Really, I don't even recognize myself anymore. In appearance mainly but also a bit of my personality, too. Sure I still laugh at goofy things, but it seems I've grown mentally stronger over the year. Also when I was checking the pictures of what I looked like when I first arrived, I don't even look exactly like that person before! I'm more fashionable and I'm wearing make up and what not...
I remember seminars with the exchange students in Cincinnati. They were talking about how they didn't recognize their physical appearances from when they arrived and I thought that would never happen to me. I didn't really know what they meant either until now. I've kind of blended into society... it's interesting.
Wow, it's been almost a month since I've updated! :D
I returned from my Week of Exchange in Rome and it was awesome! I wanted to update then but we only had three days of school, right after I got off the plane late in the day before. I was so tired. Plus, I had to study for my Physics and Mathematics Test, and then an oral test in English in the span of 2 days.
I remember sitting in the airport preparing for my mini examinations and I received a text from my tutor saying I had to prepare for 2 more tests in Chemistry. At first I thought she was joking because it was April Fool's Day, but I checked my email and it turned out she wasn't lying. I should've known. She doesn't seem like one to joke around with academics. Haaaa studying and my procrastination after just blew any time I had out the window for typing this.
Then I went to the mountains without internet but here we are now.
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School, oh school, oh school.
I'm not a big fan.
I'm starting to miss school in the United States. I'm starting to see the grass was always greener on the other side. Everyone has tests and other academics to do during the week it's like there's no time for fun. This is always one of the main problems Intercultura students have wit Italian teenagers.
For that reason, I made sure I had a lot of fun in Rome!
It was beautiful! There was so much art, people, many more cheaper choices for shopping. I was pretty much in heaven.
I feel I left a little too early though. There was great ceremony the next week in the Vatican City for Easter with the Pope. The main square was packed with tons of people! So much history happened in Rome and it's amazing to just be walking in a modern version of it. I can't even imagine how all the things I've read in books could've have happened in the cities of Italy. I love it!
My volunteers were young, fun, and handsome. Better than being with the old ladies in Treviso! Our schedule for the week was so packed with entertainment I could've cried with joy.
We met with the AFS kids of Rome the first day and surprisingly there weren't many of them. If I remember just seven or six. I don't know why exactly though. Plus there were only seven of us for the Week of Exchange in all! It was all good though because when other AFS students meet other AFS students there's just immediate chemistry. It just happens.
I loved the city of Rome! Well everything except some of the people. I'm not going to lie at all; many citizens of Rome were kind of sleazy. I thought Jersey Shore was over exaggerated with stereotypes of Italians but man they hit spot with Rome. And apparently it's even worse in the south!
I heard so many typical Italian accents (yes, like the ones of the Mario Brothers). The traffic was crazier (IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!), angrier, and crowded. There were more apartments than houses and the street litter, too.
I went to school for three days in Rome and it was the polar opposite of my school in Treviso. Something I learned is that Treviso is small and rich. We actually have money (though it didn't seem like it to me at first!). My school in Rome was one for fashion and at the start the idea seemed pretty cool.
No.
It was a dump, in the middle of the ghetto, and right across the street from my house. Thank goodness it was only three days. The kids there were literally insane delinquents. I feel so lucky to be in Duca Degli Abruzzi because the kids actually wanted to get to know me, my school is clean and big, not EVERYONE smokes, I can understand what my friends are saying because no one has a Mario Brother's accent while speaking in dialect, etc.
Plus whenever the teachers were talking about the lessons, no one was paying attention. They were either making spitballs, drawings, or browsing Facebook on their phones. Although kids at Duca Degli Abruzzi are so dedicated to school work that they don't usually go out, I'd rather be here than there. Plus Duca's faculty doesn't forget about their new students on the first day of school, ahem.
I didn't hate my new companions we just weren't in the same spectrum. I remember the second day my class decided to skip school on a "scholastic field trip" bringing me along with them. Apparently they said it wasn't really skipping, because our teacher came along, too! Teachers had a friendly relationship with their students in Rome. In Treviso, (or North in general) everything is more formal and you must respect your elders, using the proper form of "You" (Lei) and third person terms. In Rome, kids were on the informal term of "you" (te/tu) like they were BFFs with the adults!
Third day of school I remember my class didn't show up. I just sat in the room for 6 hours by myself studying for my upcoming tests. I didn't want to leave the room because the kids of the school were crazy and they actually scared me. Haha
My family in Rome was great! My mom was prepared for everything and she was so kind. I ended up sleeping in my little brother's room with all his 101 dalmatian toys and action figures everywhere. I felt like such a kid. :D
One sad thing though is that my brother in Rome, Riccardo, was so spoiled. I've mentioned this before with kids in Italy being spoiled but this was ridiculous. He had everything at seven years old a teenager would kill for (even his own bathroom). But he was rude when he didn't receive what he wanted. He would hit his mother or mock her when she told him to do something he didn't want to do. He would cry, scream, and whine and I nearly lost my patience. All my mother would say is, "No, stop before I count to three!" Oh wow, dangerous. ಠ_ಠ
The last day Riccardo didn't want to say goodbye to me because he wanted to play soccer with his friends and complained all the way while his mom took me to the airport. Also the day before his best friend came with us to the central park. Riccardo threw a temper tantrum because he lost his soccer ball and his mother said she wouldn't buy him a new one. He complained so much, even his best friend was sick of him and said "Shut up, it's just a ball! We'll just use the basketball as a substitute for the soccer one." Of course after that, he whined more.
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The mountains aren't usually the place I like to go on vacation but it was cool this time. My parents bought a house in the mountains (they seriously have too much money) and our neighbors of the mountains were with us. They have daughters I haven't seen since I first came to Italy, and they also had cousins that were there for the weekend too. It was cold but we had so much fun.
On Easter Sunday we had a huge dinner with our neighbor's extended family. It was nice to have a Easter lunch. Something I haven't really done in my life since I'm not religious. There were also cute little Easter eggs for us. :)
Speaking of Easter Eggs, since my sister still believes in magical beings like Santa and the Easter Bunny, Easter this year was a bit nostalgic. It was adorable seeing my dad running around in the yard to hide chocolate Easter eggs to make his daughter happy after she found them. She was so excited it reminded me how fun it was to find Easter eggs when I was younger. Gosh, I sound older and I'm only 17 having flashbacks. Psssh.
We were mildly unfortunate to be caught in the mountains with bad weather for the weekend which of course would finish after we left. It was raining the whole time except on Easter. It snowed! Like some type of miracle! Marta loves snow and I think she was very happy. :)
I wanted to learn how to cook something in the mountains with my mom since I was finally free from homework, but somehow I feel she was evading me from the kitchen. When I ask to help, she says ok, but then does all the work, even when I'm definitely two feet away. Obviously someone doesn't want me to help much. When I'm free I can't help, but when I'm busy with homework she won't hesitate to ask if I want to cook. Alright.
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To be happy with my hobby and to avoid studying, I'm doing a 100 drawing challenge. I have to draw from a list of 100 different themes each picture having one theme. I'm using all the characters from a TV Show I created when I was younger called Kaigaishii. I'm already on Theme #17! :)
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| Theme #1 - Introduction |
And since Glee's back I also have another way to waste time again. :D
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While I was in Rome, my theater group had their first show. Apparently it was really good and many people showed up! :D Someone else had to fill in for my role though. I play a popular girl who the main character is in love with. It's difficult to explain how exactly we've separated the roles though. It's also an American play. But there were producers in the crowd for certain projects of Italy and they liked us so much, they want more shows, in different theaters! I can't wait to perform, it's going to be so fun. I love my theater group. They're so wacky and fun to be with.
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I'm also becoming much better with my skating skills. With hard work I've reached level of the kids in my group! I can finally do mild air turns! Of course I fall, and there's pain, but I always get back up and try again. It's quite scary trying new moves because I'm so clumsy I feel I might bust my head one day but I want to be good at this sport! But I don't want to get hurt either...
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Ah, it's late, I need to go to bed. Not the best update but it's something.
