With Thanksgiving around the corner Im starting to get into the whole holiday mode. In a couple days is Thanksgiving Day, Italy doesnt celebrate it becuase they didnt have the pilgrims or the Mayflower. Its kind of sad knowing this is my first big holiday away from home. Yes, I made it thru Halloween just fine but that holiday teens spend more with their friends than with their family. My mama asked if I wanted her to cook the big traditional meal. When she asked a huge smile spread across my face. So we are going to give the whole Thanksgiving thing a whirl which is really cool and different. Im thinking a skype session to my home in Duxbury, MA will be in need on Thanksgiving!



So this week the weather has again been really crummy. Its odd, whenever the weather is nice here, its icky back home and vise versa. Very odd! I really cant complain about the weather here since it was gorgeous for the first two months. My italian family told me that october, novemeber and december are northern Italys not so nice weather months. And I must agree on this one! Everyday is very cloudy, gray, foggy, cold, and windy. It always seems like its misting!! Its so foggy here that you cant even see the mountains. On a normal day they are so big and in your face its impossible to miss them, I miss my mountains!
I wish I could be home to see the trees change color, to smell fire burning in a fire place, the crisp air, eatting a big juicy apple that is covered in carmel... How I miss New England in the fall! The other day me and my friend Michelle from Hong Kong were walking to our bus and train after Italian lessons when I realised something. Italy doesnt have those leaves that crunch when you step on them. I know thats really random but the leaves here are all the same color- this icky brownish orange. And there arent many of them. I remember being a little kid and my dad having me and my brother and sisters all hands outside to rake up the backyard. Our yard was huge and it would take hours for all 6 of us to get the job done. I remember hating the fall season because it ment raking up the leaves. As pathetic as it is I kind of wish there was some big crunchy colorful leaves for me to rake up...



School is good theres a new girl here. Shes from Africa and doesnt speak english or italian just french. So I tried introducing myself and seriously failed. It wasnt until after I tried talking to her that I realized we dont speak the same language. Luckily my exchange student friend from Canada is fluent in French so he was able to show her around the school.
Oh and speaking of new students there is going to be a new AFS exchange student coming to my local area. Her name is Akiralie and is from Australia, she will be in Italy for 3 months. Since she is Australian she is about to have summer while its our winter. Odd yes, but very cool! Im so happy that there will be another AFSer in my area because currently its just me and my friend Michelle. So on December 1st Michelle and I will take a train together to Milano to meet her with the AFS volunteers. Hopefully with Akiralie coming it will put a fire under my adivsors bums to organize more trips and activites for us to do since we dont do anything really!

So in the beginning of last week I had to write a letter to my school asking if they can pay for half my school trip to Scottland in March. My school adivsor told me today that they said to book my flight so Im guessing thats a yes!! Haaa Zaaa! When I was writting the letter in Italian with my brother and sisters help they were telling me that I was wasting my time, that the school was going to say no and basiclly laugh in my face. Well look who is laughing now = p Im wicked excited for the trip, I dont think ill ever get a chance to go to Scottland. Its a cool country and all but its definatly not the first place you think to travel to in Europe. Anyways I leave in mid March and I go for a week with three third year classes and stay with families in Scottland. During the day we will go to school, afternoons sight see, and nights go out and have fun. Ironic that I will be an American exchange student living in Italy and going to be an exchange student in Scottland who is from Italy...

So on Saturday I made banana bread, I know its not the best American treat but I found a recipe online that was amazing! Most people compare banana bread to fruit cake aka ick. But this banana bread was wicked good! I took it out of the oven and when I came back from yoga class two hours later it was almost gone = o Ill have to make another loaf of it soon!
Saturday night I went out with my friends to a pub and then to a disco which was a lot of fun! My Saturday nights are a lot different in Italy. Back home I usually go out with my friends around 8 or something and we go to Plymouth and walk around and get Mcdonalds for dinner then go to someones house and hang out and watch a movie. Im usually home around 11 or midnight. This Saturday night I left the house at 11pm and went to the pub with my friends, got some late night fries and then went to the disco at midnight and came home around 3- 3:30 am. The disco was wicked crowded and there was a long line. Luckily one of my friends new the guy at the door so we went right in and for free! = ) Inside was really chic and cool and was blasting house music. There was also by far more guys than girl there. Lagit 1 girl for ever 5 or more guys. I would think it would be the total opposite! Drinks were a shocking 12 euro each so me being a not so rich exhange student could only get one. I knew there had to be a catch to getting into the club for free. But overall the night was very fun!
Sunday my mama had another yoga retreat in Torino so she was gone before the sun was up. Luckily my brother let me and my sister Ottavia sleep in peacefully that morning. I woke up at noon and to find one of my cats got hungry in the middle of the night and thought my cell phone charger looked tastey. Needless to say Im in a need of a new charger. But my nonna made a big home made lunch of steak and home made french fries- yum! Since it was raining again, we all stayed inside and had a lazy day. After lunch my belly was so full I went into a food comma and ended up taking a very long afternoon nap. Later I did some homework and played wii. Then had an early dinner- 7:30 pm of homemade lasagna double yum! My nonna is such a good cook, she always makes the best meals! Then sunday night me and my brother Ale went to a pub to watch the soccer game with our friends. So overall a good weekend!

So this coming week I have my first and probably last Thanksgiving in Italy, AFS Australian girl coming, and probably going to Milano to show her around the city and I think my Italian friends want to take me ice skating and to a Chinese restaurant in Milano. Hopefully the weather will shape up, if not Im in Italy so I shouldnt be complaining about fog and mist. So until next time...

Arriverderci!