What were you grateful for this week?
Arriving in Rome and traveling safely. There were some problems with flights and it was stressful because the day after I got here my host family brought me with them to visit family in Sicily, so I haven’t had a chance to settle in and adjust yet. But I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity, and grateful that my host family immediately took me in and made me feel welcome.
 

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
Getting here and adjusting. I definitely haven’t quite recovered from the eight hour time difference, and it was hard to arrive and be instantly uprooted again. It’s been rough too, being surrounded by a language I don’t quite understand, especially in Sicily, as none of the people there aside from my host family spoke any English. But now I’m back in the city and looking forward to getting used to a new life here for a few months. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.
I’ve only been here a few days, but I hope I’ve been a good guest so far. While we were in Sicily I stayed with the girl I’m here for, pretty much the whole time, helped her with homework, and taught her a couple card games. We had fun on the airplane rides. I hope that helped her parents, to have me with her so they could enjoy being with family and get other things done. 

Tell us about your week! 
This week has been a whirlwind, and so crazy. My flight got delayed by almost 21 hours, so I made it here, albeit a day late, only to immediately repack and set off for Sicily with my host family. I stayed with their family there, which was definitely an adventure, as I don’t speak much Italian and none of them spoke any English! But it was gorgeous and I’m so grateful I got to see a part of Italy I probably wouldn’t have without my host family. Coming back to Rome for the second time in a week, I’ve been trying to get adjusted to a very different life here in Rome. It’s all very different from how I imagined, as everything always is. 

 

Today I got a chance to explore the city by myself for a while, literally just wandering around, something I’ve never done before. I’ve never lived in a city, much less a city like this one. In my wanderings, I stumbled across the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cornaro Chapel of Santa Maria della Vittoria, both of which host artworks by Bernini himself, one of my favorite Italian Baroque artists. The Cornaro Chapel has the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, one of my favorite works of Bernini, so just “running into” that was a shock. It’s just one of those crazy things that can happen here in Italy, I guess! I can’t wait to find more gems like that, and explore this beautiful city and country.