What were you grateful for this week? 

Grateful for meeting people and making new friends. 

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week? 

Difficulty was that I had to really depend on the family for any kind of transportation which was hard because I didn’t want to feel like a bother.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. Wow moment, I helped [my host family’s son] learn to swim. 

Tell us about your week! 

This past week has been incredible! Sicily is so amazing and I’ve been so grateful to have had the chance to come here with the family. The beaches here are amazing as is the water. Spending so much time with the family has been great because I feel like it has really strengthened my relationship with them. Everyday had been spent at the beach or the marina and I couldn’t ask for better.

It’s also been great because I was introduced to some cousins of the kids that are my age and they have been so lovely and warm and welcoming towards me. 

I have made some great friends. I’ve been able to get to know them and also go to dinners and even go dancing with them. It was especially fun and exciting because it was Italian night so it was all Italian music. 

Another cool thing that we did was that we stopped in Calabria and saw these breathtaking bronze Greek warriors that had been found in the bottom of the sea. The intricate work that went into making them was unbelievable. I also was so struck by the amazing condition of the statues even after being under the sea for so long. 

Also the food in Sicily is amazing. They have something here called an aranchini and it is the best food that I have had in Italy.