Thursday 26 July 2012

Scotia Personnel Sends me to Italy!




Things are going really well for me here J - I cannot believe I only have a few weeks left! It has been a truly amazing summer. I can’t imagine trying to sum it up in one e-mail but I will try my best with some highlights!
It was harder than I imagined dealing with the time difference to keep in touch with my friends and family back home, but I never lost sight of the incredible opportunity in front of me, so I eased myself out of that transition stage and really began enjoying my new life here. ... First and foremost I have to express my great fortune in finding this family. They are kind and fair and continue to be incredibly accommodating to me and my experience. The father is loud and outgoing, while his wife is so sweet and embracive. The boys are wonderful; Enrico, the youngest (4 years old, so gorgeous!), is quite the character, and his whole family has translated numerous times how I have become his new best friend, haha. Gioele, 8 years old, is who I am most proud of this summer. When I arrived he spoke no English at all (having barely started it in school), but today we communicate almost flawlessly. He speaks full sentences all day long, and we study with beginner’s textbooks and my own lesson inventions every afternoon. It’s incredible to see that kind of progress (and I am reminded why I am in this field).
In May I planned my first solo adventure: I spent 4 days in Venice ... It was beautiful, of course, I was very excited to have my mother join me in June for a weekend in Rome and another weekend in France (Nice, Cannes, Monaco). I’ve gotten to enjoy the City of Water, the breathtaking ruins of Rome, and the beautiful beaches of France. We also recently spent a week to the sea, near Savona, where the family goes every year, so that was a wonderful getaway as well. During my first week in Italy, my family introduced me to the son of a close family friend, which was great because he is the same age as me and was very interested in also traveling abroad (I know he was in contact with the agency, maybe you know the name Federico). I met a lot of his friends and we’ve all grown very close. There is a photo attached of us when we went on a long hike through the Alps. Also, I’ve become good friends with Stephanie, an Au Pair from Canada!  It has been wonderful having a fellow English-speaking companion. Another one of my highlights was the evening Fede and I cooked dinner for my family and some of their close friends – it was a really incredible experience that brought us all much closer together. I just feel very lucky for the rapport we’ve built; it makes a world of a difference, especially in such a foreign situation like this one.
This experience has taught me so many remarkable things about myself and my future. I have already gained so much in terms of knowledge and confidence and reassurance in the dreams that I’ve had about teaching and traveling since I was very young. If you had any desire for further details about my trip, I’ve actually been photo-journaling since the very beginning through a blog I created; But it’s all been about finding my passions this summer! And not being afraid to share my experience has to be part of that.
Thank you so much for checking in, I hope you are holding up just fine in the Canadian heat! It has been almost as hot back home as it is here in Italy! I have two more full weeks of work in Fossano and then I will travel with the family to Tuscany for a few days. Afterwards I have a friend from home meeting me in Paris for 3 nights, and then we will go to London (for the Olympics!) for four nights before coming back to Fossano to say our sad goodbyes and returning home to Canada. It has just gone by too fast. But I am so happy and grateful for how it has all worked out J
If you have more questions or anything, please don’t hesitate to write again!
We’ll be in touch,
Ciao!
- Kelsey