What were you grateful for this week?Good friends, good music, and spontaneity.

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

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. I’ve been taking some time to teach my host brother music theory on the afternoons we play piano together.

Tell us about your week! This week, I went to my Italian class and spent time with my host family, as usual. My host brother and I learned a few new songs on the piano and I taught him how to play Blackjack with Uno cards, so we’re doing just fine.This weekend, V and I traveled to Verona. Having been to Italy two times already, I’ve made it a goal to see a few new places, and this is one of them. Verona itself was totally lovely. Lots of old world Italian charm and influences from just-over-the-border Austria and Germany made for a unique food and cultural experience. We saw famous statues, beautiful churches, and ate some really delicious meals. The highlight of the weekend, though, was seeing “Mamma Mia!” in the ancient Roman amphitheater located in the center of the city. During September after opera season is over, Verona hosts one-night-only performances, and this past Saturday, it happened to be “Mamma Mia!” My mom and I spent all summer listening to the sequel’s soundtrack and went to the theatre several times to see it on $5 Tuesdays, so it seemed like fate. The show was great, and despite being locked out of our hostel for an hour at 1:00 AM and fending off several creepy men once the musical was over, the weekend was an eventful and overall success. It was one of the few times on this trip where I’ve gotten to stop and look around, realizing that, yes, this is actually happening, and aren’t I so, so lucky?The answer is definitely yes.