What were you grateful for this week?
This week I was grateful that it cooled off a little bit! It’s been really hot the past few weeks and it’s finally starting to cool down to about 70 degrees (Fahrenheit). 

What was the most difficult or challenging part of this week?
Well, the kids are generally very easy, but sometimes it’s hard because they can carry on a whole conversation and get into arguments and I have no idea what it’s even about. Because of the language gap it’s hard to really show your personality because you can’t join in their conversations and respond or react to anything when they’re speaking in Italian.

 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week.
[My host family’s son] and I had SO much fun playing paper airplanes! We spent a whole evening making airplanes and racing them in the living room. We probably used way more paper and ‘scotch’ (tape) than [my host mom] would have liked, but it was all for the cause of fun 🙂

Tell us about your week! 
I learned so much this week! It’s the greatest feeling to be walking through the streets of Italy looking down at your map, wondering where the heck you are, and then looking up as you round a corner and recognizing what street you’re on. Every day this week I’ve gone exploring and I’ve started recognizing certain places and finding different routes home. 

 

I took this week to just enjoy Rome in all its glory and do all the touristy stuff which hurt my pride a little haha, but it was super cool and definitely worth it. I visited the Aventine Keyhole, the Mouth of Truth, the Pantheon (yet again), Circo Massimo, Spanish Steps, and lots more. Since I don’t have the patience to join a tour group, or the money for that matter, I usually google the place I’m going to next and learn as much as possible before I get there. 

 

I’ve been able to use my imagination so much while wandering around Rome, and I LOVE it! Walking around the largest chariot racetrack in Rome, picturing in my mind, the absolute chaos, excitement, and recklessness of the races. It kind of just blows your mind to think that all of that happened right where you’re standing.

 

I’m now considered a regular at the infamous gelateria, Fatamorgana, which is just down my street, I don’t get lost taking the kids to basketball or English school anymore, and I’ve replaced all my exclamations with “mama Mia!”, so I could basically just stay in Italia for the rest of my life and be perfectly content 🙂