What were you grateful for this week?[My host mom and dad.] What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?The most difficult part of my week was the fact that it rained during most of my trip to Rome. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. It was [my host mom’s] birthday on Thursday. So [my host family’s daughter] and I made a birthday cake for her!

Tell us about your week! This was my first official week with the family, so I was just getting comfortable learning their routine and schedule. I also started my Italian class this week in Alba. It’s been a little difficult because they only speak Italian the whole time. But it really has been helping me and I am actually picking up the language pretty well! On Friday, the family took me to Rome with them! We stayed in a cute little BnB in the Trastevere District in Rome. Franca thought it be a good way to celebrate our birthdays. Her birthday was on October 4th and mine was on the 8th. It rained most of the weekend, which was a little disappointing, but I think I really made the best of it. I was able to meet up with C and S. On Friday night, C and S were talking about how busy the Trevi Fountain gets, and that it’s best to go really early in the morning. So on Saturday morning I took their advice and woke up at 5 am to see the fountain. It rained the entire time but it was completely worth it. In fact, I think the rain made it even more beautiful and peaceful. I ended up staying at the Trevi for about an hour that morning by myself and really enjoyed it. We all had gelato probably more than six times that whole weekend. I was also able to visit the Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, The Vatican, The Colosseum, and a couple other historical sites during my stay. It was a really great first week and first trip of my time here. I am really happy that I was able to celebrate my birthday in a wonderful city with some great people.