Ciao,

I started off this week with a local wine tasting activity. We learned about different kinds of grapes and wines and what makes a good wine good. It was really interesting but I learned I’m not a huge fan of red wine. We learned about how you should eat specific bread or specific meals with each different type of wine.

The next day we started the conversation exchange program. Conversation exchange is meant to help us with our Italian but it also helps Italian teens with their English. It was really cool to meet more locals and I’m looking forward to the next time where we get to sit down and talk more.

This week I also went to Prato’s soccer team game. It was so much fun. The fans were screaming and chanting the entire time. I have been to a soccer game in Germany but the Prato game was very different. It’s a much smaller stadium and you feel much more a part of it. It also helped that I could understand a few words of their chants here and there, where in Germany I couldn’t understand anything.

Classes have been going really well. So far my favorite class is my Italian Life and Culture class. I love learning about what makes Italy unique and about the differences. I am also really looking forward to starting to help at the local school by our campus, as part of my service learning class, where we volunteer working with the children. I am helping work with the younger kids and I am so excited about it. They all are so cute and they love speaking English to us.

It is also getting close to spring break and I am so excited about the trips all over Europe I have coming up! Morocco is up next!

Tanti Saluti Da,
Jess Sullivan