WILSON, N.C. Sept 16: Tropical Storm Florence dumped “epic” amounts of rain on North and South Carolina as it trudged inland on Saturday, knocking out power and causing at least eight deaths as flood waters that have devastated many communities kept rising.

NORTH CAROLINA, Sept 12: Motorists streamed inland on highways converted to one-way evacuation routes Tuesday as about 1.7 million people in three states were warned to get out of the way of Hurricane Florence, a hair-raising storm taking dead aim at the Carolinas with 225 kph winds and potentially ruinous rains.

Embarking on a new adventure is filled with trepidation, excitement and a certain sense of melancholy. You go from a place of comfort to an alien environment. When I first came to Italy, I could barely say “hello” and “where is the bathroom?” and I, admittedly, struggled for a few months before I was able to settle into Florence and its lifestyle.