Bye Bye USA

Ciao a tutti!

I have arrived in Galatina, Italy! It is bella, and everybody is so kind to me! So much has happened in the past week and a half, so let me start from the beginning...

After a heart-wrenching goodbye to my mother and sister, I left to go through security alone. I wandered around the airport for two hours, lugging all my bags with me, until the flight to New York was called to board. My flight was maybe only half full, so I had a window seat with no one sitting next to me. Perfetto! Two hours later, and my plane landed at LGA Airport in NYC. Being that this was the first time I had ever been to New York, I was so excited. However, the most I saw of the city was the bus ride to the Hilton Hotel that us AFSers stayed in near JFK Airport. At the Hilton Hotel, there were kids going to the countries of Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Ghana, and a few other countries. All in all, there were about 200 kids at the hotel! And boy were we full of energy. I was so nervous when entering the hotel, because I knew no one and was not sure how many people would be there. By the time we entered our rooms for the night, I had probably met about half the kids there and become friends with a good fourth of them. I had nothing to worry about. So after completing boring orientation icebreakers, eating terrible hotel food, and playing an intense game of spoons, we set off for the airport, ready to begin our great adventure.

On our flight to Zurich, Switzerland, there were approximately 130 kids, 44 of those being Italy students and the rest consisting of Spain and France students. 8 hours after takeoff, we arrived in Zurich, where everybody crashed in the (very nice) airport, trying to fight off jet lag and failing desperately to do so. From Zurich, the three countries split up, each waiting in our terminal until it was time to go. And so all the kids headed to Italy sat around the airport for 4 incredibly boring hours, only entertained by the fact that we could legally drink alcohol. ;)

Finally, the flight to Rome was called, and we all gathered in a giant clump, trying to board at once. Luckily, the flight was only an hour long, so after just reaching cruising speed, we were already landing. My first impression of Rome was not what I thought it would be. I figured, being such a beautiful city, that the airport would be acceptable. Boy was I wrong. That airport smelled like a pet's cage that had not been cleaned in 3 years. It was disgusting. And of course our baggage took forever to arrive, so we sat around breathing the contaminated air for a solid hour and a half. Awesome. Once we all claimed our luggage, we left the airport and boarded buses that took us to where we would be staying. After about an hour long bus ride, we arrived at a beautiful ex-nun convent villa place in the country. The buildings were gorgeous, the rooms clean, and the food absolutely delicious! We stayed at this 'hotel' for two nights and departed on Sunday for our host families. While in Rome, we did typical orientation activities, and learned a little bit more about the region of Italy that we would be going to live in. Sunday morning, I had to wake up bright and early, as my bus was leaving at 6:30 a.m. for the train station. So myself, along with about 20 other AFSers, got our things together, rode the bus back into the heart of Rome, and boarded the train that we would stay on for the next 5 hours. Yeah. That was a very boring ride. I slept, listened to music, read a few magazines, and stared out the window at the beautiful Italian countryside. Finally, FINALLY, we arrived at our station, and the nerves started to hit me. I was incredibly nervous to meet my host family, but I have no idea why! I suppose a small part of me thought they might have forgotten about me and so nobody would be at the station to pick me up, but anther part of me knew that I was being stupid. So I got off the train, legs shaking uncontrollably, and wheeled my luggage down the station until I spotted my host sister, Alessia, who was furiously looking through the crowd for me. I gave her a big hug, then gave my host mom and dad a big hug and kiss on each cheek, and then we got in the car and drove away! About 15 minutes later, we arrived at our house. I am surprised to this day that I haven't died in a car accident. I could go on for probably 5 hours about how terrible the driving is in Italy. It's terrifying. So anyway, we arrived at our house, and my family was kind enough to know my needs and let me shower as soon as we arrived. Afterwards, I ate my first home-cooked Italian meal, pasta (of course), and it was delicious.

So from last Sunday until today, I have been doing typical exchange student things. I've gotten settled into my house quickly, skyped with my family and friends back home, taken a bus to Lecce and managed to get off at the right stop each time, met new people, gone out with new friends, eaten pizza and gelato, gone shopping, drunken wine with almost every meal, and been showered with love from my new family. So far, my life in Italy has been great. I couldn't have asked for a better host family, and everybody I have met has been so eager to talk with me and get to know me. I've only been gone from home for two weeks, so I can't wait to see what will happen in the next nine and a half months. So as of right now, that is all I will be writing. I have to get ready to go out for gelato with some friends I met today. I will post again soon, and I love you all <3

Ciao, Ali :**