What were you grateful for this week?Sunshine and living by the park. 

What was the most challenging part of this week? 

Getting sick and having to cancel a weekend trip. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. I helped out with my host child’s slumber party at their other home in the city. Those little girls were crazy! But it was super fun. 

Tell us about your week! My week’s been pretty laid-back for the most part. The weather has finally improved here in Rome and I’ve enjoyed getting out of the house, going on runs, walking around the park, and meeting up with (old and new) friends a couple times. Valentine’s day I went and painted in the park for a few hours and felt like I was fulfilling all my human goals in life. It’s so nice to live by Villa Borghese. I also managed another visit to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple before the open house closed and I ran into an old friend from high school who’s here serving a mission! What a small world, it was so nice to see a familiar face. Friday night my host child had her birthday party, a sleepover at their second house here in the city with a bunch of her friends. Her parents went all-out, throwing the most sparkly unicorn birthday party I could ever have imagined. I think my host child really loved it, it was so fun to see her smiling and playing with her friends like that. Unfortunately, the day after is the day I got really sick. I’ve been feeling it coming for a few days, but it hit hard on Saturday. I’d been planning a day trip on Sunday to another town, but by the end of Saturday I realized I was in no fit state to travel. Luckily a few other Rome Abroad travelers were in town and I met up with them to get fresh air, sunshine, and gelato, which I’m pretty sure is the cure for everything.