beautiful is the growing mind.

i signed up to volunteer during the time i would be living in florence. i thought it would be good to give back to the community who so generously accepted me into their home. i also presumed it would be a very beneficial way for me to emerse myself in to the culture. on monday, also valentine's day, which has no relevance to this story whatsoever, i had my first volunteer meeting! i was literally thrown into the situation, not really knowing quite what to expect. my instructions were as follows, " all you need to do is catch the number 11 bus and take it across town and get off at lamarmora. it only comes every 20 minutes but if you leave now you may be able to make it, or you can walk." with the information i was just given jumbling around in my head i made my way for the door and hurried down the stairs. while frantically power walking down the street i was mentally deciphering  whether i should walk or take the bus. with the map clutched in my had as if the wind may snatch it away from me at any given moment and possibly talking myself through which means of transportation would be most effective considering  i had 20 minutes to get there and apart from a small red "x" on the map i had not a clue where it was. it would be safe to say i was looking like a lost and confused tourist more than ever, which i usually try to avoid at all costs. as i was walking down the street, i was trying to avoid the busy lunchtime foot traffic when a large gust of air following a city bus sped through the air coming from behind me nearly pulling me down. if it was not for this abrupt jolt of nearly being love tapped by a huge bus i may not have realized it was bus number 11 that zoomed past me. in only a moment's time to decide my feet took a mind of their own my body followed then my brain finally caught up and before i knew it i was running after the bus and jumped on just in time for the doors to close swiftly behind me and the doors closed just in time for me to realize that i didn't but a bus ticket. side note: so how the public transportation system works is you have to buy  a bus ticket which you can purchase at any tabacchi for 1,20 euros and it works for up to 90 minutes. however if you do not buy a pus ticket you could be subject to pay a 240 euro fine!! so at this point i am illegally riding the city bus to an unknown location while simultaneously freaking out that i am going to get fined and trying to recollect why i got on the bus in the first place. i was trying to look for the street i was instructed to get off at but before i knew it i was the second to last person left on the bus so i decided i should get off now before i was brought back to my original starting point. i got off at a stop i had never even heard of before and luckily i was about 2 centimeters from being completely off the map. after about 45 minutes and only one huge circle later i arrived at the school where i was supposed to volunteer. I was nearly an hour late, but because i was late i was assigned to a 5th grade classroom instead of kindergarten. i was a little nervous and excited wondering if these kids would tear me apart, what would i be doing and would i even be of any service to them? the teacher was very welcoming and introduced me to all the students. they were each instructed to ask me a question about my life. i was on the spot and suddenly i felt like i didnt even know how to speak proper english. my mind was jumbled with wanting to answer in italian and remembering the correct way to speak in english. i felt like new kid in class. haha. once class began,  i became a little more comfortable. i was observing the class as a whole and i was fascinated and truly impressed by their english speaking skills. i felt like i may have been learning more from them, than they were from me. i was mesmerized by their ability to switch from speaking fast paced italian to a language that i could comprehend. overall it was a truly rewarding experience and every monday i will await the anticipation and nerves that flow through my body upon entering this 5th grade classroom.