more of an interest in politics surrounding the Middle East. I hope to one day become an investigative journalist and be able to write articles myself rather than just read them. The journalist I idolise most is Peter Greste. I originally found out about him through a presentation he had organised at my old high school as he was a past student; he talked about his incarceration in Egypt and I have been extremely fascinated with his works ever since.

Differences Between Italian culture and Australian

From an Aussie perspective, Australians don’t really have much culture, or so I thought. Since moving to Italy, I’ve noticed how truly different our lifestyles are- so I thought I’d make a list of what I’ve noticed!

First of all, public bathrooms aren’t free! They cost about 50c per use. I’ve never had to pay to use a rest room so I was shocked when I saw the gates in front of the bathroom.

Secondly, eating times here are so different! Lunch is generally around 2pm and Dinner is anywhere from 8pm-10pm. Most restaurants don’t even open until 8pm!

Third, the alcohol culture is crazy here! White wine is for pasta’s and red wine is for meat based dishes. Don’t forget it! They also sell alcohol in grocery stores, and the age limit here is 16 for light liquor.

This is what I’ve noticed so far, I’ll continue to provide updates. Until next time,

Ella.

A Quick Move

Hi All!

This will be yet another update on my Italian progress. I found that Florence wasn’t for me and have found a new family in Rome. It’s currently day 14 and I couldn’t be happier in my new home. Rome is much more my style of city. I loved Florence with every ounce of my being but the host family and I didn’t get along well. My new host family has been nothing but kind and welcoming, I already know I’ll be happier here!

It’s currently Autumn in Italy, but i’m super excited for Winter to come. Being an Australian, I’ve never experienced a “real winter” and i’m super keen to pull out the winter coats and scarves!

I’ll keep you all updated! Until next time,

Ella.

Life Abroad (Cont)

Hi all! Me again, and I’m continuing with my Italian stories.

The cultural differences are astounding, I knew the Italian lifestyle was different, but nothing like I thought it’d be. Originally I believed the “Italians having pasta for every meal” to somewhat be a stereotype, but it’s very very true! The Italian grocery stores even have a whole isle dedicated to different types of pasta.

It’s currently day 5 and I think i’m struggling with my host family. I’m feeling a little homesick but still going strong with my love for Italy.

Ciao for now!

Ella

Starting Life Abroad

Hi all! It’s been a while, but for good reason! Since my last post, I have uprooted my life in Brisbane and have temporarily moved to Florence in Italy from September until February 2020. The flight was long and in all honesty, pretty terrible, but the outcome has been all worth it. I’m here for a cultural exchange, to improve on my Italian and truly understand the Italian Lifestyle. It’s currently only day 2, but so far things have been great!

I’ll keep you all updated, ciao for now!

Ella

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