What were you grateful for this week?I was grateful for wifi this week. I have been able to keep in contact with my family at home (in the U.S.A.) and that has been great! This is my first time abroad so it was very nice to let my parents, siblings, and friends know that I arrived safely and am enjoying myself.

What was the most challenging part of this week?The most challenging part of this week was being jet lagged. I have never been far enough from home to experience jet lag. In Italy, I am 8 hours ahead from my home in the U.S. I’ve been able to kind of reset my sleep patterns, and hopefully by the end of next week I will be on Italian time!

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. My host kids got a Nintendo Switch as a gift, and the parents asked me to help teach them how to play. Even though it is all in Italian, it is very similar to how you play in America. 

Tell us about your week!It has been a long week! It took me about 30+ hours to travel to my town in Italy. I have never been abroad or traveled solo like this. However, it was a great learning experience! I now know how easy and simple it was to travel. There were a few bumps in the road, but I asked for help when I needed and slept on airport couches when I could. 

I arrived Tuesday night and my cute host family picked up me up at the train station with a sign saying “Welcome Home!” It felt so good to finally be in my town. My town is quite small but has a lot of history. There is a castle and an older village that is just beautiful! My host family has also been very welcoming. They have invited me out to dinner, lunch, and family events with their extended family. While the children were at school, I was able to walk around their city and look at all the beautiful shops and restaurants. The food here is wonderful! Real Tuscan meals. Everyone in Italy has been so welcoming to me, even if we are unable to speak each other’s language. If this week is even a little bit about what the rest of summer will be like, I can’t wait to see what’s in store!