Internet Connection at Last!!

Well, A LOT has gone on since my last blog post!!  My mom and I finished up our wonderful trip in Monte Carlo, Monaco and BEAUTIFUL Cinque Terre Italy!! Probably two of the most beautiful places in the world! Monaco was so clean and you can tell that a lot of money is put into the small country.  The views were incerdible and the Mediterranean is definitely an amazing place to visit!  After a few days in Monaco, we left our stuff there for the night, and ventured three hours by train to Cinque Terre.  There are no words that can describe the beautiful atmosphere!  Everyone should have to take a trip to Cinque Terre in their lifetime!  When I post pictures, you will know what I am talking about! 

Sunday arrived and I had to take the train to San Remo for my orientation.  To be honest, I was a little nervous, and I was sad to leave my mom alone in Monaco, but I was ultimately excited about my future adventure that was about to begin! 

On the train, I met a girl from Canada.  I think that it was a blessing in disguise!  We immediately hit it off and ended up hanging out the whole week.  The orientation went well! It was exhausting, but I learned so many important things!! Not only things that I would use in the Summer Camps, but useful things that I will definitely bring back to the states.  It was also amazing to meet all of the other tutors from around the world.  England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and Scotland to name a few.  We had a wonderful time together and I learned so many interesting things about the other cultures!  Did you know, that in England and Ireland, it is a tradition to receive a Chocolate Chest on Christmas morning?  A box full of chocolate, sign me up!  I think that I am going to have to copy that tradition in the United States! 

After our week long orientation and anticipation as to where I was going to go next, the news arrived!  I was headed to Padova, Italy.  Finding out a few seconds later that it was only 30 minutes to Venice and an hour to Verona! I could not be happier!  The group of other tutors that I was sent with were awesome!  The next step was to get on the train and meet our host families and camp director. 

After butterflies in our stomach, we arrived in Padova, anxious to meet our new families.  I just have to say that my host family was absolutely incredible! They were warm and welcoming from the very beginning!  My host mom is around 35 and her daughter is 10.  They live in a cute little house in Albignasego with their delightful grandmother.  I felt like the experience was too good to be true!  They cooked me Italian meals, they took me to amazing places; Venice, Verona, Bassano del Grappa, and Cittadella just to mention a few.  I cannot say kinder words about them!  They have been nothing but hospitable, and I am very sad to be leaving tomorrow.  She even took me to water aerobics a few times.  I was extremely happy to work off a few pastas and pizzas, but try learning water aerobics in Italian when you do not really understand anything that they are saying!! It was a great experience to say the least!!

The school that I spent my first two weeks in was great! The classrooms were huge, the outdoor garden was nice, and the children were delightful....at first.  I joke because this past week has been a bit stressful.  At first, I had the 9 and 10 year olds.  They were absolutely amazing, so enthuased to learn English, and so entertained by me and the other tutors.  Do not fear, I took a lot of pictures of the cute little Italian kids in my class!! The second week however, was a little bit of a nightmare.  I was stuck with the 13 year olds.  Back in the states, teaching 13 year olds would not be classified under my idea of fun.  So, try teaching 13 year olds, who do not speak English, who have been sent to camp with a bunch of little kids, and who ultimately do not want to be there.  Well, when you add up that equation, you get....a disaster!! To be brutely honest, it was not as bad as I am making it seem, but my class the week before were angels!! It made leaving a little easier, but I am still sad to be leaving the town and my family. 

The hardest thing in this whole adventure has been the food! I really do not think that I can stuff another carbohydrate into my body, but that is all that is really available.  They love their pastas, pizzas, sweets, and anything else that falls under the carbohydrate area around here.  Hopefully I am not gaining a million pounds like I think I am....

Anyways, I leave for my next destination tomorrow!.......wait for it.....TUSCANY!! I am beyond excited!! However, I am a little nervous to meet my new family after my wonderful experience with this one!! My amazing camp director has already written me an Italian note saying that I cannot eat Pork, Citrus, or Peanuts, so I am ready to go!!

Tuscany here I come!! And hopefully, the internet connection will be better so I can update sooner!!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!! CIAO!!