Goodbye Meredith!!!

Today, Meredith, one of the FlorenceForFun staff members, left to move back to the good ole USA.  I only moved out here a month ago, and upon meeting her, I knew that we would become great friends, and fast.  The beauty of living abroad, whether studying or not, is that you spend a lot of time together with people who just a month or so before you did not know at all.  You probably have similar situations within your programs; you have met so many new people and it already feels like you have known them forever.  Inside jokes, favorite restaurants, tips on how to avoid the creepy guys who “Ciao, bella” you, these experiences you share with old and new friends who you will continue to count on and rely on even after your time in Florence ends.
Some of my closest friends even today are the people that I studied abroad with.  The crazy traveling you will do with these people, the stories you have from wild nights and crazy stuff that happens to you; those memories will stay with you forever, and they help forge a bond between you and your friends that is hard to duplicate.  FlorenceForFun’s staff is similar in that we rely on each other; we go out together, eat, travel, etc; those crazy stories that I had happen to me as a student now happen to me as a tour guide.  Meredith was a great part of my first month here, and I will truly miss her.
GOOD LUCK MEREDITH IN AMERICA!!! When you get sick of hot water, not stepping in dog shit and eating mediocre fast food, come back; you will always have at least one friend here waiting.