Under the Tuscan Sun!

Well, boy did I get lucky!! After being close to Venice and Verona for a week, we got shipped off to the heart of Tuscany! I am talking about right in the center of my favorite place in the world.  It is so relaxing here and the scerery in amazing.  I never want to leave!! Well, I miss many things about America, but I would love to have a villa to come back to whenever I wanted! I can totally see how Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun, bought a villa and decided to move here.  I would love to follow in her footsteps!!

On Sunday, all of the tutors and me decided to take a trip into Florence.  Since it is always awkward with your host family on the first day, it was a good way to get out of there, and head to a wonderful destination.  Having already been to Florence, I showed them around, and it was great to know where I was going! I love going back to places where I have already been....especially Florence!! There were more tourists in Florence than there was last February, but we still had a wonderful time!! It was nice to see the city in the sun and we were glad it wasn't raining for one of our many excursions!!

My brother happened to be arriving in Florence on the same day, so I met him and his friend Trey at the train station.  It seemed that they had been out late in Rome, so I helped them to their hostel.  It was interesting to see a hostel for the first time, but it made me less hesitant to stay in one.  I walked them though the streets of Florence, as we took many pictures and made sure to get some of Eric and I for mom and dad!! After a short lunch, we all met up and decided to take the short hike up to Piazza Michaelangelo to see the incredible and famous view of Florence.  Staring in awe, we plopped down to rest and enjoyed the atmosphere.  The duomo is amazing, as it is so enormous.  The hills in the background look fake and just like a postcard.  Florence is definitely a place to see!!

Monday came, and camp started.  It was exciting to meet the kids and see who was going to be in my class.  This week, my class is at a lower level than last week, so I am teaching them the basics.  It is very difficult at times when they completely do not understand a word that I am saying, but in a way it is kind of good.  We are trying our hardest to wear them out and get them excited with mini-olympics and other competitions.  It seems to be working, yet we are only on day2!!

When I got home from camp, I decided to take a run through the town.  Well, more like a stroll or brisk walk.... I kept thinking about how lucky I am to be in Italy.  I still have to pinch myself when I walk around and there are thousands of grape vineyards in the scenery.  This has been an amazing experience and I have fallen in love with Italy all over again!

The internet here is hard to find.  We get to get on the internet at camp for a while at lunch, so who knows when the next update will occur.  Hope all is well and keep following me as I travel through this gorgeous country!!

Ciao!