What were you grateful for this week?
The opportunity to embark on an adventure.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
Packing up my things and saying my goodbyes to schoolmates, teachers, and my host family.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. 
I’ve spent some extra time with my host family this week, and have been working with my host brother to learn some tricky grammar rules.

Tell us about your week! 
This past week was a great finale to my time in Italy. I’m finishing up my schooling here, and am so proud of how much I’ve learned! My courses are entirely in Italian — the teachers and the students do not speak anything but Italian to one another during school hours — and compared to my first day when I understood absolutely NOTHING, I’ve made some serious progress.

Over the weekend, I met up with T2 in her hometown of Merano. We explored Merano and Bolzano together on Saturday, which included some really great (and really strange) German food. And despite some travel mishaps, T2 made it to Milan on Sunday, and I spent my last few hours of my final weekend showing her around the city that’s been my home for the past three and a half months.

With this being my final post, I have to say how incredible this experience has been. I never intended to be one of those people who comes back from a trip like this and announces they’ve become a different person — and I still think that. But I do think I know myself so much better than I did before. I can learn a new language, I can make new friends, and I can adventure on my own and with other people to lots of interesting places. I’ve seen ancient cities and famous works of art, had some of the best food of my life, and learned to love the Italian culture. I can hold simple conversations in Italian, answer tourist questions on the street, and navigate Milan’s metro system. I can do SO MANY THINGS, and I knowing I have that ability is one of the best gifts I’ve ever given to myself. I’m so grateful to my host family and to Rome Abroad for facilitating such a moving and life-changing experience for me! Ciao!