Alrighty so Im very happy to report that I made it across the pond a-okay! = )

Theres so many things happened in the these last two weeks, not all of which I would like to go into great detail about. So Ill quickly write about my Easter in Italy. Basicly my Easter was honestly very sad simply because I was away from home. I was really hoping for a flight back to the USA before Easter but my exchange program wasn't able to get a flight for me so I had to stick it out in Italy. My Easter consisted of a big family lunch of mainly seafood and pasta and lot of dark chocolate. We spent the day in my host families home and all the grandmas, cousins and my aunt and uncle were all gathered. We spent the day relaxing, chatting, playing mario cart, wii, and watching disney movies. Easter lunch was really similar to Christmas lunch- both HUGE!

These last two week Ive been on vacation because in Italy I had 10 full days of vacation. Sadly my host parents had to work most of the days so they didnt have any family trips for us. My brother and sister spent most of their time studying or going out with their friends. I tried to keep myself busy during the break by taking day trips with my friends to Treviglio, Bergamo or Milano. Since my parents were generally out of the house, I was forced to master the bus schedual so I could get to the train station to meet my friends. I was kind of bumbed with the weather because back in my home town majority of the days were 75-90 and sunny while in my town in Italy it was in the 50s and rained half of the days. During the week I tried to say as many goodbyes to all my Italian and exchange students friends. I'm finding myself hating goodbyes, and noticing that I tend to avoid them... When people say goodbye to each other, knowing its basically forever most people become emotional and start crying. I have never cried at a goodbye before, when I say goodbye to people I just think of all the good times we spent together. If I really want to see that person again Ill make it work.

Luckily I made it through the Easter break okay, the break was overall very long and rather awquard. Right before I left for the USA I got in lots of arguments with my host family. It was mainly because of the fact that I was leaving their family. They thought that I didn't care about them and cared more about my friends, boyfriend and home family than them. I just hope they know that I really do care about them, and staying at their home and joining their family was an amazing expierence and I appricate everything they have done for me.

My flight home was anything but quick and easy. It started on Tuesday the 6th with a car ride to the airport and a flight to Rome. I landed in Rome at night time where an Afs advisor picked me up and took me to a hotel to stay in for the night. He came back to my room at 4:30am and we headed back to the airport for my flight to Zurich, Switzerland. The flight over was short and painless. Although arriving in Zurich alone was a bit overwhelming. The airport is huge and there were tons of people from all over the world running in a million directions. Luckily I got to my plane okay. My flight to New York was rather... grueling. The flight itself was 8 and half hours long and I wasnt able to sleep at all! I got the middle seat so my seat neighbors consisted of a man who was flying over from Kenya to continue his running career in the USA. He was friendly but had never seen a blonde American girl in person before so he was very interested in me and my life... he even asked me if he could have my address which is polietly declined him. The other man sitting next to me was from Jeruselum. He was also very friendly and kind to me and offered me lots of candy and chips from his country. The downside to him was that he took up all of his seat and half of mine. The women reminded me the cast of sex and the city but dutch. They talked very loudly and put their seats all the way back for the whole flight. And to top it all off I had the pleasure of sitting in front of a three year old who entertained herself by kicking the back of my seat. Lovely. Why didnt I change my seat? It was a completly full flight = (

When I arrived in New York, I claimed my extremely large and overweight back and walked to the polar opposite end of JFK. I checked in a Jet Blue, changed out of my sweatpants and sweatshirt into some lighter clothes becuase it was a broiling 90 degrees in New York. Once I was in New York airport a giant wave of relief came over me. I went a little crazy in the gift shops and bought tons of snack foods and drinks I had been craving for the past 7 months. I pulled out my laptop and watched P.S. I Love You while I waited for my flight to Boston. When I arrived in Boston I lagit had ants in my pants about see my mom and sister for the first time. I raced off the plane and booked it to baggage claim where I had the most emotional and happiest hello in my life. The hug with my mom consisted of my bawling my eyes out while hugging her for about 5 minutes. Its strange how I can get emtional at hellos instead of goodbyes.

Being back in the USA is the weirdest yet most amazing feeling in the world. I really feel like my life in general has been on pause for the last 7 months. Everything seems to have stayed the same, my family is still so loving and sweet to me, my friends were all there ready to hang out with me, and school never seems to change. I feel like I have grown up and changed in ways I cant exactly describe... Im no longer the girl I was when I left. Ive grown up and become a more worldy, responsible and more mature person. So many times people have told me that my life is really amazing and that Im really lucky to be living such the great life that I have. It wasnt until I left my comfort zone and lived in a new place to see that my life is incredible. I live in a beautiful town in the USA, I have an amazingly loving and support friends and family, I was born healthy and I have so many opprotunities for my future right at my fingertips.

Now Im home and settled back into my life and it honestly feels so good!! I may write one more blog on my life back in the USA. I have prom and gradua
tation right around the corner. So Ill probably have one last blog about the end of my senior year. Im still trying understand everything that Ive done and learned while I was abroad. I really hope all my friends and host family in Italy are doing well and I miss all you of a ton!! So Until Next Time...

Arriverderci!