I've Arrived.

Oh my. There is so much to be said. Well, I am currently in Rome, killing time in a hotel until I leave to meet my host family. The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind. We arrived in New York for an orientation, flew to Rome, got here on Friday in a state of exhaustion, ate, slept, visited the Vatican including the Pieta and Sistine Chapel, ate, got an Italian language crash course, and slept. The whole experience has been incredible so far.

Italian has been a bit overwhelming, but surprisingly I know a lot more than most of the exchange students, who seriously didn't know how to say hello. There are a total of 21 American students in Italy for a semester. They're all so easy to bond with because we're all in the same boat. We share everything. Unfortunately, most people are going north not south like me, but I get to see them in five months for an end of the year orientation and there's always facebook/email/blogging.

I have officially decided to only write on my blog and write letters for the first month, so I would love to get a letter from you, and I can tell you everything you want to know and more. My address is Viale Giannelli snc, Sant' Agata dei goti, Italy, 82100. Ciao for now!

Preparation City

Well, any speculation that I will have difficulty updating this blog has been confirmed. I haven't even gotten to Italy yet, and this baby is already being neglected. Nonetheless, I am here now.

Last weekend, I went to a "Post Departure Orientation" for AFS, where we basically ate lots of interesting Japanese candy while talking about rules, culture shock, packing, safety, etc. There were only seven other kids going on exchanges this spring. Two were going to Japan, two to Argentina, one to Portugal, one to Australia, and one to China. They were all very sociable and seemed as eager to start their experiences as me. I got super lucky and an exchange student from Italy actually stopped by the orientation to talk to us. Saying the first thing that came to my mind, I asked him what kids wear to school there. He basically answered clothes but in a good way. It sounds like Italian kids dress like kids at my school but without the sweatpants and hoodies. I feel a need to confess that, although I leave in less than ten days, I have yet to begin packing. I did make a list of what I'm theoretically going to pack but haven't physically put anything into a suitcase. Hopefully I will get to that part before the 27th or else we might be in for some trouble.

Also last weekend, I got a letter and pictures from my host family, providing me with lots of little tid bits about them. For example, both of my parents work full time. Marino, dad, is very passionate about his motorcycle. Giulio, brother, "plays basketball and has no other interests," and on sundays, we go to eat at an aunt's house more regularly than we attend mass.

Words cannot express how hard it is for me to wait to get this show on the road. Ugh. It's incredibly daunting to think that I have to suffer through final exams before I leave. Three of which I have to pay to take. They're actually making me give them twenty five dollars for each of the three finals I have to take early. Basically, I've begun to pay for torture, but it'll all be worth it when I get on that plane to a magical land of mozzarella and aqueducts.

Salve, Ciao, e Benvenuto!

Hello There! For those who don't know me, I'm Brittney de Alicante, and I'm planning on spending the spring semester of my junior year in Italy, specifically Sant Agata. To my slight understanding, it's a quaint little town outside of Naples, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Goggle Image has also filled my imagination with pictures of a beautifully aged town happily teetering on a cliff edge, but they have yet to be verified. In S. Agata, I will be living with a host family and attending an Italian high school. I will have a host dad, Marino, mom, Maria, older brother, Giulio, and slightly younger sister, Roberta. I have finally been able to talk to Roberta via Facebook. Funnily enough, she has fallen under the impression that I speak almost perfect Italian. Boy is she in for a surprise when I show up! After I responded to her email in Italian for the sake of practice, she replied with a page long Q and A email all in Italian, congratulating me on my foreign language skills. Little does she know those simple five sentences took me no less than three hours to "perfect." No parlo Italiano. Uso il dizionario. Immediately after receiving this email, I went to Powell's and got an Italian workbook, which I have actually started and plan to continue using for at least ten minutes each day. With or without my broken Italian, Roberta seems like an absolute sweet heart, who is as excited for my arrival as me. I cannot wait to find out more about her and her family. A Happy and Prosperous Belated New Years to Everyone!