winding down

Wow it's been a while since I've updated my blog! Sorry!! The last few days have been relaxing. No beach. No school. No walking around all day. We've just been relaxing and watching some movies. (I saw The Notebook in Italian! It was awesome! Lol)

At night we still head out to go to the center of town, but I have fun when we go out! Her friends know when I'm leaving now, and I think they're getting a little sad (I know I am). They keep asking me will I remember them when I get back to America (awww!!) I say"how can I forget you!?

So, a few days ago my host family and I went to Bari to do a little shopping. Well, I don't think "little" really justifies the shopping I did :/! On the bright side, though, I got a lot of cute shirts and a purse!

Now I only have a week left in Matera and I think about how time has really flown. When I left Chicago at the end of June I was nervous and a little sad about leaving, and now I'm sad about leaving Italy! How ironic, right? As time is quickly winding down I keep asking myself "Where will I get some good gelato now?!" Lol


Until next time, Arriverderci! :)

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life in matera

I've been with my host family for almost a week now, and I couldn't be having more fun! Everything is so beautiful here just like I thought it would be.
So far I've met a lot of my host sister's friends, and they are all so nice and they ask me everything about Chicago and America.

My host mom makes theeee greatest pasta!! She doesn't know english at all, so when she talks to me I need my host sister around to translate! My host dad is hilarious! I have no idea what he's talking about half of the time, but his gestures are always so funny!

In the past four days, I've been to the beach more than I've ever been in my life. It's fun though, and I'm really getting a good tan (like I need one).
Well, so far, I'm having the time of my life here in Matera, Italy. The food is good, the people are nice, and the sales in these shops are amazing!

I couldn't have asked for a better host family either. My host sis is cool and she tells me everything about Matera and takes me out everywhere. We made a deal with each other when I got here: I speak to her in english and she speaks in italian so we can learn the other language a little better. Right now our mutual language is french so if we really want to have a conversation, that's what we speak!

Until next time, Arriverderci :)

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my photos

I have taken hundreds and hundreds of pix and I'm putting them on Flickr slowly but surely. See the link to my pix on the left of my blog. Keep checking back because there are many more to come!!

Until next time, Arriverderci! :)

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sooo...this is Italy

Well, I did it! After all the months of planning, waiting, and filling out endless paper work, I am finally in Italy! It's still sinking in that I'm in one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

AFS representatives were right by the baggage claim in Laguardia Airport when I landed just like they said they'd be! After I got my bags, I began making some friends! I met kids going all over the world to places like Egypt, Turkey, France, and India! They were all just as excited as I was, and we sat there and talked for a long time waiting for other students to show up!

St. Johns University is where I met all of the other students going abroad including all of my Italy buddies! Guess how many of us it is in my Italy group? 55!! We were the biggest group there and, yes, AFS put all 55 of us on "Swiss Air" together for our 8 hour flight to Zurich, Switzerland, and we had so much fun!! I've met some great people, and everyone clicked so easily like we've known each other forever.

When we arrived in Rome, we were split up by who is going to northern and who is going to southern Italy. So now we are here together in Calabria, Italy (southern Italy) for a week. After we leave Calabria, we will be breaking off from each other to go stay with our host families!! Ahhh I'm so excited!!

At the end of the summer, everyone in the AFS Italy group (people who went north, and the people who went south like me) will meet back in Rome!

Until next time, Arriverderci! :)

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host family!!! :)

Yaaay!! After all this time, I finally got my host family! I have had so much excitement during this process, but this is probably best news yet! It is really sinking in fast that I will be in a new country in less than 3 weeks!

Well, here's a little bit about them!! I have a host mother, father, and a sister. My host sister is a year younger than me; she just turned 16!!! I was hoping this would happen so I could have someone show me around (although I'm sure my family will do that anyway),and just someone my age to kick it with!

My host mother is the same age as my mom, and the father is not that much older! They live in Matera, which is Southern Italy! I immediately looked up the city and read everything about it and IT. IS. AMAZING! It is a very historic place and, get this, The Passion of the Christ was filmed in the exact city! I can't wait to get there and see it for myself!! In less than 3 weeks I will be living like a true Italian!! (and eating some really great food) Lol!

Until next time, Arriverderci!! :)

thank you to "anonymous"

OMG! Someone I don't even know gave a generous donation to my trip! Thank you so much whoever you are! I appreciate it so much. I don't even know what to say.