M just arrived in Italy and she’s already making the most of her adventure! Keep reading to see what she’s been up to this week. 

What was your favorite part of this week?

Getting to explore the older part of the city!  

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?Adjusting to a new language and communicating with the people around me who don’t speak English.  

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. (A “wow” moment is when a Speaker went the extra mile to do something nice for their host family.)I cleaned the kitchen every morning! 

Tell us about your week! 

This week was wild. I arrived Sunday evening and there was a large party in full swing. About 40-50 people and I was extremely overwhelmed. It was a great way for me to meet everyone, but I was feeling a little emotional and drained after traveling for so long. I spent the first couple of days adapting to my host family’s routine and getting settled. It was nice to have some time to relax or read a book. We spent time going on bike rides and visiting the horses that are kept on the property here. Later into the week, I got a chance to go out into the city by myself and just explore and figure it out. It was nerve-wracking and cool at the same time. I checked out the local shopping center and navigated the streets with some help from my GPS. I even made it home successfully without getting lost (which for me, was pretty impressive). The biggest change for my routine is the amount of food, eating every meal together, and what I am eating. The food here is a lot sweeter than what I am used to, and a lot higher in carbs!! It’s strange having pasta for almost every meal when I didn’t eat it that much at home. However, it’s nice to eat with your family (or at least some of them) all the time! I’m never lonely, that’s for sure! This week has been crazy and surreal, and I’m excited to start next week off with a fresh start now that I have adjusted and see what it has in store for me.