What were you grateful for this week?I am so grateful for my host family always looking for new ways to include me in their life. This week I was invited to yoga and taught how to make gnocchi!

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?The most challenging part of this week was traveling alone. This week I went on a day trip to Milan alone and was approached by many strangers and asked to come with them. I am grateful for my support system for giving me advice on how to stay safe!

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. My wow moment this week was a small but special one. I got to teach the entire family how to play Go Fish, which none of them had ever heard of! I am so glad I got to share this with the parents and not just my host sister! 

Tell us about your week!This week seemed to fly by so quickly. On Monday my host mom brought me to her Italian yoga class. I’ve done yoga in the USA but it was much harder when all of the instructions are in a different language. I also got to meet up with M twice since my last post. It is so nice to have made friends with the other travelers and plan our future trips over coffee and window shopping. Over the weekend I took a short trip to Milan to see some of the major landmarks. Milan is especially beautiful before Christmas. I loved seeing all of the intricate widow displays and the Christmas trees in the main shopping areas. Since coming to Italy, I’ve seen a fair amount of cathedrals but the one Milan is by far the most ornate. I didn’t expect the varying shades of pink and grey in the marble. I could probably spend hours soaking up the details. But, after this trip, I learned more about the importance of traveling with others and how easily you can become a potential target as a tourist. Common sense and gut instinct are always vital.

I also had a bit of a Christmas miracle this week after losing my bus pass on a tram in town. I didn’t realize it had fallen out of my pocket until I needed to use it on the other side of town. Just as I was about to try and trace my steps a security officer approached me asking if I lost my pass. When I began to explain, he pulled out my pass and gave it to me. I couldn’t believe that someone had not only turned it in but that the officer had also been exactly where I was going to get on and use it, a pretty far distance from where I lost it! This week I feel very lucky but also very grateful for the people I have met while living abroad.