What were you grateful for this week?I am grateful for a welcoming first few days with my family.

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?The most challenging part of this week was going out in the city and communicating while having the language barrier. I am looking forward to learning more Italian as I stay here.

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.After dinner one night, I cleaned the kitchen alone so that the family could start to relax sooner. They were happy to come back to a clean kitchen and continue getting ready for bed.

Tell us about your week! This has been a crazy ride in only a few days. Moving to another country to become an addition to another family has changed the way I imagined travel and more importantly my views on how people interact with other people. Since I have been in Italy, I have been introduced to friends, family, and colleagues of my hosts; all while being shown the beauties of the city I am in. 

After having been so warmly invited into different daily tasks, it has made me feel at ease quickly. I absolutely loved going into the city center to see the historic buildings. It is incredible to see how interwoven the past and present of the city are and what they make as a whole. The locals know every inch is beautiful and I’m glad to know that the views do not become any less breathtaking the more often you see it. So far, I have learned a bit about the buildings in the city center were originally designed for the king and knowing that has made walking the streets even more intriguing. 

On another note, I went out for my very first Italian pizza and it truly is as great as they say. I am really looking forward to all of the exploring I will do in the next week and getting to know my host family even more.