Ciao!
I am currently sitting in my room eating a banana, wearing an oversized sweater, and sipping on some tea. Life is good. The weather is getting colder outside and I am really excited about it, which is strange, because in the USA I live for summer. So here's what's been going on lately!
Last weekend I had my mid-October AFS orientation camp and….oh my god. It was so much fun. I'll break it down like I normally do, day by day.
Friday: I got there at noon, we spent the afternoon just chilling and doing activities, catching up with one another and making new friends! In the night we had an activity where the girls had to dress as guys and the guys as girls, and we got pretty into it (makeup for the boys and fake beards for the girls) and we did a runway show. It was hilarious
Saturday: In the morning we went to Sorrento (where I live) and I had the embarrassing responsibility of being our tour guide, which of course resulted in me getting lost and having to turn around to face around 30 students and 5 volunteers and tell them I was lost…..I wanted to melt into the ground haha. But it was still fun! I showed them the famous gelato place, and then when we broke up into smaller groups I ended up finding the place I was trying to find before, but only a few of my friends got to see it. In the afternoon we did more activities, and they were actually kind of helpful. In the night, we all hung out outside and then about a dozen of us went into one of the rooms that was pretty big, and we all talked and hung out and listened to music, it was a lot of fun, even though we didn't get to sleep until like 2.
Sunday: Activities all day, and then in the night we had to plan a talent show. This was probably my favorite activity, because it helped me learn so much about other cultures. My really good friend (Hinerapa) is from New Zealand, and she showed us her talent which was poi. It was probably one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen and I fell in love with it instantly (even though I couldn't figure out how to do it). I also hung out with all the Latin Americans (and a girl from Spain!) and it was really nice, because they remind me of all my family from Mexico so it felt very comfortable and familiar. They taught me how to do bachata (a style of dancing) and we all got up and started dancing and it was amazing, now all I listen to is bachata music and I am determined to master it :) I loved watching all the kids' talents, and usually we all ended up joining in and trying to learn, wether it was the Flamenco or a special dance from Thailand, we would all try and copy the presenter and it usually had disastrous but amusing results. A guy from China sang a song in Chinese, and it was funny, because even though I didn't understand the words I felt like I understood the song, and it sounded like it could have been in English or Spanish, which to me helped me realize that no matter where we're from we are all ultimately the same. I had so many ideas of how certain people from certain countries would be, and I have since then discovered that it is not true at all, I have a friend who is the cutest, tiniest little Japanese girl, but when you watch her dance I swear she turns into Britney Spears. Afterwards, I hung out with some of the other exchange students and I didn't go to bed until around 3 am. So yeah I was exhausted by this point.
Monday: In the morning we just hung out and did some more activities, mostly games (We played suck and blow. Hilarity ensued. We also played a game where you hold an apple between your chin and your neck and have to pass it around the circle without using your hands, and it was so so so funny to watch people struggle. At a certain point, we all randomly started passing around Kanako, the cute little Japanese girl. One person just randomly picked her up and then passed her down, and we made a few rounds around the circle for no particular reason….only exchange students haha), I ended up spending an hour talking about Maoori culture with my friend Hinerapa, and I just find it so fascinating. Then we all had to say goodbye and go our own ways, which was really sad since I know I won't get to see some of them who are only here for a trimester ever again.
So, here are some of the things I've learned this past weekend:
- If I'm ever feeling homesick, I just need to spend some time around latinos and I will instantly feel 10000 times better.
- It doesn't matter what country someone comes from, if they are an exchange student I can almost 100% guarantee that they will be funny, outgoing, friendly, and crazy. Not to mention they will be full of surprises
- Everyone is going through the same stuff, and the best thing you can do is just share your struggles and laugh at the awkwardness of it all.
- Sleep is overrated (Okay just kidding I really need sleep, but when you have only a few days with such an amazing group of people sleep gets knocked down to the bottom of your priority list)
- Poi and bachata are life
- If you have problems, talk about them. Chances are you will come out feeling like a giant weight has been lifted.
- New Zealand is a really amazing country and I am definitely moving there at some point in my life
It was overall really fun, and I feel a lot more positive about everything! Other things that happened this week:
- Tuesday after Italian lessons I went with Hinerapa (New Zealand) and Nabila (Indonesia) for pizza and ice cream, which was really fun and delicious! Since all the other exchange students in my chapter live in Castellammare and I'm in Sorrento I haven't really hung out with them, but now I have decided to do it a lot more because it's so nice to be able to spend time with people who understand you
- Wednesday I went into Napoli for my residence papers, and when we got there at 9:45 they were on number 18. We were number 132. Thanks to my host mom's persistence we managed to get in at number 46, and we were out of there by 11:30 (they were only up to number 61, if you were wondering).
Tomorrow I'm going to another school to talk about Intercultura in the morning (I've only gone to school 3 days this week. Not complaining ;) ) and then heading to Calabria with my host family in the afternoon! It's a 5 hour drive there, which will be interesting… But it should be beautiful and then we will head back Sunday afternoon! I'll keep you guys updated :)
P.S. I am so so pumped for Halloween next weekend <3
A dopo! Xoxo
-- Tami
Friday, October 24, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Overdue Update
Ciao tutti!
I'm sorry I haven't written in forever, I've just been taking all this time to process everything and think and just experience life. So, first of all I just want to say I was brought to tears by the response to my last post. I had people I didn't even know messaging me giving me support and kind words, and everyone was so sweet, it really warmed my heart <3 So thank you all so much :) Secondly, yes I am feeling better. I don't wake up on the verge of tears feeling I have to leave right this instant. However, I still don't believe that a year is the right choice for me. As of now, my plan is to switch to a trimester program, which means I will leave in the beginning of december, just before the holidays and the second semester of American high school, which seems like a nice breaking point for me. I am not going to go into a lot more detail about this, because frankly I am kind of tired of explaining myself and I trust that if someone is interested they can talk to me personally so I don't bore all of you with the dramatic details ;) So anyways, time to play catch up!
October 3rd was my 16th birthday, and it was really amazing!! I woke up at 6:30 as normal for school (of course this year my birthday was on a Friday, but I have school the next day -.- Stupid Italian school schedules) and I was in the bathroom getting ready for about 15 minutes before I went back to my room to check my phone, and I saw I had multiple missed calls from my family back home. I immediately called them back, but then my mom told me that she will call me because she uses a service so it doesn't cost a million dollars for long distance phone calls haha. But of course, right as she called me my host mom and host sister came in with a box, so I told her I would call her back. Then, I realized the box was from my parents and told them to call me once again (pretty confusing). Inside was my mom's iPhone (mine is broken) along with a case with a girl on an elephant looking at the world (I love elephants), a beautiful silver ring with a very muted pink heart, some fuzzy aloe socks (I am in love with them), some stuffed animals from my sister, and a letter. I had to try really hard not to cry, and it was so sweet of them to send me those things and wait until I woke up to call me. Then, I went to a bar with my host sister instead of having breakfast at home since I love pastries, and I got this big fluffy bread filled with Nutella. Once I was at school, my class surprised me with yet another pastry on my desk with a candle and a note in it. They sang me happy birthday and I blew out my candle, and it was very sweet. School was normal, and afterwards my entire class took me out for a pizza. We were about 20 people, and we went to this restaurant and it was delicious! We ordered three "meter pizzas" (giant, rectangle sheets of pizza) and split them, and afterwards they gave me a cake that one of the girl's mom made, which was absolutely heavenly. I was so stuffed haha. Then, they all gave me a card and an $80 gift card to Mondo Bio (this vegan/health food shop two doors down from my house, I go there literally every day after school. Sadly, I am not exaggerating) which was so sweet of them. But it didn't end there! In the evening, my friend asked me if I wanted to go out to Syrenuse, our favorite bar, so I agreed. We were there until around 9, when it was time to head home. My friend said she had to give my host sister a book, so she would drop me off. When we got into the apartment, I found that my friends and host family had thrown me a surprise party! It was so sweet and thoughtful of them to do that, and it was really fun :) We ate and hung out until 11, and then I went to bed. It was an unforgettable birthday :) Then, the next day after school I went with my host sister and mother into Naples and we did some serious shopping, and in the night I went clubbing with some friends and my host sister! It was a great time and I really enjoyed it.
Other than that, nothing really special has happened. I started Italian lessons every Tuesday and Thursday, and school is still really boring. But this weekend I have the mid-October orientation camp which will be really fun! I am going to Castellamare di Stabia from Friday-Monday, and I am so excited to see all my AFS friends again :) I will keep you guys updated on how that goes!!
A dopo <3
-- Tami
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Second Week in Italy and Decisions
Ciao tutti,
I know I missed my usual Sunday post, but that's because I didnt have wifi and I needed some time to process some things and gather my thoughts. This post is going to be really, really long (don't say I didn't warn you) and divided into two parts. The first part will be what has been going on (my normal daily summaries) and the second half will be more personal, about some of the things I have been going through lately and how I plan on handling them. Feel free to read whichever part interests you (or both).
Last Monday: So it was the first day of school (we only went for 2 hours), and everyone was really nice and friendly! A group of friends invited me to go with them to a bar that one of the girl's dad owns, and we went and had some pastries. It was so nice and I made a lot of friends :)
Tuesday: The second day of school was good too, I went over to one of the girl's houses afterwards for lunch with a group of girls, and again it was so nice and they were all very helpful. They made me a map of the train stations, photocopied parts of their textbooks, and taught me some new Italian words.
Wednesday: Third day of school, nothing special, and then in the evening I went to Castellamare di Stabia to have a meeting with my local AFS chapter (two of my friends from school were so sweet and rode the train there with me, because I was scared of going alone). The meeting was actually pretty fun and almost all the volunteers are young returnees so it was really easy to relate to them. After the meeting we all went to a bar and had some yummy pastries :)
Thursday: School (again), nothing special, and then in the afternoon I went to the gym for the first time (I've been inhaling everything that people offer me, so I thought it was probably a good idea to start exercising) and it felt so good to work up a sweat again.
Friday: School (surprise surprise) and then afterwards I went to one of my friend's houses for lunch with another girl. She has a small cooking and dining house really close to the school and it was gorgeous!! The walls were all windows so there was tons of natural light, all the furniture and walls and everything were white, and then outside there were tons of lemon trees. It was like a dream. Her dad cooked a really delicious meal for us, and then we went to her normal house (which was also beautiful) to study. Then, I went home and packed, because the next day my host family took us to Ascea.
Saturday: School (Yes I have school here on Saturdays….not fun.) and then my host siblings and I were picked up by my host parents and we drove like 2 and a half hours to Ascea. Ascea is this beautiful open beach, and my host family spends all their summers there. They stay in this little village area where there are tons of small little bungalows and everyone there is like a family. They put on plays and do activities and most of the families have been coming for generations. It was so nice :) We swam, then they put on their last play of the season, Moulin Rouge, and then had a goodbye ceremony filled with tears and hugs. Then, we all had a HUGE dinner, and I really do mean huge! I'm talking probably 25 10 feet long tables filled with all types of foods. The dessert table was literal paradise.
Sunday: We just kind of lounged around, watched this guy do card tricks, and it was pretty relaxing. Then, we drove home (but there was tons of traffic so it took us like 3 hours and we got back super late at night) and had dinner.
Monday (yesterday): Nothing special, I went to school, then to the gym, and then I met up with my AFS liaison.
Overall, Italian school is very different. We only go for around 4 hours every day so it feels shorter, but we don't get lunch and we have school on saturdays so that's the tradeoff. I met with a professor in the school to see about getting a personalized schedule, but she didn't let me, so I am only actively participating (homework, tests, etc.) in 2 or 3 out of all of my classes. I am still trying to see if I can find a way to change this, because for 95% of the time I am drawing in all my classes (except for art history, I am actually really excited about that class and the teacher is so kind and helpful and tries to translate for me!)
Okay, now on to the second part. Please wait until the end before you react or judge. Hear (or, I guess read) what I have to say first :) Thank you.
Alright I am just going to be blunt and to the point: As of now, I intend to shorten my exchange. Like I said before, please try and listen to my reasons before you form any opinions. Before you go on exchange, people will warn you time and time again that it will be really hard, that a year is a long time, etc. etc. You will listen and think you understand, but you honestly will not truly understand. It's as if you asked a person to imagine a new color; it isn't their fault that they cannot picture it. If you haven't seen the color, you can't understand what it looks like. Now, I have seen the color, and I don't think I want to. Nothing specific has gone wrong, my Italian is improving tremendously, I have made lots of friends, school is going well (as well as school can be), and my host family is good as well. My life here is, according to the standards of society, blossoming. However, I am still unhappy here. I have thought about this a lot over the past week, and I think the best way to explain it is like this: Imagine you are in a store, and you see this beautiful shirt. You fall in love with it, and you are 100% sure that it will be a perfect fit, so you buy the shirt without a second thought. Once you're home, you put it on, excited to wear it out. But when you try it on, it doesn't seem to fit. It simply doesn't look right on you. But you loved the shirt, and you spent a lot of money on it, so you aren't going to just give up. You try sowing it, tying it up, cutting it, and anything else you can think of, but it still isn't right for you. It doesn't make you or the shirt any less beautiful, the shirt just wasn't meant for you. Do you see where I am going with this? Sometimes, the path you thought was perfect for you really isn't. Exchange isn't for everyone, and every person reacts differently to studying abroad. In my case, I think it isn't right for me. However, I am not going to just give up. Like I mentioned in the first part of this post, I spoke with my liaison (she is so sweet and understanding, I love her so much. She helped me a ton), and we came up with a plan. Until mid-October (AFS has a 3 day orientation camp in the middle of October), I am going to really try to make it work here. I am going to say yes to every opportunity, keep an open mind and find the positive side of every situation, and pour my heart and soul into making it work. If, when I come back from the camp (which my liaison says usually helps boost your motivation), I can honestly say "I really did try as hard as I could to make it work, and it just isn't meant for me" then I will go home. If I reevaluate how I'm feeling, and I feel like I can stay a little longer, then I will pick another date to reevaluate how I'm feeling, and if I want to postpone my departure then I will, and if I don't want to then I won't. It honestly takes so much of the pressure off knowing that I can leave whenever. Now, I know that this decision will face a lot of opposition, but I would like everyone to know that leaving early does not mean I failed. It means that I was mature enough to realize that this isn't what is best for me, and I don't feel the need to stay here for 10 months just to prove to others that I can. As far as I'm concerned, I have already succeeded. I'm 15 years old, and I found a way to create the opportunity to move to the other side of the world for a year. I tried, and I believe that is what is most important. I took the chance, I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I have already learned so much. I see my life back home in an entirely new perspective, and I have realized how lucky I am, and I really value and appreciate where I come from and my family so much more. If I stay, yes I would probably grow and learn more things, but this is just one of many opportunities for me to grow and mature. I have also learned a lot about myself and what I do and don't like. I always thought I wanted to travel the world without a home, going with the wind, and I have realized that it is important for me to have a home. I still want to travel the world, but I need to have somewhere to come back to. I have realized many other things about my future and what I do and don't want to do, but I won't go into detail because that requires a whole other post. Maybe the reason this experience was brought into my life was to help me realize these things, and to learn to let go of dreams instead of denying that something is wrong just because this is what I thought I wanted at some point. I am well aware that I may regret this decision later on in my life, but you know what? Life goes on. We all make mistakes, and we all make decisions that we regret, but it's how we learn. If I do end up regretting going home then I will at the very least learn from it and use it to help me with other decisions later on in my life. I may not know what's best for me, but this is how I will figure it out- by making decisions and yes, sometimes making mistakes. I managed to raise $3,000, move to a country where I don't know anyone, or how to speak the language, or any of the customs, and live there for (at least) over a month all by myself, and I'm only 15. I am proud of myself for making this happen. In conclusion, I will take these next few weeks to try and make it work, but if it doesn't then I am not going to stress out and kill myself over it. Life goes on. If you read this whole thing then thank you, I am sorry it was so long I just wanted to explain myself thoroughly.
I will write again soon!
Ciao <3 Xoxo
-- Tami
I know I missed my usual Sunday post, but that's because I didnt have wifi and I needed some time to process some things and gather my thoughts. This post is going to be really, really long (don't say I didn't warn you) and divided into two parts. The first part will be what has been going on (my normal daily summaries) and the second half will be more personal, about some of the things I have been going through lately and how I plan on handling them. Feel free to read whichever part interests you (or both).
Last Monday: So it was the first day of school (we only went for 2 hours), and everyone was really nice and friendly! A group of friends invited me to go with them to a bar that one of the girl's dad owns, and we went and had some pastries. It was so nice and I made a lot of friends :)
Tuesday: The second day of school was good too, I went over to one of the girl's houses afterwards for lunch with a group of girls, and again it was so nice and they were all very helpful. They made me a map of the train stations, photocopied parts of their textbooks, and taught me some new Italian words.
Wednesday: Third day of school, nothing special, and then in the evening I went to Castellamare di Stabia to have a meeting with my local AFS chapter (two of my friends from school were so sweet and rode the train there with me, because I was scared of going alone). The meeting was actually pretty fun and almost all the volunteers are young returnees so it was really easy to relate to them. After the meeting we all went to a bar and had some yummy pastries :)
Thursday: School (again), nothing special, and then in the afternoon I went to the gym for the first time (I've been inhaling everything that people offer me, so I thought it was probably a good idea to start exercising) and it felt so good to work up a sweat again.
Friday: School (surprise surprise) and then afterwards I went to one of my friend's houses for lunch with another girl. She has a small cooking and dining house really close to the school and it was gorgeous!! The walls were all windows so there was tons of natural light, all the furniture and walls and everything were white, and then outside there were tons of lemon trees. It was like a dream. Her dad cooked a really delicious meal for us, and then we went to her normal house (which was also beautiful) to study. Then, I went home and packed, because the next day my host family took us to Ascea.
Saturday: School (Yes I have school here on Saturdays….not fun.) and then my host siblings and I were picked up by my host parents and we drove like 2 and a half hours to Ascea. Ascea is this beautiful open beach, and my host family spends all their summers there. They stay in this little village area where there are tons of small little bungalows and everyone there is like a family. They put on plays and do activities and most of the families have been coming for generations. It was so nice :) We swam, then they put on their last play of the season, Moulin Rouge, and then had a goodbye ceremony filled with tears and hugs. Then, we all had a HUGE dinner, and I really do mean huge! I'm talking probably 25 10 feet long tables filled with all types of foods. The dessert table was literal paradise.
Sunday: We just kind of lounged around, watched this guy do card tricks, and it was pretty relaxing. Then, we drove home (but there was tons of traffic so it took us like 3 hours and we got back super late at night) and had dinner.
Monday (yesterday): Nothing special, I went to school, then to the gym, and then I met up with my AFS liaison.
Overall, Italian school is very different. We only go for around 4 hours every day so it feels shorter, but we don't get lunch and we have school on saturdays so that's the tradeoff. I met with a professor in the school to see about getting a personalized schedule, but she didn't let me, so I am only actively participating (homework, tests, etc.) in 2 or 3 out of all of my classes. I am still trying to see if I can find a way to change this, because for 95% of the time I am drawing in all my classes (except for art history, I am actually really excited about that class and the teacher is so kind and helpful and tries to translate for me!)
Okay, now on to the second part. Please wait until the end before you react or judge. Hear (or, I guess read) what I have to say first :) Thank you.
Alright I am just going to be blunt and to the point: As of now, I intend to shorten my exchange. Like I said before, please try and listen to my reasons before you form any opinions. Before you go on exchange, people will warn you time and time again that it will be really hard, that a year is a long time, etc. etc. You will listen and think you understand, but you honestly will not truly understand. It's as if you asked a person to imagine a new color; it isn't their fault that they cannot picture it. If you haven't seen the color, you can't understand what it looks like. Now, I have seen the color, and I don't think I want to. Nothing specific has gone wrong, my Italian is improving tremendously, I have made lots of friends, school is going well (as well as school can be), and my host family is good as well. My life here is, according to the standards of society, blossoming. However, I am still unhappy here. I have thought about this a lot over the past week, and I think the best way to explain it is like this: Imagine you are in a store, and you see this beautiful shirt. You fall in love with it, and you are 100% sure that it will be a perfect fit, so you buy the shirt without a second thought. Once you're home, you put it on, excited to wear it out. But when you try it on, it doesn't seem to fit. It simply doesn't look right on you. But you loved the shirt, and you spent a lot of money on it, so you aren't going to just give up. You try sowing it, tying it up, cutting it, and anything else you can think of, but it still isn't right for you. It doesn't make you or the shirt any less beautiful, the shirt just wasn't meant for you. Do you see where I am going with this? Sometimes, the path you thought was perfect for you really isn't. Exchange isn't for everyone, and every person reacts differently to studying abroad. In my case, I think it isn't right for me. However, I am not going to just give up. Like I mentioned in the first part of this post, I spoke with my liaison (she is so sweet and understanding, I love her so much. She helped me a ton), and we came up with a plan. Until mid-October (AFS has a 3 day orientation camp in the middle of October), I am going to really try to make it work here. I am going to say yes to every opportunity, keep an open mind and find the positive side of every situation, and pour my heart and soul into making it work. If, when I come back from the camp (which my liaison says usually helps boost your motivation), I can honestly say "I really did try as hard as I could to make it work, and it just isn't meant for me" then I will go home. If I reevaluate how I'm feeling, and I feel like I can stay a little longer, then I will pick another date to reevaluate how I'm feeling, and if I want to postpone my departure then I will, and if I don't want to then I won't. It honestly takes so much of the pressure off knowing that I can leave whenever. Now, I know that this decision will face a lot of opposition, but I would like everyone to know that leaving early does not mean I failed. It means that I was mature enough to realize that this isn't what is best for me, and I don't feel the need to stay here for 10 months just to prove to others that I can. As far as I'm concerned, I have already succeeded. I'm 15 years old, and I found a way to create the opportunity to move to the other side of the world for a year. I tried, and I believe that is what is most important. I took the chance, I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I have already learned so much. I see my life back home in an entirely new perspective, and I have realized how lucky I am, and I really value and appreciate where I come from and my family so much more. If I stay, yes I would probably grow and learn more things, but this is just one of many opportunities for me to grow and mature. I have also learned a lot about myself and what I do and don't like. I always thought I wanted to travel the world without a home, going with the wind, and I have realized that it is important for me to have a home. I still want to travel the world, but I need to have somewhere to come back to. I have realized many other things about my future and what I do and don't want to do, but I won't go into detail because that requires a whole other post. Maybe the reason this experience was brought into my life was to help me realize these things, and to learn to let go of dreams instead of denying that something is wrong just because this is what I thought I wanted at some point. I am well aware that I may regret this decision later on in my life, but you know what? Life goes on. We all make mistakes, and we all make decisions that we regret, but it's how we learn. If I do end up regretting going home then I will at the very least learn from it and use it to help me with other decisions later on in my life. I may not know what's best for me, but this is how I will figure it out- by making decisions and yes, sometimes making mistakes. I managed to raise $3,000, move to a country where I don't know anyone, or how to speak the language, or any of the customs, and live there for (at least) over a month all by myself, and I'm only 15. I am proud of myself for making this happen. In conclusion, I will take these next few weeks to try and make it work, but if it doesn't then I am not going to stress out and kill myself over it. Life goes on. If you read this whole thing then thank you, I am sorry it was so long I just wanted to explain myself thoroughly.
I will write again soon!
Ciao <3 Xoxo
-- Tami
Sunday, September 14, 2014
The First Week in Sorrento
Ciao tutti!
So I think I'm going to try and do a blog post a week, probably on Sundays! I also think I'll do a day by day summary of what I did, so enjoy!
Tuesday: I don't remember a lot of this day, but I went to the beach with Francesca and some friends, and it was absolutely gorgeous!! The water is entirely crystal clear and it's breathtaking! It's freezing though, which kind of sucks :/ But we played cards and it was fun! Then at night we walked around Sorrento, which is always so much fun! It's very calm and chill and we run into people we know like every 5 minutes, and I just love walking around at night!
Wednesday: I went to Capri with Francesca and Speranza and it is truly a dream. The island is so beautiful and when I went it was covered with a fog and it just felt like a dream! We walked around, did some window shopping, took gorgeous pictures (the water is an unbelievably bright blue. It's insane), and then we ate lunch on this beautiful little beach and I ended up falling asleep, then we swam, talked (Francesca helped me a bit with Italian), and went home! Then, again in the night we went out around the town with friends!
Thursday: Thursday was a super fun day, I rode a motorino (Motor scooter, vespa, you get the idea) for the first time which was super fun! And I went with my host siblings to a friend's house and we had lunch there. After lunch, we were all hanging out and we decided to cover their outdoor marble floor with soap and water and we kept sliding across the floor. We would pour soap on ourselves and then dive onto the ground and slide, it was so so much fun! We also jumped from the balcony into their pool, which was also really fun! Then, we went to this gelato shop that I had actually been to the year before when my family and I visited Sorrento on a cruise (we were only there for a day), and I had nutella covered pancakes with pistachio gelato, it was heavenly! And once again, in the night we walked around with friends! I met this girl who moved to Sorrento from South Africa a few years ago, and we have gotten really close! She speaks perfect english, so we spent the whole night talking and it was so refreshing and relaxing to have a full conversation with someone! You don't really notice how nice it is to be able to communicate with everyone until you can't.
Friday: Friday morning I went to a breakfast with Francesca and some of her friends since it was one of the girl's name day (Here everyone has a name day, I didn't fully understand what it meant, but you just have a small get together to celebrate). Then, I met up with Sofia (the girl from South Africa) and we got coffee and I bought some shoes. It was so nice to communicate and connect with someone again! Then, in the night I went to a party with Francesca at one of our friend's house since it was her birthday, and I made a lot of friends! Everyone was so nice and made such an effort to speak English (I really need to start speaking purely Italian, it's just so much easier in English) and they kept asking me all about high school in America, and if it really was how the movies say it is. It was so nice :)
Saturday: Yesterday morning Francesca and I went to buy school supplies (Yes, I actually do have to go to school. I know. It sucks.) Then, we went to the beach to study, and I did some yoga with some friends, it was really nice :) Then, I met up with Sofia and one of her friends and we did some shopping (I bought a pretty, small, black purse) and went to a bar for some espresso. Then, I went home, ate dinner, showered and started getting ready to go clubbing. I ended up going over to Sofia's house to get ready, and then we went out to another bar and met up with my host siblings before we all headed over to the club. I actually ended up breaking the strap of my shoe before we got to the club, which really sucked but it was still a lot of fun!! The club was in the open air near the beach, and we didn't end up getting home until around 5:00 am.
Sunday (Today): I woke up at around noon, and I had lunch, showered, and watched some TV with Antonio. Later I am meeting up with Sofia to walk around and maybe get an espresso, then I'll probably just hang out and go to sleep early. Tomorrow is the first day of school and I am really nervous, seeing as I barely speak the language. Luckily, I will go to a Linguistico school (you study mostly languages) so people will probably speak basic English or Spanish which will definitely help, but I will not be able to understand anything. I'm really excited and also extremely nervous and I feel very lost and kind of unprepared, but I'm sure it will be okay! I'll let you all know how it goes!
Ciao Ciao! <3 Xoxo
-- Tami
So I think I'm going to try and do a blog post a week, probably on Sundays! I also think I'll do a day by day summary of what I did, so enjoy!
Tuesday: I don't remember a lot of this day, but I went to the beach with Francesca and some friends, and it was absolutely gorgeous!! The water is entirely crystal clear and it's breathtaking! It's freezing though, which kind of sucks :/ But we played cards and it was fun! Then at night we walked around Sorrento, which is always so much fun! It's very calm and chill and we run into people we know like every 5 minutes, and I just love walking around at night!
Wednesday: I went to Capri with Francesca and Speranza and it is truly a dream. The island is so beautiful and when I went it was covered with a fog and it just felt like a dream! We walked around, did some window shopping, took gorgeous pictures (the water is an unbelievably bright blue. It's insane), and then we ate lunch on this beautiful little beach and I ended up falling asleep, then we swam, talked (Francesca helped me a bit with Italian), and went home! Then, again in the night we went out around the town with friends!
Thursday: Thursday was a super fun day, I rode a motorino (Motor scooter, vespa, you get the idea) for the first time which was super fun! And I went with my host siblings to a friend's house and we had lunch there. After lunch, we were all hanging out and we decided to cover their outdoor marble floor with soap and water and we kept sliding across the floor. We would pour soap on ourselves and then dive onto the ground and slide, it was so so much fun! We also jumped from the balcony into their pool, which was also really fun! Then, we went to this gelato shop that I had actually been to the year before when my family and I visited Sorrento on a cruise (we were only there for a day), and I had nutella covered pancakes with pistachio gelato, it was heavenly! And once again, in the night we walked around with friends! I met this girl who moved to Sorrento from South Africa a few years ago, and we have gotten really close! She speaks perfect english, so we spent the whole night talking and it was so refreshing and relaxing to have a full conversation with someone! You don't really notice how nice it is to be able to communicate with everyone until you can't.
Friday: Friday morning I went to a breakfast with Francesca and some of her friends since it was one of the girl's name day (Here everyone has a name day, I didn't fully understand what it meant, but you just have a small get together to celebrate). Then, I met up with Sofia (the girl from South Africa) and we got coffee and I bought some shoes. It was so nice to communicate and connect with someone again! Then, in the night I went to a party with Francesca at one of our friend's house since it was her birthday, and I made a lot of friends! Everyone was so nice and made such an effort to speak English (I really need to start speaking purely Italian, it's just so much easier in English) and they kept asking me all about high school in America, and if it really was how the movies say it is. It was so nice :)
Saturday: Yesterday morning Francesca and I went to buy school supplies (Yes, I actually do have to go to school. I know. It sucks.) Then, we went to the beach to study, and I did some yoga with some friends, it was really nice :) Then, I met up with Sofia and one of her friends and we did some shopping (I bought a pretty, small, black purse) and went to a bar for some espresso. Then, I went home, ate dinner, showered and started getting ready to go clubbing. I ended up going over to Sofia's house to get ready, and then we went out to another bar and met up with my host siblings before we all headed over to the club. I actually ended up breaking the strap of my shoe before we got to the club, which really sucked but it was still a lot of fun!! The club was in the open air near the beach, and we didn't end up getting home until around 5:00 am.
Sunday (Today): I woke up at around noon, and I had lunch, showered, and watched some TV with Antonio. Later I am meeting up with Sofia to walk around and maybe get an espresso, then I'll probably just hang out and go to sleep early. Tomorrow is the first day of school and I am really nervous, seeing as I barely speak the language. Luckily, I will go to a Linguistico school (you study mostly languages) so people will probably speak basic English or Spanish which will definitely help, but I will not be able to understand anything. I'm really excited and also extremely nervous and I feel very lost and kind of unprepared, but I'm sure it will be okay! I'll let you all know how it goes!
Ciao Ciao! <3 Xoxo
-- Tami
Monday, September 8, 2014
Orientations and Arriving in Sorrento
Ciao tutti! I'm sitting on the balcony of my flat in Sorrento, watching a beautiful sunset with a view of the mountains and the sea. The last week has been absolutely crazy, so get ready for a huge blog post. Enjoy! :)
So let's start with orientations. I will separate it day to day, and give you a summary.
Wednesday: I arrived in New York City, and I met a ton of people I had talked to on Facebook as well as some I hadn't. It wasn't as bad as I expected, as far as orientations go. When I was moving my bags into my room, I dropped my phone and cracked the screen (for those of you who don't know, I had just cracked it a few days before I left and then I got it fixed, so it was especially frustrating) and ended up breaking the flash and the camera. So since I was planning on using my phone as my camera and I didn't bring a camera, I have been unable to take pictures, which is really really upsetting. But besides that, nothing really special happened, it was mostly traveling and orientation.
Thursday: I woke up instantly feeling sick. My throat felt like someone had run a razor on the inside, and I had pretty bad congestion. Plus, (this happened every day of orientation) I could barely eat. Now those of you who know me know that this is not like me. I can eat an entire house, but the entire time I was at orientations every time I would begin to eat I would immediately feel sick to my stomach. I tried my best to force down what I could, but it was still a lot less than usual. In the night, the Italy kids (who by the way were by far the loudest out of all the groups) got on the plane and we were off to Italy. Even though the lady next to me and my friends on the plane yelled at us for being too loud for 3 minutes straight, the flight was really fun, and although I only slept like 45 minutes I got really close to a lot of people! Nighttime plane rides are the perfect environment for deep conversations.
Friday: I arrived in Rome, feeling absolutely exhausted but running on adrenaline. My friends and I spent the night exploring the grounds of our orientation site, and we discovered some amazing places. We set off alarms and went into abandoned underground tunnels and up onto really high roofs that had beautiful views of Rome, and by the end of the night we were covered with sweat and dirt. At around 12:30 I went to sleep, and although I didn't have the best night (the beds might as well have been made out of bricks), I would still say this was one of the best days I've had in a while.
Saturday: I still felt pretty sick, and until the afternoon, we were at a nearby school doing orientation activities, but it was still pretty fun. The Intercultura volunteers were all very young and chill, so we got along well. Plus, two of my very good friends were in my group, which means I will get to see them more throughout the year so that's good! In the night my friends and I started adventuring, and we ended up on this hidden roof with a lot of people. I made friends with a lot of people from Denmark (who thought that I had the same smile as Demi Lovato), and we all just laughed, talked, watched that stars and just had a good time. I went to sleep at 1:00 but a lot of them brought out mattresses and stayed out there for the whole night. Needless to say, it was a very fun night as well.
Sunday: In the morning I watched old Italian movies with my friends and just hung out, and then in the afternoon I took a train to my host family. Francesca and Speranza (my sister and my mother) were at the station to greet me (their adorable little Fiat was obviously too small to fit 5 people plus luggage), and we drove from Naples to Sorrento, stopping on the way to take a few pictures and by some pastries. I met some of Antonio and Francesca's friends, unpacked, and had a delicious dinner that night (I felt bad I couldn't finish it because I felt sick). Then I went out with Francesca and one of her friends, and it was great. The town is beautiful, and we kept running into other friends. It was so chill, we would run into someone, spend some time with them, and then they would part ways and we would keep walking until we found someone else. I met lots of people, and although I only understood around 15% of what was being said, it was very fun.
Monday: In the morning Francesca and I went to the post office to get my residence permit and figure out what to do with my phone (here an iPhone 5s costs almost $1,000! It's insane. But luckily, a place in Napoli sells it for only 250 Euros, so we will go there soon.) And then we went home, hung out, started watching Burlesque, but then stopped and met up with some of her friends. I wanted some gelato so we got some and walked around, and I felt so happy walking through the narrow Italian streets, dodging zooming vespas, and just feeling quite Italian. However, Italians speak very very fast, so I was able to only understand a few words or phrases every now and then. We all went back to our home, and we hung out until it was time for Francesca to go to the gym. I was planning on going with her and then going out in the night, but I have a huge headache (thanks to jet lag and trying so hard to keep up with the Italian conversations) so I decided to stay home and go to sleep early. I think if I can get one nice, long night of sleep I will feel a lot better.
But overall, I am happy to be here and everyone is unbelievably kind and welcoming! Although at times it is hard to understand each other, we can usually figure it out through a mix of English, Italian and Spanish (While writing this I had a long conversation with one of Antonio's friends, Massi, and it was 50% English and 50% Italian, but we understood each other almost perfectly). It is exhausting and confusing, but I am very glad I decided to do this. Now I will post some pictures I stole from others since my camera is broken, and I will keep you guys updated on what's going on!
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| Alistair, me, and Jason having lunch at the school |
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| Again, Alistair, me, and Jason at the school |
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| All the AFS students making Italy in celebration of AFS's 100 year anniversary |
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| My delicious nutella and pistachio gelato earlier today |
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| The last night at the orientation, up on the roof (you can't tell but this is really high up) |
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| Meeting my host sister, Francesca, at the station <3 |
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| Another roof we went on at the orientation |
Ciao!! <3 Xoxo
-- Tami
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
One More Week!!
Ciao tutti!
So….ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL I LEAVE!!! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! It's so crazy that this experience that I have dreamed about and worked for and been counting down to since January is finally here!! It's so surreal, and it still feels like a dream. So here's what's in store for me for the next week and a half of my life:
Thursday: Basically just study Italian (AKA try to and then end up reading exchange blogs and flipping out with my fellow exchange students about the fact we only have a few days left), enjoy my last yoga class before I leave, and spend time relaxing at home.
Friday: My mom is planning a family dinner (that I am to know nothing about, but I'm very excited for) since Sunday and Monday morning my dad and brother will be gone for one of my brother's fencing competitions. It's probably our last dinner all together as a family before I leave, and I have a feeling there will be equal parts tears, laughter, and yummy food.
Saturday: My best friend is coming over to hang out and catch up, and then she's going to help me set up for my going away party in the night. I'm having a small get together (Only like 10 people or so) to say goodbye to them all one last time before I leave. We will eat, talk, and just chill until it's time for me to say goodbye.
Sunday/Monday: Doing all the last minute things I need to do before I leave, packing, saying goodbye to everyone, and all that jazz.
Tuesday: I am driving to Austin with my mom, because there were no non-stop flights to JFK from Houston that day and it's like half the price as the Houston ones, so we decided to be savvy and fly me out from there.
Wednesday: I will fly out in the morning to NYC, meet all the AFSers heading to Europe , and have an overnight orientation.
Thursday: NYC orientation in the day, and then at night all the Italy bound AFSers fly first to Switzerland (Zurich) for a layover, and then head to Romaaaa <3
Friday: Arrive (exhausted and super sleep-deprived probably) in the morning to Rome, go to the orientation site where I will get to meet all of my fellow Italy AFSers from all over the world!! ("The Originals" will finally get to meet! *cough cough* Nita, Axe, Kon, Elena)
Saturday: Orientation day in Rome!
Sunday: I will take a bus (or train? I'm not exactly sure) to meet my host family in Sorrento!!! I cannot wait to meet them!! They have been so kind and have been a huge help with getting ready to leave! It will be so nice to finally meet them!
As of now, I have bought everything I needed, packed my suitcase just to make sure everything fits (it did! 41 pounds!), and then unpacked because I am using those vacuum sealed bags and it seriously wrinkles your clothes so I want to wait until like Sunday to pack. And just doing all the typical pre-departure stuff!
*THIS IS A PSA FOR ALL EXCHANGE STUDENTS*
I have discovered this magical luggage in Marshall's that weighs only 5.68 pounds, and can easily fit all of your clothes!! It's by a UK company called "it", but in Marshall's you can get it for super cheap!
I also got my visa last week! Which is good since I applied late when I found out that my European passport wouldn't get here in time! :)
So I will keep you guys updated as the pace of my journey begins to pick up speed!! At least 3 times a day I kind of realize that this is not a dream and I have a mini internal (okay sometimes external if I'm alone) happy spaz attack (which ends in me getting hiccups like I always do when I get excited…)
So….ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL I LEAVE!!! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! It's so crazy that this experience that I have dreamed about and worked for and been counting down to since January is finally here!! It's so surreal, and it still feels like a dream. So here's what's in store for me for the next week and a half of my life:
Thursday: Basically just study Italian (AKA try to and then end up reading exchange blogs and flipping out with my fellow exchange students about the fact we only have a few days left), enjoy my last yoga class before I leave, and spend time relaxing at home.
Friday: My mom is planning a family dinner (that I am to know nothing about, but I'm very excited for) since Sunday and Monday morning my dad and brother will be gone for one of my brother's fencing competitions. It's probably our last dinner all together as a family before I leave, and I have a feeling there will be equal parts tears, laughter, and yummy food.
Saturday: My best friend is coming over to hang out and catch up, and then she's going to help me set up for my going away party in the night. I'm having a small get together (Only like 10 people or so) to say goodbye to them all one last time before I leave. We will eat, talk, and just chill until it's time for me to say goodbye.
Sunday/Monday: Doing all the last minute things I need to do before I leave, packing, saying goodbye to everyone, and all that jazz.
Tuesday: I am driving to Austin with my mom, because there were no non-stop flights to JFK from Houston that day and it's like half the price as the Houston ones, so we decided to be savvy and fly me out from there.
Wednesday: I will fly out in the morning to NYC, meet all the AFSers heading to Europe , and have an overnight orientation.
Thursday: NYC orientation in the day, and then at night all the Italy bound AFSers fly first to Switzerland (Zurich) for a layover, and then head to Romaaaa <3
Friday: Arrive (exhausted and super sleep-deprived probably) in the morning to Rome, go to the orientation site where I will get to meet all of my fellow Italy AFSers from all over the world!! ("The Originals" will finally get to meet! *cough cough* Nita, Axe, Kon, Elena)
Saturday: Orientation day in Rome!
Sunday: I will take a bus (or train? I'm not exactly sure) to meet my host family in Sorrento!!! I cannot wait to meet them!! They have been so kind and have been a huge help with getting ready to leave! It will be so nice to finally meet them!
As of now, I have bought everything I needed, packed my suitcase just to make sure everything fits (it did! 41 pounds!), and then unpacked because I am using those vacuum sealed bags and it seriously wrinkles your clothes so I want to wait until like Sunday to pack. And just doing all the typical pre-departure stuff!
*THIS IS A PSA FOR ALL EXCHANGE STUDENTS*
I have discovered this magical luggage in Marshall's that weighs only 5.68 pounds, and can easily fit all of your clothes!! It's by a UK company called "it", but in Marshall's you can get it for super cheap!
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| This luggage (gift from the gods) is super cute and only 5.68 pounds. No I am not kidding. |
I also got my visa last week! Which is good since I applied late when I found out that my European passport wouldn't get here in time! :)
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| I didn't blog about my trip to the visa, but here's a picture from when I went to the Consulate! Let's just say the man was less than friendly, but I met a few other exchange students there! :) |
So I will keep you guys updated as the pace of my journey begins to pick up speed!! At least 3 times a day I kind of realize that this is not a dream and I have a mini internal (okay sometimes external if I'm alone) happy spaz attack (which ends in me getting hiccups like I always do when I get excited…)
Ciao! Xoxo <3
-- Tami
Monday, July 28, 2014
How to Organize your Life
Ciao tutti!
I am currently sitting in the car driving home from Florida, and honestly I have been more productive during this drive than I have been in all of summer. I drove 18 hours there and now I'm driving 18 hours back and I have:
- Finished Rosetta Stone (YAY!)
- Thought of some ideas of what to get my host family
- Made like 10 new exchange friends going to Italy
- Made a to-do list of everything I have to do to prepare for Italy before I leave
So I thought I would share that to-do list in case it would help any of you exchange students!
I am currently sitting in the car driving home from Florida, and honestly I have been more productive during this drive than I have been in all of summer. I drove 18 hours there and now I'm driving 18 hours back and I have:
- Finished Rosetta Stone (YAY!)
- Thought of some ideas of what to get my host family
- Made like 10 new exchange friends going to Italy
- Made a to-do list of everything I have to do to prepare for Italy before I leave
So I thought I would share that to-do list in case it would help any of you exchange students!
- Figure out host family gifts
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Learn basics of Italian politics/government
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Learn more about US (or home country) politics/government
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Study Italian
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Write a “cheat sheet” of
commonly used phrases
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Make packing list
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Pack
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Get Visa
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Organize and throw going away party
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Figure out what to do with my phone
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Figure out what to do with my debit card
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Learn some recipes to cook for host family
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Learn about soccer (my host brother loves soccer)
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Buy new shoes
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Buy stuff that I need for Italy that I don’t
have
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Buy cosmetics
- Get health addendum form signed
- Get health addendum form signed
Other than that I'm just feeling pure excitement for Italy!! Only 37 more days, and minus my 10 day vacation in NYC, Boston, and Canada next week I only have 27 days left at home!! I can't believe this is all happening!! I can't wait to be in Italy :)
Ciao! Xoxo <3
-- Tami Moctezuma
Sunday, July 20, 2014
The Inevitable Cold Feet
Okay, so at one point or another in every exchange student's journey they will inevitably freak out about leaving and begin to talk themselves out of going. I have been going through that recently, and I noticed there weren't a lot of blog posts out there about this aspect of going abroad. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful, amazing friend (Dani) to help me remember why I want to go abroad in the first place.
So, lately I had been feeling conflicted, because all my life I have dreamt of getting out of my town and traveling and just seeing the world (yes I do know how cliche that sounds but it's true), and now that it's finally happening I've begun to realize all the stuff I enjoy that I take for granted. I stopped viewing Spring as an awful prison trapping me here, and I realized this place isn't so bad. I've changed a lot this past year, and now I have discovered sides to me that I really like. I began to be happy and satisfied with my little bubble, where I would eat almost completely clean, fresh produce, go to yoga and meditation, go to work, etc. I began seeing the beauty in the long sidewalk lined with trees by my house and the familiar comfort and easiness of my life here. I started realizing just how hard it would be to have to create a new niche for myself if I left, and so it began. My cycle of ruminating, thinking the sam e string of thoughts over again, going back and forth between going and staying.
My lifestyle and beliefs are different to the majority of people, and my originality tends to sometimes create problems as people attach the "hippie" stereotype to me. However, here I've managed to surpass that stigma, but I'm worried that in a new place where I don't know the culture or speak the language it will be very hard for me to be able to express myself and show people who I really am. Plus, I thrive on deep, philosophical conversations but when I can barely string together a basic sentence it makes it kind of hard to have talks like that. And another one of my concerns was just the unknown. I like being in control of situations, and that is not going to be the case in Italy.
However, I finally talked with Dani and she really helped me. She reminded me that the whole point of studying abroad isn't to mindlessly be absorbed by another culture, but to share your own culture as well as learn about another one. So I can take the aspects of both cultures that fit me and become a better version of myself.
There was way more to our talk but that was the main conclusion I drew from it. I guess the point of this was to help other exchange students realize that it's completely normal to have second thoughts and we all go through it. But we have to be able to overcome our fear and charge into the unknown in order to have a great adventure. So that's all for now! :) Quick update on my life- I had my last day of work yesterday and it was pretty sad, I'm going to miss all my coworkers. I'm going to Florida on Wednesday, and then I come back for 3 days and head off to New York, Boston, and Canada with my family! Then, when I get back it's seriously time to start preparing to leave for Italy.
Ciao! Xoxo <3
-- Tami
So, lately I had been feeling conflicted, because all my life I have dreamt of getting out of my town and traveling and just seeing the world (yes I do know how cliche that sounds but it's true), and now that it's finally happening I've begun to realize all the stuff I enjoy that I take for granted. I stopped viewing Spring as an awful prison trapping me here, and I realized this place isn't so bad. I've changed a lot this past year, and now I have discovered sides to me that I really like. I began to be happy and satisfied with my little bubble, where I would eat almost completely clean, fresh produce, go to yoga and meditation, go to work, etc. I began seeing the beauty in the long sidewalk lined with trees by my house and the familiar comfort and easiness of my life here. I started realizing just how hard it would be to have to create a new niche for myself if I left, and so it began. My cycle of ruminating, thinking the sam e string of thoughts over again, going back and forth between going and staying.
My lifestyle and beliefs are different to the majority of people, and my originality tends to sometimes create problems as people attach the "hippie" stereotype to me. However, here I've managed to surpass that stigma, but I'm worried that in a new place where I don't know the culture or speak the language it will be very hard for me to be able to express myself and show people who I really am. Plus, I thrive on deep, philosophical conversations but when I can barely string together a basic sentence it makes it kind of hard to have talks like that. And another one of my concerns was just the unknown. I like being in control of situations, and that is not going to be the case in Italy.
However, I finally talked with Dani and she really helped me. She reminded me that the whole point of studying abroad isn't to mindlessly be absorbed by another culture, but to share your own culture as well as learn about another one. So I can take the aspects of both cultures that fit me and become a better version of myself.
There was way more to our talk but that was the main conclusion I drew from it. I guess the point of this was to help other exchange students realize that it's completely normal to have second thoughts and we all go through it. But we have to be able to overcome our fear and charge into the unknown in order to have a great adventure. So that's all for now! :) Quick update on my life- I had my last day of work yesterday and it was pretty sad, I'm going to miss all my coworkers. I'm going to Florida on Wednesday, and then I come back for 3 days and head off to New York, Boston, and Canada with my family! Then, when I get back it's seriously time to start preparing to leave for Italy.
Ciao! Xoxo <3
-- Tami
Friday, June 20, 2014
PDO and Host School Info
Ciao tutti!!
I know I haven't posted anything in a while…sorry… I've just been enjoying being on summer break and I haven't really known what to post, but now I'l just fill you in on what I've been up to!
So I had my pre-departure orientation a few weeks ago and it was fun. I met some nice people, learned a little more about everything, and just had a good time! It was kind of in a really sketchy part of town though so it was kind of scary….Plus the AC wasn't working and it's summer in Texas, so we were all kind of dying of heat stroke haha. But overall it was good!
I also found out about my host school! I actually wasn't notified by AFS or anything, I just looked at my AFS USA portal and I saw that the tab for my host school information wasn't empty! I will be attending the same school as my siblings (yay!) I'm still not really clear on what I will be taking there (like what year or liceo classico or what), but I'm planning on e-mailing someone at AFS to ask soon! I'm really excited though, because we have to take the train every morning to get to school and I've never taken public transportation on a regular basis so that'll be exciting!!
Other than that not much has been going on, I've just been learning Italian, spending time with my friends and family, working to keep on raising my spending money, and talking with my AFS friends and my host family!! Life is good :) I'll let you guys know if I find anything out!
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
I know I haven't posted anything in a while…sorry… I've just been enjoying being on summer break and I haven't really known what to post, but now I'l just fill you in on what I've been up to!
So I had my pre-departure orientation a few weeks ago and it was fun. I met some nice people, learned a little more about everything, and just had a good time! It was kind of in a really sketchy part of town though so it was kind of scary….Plus the AC wasn't working and it's summer in Texas, so we were all kind of dying of heat stroke haha. But overall it was good!
I also found out about my host school! I actually wasn't notified by AFS or anything, I just looked at my AFS USA portal and I saw that the tab for my host school information wasn't empty! I will be attending the same school as my siblings (yay!) I'm still not really clear on what I will be taking there (like what year or liceo classico or what), but I'm planning on e-mailing someone at AFS to ask soon! I'm really excited though, because we have to take the train every morning to get to school and I've never taken public transportation on a regular basis so that'll be exciting!!
Other than that not much has been going on, I've just been learning Italian, spending time with my friends and family, working to keep on raising my spending money, and talking with my AFS friends and my host family!! Life is good :) I'll let you guys know if I find anything out!
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Host Family and Location Info, plus New AFS Friends!
Ciao!
So I know it's been almost a month since my last post...woops... this last month has been crazy, with school and work and everything I have to do. I actually am currently sitting in school, because I just finished my last STAAR (end of year exam) which was biology! Yay! Okay so it's time to catch you guys up
I left off right when I got my host family, and since then they have given me permission to write about them in my blog, so here we go!
Speranza: This is my host mom, and she seems really sweet. She barely speaks English, which will be hard at first but at least it will force me to learn! She seems to be the caretaker of the household, and I can't wait to get to know her better.
Ugo: This is my host dad, and he seems really cool. He loves to cook (YAY! Guess who is going to gain 1000 pounds this year? And actually enjoy it? ;) ) He is sporty, and HE SPEAKS ENGLISH! Yesss! This is going to help so much in the beginning :)
Antonio: This is my host brother, who is a year older than me. He is super nice, and we have worked out this system where I speak to him in English and he speaks to me in Italian and so far it has worked perfectly! We have already made plans to go running together, and he has promised to teach me about his favorite soccer team, Juventus.
Francesca: This is my host sister, who is a year younger than me. I absolutely love her! We talk almost every day, and although we speak purely in Italian (which means I have to google translate every single thing) it is definitely helping me learn! (I'm also learning how to handle situations where you don't understand one another which I'm sure will happen all the time haha..greaattt...) She loves gymnastics, shopping, and hanging out with her friends and we have already made plans to do a ton of stuff when I get there.
Overall, the family seems very very nice and like a perfect fit for me! They also love to travel which is amazing! Francesca says they are considering going to Paris in October, but nothing is certain. But how freaking cool would that be?! Ahhhh this is amazing!
They live in the heart of Sorrento, just a 5 minute walk from the main square. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on google maps looking around at the town, and it looks absolutely gorgeous! For those of you who don't know, it's a town on the Amalfi Coast perched on cliffs. Here are some pictures for you to marvel at:
Yeah....so...I'm gonna live here in 4 months! AHH! It is so surreal!!
Okay so AFS has tons of Facebook groups for AFSers, and I created two groups: One for people going on exchange with AFS 2014-2015, and another for people going specifically to Italy with AFS for 2014-2015. I have already made so many friends through AFS, it's crazy! I have made a friend who lives in Austin (Hi Keiko!) who I actually went to visit two weeks ago! We are already so close and I love her to death! And then through the Facebook groups I have already made this group of crazy, loud, insane friends that are fabulous (Hi Konrad, Dani, Elena, Axelle, Colin, Marilyn, and Dzenita!) And I can't wait to meet them all, we are all already like a family :) I can tell this year is going to be a blast!
3 and a half more weeks until schools over, and then I can focus way more of my time on preparing for Italy!! I'll keep you guys posted <3
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
So I know it's been almost a month since my last post...woops... this last month has been crazy, with school and work and everything I have to do. I actually am currently sitting in school, because I just finished my last STAAR (end of year exam) which was biology! Yay! Okay so it's time to catch you guys up
I left off right when I got my host family, and since then they have given me permission to write about them in my blog, so here we go!
Speranza: This is my host mom, and she seems really sweet. She barely speaks English, which will be hard at first but at least it will force me to learn! She seems to be the caretaker of the household, and I can't wait to get to know her better.
Ugo: This is my host dad, and he seems really cool. He loves to cook (YAY! Guess who is going to gain 1000 pounds this year? And actually enjoy it? ;) ) He is sporty, and HE SPEAKS ENGLISH! Yesss! This is going to help so much in the beginning :)
Antonio: This is my host brother, who is a year older than me. He is super nice, and we have worked out this system where I speak to him in English and he speaks to me in Italian and so far it has worked perfectly! We have already made plans to go running together, and he has promised to teach me about his favorite soccer team, Juventus.
Francesca: This is my host sister, who is a year younger than me. I absolutely love her! We talk almost every day, and although we speak purely in Italian (which means I have to google translate every single thing) it is definitely helping me learn! (I'm also learning how to handle situations where you don't understand one another which I'm sure will happen all the time haha..greaattt...) She loves gymnastics, shopping, and hanging out with her friends and we have already made plans to do a ton of stuff when I get there.
Overall, the family seems very very nice and like a perfect fit for me! They also love to travel which is amazing! Francesca says they are considering going to Paris in October, but nothing is certain. But how freaking cool would that be?! Ahhhh this is amazing!
They live in the heart of Sorrento, just a 5 minute walk from the main square. I've spent more time than I'd like to admit on google maps looking around at the town, and it looks absolutely gorgeous! For those of you who don't know, it's a town on the Amalfi Coast perched on cliffs. Here are some pictures for you to marvel at:
Okay so AFS has tons of Facebook groups for AFSers, and I created two groups: One for people going on exchange with AFS 2014-2015, and another for people going specifically to Italy with AFS for 2014-2015. I have already made so many friends through AFS, it's crazy! I have made a friend who lives in Austin (Hi Keiko!) who I actually went to visit two weeks ago! We are already so close and I love her to death! And then through the Facebook groups I have already made this group of crazy, loud, insane friends that are fabulous (Hi Konrad, Dani, Elena, Axelle, Colin, Marilyn, and Dzenita!) And I can't wait to meet them all, we are all already like a family :) I can tell this year is going to be a blast!
3 and a half more weeks until schools over, and then I can focus way more of my time on preparing for Italy!! I'll keep you guys posted <3
Ciao! Xoxo
-- Tami
Thursday, April 10, 2014
A Host Family?! Already?! Wait. TWO?!
Ciao!
So I was on my way to the gym today, when my mom got a call from AFS. The lady was explaining to us that I was going to be in a special situation…I will have two host families! The first family will host me until the end of January, and then the other one will host me from then on! They told me they already had the information of the first one, and that they would e-mail it to me either today or tomorrow. I spent the next 45 minutes refreshing my phone like crazy (no seriously- the app says how many minutes it has been since the last time you refreshed, and mine was "less than a minute ago" almost every time). Then….. I GOT IT.
I got the e-mail which gave me the last name of the first one (and also said I wouldn't get the second one until it's a lot closer to the time I have to switch, so it will probably be once I'm in Italy). I will not disclose any personal information at this point, since I am not sure if they are okay with it, but if they are I will let you all know later! Just know they all have wonderfully Italian names and I have a mom and dad, a sister who is almost a year younger and a brother who is almost a year older! I was on the stair master, texting 6 friends and my sister (who was at home on my laptop feeding me the information) and then I was googling all sorts of things about where I will be…which is…. *drumroll please* Sorrento, Italy!!! I actually visited Sorrento last summer while on a cruise ( I only spent a few hours there though, so I still have a lot to discover) and it was so unbelievably beautiful!! It's near the Amalfi Coast (which is absolutely GORGEOUS), Naples, and Pompeii! I'll do a whole blog post related to what I've researched on Sorrento, but it's late now and I should be sleeping but I wanted to update you all. The town is on some cliffs with crystal clear shores, and it's known for it's limoncello!
I e-mailed my host parents (although I'm sure they are sleeping) and found them on Facebook (but I felt like a serious creeper so I decided to wait to add them until they answered my e-mail) and I can't wait to hear back!! I'll post more later on how everything is going, I just wanted to catch you guys up on what's happened! I am so unbelievably lucky that I found out my host family less than a week after I was accepted, and that I get to experience two different families (they will probably keep me in the same school though, so I won't have to leave all my friends and community behind)! Okay, I'll talk to you all soon!! Buonanotte <3 Xx
-- Tami Moctezuma
So I was on my way to the gym today, when my mom got a call from AFS. The lady was explaining to us that I was going to be in a special situation…I will have two host families! The first family will host me until the end of January, and then the other one will host me from then on! They told me they already had the information of the first one, and that they would e-mail it to me either today or tomorrow. I spent the next 45 minutes refreshing my phone like crazy (no seriously- the app says how many minutes it has been since the last time you refreshed, and mine was "less than a minute ago" almost every time). Then….. I GOT IT.
I got the e-mail which gave me the last name of the first one (and also said I wouldn't get the second one until it's a lot closer to the time I have to switch, so it will probably be once I'm in Italy). I will not disclose any personal information at this point, since I am not sure if they are okay with it, but if they are I will let you all know later! Just know they all have wonderfully Italian names and I have a mom and dad, a sister who is almost a year younger and a brother who is almost a year older! I was on the stair master, texting 6 friends and my sister (who was at home on my laptop feeding me the information) and then I was googling all sorts of things about where I will be…which is…. *drumroll please* Sorrento, Italy!!! I actually visited Sorrento last summer while on a cruise ( I only spent a few hours there though, so I still have a lot to discover) and it was so unbelievably beautiful!! It's near the Amalfi Coast (which is absolutely GORGEOUS), Naples, and Pompeii! I'll do a whole blog post related to what I've researched on Sorrento, but it's late now and I should be sleeping but I wanted to update you all. The town is on some cliffs with crystal clear shores, and it's known for it's limoncello!
I e-mailed my host parents (although I'm sure they are sleeping) and found them on Facebook (but I felt like a serious creeper so I decided to wait to add them until they answered my e-mail) and I can't wait to hear back!! I'll post more later on how everything is going, I just wanted to catch you guys up on what's happened! I am so unbelievably lucky that I found out my host family less than a week after I was accepted, and that I get to experience two different families (they will probably keep me in the same school though, so I won't have to leave all my friends and community behind)! Okay, I'll talk to you all soon!! Buonanotte <3 Xx
-- Tami Moctezuma
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Accepted!!!
Ciao!
So…..as you can probably guess from the title….I GOT ACCEPTED TO ITALY!!! I was actually accepted two days ago (Friday), but these past few days have been super crazy and I haven't had a moment to sit down and write. So anyways, I was sitting in my third period french class, complaining to my friends about how I still hadn't heard back from AFS and how I didn't know how much longer I could wait. Then, I saw that it was almost time to leave, and I grabbed my phone to check how many more minutes until the bell rang. My phone had several messages in all caps from my friend who is also applying to go to Italy saying that she just got the email and that she was accepted. I was really happy for her and I messaged her back super excited! I didn't think to check my e-mail right away, since she had sent in her application around 2 weeks before mine. However, a few minutes later when I was in the hall with my friends, I decided to go ahead and check it just in case…..
And that's when I saw it. The e-mail that determined the course of my life for the next year, which would in turn affect my whole life from this point forward. (Cue dramatic music) The subject line read: AFS You have been Accepted by Italy!
I started screaming and jumping up and down (luckily my school is huge so the hallways are so crowded it drowned out the sounds I was making). I started hyperventilating and I messaged my friend letting her know I was accepted too and then we both started freaking out together. But being the suave, chill girl I am (not), in my fit of excitement I accidentally did something to the email and I moved it to another inbox (darn you touch screen phones!) and I started panicking thinking I had imagined the email and I was going crazy. Luckily, I found it and all was well again. Thankfully, I had dance class afterwards so my happy dance wasn't so noticeable ;)
But YEAH! So guess what? It's official. I, Tamara Moctezuma, am moving to Italy for a year!! The land of spaghetti and stilettos! (Yes, I know there is way more to Italy than just that and I can't wait for that too but it wasn't as catchy so sorry) Ahhhh I can't believe it!! My dreams are finally becoming a reality!! I think it hasn't exactly sunken in yet, but sometimes I get little waves of mini epiphanies about what exactly this all means and I get super excited all over again.
So now, we wait. I do as much research as I can, I start learning Italian, and I keep on trying to be patient. I've heard host family placement takes a loooong time, so this should be fun. But I'm just happy to know that it's all just a matter of time. I'll let you all know when I know more!!
A più tardi! Xoxo
-- Tami
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Exciting News!
Ciao!
So yesterday, I got an email saying that I won the Viaggio Italiano Scholarship! At first I thought it meant I had been accepted to Italy, which confused me because I didn't remember being accepted by AFS-USA. However, then I read the e-mail more carefully and it said that if I get accepted, I will have this scholarship. I was super happy, because I had actually been planning on calling that day to see if there was any news!
Then, today my mom and I had a mini session on the phone with an AFS volunteer, who gave us more information on the program. She said that Italy is pretty good about getting back to AFSers soon about their acceptance status, and I should hear back within 4-8 weeks. (She also said that they think I am a really good candidate for studying abroad, and that we should be hearing good news from Italy…..YAY!)
So for now I just have to keep waiting, which is honestly so unbelievably hard for me, but I think that it'll make the whole experience that much sweeter. I'll let you guys know if I hear any other news, and in the mean time I'm keeping busy with learning Italian, school, and work. Ciao per ora!
--Tami
So yesterday, I got an email saying that I won the Viaggio Italiano Scholarship! At first I thought it meant I had been accepted to Italy, which confused me because I didn't remember being accepted by AFS-USA. However, then I read the e-mail more carefully and it said that if I get accepted, I will have this scholarship. I was super happy, because I had actually been planning on calling that day to see if there was any news!
Then, today my mom and I had a mini session on the phone with an AFS volunteer, who gave us more information on the program. She said that Italy is pretty good about getting back to AFSers soon about their acceptance status, and I should hear back within 4-8 weeks. (She also said that they think I am a really good candidate for studying abroad, and that we should be hearing good news from Italy…..YAY!)
So for now I just have to keep waiting, which is honestly so unbelievably hard for me, but I think that it'll make the whole experience that much sweeter. I'll let you guys know if I hear any other news, and in the mean time I'm keeping busy with learning Italian, school, and work. Ciao per ora!
--Tami
Friday, March 7, 2014
Quick Update
Ciao!
So I know I just posted, but I wanted to make a quick post to update you on what's happened.
On Tuesday, I got my application back with a looong list of corrections I had to make before they could do the final review. Now I knew that this was a crucial moment, because depending on how fast or slow you make the necessary changes could decide whether or not you get accepted. My mom and I spent hours getting everything together, and by Wednesday I sent it in again. Then yesterday (Thursday) I got an e-mail saying that they had received my application and everything was good, and I should be hearing from them soon. Like I said before, I am probably the most impatient person on the planet, so this is really hard for me. But I'm happy, because things are moving fast! I'll let you guys know later on what happens.
PS. I changed my blog layout a little bit, and there is a translate button on the right side, so you can read this in whatever language you'd like!
In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy with school, work, and learning Italian. I have Spring Break next week, and I'm planning on taking advantage of the extra time to get some things done.
Scriverò più tardi! Oh and if my Italian is grammatically incorrect, blame it on google Translate! I'm still in the stage of barely being able to say hello, but hopefully soon I will no longer need to rely on google.
--Tami
So I know I just posted, but I wanted to make a quick post to update you on what's happened.
On Tuesday, I got my application back with a looong list of corrections I had to make before they could do the final review. Now I knew that this was a crucial moment, because depending on how fast or slow you make the necessary changes could decide whether or not you get accepted. My mom and I spent hours getting everything together, and by Wednesday I sent it in again. Then yesterday (Thursday) I got an e-mail saying that they had received my application and everything was good, and I should be hearing from them soon. Like I said before, I am probably the most impatient person on the planet, so this is really hard for me. But I'm happy, because things are moving fast! I'll let you guys know later on what happens.
PS. I changed my blog layout a little bit, and there is a translate button on the right side, so you can read this in whatever language you'd like!
In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy with school, work, and learning Italian. I have Spring Break next week, and I'm planning on taking advantage of the extra time to get some things done.
Scriverò più tardi! Oh and if my Italian is grammatically incorrect, blame it on google Translate! I'm still in the stage of barely being able to say hello, but hopefully soon I will no longer need to rely on google.
--Tami
Monday, March 3, 2014
Ciao a Tutti!
Ciao!
My name is Tami, and I am applying to study abroad in Italy this fall. I still can't wrap my head around what exactly that entails, but hopefully I'll be able to comprehend the amazingness soon enough. I love to travel, and ever since I was younger I have always been fascinated with travel, specifically Europe, and even more specifically, Italia. I had my in-home interview yesterday, I submitted my application about a month ago, and now I'm waiting to hear from them. Patience has never really been my forte. So, in the meantime I am keeping myself busy learning Italian (I speak Spanish and I still find it molto difficile, but I hope to eventually become fluent in this beautiful language), working to raise money ( I have a job at an Italian bakery….how fitting), and just doing other odd things. I am the worst at waiting, so hopefully I'll hear something soon! I'll post again when I do! Ci sentiamo più tardi!
--Tami
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