Expat Interview – Katie in Florence

By Tina Ferrari
October 14th, 2009

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Katie Greenaway and I connected through our blogs initially, and met in person in Florence, Italy in January 2007. She’s been going back and forth between Florence and the US for almost 8 years. If anyone loves Florence, it’s Katie. Recently she came back to Florence – this time to stay – and I was excited to be able to ask her a few questions about her experience.

What do you do in Florence right now?

Right now, I am doing a plethora of things. I teach English Tuesdays and Thursdays in Prato. I end those two days with a BodyFLOW class at a local gym. Then several days a week I teach BodyFLOW at It’s Yoga Firenze studio near the Ponte Vecchio. This week I start working part time for a local school helping with marketing. Every other minute of the day I write on the Nile Guide as a Local Expert on Florence. Soon I will take on the challenge of being the Tuscany Expert as well.

You have been in Florence on and off for several years, and now you live there permanently. Can you tell us a bit about the struggles and the triumphs of this journey?

My journey started in 2002 when I was a student here through Saint Mary’s University. I am able to live here permanently because my mother was born in London, so I obtained UK (and EU) citizenship. My grandmother was born in Italy but it was a mess trying to obtain Italian citizenship. One big struggle was being unable to work properly because I didn’t have documents to work. A triumph was definitely the day I received my passport. I became an EU citizen. I am still flabberghasted over it.

What’s your favorite part of your current Florentine routine?

The spontaneity of my life here. I could run into my friend Pasquale on the street and end up hanging out with him all day. I might come to the center just to teach my class but end up sitting with Davide at his hot dog stand. It is great to know that my friends just randomly call or text me to go for a walk or a drink. That is the biggest difference in my life here as opposed to in the States.

Even though you know Florence like the back of your hand, are there still things that surprise you about it?

There are still streets I come upon that I don’t recognize. That is great because then I can explore a new street like I just arrived in Florence. I also enjoy seeing new, unique stores and cafes that perhaps were never in my frame of view as a student. Now that I have full range of the city and my new neighborhood, I can explore and get introduced to new ventures I never fathomed experiencing.

What piece of advice do you have for others who dream of moving abroad?

DON’T GIVE UP! When you have a dream it is important to not let others put it down. If you know your path is to be in a different part of the world, really believe in yourself. Also a great quote my professor from college used to say to me, “I think the royal road to achieving genuine satisfaction in life is going the Bloody hard way.” Keep the naysayers out of your circle of friends, those people don’t understand how to live life to the fullest.

Read Katie’s blog here.

Tina Ferrari is a translator, writer and tango dancer based in Perugia, Italy. She writes at AffordableCallingCards.net as well as on her own blog, Tina Tangos. Comments are always welcome!

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Katie, what do you do in Florence right now?

Right now, I am doing a plethora of things. I teach English Tuesday and Thursday in Prato. I end those two days with a BodyFLOW class at a local gym. Then on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I teach BodyFLOW at It’s Yoga Firenze studio near the Ponte Vecchio at 11 am Mon and Wed and Friday at 6pm. This week I am starting to work part time for a local school helping with marketing. And every other minute in the day I am writing on the Nile Guide as a Local Expert of Florence. Soon I will be taking on the challenge of being the Tuscany Expert as well.

Most of us know that you have been in Florence on and off for the past 8 years, and now you are living there permanently. Can you tell us a bit about the struggles and the triumphs of this journey?

My journey started back in 2002, when I was a student here through Saint Mary’s University in Winona, MN. I’ve come to Florence for study, for pleasure and finally now for work. I am able to live here permanently because my mother was born in London. I obtained UK citizenship in this way (which makes me an EU citizen). My grandmother was born outside of Modena but it was a huge mess trying to obtain Italian citizenship. One big struggle was being unable to work properly because I didn’t have documents to work. A triumph was definitely the day I received my passport. I became an EU citizen. I am still flabberghasted over it.

What’s your favorite part of your current Florentine routine?

The spontaneity of my life here. I never really know when things will happen. I could run into my friend Pasquale on the street and end up hanging out with him all day. I might come to the center just to teach my class but end up sitting with Davide at his hot dog stand. It is great to know that my friends just randomly call or text me to go for a walk or a drink. That is the biggest difference to my life here than in the States.

Even though you known Florence like the back of your hand, are there still things that surprise you about it?

There are still streets that come upon me that I don’t recognize. That is great because then I can explore a new street like I just arrived in Florence. I also enjoy seeing new, unique stores and cafes that perhaps were never in my frame of view as a student. Now that I have full range of the city and my new neighborhood, I can explore and get introduced to new ventures I never fathomed on experiencing.

What piece of advice do you have for other girls who dream of moving to Italy or anywhere in the world?

My advice is simply, DON’T GIVE UP! When you have a dream it is important to not let others put it down. If you know your path is to be somewhere else or live in a different part of the world, really believe in yourself. No one else can believe in your idea as a possibility more than you. Also a great quote my professor from college used to say to me, “I think the royal road to achieving genuine satisfaction in life is going the Bloody hard way.” Keep the naysayers out of your circle of friends, those people don’t understand how to live life to the fullest.

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