Hi everyone,
I'm going to try my best to keep up with my semester's activities on this blog. This is the same blog I created for my time abroad in high school, so all my old (and probably somewhat embarrassing) posts are on this page as well....it's just easier to keep everything in one place!
Tomorrow is take-off for semester abroad round 2. I will fly out of Charlotte tomorrow evening for Rome and then eventually arrive in Bologna for my first two nights. I'll attempt to post once or twice over the next month but I will be moving around a lot and may not get to write consistently until I start my program at the end of August! If my mom hasn't already updated you, in the next month I will be visiting the Croatian coast, Pescara, Aosta and London - the first and last each being places I have never been before. To say that I'm excited is beyond an understatement. After that, it'll be life in Bologna until December 24th. I am so fortunate to have these amazing opportunities (thanks Mom and Dad) and absolutely cannot wait to start my next Italian adventure tomorrow.
A presto,
Emma
Monday, July 27, 2015
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Feels Good to Be Back
Ciao tutti!
It's been a couple years since my last post, but I'm going to try and pick it back up for my next couple of months in Italia. For the few of you reading this, I am sure you already know that I am spending the summer in Italy! I like to think of my trip as being split into four different sections:
Part 1: Return to the Original Home ft. Aosta, Italy
Part 2: Scope Out the Future Home ft. Bologna, Italy
Part 3: Five Days in Paradise ft. Firenze, Italy
Part 4: Au Pair Life ft. Pescara, Italy
So far I have completed Parts 1 and 2 and half of Part 3. I'll give y'all a little update on each.
Part 1: Return to the Original Home
As y'all know, I spent 6 months in Valle d'Aosta during my junior year of high school. It was quite the experience and I'm glad I made lasting relationships with friends and family so that I can return whenever possible. Going back to Aosta (although I was just there last summer) always brings back so many memories. It amazes me that in a span of a couple hours I can sync perfectly back into my life that I left 2 years ago. My family, the Ciuci's, were great as always. Note: I was going to say "we're great hosts as always", but at this point they can't be considered hosts - just family. My time in Aosta was well spent...between going to the Terme (Google Pre Sant Didier Terme - it's pretty great), hiking the Alps, visiting friends, visiting my old school, hosting 4 guys from Sweden, making homemade focaccia, getting to know the Ciuci's current exchange student (Ivan from Russia) and every conversation in between, I can't think of a single moment that in which I wasn't enjoying myself and my company. The only thing I can complain about is that my stay was too short. The days flew by. I found myself choking back tears as I sat on the train and watched the Valley shrink away - an exact replica of the situation I was in July of 2012 on my original departure from Aosta. On a positive note, I like to remind myself that I've been fortunate enough to make the trip back twice and that I will make it back again (right, Dad?!?)
Part 2: Scope Out the Future Home
M next stop was Bologna, Italy. Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe - founded in 1088 - wow. It is also where I (hopefully) will be spending a semester of my junior year studying! Although I had a few exchange friends that were placed in Bologna, I never actually went to check out the city. So, seeing as I might spend a solid 6 months of my college life there, I figured I should take the opportunity to scope out the Emilia-Romagnan city. I stayed in a hostel that was a short walk away from both the historical downtown area and the main university area. It is easy to see that Bologna is a student's city, which I love. There are young people everywhere and at night they all gather in piazzas with a beer or bottle of wine and simply enjoy each others company. I chose a great hostel as well because I met new and great people every night! The first night I started talking to two Spaniards and an Italian. There was no 1 common language, but we all understood at least a little bit of all 3 languages so we had this strange English-Italian-Spanish mix going on. The second day I returned to the hostel after a walk (and, admittedly, a gelato) to find a girl from North Carolina! What are the chances. She went to Meredith undergrad, Duke grad (boo), and lived in Italy on and off throughout. To top it all off, she is now engaged to an Italian - a situation that I am 100% sure scares my parents to no end. Anyhow, I grabbed dinner with Sam (from NC) and her friend Megan (from NY) who has lived in Bologna for the past 3 years. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to stories from their Fulbright scholar days as well as their current lives and future plans. They kept telling me I was "getting a glimpse into my years to come" - I'm sure y'all love that one don't ya Dad and Mom? My last night in Bologna I went out with a guy from Australia and a girl from Denmark. They were so much fun and we got along really well. I wouldn't say that Bologna is one of the prettiest cities in Italy, but I do think I can see myself living there for a bit in a couple years and I'm glad I took a few days to check it out.
Part 3: Five Days in Paradise
And now we're caught up to where I am now. As you can tell by my little title and references, I am in love with Florence. I don't know exactly why - I mean its beautiful, the perfect size, full of interesting people and good food....but I still can't figure out why I'm so obsessed. I'm thinking about taking a day trip to Sienna/a vineyard tomorrow to see something new and maybe meet some more people.
On Tuesday I head into Part 3: Au Pair Life. I'm so so excited to meet the family I will be working for until the beginning of August. I don't want to jinx myself, but I have a feeling the rest of my summer is going to be great! Busy with three kids, without a doubt, but great.
I'll try my best to update you all soon!
Baci,
Emma
It's been a couple years since my last post, but I'm going to try and pick it back up for my next couple of months in Italia. For the few of you reading this, I am sure you already know that I am spending the summer in Italy! I like to think of my trip as being split into four different sections:
Part 1: Return to the Original Home ft. Aosta, Italy
Part 2: Scope Out the Future Home ft. Bologna, Italy
Part 3: Five Days in Paradise ft. Firenze, Italy
Part 4: Au Pair Life ft. Pescara, Italy
So far I have completed Parts 1 and 2 and half of Part 3. I'll give y'all a little update on each.
Part 1: Return to the Original Home
As y'all know, I spent 6 months in Valle d'Aosta during my junior year of high school. It was quite the experience and I'm glad I made lasting relationships with friends and family so that I can return whenever possible. Going back to Aosta (although I was just there last summer) always brings back so many memories. It amazes me that in a span of a couple hours I can sync perfectly back into my life that I left 2 years ago. My family, the Ciuci's, were great as always. Note: I was going to say "we're great hosts as always", but at this point they can't be considered hosts - just family. My time in Aosta was well spent...between going to the Terme (Google Pre Sant Didier Terme - it's pretty great), hiking the Alps, visiting friends, visiting my old school, hosting 4 guys from Sweden, making homemade focaccia, getting to know the Ciuci's current exchange student (Ivan from Russia) and every conversation in between, I can't think of a single moment that in which I wasn't enjoying myself and my company. The only thing I can complain about is that my stay was too short. The days flew by. I found myself choking back tears as I sat on the train and watched the Valley shrink away - an exact replica of the situation I was in July of 2012 on my original departure from Aosta. On a positive note, I like to remind myself that I've been fortunate enough to make the trip back twice and that I will make it back again (right, Dad?!?)
Part 2: Scope Out the Future Home
M next stop was Bologna, Italy. Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe - founded in 1088 - wow. It is also where I (hopefully) will be spending a semester of my junior year studying! Although I had a few exchange friends that were placed in Bologna, I never actually went to check out the city. So, seeing as I might spend a solid 6 months of my college life there, I figured I should take the opportunity to scope out the Emilia-Romagnan city. I stayed in a hostel that was a short walk away from both the historical downtown area and the main university area. It is easy to see that Bologna is a student's city, which I love. There are young people everywhere and at night they all gather in piazzas with a beer or bottle of wine and simply enjoy each others company. I chose a great hostel as well because I met new and great people every night! The first night I started talking to two Spaniards and an Italian. There was no 1 common language, but we all understood at least a little bit of all 3 languages so we had this strange English-Italian-Spanish mix going on. The second day I returned to the hostel after a walk (and, admittedly, a gelato) to find a girl from North Carolina! What are the chances. She went to Meredith undergrad, Duke grad (boo), and lived in Italy on and off throughout. To top it all off, she is now engaged to an Italian - a situation that I am 100% sure scares my parents to no end. Anyhow, I grabbed dinner with Sam (from NC) and her friend Megan (from NY) who has lived in Bologna for the past 3 years. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to stories from their Fulbright scholar days as well as their current lives and future plans. They kept telling me I was "getting a glimpse into my years to come" - I'm sure y'all love that one don't ya Dad and Mom? My last night in Bologna I went out with a guy from Australia and a girl from Denmark. They were so much fun and we got along really well. I wouldn't say that Bologna is one of the prettiest cities in Italy, but I do think I can see myself living there for a bit in a couple years and I'm glad I took a few days to check it out.
Part 3: Five Days in Paradise
And now we're caught up to where I am now. As you can tell by my little title and references, I am in love with Florence. I don't know exactly why - I mean its beautiful, the perfect size, full of interesting people and good food....but I still can't figure out why I'm so obsessed. I'm thinking about taking a day trip to Sienna/a vineyard tomorrow to see something new and maybe meet some more people.
On Tuesday I head into Part 3: Au Pair Life. I'm so so excited to meet the family I will be working for until the beginning of August. I don't want to jinx myself, but I have a feeling the rest of my summer is going to be great! Busy with three kids, without a doubt, but great.
I'll try my best to update you all soon!
Baci,
Emma
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Packing Up All These Memories
My last days have finally arrived. Even as I pack my bags, (I'm multi-tasking right now by the way) the fact that I'm leaving for good hasn't settled in. Maybe it will become real when I say bye to my family for the last time. Or maybe when I'm in the airport in Rome. Maybe not until Im in the plane over the Atlantic. Who knows?
All I know is that, although I am ridiculously sad that I have to leave this life behind, I've come to realize that it isnt the end of the world. My time here has taught me so much. I've had to struggle on my own, adjust, readjust, and adjust some more. I've messed up during my stay here, I have regrets for things I have done and for things I haven't done. In the end, this experience has only helped me grow, mature, and realize that I still have a lot more time in my life to make changes and mistakes, to have struggles, to have fun, to be happy, and to live life in general. My mind has been opened up to the world around me. I have learned so much about other countries and their cultures, but I have also learned that there is still so much more to be curious about and explore. I have found a new sense of independence, I've learned new things about my character, I've changed how I think about some things but stayed the exact same in other aspects. I will continue to find things that have changed or things that I would like to change about me, even after I have returned home. Even after my life returns to it's "normal routine" in America.
In the end, I have gained so much out of this experience. Another family. Another home. Another group of friends. A sense of pride for "my" country. A chance to be independent. And a huge chance to learn more than I ever have.
Although I will miss my Italian life every day, my return has been inevitable from day one, and I've made myself content with that fact now.
Now I better go finish packing all these clothes and all these memories or I will be staying up all night tomorrow!
L'ultimo salute e blog in Italia! See y'all soon.
Baci!
Emma xoxo
Ps: Happy 4th!!!
All I know is that, although I am ridiculously sad that I have to leave this life behind, I've come to realize that it isnt the end of the world. My time here has taught me so much. I've had to struggle on my own, adjust, readjust, and adjust some more. I've messed up during my stay here, I have regrets for things I have done and for things I haven't done. In the end, this experience has only helped me grow, mature, and realize that I still have a lot more time in my life to make changes and mistakes, to have struggles, to have fun, to be happy, and to live life in general. My mind has been opened up to the world around me. I have learned so much about other countries and their cultures, but I have also learned that there is still so much more to be curious about and explore. I have found a new sense of independence, I've learned new things about my character, I've changed how I think about some things but stayed the exact same in other aspects. I will continue to find things that have changed or things that I would like to change about me, even after I have returned home. Even after my life returns to it's "normal routine" in America.
In the end, I have gained so much out of this experience. Another family. Another home. Another group of friends. A sense of pride for "my" country. A chance to be independent. And a huge chance to learn more than I ever have.
Although I will miss my Italian life every day, my return has been inevitable from day one, and I've made myself content with that fact now.
Now I better go finish packing all these clothes and all these memories or I will be staying up all night tomorrow!
L'ultimo salute e blog in Italia! See y'all soon.
Baci!
Emma xoxo
Ps: Happy 4th!!!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Do I Really Have to Leave?
Ciao tutti!
My time here is more than just "dwindling down", it is absolutely flying by. No matter how often I think of it, I just can't get used to the fact that I'll be leaving. In 24 short days. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was counting down my last month in Morganton... as if only two seconds ago it was the end of February and I was counting down the days I had left in Italy, wondering if I could handle the homesickness. In the end I handled it just fine, in fact, I managed to delete all homesickness about a month later. Now I call Aosta, Italy my home just as much as Morganton, NC. I could go on and on, but instead I found this part of a blog that another exchange student I met in New York, in France at the moment, wrote. It basically sums up everything I want to say (and probably with less babbling). So here it is:
Sometimes I look around and still can't believe that this is all real. I know when I decided to come on exchange I was beyond excited, but looking back now I see how naive I really was, thinking exchange would be one big party. I never would have imagined the obstacles I would face or the people I would be so lucky to meet. Sure I have only been in France [Italy] for 4 short months, but this has become my life. When I log on Facebook now I don't see the faces of Bend [Morganton] anymore but rather the faces of the world. I see some of the most courageous, incredible people from all around the globe, I see the people who are really going to make a difference in this world, even if they don't know it yet. Before coming to France [Italy] I considered myself independent, and sure I was but nowhere near to the way I am now. I think on exchange you are really forced to find what you like and who you are. There's nobody else there to make your choices for you and you must find what you stand for. Even with others' opinions you learn to ignore those and really find what you want and get a better idea of who you are. You take opinions from all over the world and somewhere in between find your own.
There are people in my life now that I couldn't live without and lessons I've learned that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.
This is sort of a mini summary of an exchange and it's impossible to explain all the other aspects, but this paragraph does a great job describing it in general!
Anyways! Now I'll talk a little about what I've been up to and what I will be up to in my final days.
A little over a week ago I had a camp with my "AFS Zone". Although they might have been a few of the most fun days I have experienced here, they also made leaving that much harder. There were about 50 other exchange students and they were 50 of the greatest people I've met in my life. We spent 4 days laughing, crying, eating, singing, talking and hanging out with each other every minute of every day. After four days apart some of us met up again and we are planning to spend another day together in Torino tomorrow. The worst part is that, more than likely, after tomorrow (for year students) or our last night in Rome (for semester students) I won't ever see a lot of these people again in my life. This, in my opinion, is more sad than leaving my family and Italian friends. The great thing about host families and native friends is that they will always be in your host country for you to see when you go revisit the place you made your own home. But all the other other exchangers, the people that went threw all the ups and downs beside you, the only people who really understand you, won't be there. We'll all go back to being spread across the world in our respective countries. Meeting these people, hearing just the smallest things about their countries, talking about differences and similarities; it has only sparked my curiosity even more. Now I want to go to all these places, experience even more cultures, some similar to American and Italian, some absolutely 100% different!
Anyways, again! What else am I doing? On the 16th I head to Tuscany!! Two weeks under the Tuscan sun...I can't wait. Then, the day after I return, a big group of my friends and I are going to Gardaland. It's a huge amusement park near Milan, so I'll get to ride some roller coasters in Italia.
And lastly: my final 5 days in Italy. They will definitely be filled with tears, tons of goodbyes, but hopefully some good laughs mixed in as well. This has become not only my home, but my life. The only thing that makes everything harder is that it is a life that I will not be able to get back. Sure, I can come back and visit as many times as I want, but I will never get another 6 months to have my life in this amazing place. The other day my friend told me this "The best things in life come to an end. If they don't, they don't seem as great." It is so true. If I lived in Aosta my whole life, more than likely I would hate it! Saying goodbye and returning to my old life will be one of the hardest things I've had to do in my lifetime thus far and, to put it in a different light, I realize for this I am extremely lucky.
I would love to write more, but it's getting late here and I have to wake up early tomorrow!
Hope everything is going well for everyone who is reading this, and for those of you in Morganton, I will be seeing y'all soon!
Much love and un bacio,
Emma Miller
PS: sorry this post is so horribly written, I wrote it very fast and too late at night...who knows if it even makes sense!
My time here is more than just "dwindling down", it is absolutely flying by. No matter how often I think of it, I just can't get used to the fact that I'll be leaving. In 24 short days. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was counting down my last month in Morganton... as if only two seconds ago it was the end of February and I was counting down the days I had left in Italy, wondering if I could handle the homesickness. In the end I handled it just fine, in fact, I managed to delete all homesickness about a month later. Now I call Aosta, Italy my home just as much as Morganton, NC. I could go on and on, but instead I found this part of a blog that another exchange student I met in New York, in France at the moment, wrote. It basically sums up everything I want to say (and probably with less babbling). So here it is:
Sometimes I look around and still can't believe that this is all real. I know when I decided to come on exchange I was beyond excited, but looking back now I see how naive I really was, thinking exchange would be one big party. I never would have imagined the obstacles I would face or the people I would be so lucky to meet. Sure I have only been in France [Italy] for 4 short months, but this has become my life. When I log on Facebook now I don't see the faces of Bend [Morganton] anymore but rather the faces of the world. I see some of the most courageous, incredible people from all around the globe, I see the people who are really going to make a difference in this world, even if they don't know it yet. Before coming to France [Italy] I considered myself independent, and sure I was but nowhere near to the way I am now. I think on exchange you are really forced to find what you like and who you are. There's nobody else there to make your choices for you and you must find what you stand for. Even with others' opinions you learn to ignore those and really find what you want and get a better idea of who you are. You take opinions from all over the world and somewhere in between find your own.
There are people in my life now that I couldn't live without and lessons I've learned that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.
This is sort of a mini summary of an exchange and it's impossible to explain all the other aspects, but this paragraph does a great job describing it in general!
Anyways! Now I'll talk a little about what I've been up to and what I will be up to in my final days.
A little over a week ago I had a camp with my "AFS Zone". Although they might have been a few of the most fun days I have experienced here, they also made leaving that much harder. There were about 50 other exchange students and they were 50 of the greatest people I've met in my life. We spent 4 days laughing, crying, eating, singing, talking and hanging out with each other every minute of every day. After four days apart some of us met up again and we are planning to spend another day together in Torino tomorrow. The worst part is that, more than likely, after tomorrow (for year students) or our last night in Rome (for semester students) I won't ever see a lot of these people again in my life. This, in my opinion, is more sad than leaving my family and Italian friends. The great thing about host families and native friends is that they will always be in your host country for you to see when you go revisit the place you made your own home. But all the other other exchangers, the people that went threw all the ups and downs beside you, the only people who really understand you, won't be there. We'll all go back to being spread across the world in our respective countries. Meeting these people, hearing just the smallest things about their countries, talking about differences and similarities; it has only sparked my curiosity even more. Now I want to go to all these places, experience even more cultures, some similar to American and Italian, some absolutely 100% different!
Anyways, again! What else am I doing? On the 16th I head to Tuscany!! Two weeks under the Tuscan sun...I can't wait. Then, the day after I return, a big group of my friends and I are going to Gardaland. It's a huge amusement park near Milan, so I'll get to ride some roller coasters in Italia.
And lastly: my final 5 days in Italy. They will definitely be filled with tears, tons of goodbyes, but hopefully some good laughs mixed in as well. This has become not only my home, but my life. The only thing that makes everything harder is that it is a life that I will not be able to get back. Sure, I can come back and visit as many times as I want, but I will never get another 6 months to have my life in this amazing place. The other day my friend told me this "The best things in life come to an end. If they don't, they don't seem as great." It is so true. If I lived in Aosta my whole life, more than likely I would hate it! Saying goodbye and returning to my old life will be one of the hardest things I've had to do in my lifetime thus far and, to put it in a different light, I realize for this I am extremely lucky.
I would love to write more, but it's getting late here and I have to wake up early tomorrow!
Hope everything is going well for everyone who is reading this, and for those of you in Morganton, I will be seeing y'all soon!
Much love and un bacio,
Emma Miller
PS: sorry this post is so horribly written, I wrote it very fast and too late at night...who knows if it even makes sense!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Don't Make Me Leave: The Countdown Begins
Ciao!
Sorry I haven't posted in about a month, I've been so busy! The easier the language becomes here, the less I find myself communicating with everyone at home. And plus I'm on a time limit here, I can spend tons of time with y'all when I come home but I don't have that much time left here! Time limit. Those are the worst two words. Ever. Sure, I still have almost 2 months left, but it's hard to explain how fast that time will go by. Every day I think about how little time I have left, every time I'm with my AFS friends we talk about how in such a short time we will go back to being spread out across the world, every day my friends at school say that next year it will be weird not having me in class with them, and my family and I are now having to arrange sending boxes home/travel plans. I can't get away from the fact that I'm leaving and, worse, the fact that I am not even close to being ready to leave my life here. The worst thing about being here for the semester program is that just when I can start speaking, just when I realize how close I have become to so many people, just when I start realizing how amazing this life is, the time starts coming to an end and soon enough I'll be on the plane back to the States.
Enough of the sad thoughts! Now I'll update y'all some on the past month and future plans. Well, I spent my 17th birthday here and...it might have been one of the best/busiest birthdays I've had so far (actually the celebrating is still going on)! My actual bday, the 3rd, was a Thursday so obviously I had school. My friends brought in a cake and during break they sang, in English and Italian, to me and gave me an awesome hand made photo album that basically sums up my whole experience from orientation in Rome to now in pictures! I went out to lunch with a group of friends and then skipped afternoon hours (rebellious) to spend some more time with Nadja(Serbia), Madeleine(Norway), and Tugce(Turkey). After that I took a train to Torino and met up with my sister. We went back to her apartment, got ready, and headed out for the night. Another one of her friends had just had a birthday so we went out to dinner to celebrate and after a discoteca. This is what I would consider my first real discoteca experience considering the size of this place and the number of people inside was about 25 times larger than those of little Aosta. We headed home around 5 in the morning after a full night (and technically morning) of dancing and that was how my actual birthday was spent! The next day I went to a university class with Irene and it was pretty interesting to see how they differ from our colleges. Later that day we headed home. Saturday night I had some friends over for dinner to celebrate with, obviously, a ton of ridiculously delicious homemade focaccia, pizza, and cake! And lastly (for that weekend) on Sunday I spent the day walking around and shopping in Milano with some friends. Another city checked off my list! To finish up the celebrating, this weekend my friends are throwing a party for both mine and another friend's birthday! Italians love to celebrate. Okay, enough about birthday happenings.
The past couple of weeks I have really started to notice how at home I feel here. I realized the other day that I now have more than just one family, I have about three.
-real fam
-host fam
-Intercultura fam
I also realized just how lucky I have been. I always think "I should've done a year program, should've done a year program" and can't stop regretting that I didn't, but then I think, I probably wouldn't have been placed here if I had chosen a year, which means I wouldn't know all these people and probably never would have even heard of Aosta, Italy. Now that I've been here long enough, I'll admit, when I first got my placement (and immediately Google Map'd the city), I was a bit let down. It's just, when you think of Italy you don't think of -20 degrees Celsius, mountains all around you, only one main town and a bunch of cows. Then I got to the AFS camp and heard all these students being placed in Milan, Rome, or even down south where you can at least go outside during the winter without looking like a snowman...I was pretty jealous. And worried. Even when I actually arrived here, I'd say about up until the 1st month had passed, I was dubious. Could I learn to love, or even just like, the way they live here? Quasi solitary in the middle of the mountains, not conveniently close to any big city? Now I look back on how I felt in the beginning and just laugh. I have come to love this place more than anywhere else. I love the language. I love the landscape with the constantly snow-capped Alps. I love the "city". I love my school (not that I study or anything). I love the gelato shop where the lady behind the counter tells me my Italian is getting better every time I order. I love my Italian friends. I love my AFS friends. I love my Italian family. I have finally settled 100% into my life here and I couldn't be happier. The language is not so much of a hassle now. It is never a problem to understand (unless I'm just way too tired and my brain blocks everything out) and speaking only gets easier and more natural by the day.
Life is good.
And now I have to go. I have to head into town to find a plaid shirt because the theme of our birthday party (which is all supposed to be a big surprise for us) is "country" so we all have to wear plaid shirts and I don't have one...how ironic. I'll try to post a little more often in the next 2 months!
Much love to you all,
Emma
Sorry I haven't posted in about a month, I've been so busy! The easier the language becomes here, the less I find myself communicating with everyone at home. And plus I'm on a time limit here, I can spend tons of time with y'all when I come home but I don't have that much time left here! Time limit. Those are the worst two words. Ever. Sure, I still have almost 2 months left, but it's hard to explain how fast that time will go by. Every day I think about how little time I have left, every time I'm with my AFS friends we talk about how in such a short time we will go back to being spread out across the world, every day my friends at school say that next year it will be weird not having me in class with them, and my family and I are now having to arrange sending boxes home/travel plans. I can't get away from the fact that I'm leaving and, worse, the fact that I am not even close to being ready to leave my life here. The worst thing about being here for the semester program is that just when I can start speaking, just when I realize how close I have become to so many people, just when I start realizing how amazing this life is, the time starts coming to an end and soon enough I'll be on the plane back to the States.
Enough of the sad thoughts! Now I'll update y'all some on the past month and future plans. Well, I spent my 17th birthday here and...it might have been one of the best/busiest birthdays I've had so far (actually the celebrating is still going on)! My actual bday, the 3rd, was a Thursday so obviously I had school. My friends brought in a cake and during break they sang, in English and Italian, to me and gave me an awesome hand made photo album that basically sums up my whole experience from orientation in Rome to now in pictures! I went out to lunch with a group of friends and then skipped afternoon hours (rebellious) to spend some more time with Nadja(Serbia), Madeleine(Norway), and Tugce(Turkey). After that I took a train to Torino and met up with my sister. We went back to her apartment, got ready, and headed out for the night. Another one of her friends had just had a birthday so we went out to dinner to celebrate and after a discoteca. This is what I would consider my first real discoteca experience considering the size of this place and the number of people inside was about 25 times larger than those of little Aosta. We headed home around 5 in the morning after a full night (and technically morning) of dancing and that was how my actual birthday was spent! The next day I went to a university class with Irene and it was pretty interesting to see how they differ from our colleges. Later that day we headed home. Saturday night I had some friends over for dinner to celebrate with, obviously, a ton of ridiculously delicious homemade focaccia, pizza, and cake! And lastly (for that weekend) on Sunday I spent the day walking around and shopping in Milano with some friends. Another city checked off my list! To finish up the celebrating, this weekend my friends are throwing a party for both mine and another friend's birthday! Italians love to celebrate. Okay, enough about birthday happenings.
The past couple of weeks I have really started to notice how at home I feel here. I realized the other day that I now have more than just one family, I have about three.
-real fam
-host fam
-Intercultura fam
I also realized just how lucky I have been. I always think "I should've done a year program, should've done a year program" and can't stop regretting that I didn't, but then I think, I probably wouldn't have been placed here if I had chosen a year, which means I wouldn't know all these people and probably never would have even heard of Aosta, Italy. Now that I've been here long enough, I'll admit, when I first got my placement (and immediately Google Map'd the city), I was a bit let down. It's just, when you think of Italy you don't think of -20 degrees Celsius, mountains all around you, only one main town and a bunch of cows. Then I got to the AFS camp and heard all these students being placed in Milan, Rome, or even down south where you can at least go outside during the winter without looking like a snowman...I was pretty jealous. And worried. Even when I actually arrived here, I'd say about up until the 1st month had passed, I was dubious. Could I learn to love, or even just like, the way they live here? Quasi solitary in the middle of the mountains, not conveniently close to any big city? Now I look back on how I felt in the beginning and just laugh. I have come to love this place more than anywhere else. I love the language. I love the landscape with the constantly snow-capped Alps. I love the "city". I love my school (not that I study or anything). I love the gelato shop where the lady behind the counter tells me my Italian is getting better every time I order. I love my Italian friends. I love my AFS friends. I love my Italian family. I have finally settled 100% into my life here and I couldn't be happier. The language is not so much of a hassle now. It is never a problem to understand (unless I'm just way too tired and my brain blocks everything out) and speaking only gets easier and more natural by the day.
Life is good.
And now I have to go. I have to head into town to find a plaid shirt because the theme of our birthday party (which is all supposed to be a big surprise for us) is "country" so we all have to wear plaid shirts and I don't have one...how ironic. I'll try to post a little more often in the next 2 months!
Much love to you all,
Emma
Friday, April 20, 2012
Journal Entry
Ciao everyone!
So, the past few days I have gone back and forth between never wanting to leave this amazing place and missing America like crazy. I have been writing in my journal a lot lately and yesterday I wrote something that, in my opinion, sums up exchange pretty well so I figured I'd share it with you all too!
"One thing I don't think you realize when you decide to do exchange is that you're pretty much alone. It's YOU that leaves your comfortable little niche in life at home; your family and friends may miss you, but their lives aren't the ones being flipped upside down. It's YOU that is dropped smack dab in the middle of a completely different group of people's lives; they may be eager to get to know you, but they aren't the ones who have completely changed cultures, languages, and ways of life. I realize this might be a bit of a pessimistic way to look at the situation, but you have to look at the negatives to see the positives. Yes, in a sense I am in this by myself, all alone, but while I am alone I am meeting amazing people, making amazing memories, finding an amazing new life and new home, and so much more that all the people I left behind are missing out on. I will have this experience with me for the rest of my life and I wouldn't change a single aspect about it."
And that's all I really wanted to write today. I'll post again soon with my recent activities!
Un bacio per tutti,
Emma
So, the past few days I have gone back and forth between never wanting to leave this amazing place and missing America like crazy. I have been writing in my journal a lot lately and yesterday I wrote something that, in my opinion, sums up exchange pretty well so I figured I'd share it with you all too!
"One thing I don't think you realize when you decide to do exchange is that you're pretty much alone. It's YOU that leaves your comfortable little niche in life at home; your family and friends may miss you, but their lives aren't the ones being flipped upside down. It's YOU that is dropped smack dab in the middle of a completely different group of people's lives; they may be eager to get to know you, but they aren't the ones who have completely changed cultures, languages, and ways of life. I realize this might be a bit of a pessimistic way to look at the situation, but you have to look at the negatives to see the positives. Yes, in a sense I am in this by myself, all alone, but while I am alone I am meeting amazing people, making amazing memories, finding an amazing new life and new home, and so much more that all the people I left behind are missing out on. I will have this experience with me for the rest of my life and I wouldn't change a single aspect about it."
And that's all I really wanted to write today. I'll post again soon with my recent activities!
Un bacio per tutti,
Emma
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Adventures in Roma
Ciao ciao!
As you know, I spent the past 5 days in Rome. It was so much fun! What amazed me the most was the difference between visiting the city as a tourist with all Americans compared to visiting the city with Italians who are originally from Rome. We still visited a lot of the major attractions and walked around like everyone else, but a lot of our time was also spent visiting friends, family, etc.
The first day we arrived around 5, got settled at the house, and then went to the center of the city and walked around til midnight. Rome at night is absolutely beautiful! Funny story: we were walking back to the car and I ran into another American AFS girl that lives in Rome! She's a year student, but I know her because she came to Aosta for exchange week (a week where you choose a different city and go live with a different family to get a taste of another part of the country). Considering the city is ridiculously big, it's pretty cool that that happened.
We started off the second day by going to meet my host dad's dad. He is 97 years old, but I never in a million years would have guessed so. He acts and looks like he is about 65 or 70! And he loves to talk...about everything. His favorite topics are 1. His time in World War 2, specifically the 2 years he spent in England which leads to 2. Saying anything to me in English that he can remember (which was an amazingly good amount) and lastly, 3. The Vitamin E pill ("from the United States of America!") he takes once a night, has for the past 27 years, and that he swears is the reason he is still alive. Meeting him might have been one of my favorite parts of the trip. After that visit, we toured the Catacombs, visited churches, walked around, and of course...ate tons. Every day was spent like this except Easter day. On Easter I slept in and then we went on a walk in a beautiful park before heading to Renato's (my host dad) sister's house. There we ate an unbelievable amount of food. Ridiculous. We sat at the table from 1-3:45 and the only moment there wasn't food on the table and people eating was the last 15 minutes which we spent talking and drinking coffee. After that the whole family went on another walk in a different, but equally beautiful, park. Another funny story: we were walking back to the car and we ran into Lemmy (the American AFS girl) AGAIN! On both the first and the last days...definitely a small world.
Yesterday, Monday, we had the 7 hour car ride home plus a stop in a small Tuscan town (Arezzo) to take a walk around and buy fresh bread, cheese, and prosciutto to make sandwiches later on for lunch. And yes, they were delicious in case you were wondering.
I absolutely loved visiting Rome, especially for more than a day this time, but I am also glad to be back in Aosta! I don't go back to school until Thursday and then on Friday I have a field trip to Torino with school. Studying and school work is really a top priority here in case you didn't notice already...
Besides my trip to Rome, there's not that much else to update! Language is still slowly getting better. I have 8 weeks of school left and then it will be summertime in Aosta and a nice vacation in Tuscany!!! I've been so busy here that I keep on forgetting that my birthday is in less than a month! Im pretty excited to be spending my birthday here, even though I will definitely miss all the people I have spent the last 16 years celebrating with. The time is going by too fast!
That's about all for now. Much love!
Xoxo, Emma
As you know, I spent the past 5 days in Rome. It was so much fun! What amazed me the most was the difference between visiting the city as a tourist with all Americans compared to visiting the city with Italians who are originally from Rome. We still visited a lot of the major attractions and walked around like everyone else, but a lot of our time was also spent visiting friends, family, etc.
The first day we arrived around 5, got settled at the house, and then went to the center of the city and walked around til midnight. Rome at night is absolutely beautiful! Funny story: we were walking back to the car and I ran into another American AFS girl that lives in Rome! She's a year student, but I know her because she came to Aosta for exchange week (a week where you choose a different city and go live with a different family to get a taste of another part of the country). Considering the city is ridiculously big, it's pretty cool that that happened.
We started off the second day by going to meet my host dad's dad. He is 97 years old, but I never in a million years would have guessed so. He acts and looks like he is about 65 or 70! And he loves to talk...about everything. His favorite topics are 1. His time in World War 2, specifically the 2 years he spent in England which leads to 2. Saying anything to me in English that he can remember (which was an amazingly good amount) and lastly, 3. The Vitamin E pill ("from the United States of America!") he takes once a night, has for the past 27 years, and that he swears is the reason he is still alive. Meeting him might have been one of my favorite parts of the trip. After that visit, we toured the Catacombs, visited churches, walked around, and of course...ate tons. Every day was spent like this except Easter day. On Easter I slept in and then we went on a walk in a beautiful park before heading to Renato's (my host dad) sister's house. There we ate an unbelievable amount of food. Ridiculous. We sat at the table from 1-3:45 and the only moment there wasn't food on the table and people eating was the last 15 minutes which we spent talking and drinking coffee. After that the whole family went on another walk in a different, but equally beautiful, park. Another funny story: we were walking back to the car and we ran into Lemmy (the American AFS girl) AGAIN! On both the first and the last days...definitely a small world.
Yesterday, Monday, we had the 7 hour car ride home plus a stop in a small Tuscan town (Arezzo) to take a walk around and buy fresh bread, cheese, and prosciutto to make sandwiches later on for lunch. And yes, they were delicious in case you were wondering.
I absolutely loved visiting Rome, especially for more than a day this time, but I am also glad to be back in Aosta! I don't go back to school until Thursday and then on Friday I have a field trip to Torino with school. Studying and school work is really a top priority here in case you didn't notice already...
Besides my trip to Rome, there's not that much else to update! Language is still slowly getting better. I have 8 weeks of school left and then it will be summertime in Aosta and a nice vacation in Tuscany!!! I've been so busy here that I keep on forgetting that my birthday is in less than a month! Im pretty excited to be spending my birthday here, even though I will definitely miss all the people I have spent the last 16 years celebrating with. The time is going by too fast!
That's about all for now. Much love!
Xoxo, Emma
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