What were you grateful for this week?I was grateful that my family could come visit me. 

What was the most challenging part of this week?

Saying goodbye to my mom again.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.  When my family and host family met. That was a “wow” moment. 

Tell us about your week! 

This week was amazing. My family joined me back in Milan Monday evening. I was so excited to introduce them to my host family. The boys were timid at first but quickly warmed up. My mom and the boys were reading books and playing. My little brother played soccer with [my host family’s son]. It made me feel more closer to my host family after them seeing this part of my life. 

On Tuesday, I showed my parents around my neighborhood, where I get my pistachio croissants, my school. We grabbed lunch with my good friend Jennifer who I met in school. That night we took a plane to Croatia. 

They say that Croatia is one of the sunniest places, well we did not experience that. We hiked waterfalls in the rain it was very majestic. Croatia is so stunning, I am already planning another trip there. My favorite zone we went to was Hvar. It was so beautiful it doesn’t even seem real. It was so awesome to spend time with my family again. I feel like my relationships with all of them have grown. My brother and I usually push each others buttons, but on this trip we got along and it made me so happy. It is exciting to grow away from home and come back to those relationships.