Belated Blogging

Hey sorry I haven't blogged in a really long time...sometimes i my internet doesn't work...and to be honost i get so caught up in life here that i just completly forget! I haven't really been up to anything amazing. I have a normal life...just instead of it being a normal american life, i'm living a normal italian life. So...where to start? Well we had our Intercultura camp, and it was probably the best four days here in italy. It was at a hotel in Castellaneta Marina.I met new people that i hadn't even seen in rome since there were too many people in rome to meet everyone. We had a lot of fun. I was really sad to say goodbye to everyone.










Other than that I go to Piazza Mazzini or the Piazza St. Oronzo with friends almost everyday. Now that I'm getting to know the language...i'm starting to like it more here. People here are really funny and nice. Yeah life here is a lot different from my life back home, but it's just as amazing. I have to remind myself everyday how this is real and just how lucky I am. I don't want to regret taking this for adavantage, because i know i'll miss it once it's gone. The time is already flying by..it already been 6 weeks! So I finished reading the first Harry Potter in Italian and now I'm reading another book(that i haven't already read in english) in italian! I'm so excited! So with thanksgiving coming up...i decided that i'm going to cook for my family!!! So we'll see :)

Week 1 in Review

Ahhh! I love Italy! :) I'm so glad to be here! This past week at home has been an emotional rollarcoaster though. Like sometimes I'm just so happy to be here, then other times I'm so frustrated. So far I really like my family. They're so nice! Ugh...school on the other hand sucks. It's getting better though. So I didn't have to go to school until last Thursday, which was better than having to go on Monday. So all the exchange students came in late and met the principle. At Banzi there's 4 exchange students. 3 from Intercultura and 1 from a different program. (1 from Chile, 1 from Portugal, 1 from Austrailia, and me) So yeah the principal just went through the normal info and welcome and everything. So yeah...they finally took us to our classes...I was first. So I'm tempararly in the same class as Grazia and they were in English class(haha ironic) so yeah...the teacher though, isn't the best at speaking english! Like I'm not joking. So yeah I didn't understand anything any of the teachers said that day. I really haven't understood that much until today...which I understood some. Oh and I hate their schedule. I never know when I'm going to have what class. So Saturday I had 2 hours of math...yeah and I hate math. Then I had 2 hours of math again on Monday...and I had an hour today. Oh so yesterday and today have been very chaotic at school. Yesterday there was a public demonstration against the school with all the students and today in the classes they had a debate and signing petitions....yeah it's something about the govn't changing school stuff, and how it doesn't benift the students. So yeah...and it doesn't help that I don't know Italian. So yeah this week has been fun and crazy and new....but everything is starting to become routine. I love it here though so... :D I'm starting to make friends and hopefully I'll get to go out with them this weekend! (just have to ask the parents) So yeah :) I hope I learn italian soon so I can actually talk with people instead of just listening. I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)
Pictures:
1.)First day of school (Francisca, Paula, Me, Principal, a mom, Monique)
2.)An example of the architecture in Lecce.
3.)Yasman and I on the bus ride to the Puglia Region
4.)First meal in Italy
5.)AFS USA waiting in the airport in NY for the plane to Zurich.
6.)Parents and I when we went to the beach (Otranto)
7.)Church in Otranto
8.)Sisters and I in Otranto
9.)Francisca and I at our first Lecce area Intercultura meeting (we had a scavenger hunt in the center of the city)
10.)Statue of Sant'Oronzo (protecter of Lecce)

1 Week

So..I can't believe that it's here. The 1 week mark is here and I didn't even see it coming! Wow....I am so excited though!!! :) My life here has been so great these past couple weeks that I almost completly forgot about leaving. I know...it's weird. I don't know. I have so many people to hang out with, so many things I want to do, but I have no time! I've made a few new best friends that are over here and now I'm leaving them...which is like really, really sad :( Saying goodbye is going to be hard this week, but I'm so excited to meet everyone in Italy! I just have a few more last second things to get before I leave and I think I'll be alright. This weeks is going to go by sooooo fast!!!!!!!!!! On one side I want it to, but on the other I would like to freeze time so I can enjoy the amazing life I'm having right now!

So the more I know where I'm staying, the more I like it. Lecce is in the very south in the Puglia region(the heal of the boot). The city looks gorgeous! I asked for a city with history and that's what I got! Lecce wasn't originally Roman, it was Greek! It was later taken over by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C. So this city has a lot of Greek and Roman influence. The area is famous for its limestone that is used most commonly for sculptures, olive oil, and wine. The city is decorated with beautiful Baroque style architecture. Not only does the city have all the wonderful history, Lecce seems to have a fun night life too. Lecce is a college town so at night a lot of students go to what they call "discos". These would probably be considered clubs in the U.S. Lecce is also located near the beach:) From my house it's about a 15 minute drive!!! YAY! Oh and there is a professional soccer team in the city. They are a part of the Siere A league, U.S. Lecce. I really hope that I can go to some of their games because their stadium is only about a 5 minute drive from where I'm staying. And the one thing people care about when they think of Italy...food!!! Since Lecce is so close to the sea, they eat a lot of seafood. Everything you read about their food sounds so delicious I just can't wait to try it all!!! Here's some picture of Lecce. Hope you enjoy!

Host Family

Hey!! I've been really bad about updating this on information....so this is a little late. Oh well better late than never. So I found out my host family!!! I'm so excited! :D I have 2 sisters!!! My older sister Annalisa is 20 years old, and I have a younger sister, Grazia who is 15!!! :) I also have a mom and a dad (which is exciting because here I only live with my mom). It says they're pharmacists, so that's pretty intersting. They live really close to my school too!!! So I can probably just walk there in the mornings which is really nice. Ok so the 411 on my family so far:
I've only really talked to Annalisa, but I really like her! She's super nice and SHE SPEAKS ENGLISH!!! Haha. We have a lot in common though. She played volleyball for 5 years, but had to quit because of studying. She still plays some beach volleyball in the summer. She loves Disney and Harry Potter!!!! YAY!!! AHH!! The only bad thing is that she goes to college in Bologna, so she's pretty far away for most of the year :( Grazia seems really nice too. She doesn't speak english that well, but I think that will be good for me because that will make me have to learn Italian. She said they don't have internet at their house but she said "house sea" so I'm not sure if she ment like a beach house or house see...so I guess I'll see...I haven't talked to my parents at all though. I sent them an email but they never replied. I wrote a letter and I'm sending it to them tomorrow though just incase they didn't.
Anyway I'm really happy with where I got placed :D I think it's going to be a really fun year and I can't wait to meet everyone! I heard Italians are really nice and open so I can't wait to get there!!

Host School: Liceo Scientifico Banzi-Banzoli

So today I finally found out my host school!!!! My school is a science school called Liceo Scientifico Banzi-Banzoli in Lecce, Italy!!!! You can see a picture of the front of it above :) It looks like it's going to be a lot of work. The schools in Italy have standard schedules so...we'll see how that goes. Oh and they go 6 days a week. Haha. Yeah, so now I'm really excited to find out who my family is going to be!!! I can't wait!

Pre-Departure

Hey,
My name is Brighton and I am going to be a foreign exchange student to Italy. Growing up I always wanted to travel and see the world, but now I'm in shock as I'm starting to prepare for this dream. Being a foreign exchange stundent, unlike my original dreams as a child, is going to allow me to live and experience the actual culture instead of just the tourist's sight seeing. This decision hasn't been the easiest though. It was a hard choice to leave my friends and family for the 11 months that I will be gone. Even though they are sad to see me leave, and aside from the occasional asking me to stay, they have supported me and have even helped me raise money. They have realized what kind of opportunity this is and constantly remind me that I had made the right decision to be an AFSer.

During my time abroad I hope to be able obtain a better understanding for a culture that doesn't match my own. I hope to get past the fact that we come from different background and be able to become friends that are just as close and supportive of each other as my friends here are. One thing that has expecially helped prepare me for studying abroad is hosting another AFSer this year. I have watched and seen how all that I hope for in my trip, my family and I have been able to give to another. I have learned humilty and how my way is not the only correct way. Though we have different lifestyles, we have been able to learn from each other and I plan to carry that on when I "switch the shoes" and become the AFSer.

For this experience to even happen I have had to have a lot of help. I have applied to multiple scholarships and have recieved money from family. To continue to raise money for it my friends have agreed to help run car washes and other multiple fundraisers. I also plan to have a garage sale in roughly a month. I am humbled by such an experience and plan to make the most of all the opportunities presented to me while there, but while I'm still here in the U.S. I hope to spend time with my friends and family as I prepare to leave them to gain an unforgettable experience and creating new friendships in Italy.