Last Day of Class

Yesterday was our last day of class and today we had our last chapter test. Looking back on it, I can’t believe how far we have all come with the language. I got here the first day and all I knew how to say was ciao. Now at the end of the eight weeks I am able to have conversations with people. We have all learned so much and have worked so hard this summer and it definitely feels rewarding when looking back on the entire summer. 

Picnic

Last week Abbey and I decided to have our own dinner instead of eating with our host families. We went to the market and picked out our foods and took them to the boardwalk. We sat on the ledge, enjoyed our food, and watched the sunset over the beach. It was so perfect and relaxing. It was a bit windy that night so I had to run after my trash a few time and we had to watch out for some of the waves crashing up on the rocks. But it was a very relaxing evening and it is things like this that I am going to miss about being in Grado.

Boating

Today my host mom took me, Elise, and abbey on her brothers boat. We went later  in the afternoon around 4:30 and it was so much fun! We were able to see more of the small islands off of Grado. We drove around for a while and then anchored the boat in shallow water where we were able to swim. I noticed that in this area most of the water was very shallow. We walked up to the beach from the boat and wandered around looking for shells. It was a perfect afternoon with my host family!

Amsterdam

This past weekend Abbey, Quincy, Joe and I flew to Amsterdam for the weekend. We had a blast and we all came back a little exhausted. It was a weekend full of walking. We went to the Heineken Museum, walked through a few of their parks, wandered around the many different parts of Amsterdam, went on a tour of the Anne Frank House, and enjoyed the wonderful food. I would say my favorite part of the weekend was the Anne Frank House. It was a very historical spot and I found it all so interesting. I also loved all of the canals that you could walk along. Overall, Amsterdam seemed like a very happy and friendly place to be!

My host brother

Over the past few weeks as I am continuing to learn Italian, I have found it to be much easier to communicate with my host brother. He is such a sweet and funny 10 year old boy. I have never seen all of the harry potter movies and my family happens to have most of them, so I have been watching them with him in Italian. I also realized they have a Wii so it has been a lot of fun playing Wii with him and getting to know him! I have really enjoyed spending time with him and will be so sad to leave him next week.

Croatia

This weekend a group of about 11 us went to Croatia. It was a very very relaxing weekend and it was so nice to have a small break from class. We bused from Grado to Croatia and we stayed in a small city called Rovinj. We got there pretty late in the afternoon on Friday so we just stayed by the pool. That evening we all went to the market and made our own meals but then spent the rest of the night on our porch laughing and having a such a great time. The next day we booked 2 boats for all of us and we spent the day swimming, snorkeling, and jumping off of cliffs. The water was so blue and clear that is was perfect for snorkeling. Overall, the day on the boats was my favorite part of the weekend!

Dolomites

We spent the weekend in the gorgeous Dolomites and I was definitely sore from all of the hiking but it was probably my favorite trip that we took as a group. It was awesome to have some fresh cool air compared to the heat in Grado. We spent the weekend hiking and on Friday me and four others decided to walk part of the way down the mountain that we had been at the top of after our Gondola ride. We thought we knew where we were going and I still think that we went the right way, but this walk ended up being a 2 hour walk completely downhill. There was lots of running involved because we were almost late for dinner but we made it in time. It was a very comical few hours and I was exhausted but I had a great time with the others and trying to find our way back to Cortina. 

Week 8/Amsterdam

Week 8/Blog #1

This past weekend we went to Amsterdam. There was a a group of four that went. It was a lot of fun. We basically just toured around the town and enjoyed the scenic views. My favorite activity was walking through the Anne Frank House. It was an incredible experience. I can't believe that her family was able to hide there for two years! We also did a Heineken experience tour. That was also fun. We were also able to see the bench from the movie "Fault in Our Stars." The whole trip was a 10/10 experience. I'd highly recommend Amsterdam.

Ciao, Grado

Tonight we are having our final class party and I cannot believe our program is pretty much over! This has been the absolute best experience.

I know that I have learned so much and have really been able to immerse myself in the culture here, an experience that I probably will never have again and I am so grateful to the Seamans, Anna, Olivia and our host families for making it all possible for us.

I am going to miss Grado!!

Slovenia and Croatia Trip

This week, Michael informed us that we had some extra money in our budget so on Wednesday we had the option to go to some different places but we decided on a day trip down the Slovenian and Croatian coast.

It was so beautiful to see these two countries and it is so convenient that they are so close to Grado. In Slovenia, we got to see a beautiful view of the town, go swimming, and have a nice lunch downtown. In Croatia, we got to see the town and a world heritage sight church.

It is so nice that the Seamans work so hard to make sure that we get the most out of what we pay for the program. It happened to work out that we had extras and that’s why we got to have this experience and we are all so appreciative!

seafood dinner

            The other night we were brought` out to a really nice seafood dinner in Grado. We sat outside at a nice restaurant, Which I pass everyday on my bike but never Knew what it was. We got to try countless types of seafood That were so good and so fresh tasting. I personally love seafood so I was in heaven, and even people That were not huge fans of seafood in general enjoyed the way it was prepared. Not only were the meals presented gorgeously, they were delicious. I think there were seven courses total and by the end I was stuffed. It was fun to have the whole group together for dinner for one of our last group gatherings. 

last week!

I can not believe it's our last week in Grado. Class wraps up on Thursday with the final exam and then we're done! The weather has been perfect this week- so sunny and nice out. Elise, Lauren, and I went out on Their host mom's brother's boat the other day in the afternoon for a ride and a swim. We went to a small cove That can not be seen from Grado, but we were incendio see the outline of Degree from where we boated. It was so nice to just relax and be on a boat at a perfect time of day. We swam and found shells with Elise and Lauren's host brother. On a small piece of land dropped off the shore to deep water so it was fun to watch him jump straight into the water right from the beach. Elise and I were sitting in shallow water and a crab came up to me and climbed on my leg and I about had a heart attack. It was hilarious Because We pick them up at this time but this one was massive. We boated home on water That was just like glass and it was such a nice ride. I'm definitely going to miss the laid back lifestyle here. Things are not fast paced and I love that.

Olanda

This weekend three other students and I took a weekend excursion to the Netherlands. We landed in Amsterdam on Friday afternoon, so we had plenty of daylight to savor the sights of the city. We walked the streets and kind of just wandered to familiarize ourselves with locations for what we had planned for the next day. I Looked up and found That has blackberries Amsterdam canals than Venice, Which is not surprising considering the size difference, but I Never Knew That canals were a main attraction. I never got on a boat tour to a canal, but I got to sit on benches and in cafes bordering multiple canals. A fun little detour we took was to visit the bench in the movie The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

My absolute favorite part of the trip was going to the Anne Frank house. We did not think we'd be a fire get tickets, but we Looked online the week before and got the earliest time slot for the tour. It was such a powerful experience to be in That House and I have a new appreciation for Anne Frank rather than my middle school experience with reading her diary. It was very thought provoking and I highly recommend it as a must-see for anyone planning on going to Amsterdam! 

Week 7/My Italian Family

My host family is definitely my favorite part about Grado. When I first came to Italy it was a much bigger adjustment than I had originally anticipated. I remember being a little bit overwhelmed when I initially got off the plane. I spoke no Italian and didn't really know what to expect. My host family has been so awesome since the very beginning and I have enjoyed staying with them. I especially enjoy my host mom. She is a great women. She is always trying to communicate with me and sometimes even attempts to speak on English. She is a really good cook and I love the dinners that I have with her and the rest of my host family. I also have a great host dad and two great host sisters. The other day we all went out to sushi and it was awesome! It was an all you can eat experience and it was very fun. We ordered too much food and we actually had to sneak the extra sushi into my host sister's purse so that we didn't have to pay for each piece individually. They made a joke about me stuffing it in their bags after wrapping it up in a napkin. I couldn't tell if they were kidding, but I went for it anyway and it was awesome! We all started laughing. It was actually really funny. I definitely ate too much sushi, but I'll remember that experience forever.  I am so grateful that they have opened their home to me and welcomed me into their family.  They have been so kind and generous and I appreciate everything they have done for me and all the opportunities this trip has provided.  It is great having another family in another country.  I will definitely come visit them again.  

Boats and Gelato: A Perfect Afternoon.

Over the past few weeks this summer my host mom, Susan, has mentioned that her brother owns a speed boat. And has told Lauren and I that we'd go out on the water one day. And yesterday the day finally came! We boarded the boat around 4:30 in the afternoon. But the temperature was perfect. It was still hot out but with the wind blowing it felt great!

Abbey, Lauren, Mario, and I swam around in the water for a while and ventured over to a sand bar. Lauren and Mario collected some shells and we enjoyed the views. After getting back on the boat Susan's brother took us over to the island of Barbana to see the church!

Around 7 we docked and went home for dinner. After eating Lauren, Madi, Annalise, and I went out to watch the sunset and got gelato afterwards. We got gelato at Antoniazzi's, which we have realized is probably the best gelato in Grado! All in all it was a perfect afternoon and a great way to begin the last week! 

Trip to Amsterdam

This weekend, me and three other students traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

It was not too difficult to get there with a connecting flight through Rome, and it was such a great experience. We were able to walk around the city to see all of the canals and beautiful buildings (pictured below). We also got to do a tour of the Anne Frank House, which was fascinating to see.

The city has a much different vibe than Grado, much more fast paced and modern, which was fun to see for a weekend but it is nice to be back for our final week here.

Now that this last week has started it has really started to hit me that I will be at home in just six days. I am sad that our time here is almost done but I plan to make the most of the coming days in Grado!