What were you grateful for this week?Being given time to slowly adjust to living here with the family.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?Getting past the language barrier and being able to communicate. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. (A “wow” moment is when you went the extra mile to do something nice for your host family.)It was late and my parents were out with friends and I was also with them. [My host family’s daughter] was tired so I offered to take her home so that they could stay out later with their friends.

Tell us about your week! This week my family went to their home in Sabaudia and invited me to come with them. We drove from Rome to Sabaudia and I was able to see some of Italy’s countryside. We drove past the sea and it was a breathtaking blue. Our home has many terraces each with a different beautiful view. From my room there is a view of the lake. 

[My host family’s father] was working and had June film festival. The opening night of the festival we all dressed up fancy and got to walk on the red carpet at the festival. I felt like a celebrity while we had a small fancy spread above the screen. For the three nights the festival took place there were different movie stars each night and it was exciting to watch them as they each spoke up on the stage. I didn’t understand what they were saying; however, I enjoyed watching how animated they were and how they could make the crowd cheer or laugh. 

Each night we stayed out late at the festival and then we would go have a late meal. I really enjoyed watching how alive the city becomes at night. The streets are full of children playing soccer, while teenagers will quickly drive around on their motorbikes Adults will sit outside a bar and have a late meal and just talk. It is so different to what I am used to and it was exhilarating to be a part of such a busy setting. 

My favorite part of Sabaudia easily was the sea. We would go lay out at the families umbrella and take swims in the sea. The water is gentle and I can actually go for a swim in it. There is a mountain that reminds me of home and so it made going to the sea even better just because it helped to ease my homesickness.