What were you grateful for this week?
This week I felt so grateful that my family speaks such good English and that I can communicate with them!

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
The hardest part of this week was finally stepping outside of my comfort zone and going to explore Rome by myself for the first time.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.
I took [my host family’s daughter] to a birthday party on Friday, and instead of going home and picking her up after the party was over, I stayed and played with her and her friends.

Tell us about your week!
My first full week in Rome! It was amazing! I got out and explored the city on my own for the first time and it was so magical. Walking through the cobblestone streets you can just feel all the history. It’s hard to explain how incredible it is.

The intoxicating scent of Italian leather, the cold, creamy gelato, the loud, busy streets and the cute little alleyways that you don’t think a car could fit through in a million years, but then you almost get sideswiped by a green fiat.

Basically, I’m experiencing something new every day, hour, minute and second. I feel so alive not knowing what the next day brings and learning to love a beautiful new city, a new culture, and a new people. Kaylee and I met up a couple times and explored the hidden gems of the city and ate more than our fair share of gelato. We’re at the point where our diet consists mainly of gelato and if we get in some pasta or anything resembling a vegetable, we view that as a major accomplishment.

Literally everything here tastes so good, I don’t know how I’m going to eat anything when I go home. My favorite part of the week was attending church this Sunday. K and I met so many cool people and made lots of new friends! Can’t wait to explore more next week!