I'm in the place to be.

This has been the best weekend I've spent in Italy so far.

I was in an art show and witnessed a Florentine Easter Tradition (which will get a more detailed post later).

That was great and all, but the thing that made this weekend so much better than the others was that I checked out the local music scene. I went to two venues and was the only American there. It was out of my comfort zone, and ended up being so rewarding.

Since Florence is a tourist town, nearly everyone in the center speaks English. I can get by without hardly ever using Italian. But at these shows I was forced to use as much as I know. And I had some pretty interesting half broken English, half broken Italian conversations. I even talked about American and Italian politics with one guy.

Anyways, my point with this post is people really aren't that different around the world. Yes there are cultural things and language. But you can get past that, learn from it.

If you ever find yourself in a new culture, find the people that share your passion. The language may still be a problem, but there is still an understanding.

PS. I meet the person that made it possible for me to do this on couchsurfing.com. This website connects travelers from around the world. If you want to visit somewhere new and avoid the tourist traps, its a great resource. Make a profile and find some cool people to surf with.