Hello, Italia

I arrived safely in Italy over a week ago, and now I'm finally getting around to updating this blog. So much has happened, I'm not sure that I can get around to talking about all of it. I suppose I've got to start somewhere, so I'll go from the beginning.

After all those months and months of preparation, I finally got to Italy last Friday. I was exhausted because I hadn't been able to sleep on the plane. I couldn't seem to get comfortable, despite the fact that the plane was quite nice. It had screens in the backs of the seats that played a vast variety of movies and music and also provided the plane's elevation above sea level and speed at all times, which I found interesting.

From the airport, the rest of the America-to-Italy AFS-ers and I took a bus to the orientation site. Orientation took place at a sprawling, maze-like hotel on a high hill overlooking Rome. In this place, different rooms were always sprouting up where I least expected them, like underground beneath the patio. All around were jungle-like gardens. Orientation was absolutely awesome. There were students from many, many countries who, just like me, had just gotten to Italy for the ten month exchange program. I loved hearing all the interesting dialects floating through the air. Luckily for me, we were all speaking English. I was worried that it would be in Italian, but all of us were new to Italian and it turns out that English is the most universal. Almost everyone there spoke or at least understood it, which I found impressive.

The Italian volunteers at the orientation said that the food we had there was not near as good as what we'd get when we got to our host families, because the hotel kitchens had to prepare food for so many people and suffered a bit of quality for quantity. At the time, I had some trouble believing that. I thought the pasta with creamy tomato sauce and mushrooms, and the flavorful sauteed vegetables, the sticks of sausage, and the potato-casserole-quiche-ish thing we had were all great. It turns out, though that they were right. The food I'm having now is far more delicious. I find myself doing my happy-food-dance ALL THE TIME.

One of the most incredible experiences at orientation was the sunset. As it began to get dark Saturday night, some friends and I saw a glimmer of pink and orange sky back behind the trees to the West. We took a few pictures from the patio, then went in search of a higher vantage point. We went up a staircase and found that it opened to the roof. From there we could see the brilliant sunset much better, as well as the vibrant lights of Rome down below. Overhead, the stars were just beginning to shine. It was truly magical.

With that memory, as well as that of the touching End-of-Orientation Ceremony Saturday night, I took a train to Verona with the other AFS-ers going to Brescia. There are something like ten others and they are all super nice, which is good because I'll be spending a lot of time with them this year. I had butterflies in my stomach for the whole train ride because I was finally about to actually meet my new family, which was exciting and intimidating and terrifying and awesome all at the same time. When at last we pulled into the Verona station, I could see my host sister and her boyfriend on a bench waiting. I almost died from the craziness of it. People I'd only ever seen pictures of were actually there, real people. I dragged my suitcase off the train, and from that point on, I was thrust into my astonishing new life, complete with astonishing surprises, beauty, and challenges around every corner.

I'll leave you there for tonight, since I'm quite tired, even though I've still left you a week behind. Something is better than nothing, though. As my first week in Brescia, I will tell you all about it as soon as I can. For now just know that my new life is very, very wonderful.