On Tuesday, February 5, 2019 a few hundred U.S. study abroad students were invited to gather at Palazzo Vecchio, the city council headquarters, for the 2019 Welcome Day held in the prestigious Salone dei Cinquecento.

I learned that about 15,000 North American students take residence in Florence each year. The speech by Benjamin Wohlauer, U.S. Consul General in Florence, emphasized that we have a responsibility to act as representatives of the American culture while living in our host city. We have more exposure to the locals and their culture than any government official and this event truly emphasized the importance of our role within the Florentine community, Consul Wohlauer said.

Malu Foley
University of Connecticut