My first few days in Grado have been amazing. It is definitely an adjustment being here and being so far away from home, but it hasn't been too difficult, Grado is absolutely beautiful and the people here are so nice! Living with a host family is way different than anything I have experienced but it has been great so far. My host mom's name is Susan and she has a 9 year old son named Mario. They have a golden retriever and 2 cats but they live outside. I found this very surprising considering majority of us that have pets in the US all allow them to live inside and even sleep in our beds. What I have found most difficult here is the language barrier. Mario, Susan's son, speaks barely any english. However, Susan is basically fluent in English which has been very helpful. But I would love to get to know Mario and as of right now I am not really able to do so unless his mom translates everything for us. When eating out on our own, reading the menu and communicating with the waiters has also been the most difficult. The first day I was here, I thought I was ordering a sandwich and I ended up with an appetizer instead. The food here is absolutely amazing though. I could eat pizza every day if I wanted and it is way better than it is back home. My host mom cooks dinner for us almost every night and even though I am extremely picky, I am working on at least trying almost everything that is put in front of me. So far, I am so happy to be here in Grado and cannot wait for the new experience and memories to come this summer!