What were you grateful for this week? The rain! It’s so nice to get a break from the heat and the rain is beautiful here. It’s like being in a completely different place. What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week? The most challenging has been dealing with my electronics and trying to get them to work properly. I lost everything that was on my phone when I got a new SIM card because it didn’t backup correctly ???? then my camera stopped working. But it has been a reminder to just enjoy where I am without feeling like I need to capture it all. Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. This week I cooked potato salad for my host family! They are having a big party tomorrow and they said they love American potato salad. So I made some from scratch for my host family and their guests. Tell us about your week! I think the highlight has been watching the sunsets from my host family’s backyard. They are incredible! Every night there is a gorgeous sunset and it’s different every day.

I also explored Rome this weekend for the first time. Rome is unreal. I felt like I was in a movie or a documentary the entire time I was walking around. I really enjoyed listening to podcasts and audio tours as I walked around because I was able to learn about the history as I was seeing it in front of me. So cool. It’s crazy that many of the building and monuments have lasted so 

long. I have also spent some time in the kitchen with my host mom. She’s an amazing cook and there is a lot that I can learn from her. I love everything she cooks.