What were you grateful for this week?Audiobooks and a comfy bed.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?Navigating Venice!

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. My host brother and I usually spend our free time together playing board games, which is fun, but does little to help improve his English once he’s got the hang of saying, “Your turn!” or “Roll the dice!” I decided to have him listen to an audiobook to learn some new words, and he really liked it!

Tell us about your week! This week, winter seemed to really hit Milan. Because of daylight savings, the sun sets around 5:00 PM, so the afternoons have gotten much darker. And because I’m in school for four hours in the morning, I’m missing some sunshine. I’m determined to find some new ways to get some Vitamin D, but I don’t know if I’m ready to start the darkest part of the year. On the upside, the city has started to prep for Christmas, which is always exciting. I’m generally a “No Christmas Before Thanksgiving” kind of person, but since Thanksgiving doesn’t exist on this side of the Atlantic, I’m willing to get into the holiday spirit earlier than usual.This weekend, I went to Venice! It’s my third time in the city (thanks to my visa, I’m seeing a lot of old favorites rather than new places, but I’m not complaining!). It was the first time I’d been to the city in off season, and it was strange to have it so quiet and so cloudy. It was also kind of neat to see the aqua alta (“high water,” when parts of the city flood), even though it meant St. Marks’ square sustained some damage. I spent Saturday just wandering with K2, who I met for the first time, and V, who I got to say goodbye to before she left to go home! 

Sunday I was on my own, and spent time walking through the Guggenheim and the Accademia. I got to ride in first class on the train home, and that wasn’t half bad, either!