AFS Camp

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

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