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,
We’ll be in touch,
Ciao!
- Kelsey
- Kelsey
