What were you grateful for this week?
This week I am grateful for the ocean, Verona, and gaining a new family! 

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
The most challenging/difficult part of this week was feeling lonely & not wanting to travel because of it. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.
My temporary host family was leaving on vacation, just the day after I left! So, I tried to help out as much as possible, because I knew the mom was stressed. I went with the mom to Ikea and spent (no joke) 4 and 1/2 hours there, picking out things to improve the house decor. Then, on my last night, I stayed in, and helped her fold laundry until 2 a.m. 

Tell us about your week! 
This week was AMAZING!!

As I mentioned in the last check in, I got to spend this week with a temporary host family in Livorno! I worked quite a bit, but it didn’t feel like work, because the kids and I spent almost every hour swimming in the ocean, or dancing to Micheal Jackson’s music!

I also got to explore another Coastal town, which was quite fun! I haven’t spent a lot of time near the ocean, because, I live in Utah. So, it was really nice and different!

The highlight of my week was when I decided to stay home on my day off, and hang out with my host family. We went to the aquarium together, and then went snorkeling! It was my first time snorkeling, and I found an octopus!! It was SO cool!

Staying with different host families every once in awhile is really a great opportunity. I get to experience the differences in Italian families, in different locations! I learn a lot from the kids, as well as the parents. I also end up leaving Italy with not just one family, but 3 families!

To end the week, I made a trip to Verona with A! I have been wanting to visit Verona since I was 12 years old (after watching the movie, “Letters to Juliet”). A & I walked the pretty streets, visited all the Romeo & Juliet attractions, and just had a good time! It was a much needed trip with a friend. I believe Verona may be one of my new favorite cities! Everything was so beautiful, and it wasn’t overwhelming with people.

This week is going to be hard to beat, because it was just that good.