What were you grateful for this week? 

The sun. 

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
The ‘vacation’ france. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. 
Surviving the ‘vacation’ in France. 

Tell us about your week! 
First of all, I had to say goodbye to my absolute best friend here, officially, which was heart breaking. But all good things come to an end, and I’m proud of her for being so strong during her experience here. Luckily, I won’t feel too much of the pain of that loss until September, when I am officially back in Milan with no more traveling to do. ANYWAYS.

We went to St. Tropez this past week, which is a stunning place in France with one of the most beautiful and famous beaches in Europe. We were there because it was [my host mom’s] next work destination and also hers and her husband’s wedding anniversary, so she decided to make a trip out of it rather than just work. We stayed at a resort called Kon Tiki, and it was this huge block of land right on the beach basically that had thousands of Tiki huts to stay in. Now, for a family like hours, with personalities as big as we have, a tiki hut is a small space to be in for a week. Add in a working mom, a sick baby, and a mostly absent dad…well. It was challenging to say the least.

 

I, on the other hand, LOVE places like that. Because of the fact that I grew up without a beach, I am always put in such a state of euphoria when I get to spend time at one. I love being sandy and salty and sun burned, outside and dirty. But. As you can imagine. I am the only one that feels that way. So it was a bit tough trying to convince [my host family’s son] to do anything with me. 

[My host family’s younger son] on the other hand, is unwell and no one really knows what’s wrong with him. Something has happened inside of his mouth but we are very unsure of what. He won’t speak, he spent three days AND NIGHTS MIND YOU, screaming and crying in pain. He won’t eat anything solid. It’s heart breaking. I miss his little voice so much.