It has been a super exciting week here in Prato. Along with regular activities like soccer, movie night, family dinner and game night, we had our conversation exchange where we got to meet a lot of local Italians around our age and talk to them for an hour to practice our language skills. They are all so friendly; they added us on Facebook and now invite us around Prato for gelato, pizza, bowling or anything else they like to do. It’s really exciting to spend a night having fun and getting to know local people and ask questions.
Teaching at the local school also started in our individual groups. Each group gets a different class at a specific time and gets to either help them with what they are doing or present on something related to American culture or our majors. The students are all very eager to learn and it is amazing how well they speak English at 16, while they are still learning five other languages. One student I talked to told me she preferred German. I wish I was fluent in five languages now, but at 16 that would be crazy!
I think the most fun we’ve had though was our trips this week; we went on an excursion to Lucca on Friday, where we walked around the town and saw the cathedral and the churches that have been changed into galleries and other things. We also got to rent bikes and pedal cars to ride on the walls around the city; some students climbed a tower in the middle of the city and got amazing photos, while other students got to see parts of Italian operas performed. It was a beautiful day; the rain cleared up and the sky was clear.
On Sunday some students joined Kevin to Viareggio to see the Carnevale celebration. Viareggio is right on the beach and it was actually quite warm out, so it was a perfect day to sit outside and watch the parade. Everyone dressed up in costumes or wore masks and wigs. They threw confetti and silly string all over the place and tossed candy to the kids waiting in their costumes and blast music. People were dressed up like minions from Despicable Me, characters from The Simpsons, clowns, Disney Princesses, Pokemon, M&M’s, animals, and mimes, and a lot of families and couples even coordinated their costumes. The parade floats are huge; they move, people dance and jump off them, and all have different messages. One poked fun at the politicians, and another was about the internet. Some have very strong messages, but they are delivered in such a fun way. It was an experience I will never forget.
This week is Midterm week, which will lead right into Spring Break, so we have a busy week ahead now too. A lot of us are planning big trips for next week all over the place, and I am in the process of booking a trip for Easter Weekend in addition to Spring Break. Travelling here is so much easier than in the U.S.; it’s much cheaper and there is so much more to see so close to where we are.
After seeing Lucca and Viareggio this week, plus realizing we are halfway through our time in Italy, I am antsy to see more of the world and I don’t want to come home. The people here are family now; I want to see more of what there is around here. While I haven’t left yet, I already miss Italy.
Samantha Higgins is spending a semester abroad at UNH’s Prato, Italy satellite campus. Follow her adventures this semester!
