Here I am again, this time writing from the Dolomites in Belluno. It's just breathtaking here, very different from the countryside I was used to down south.
Last week was just wonderful for me. The family I stayed with spoiled me rotten and I really enjoyed their company. The parents spoke beautiful English and were eager to practice with me. We did yoga every day after camp (I think the parents liked it more than the three kids). I got to be quite close with the mother, Michela, in particular. On Thursday after dinner, they had a treasure hunt for me. It was so sweet, there were presents and everything, for no reason in particular. There was a book in Italian, chosen specifically because it's a level of language they thought I could cope with. Next there was a camisole and panty set. I'm assuming this was chosen because all the clothes I brought to Italy are ones I don't care about, aka kind of old and ugly, so Michel must think I don't own anything nice and wanted to treat me to something. I thought it was funny, haha. And finally a framed pictures of the three children. Honestly it was so nice, I was blown away.
They wanted to take me to their lake house on Lake Garda on Saturday, but when I called my new camp director to see if i could arrive a day late ( I was supposed to change camps on Saturday) I was very surprised and disappointed that she wouldn't give me the extra time with the family. Usually the camp directors are very easy going and understanding. But alas, it was not to be. But rather than taking the train, my family insisted on driving me the two hours to Belluno, and we made a nice day of the trip, packed a picnic lunch and stopped in some beautiful mountain towns along the way.
It's always sad to say goodbye, but it's also fun to be somewhere new. My family this week is also working out very well. It's a little more relaxed than last week, a single mom and her 8 year old son. The catch is that they speak no English so this is my first week of Italian immersion. It's fun, I'm enjoying it and learning a lot already. Lorenzo is really good, eager to learn English and to engage me in conversation (but mostly in Italian).
I had a meeting today with the other tutors. There will be 6 of us this week working with 51 children. The tutors seem pretty nice, though the camp directors do seem pretty strict, which is to bad. It's been my experience so far that everyone has more fun (including the kids) when the atmosphere is more relaxed, but we'll make it work.
So that's the news on my end. Thank you for the updates, I really enjoy them. Now that I'm living with families, it's beginning to strike me that I'm not with my own at the moment, so I'm a little homesick, so it's nice to hear from everyone! Hope things are good!
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