100 Days

Hello again! It's been way too long! But in all reality,  those of you who know me well will not be surprised that I haven't been good at keeping up with my posts. Here's what I've been up to:

Recently I have been incredibly busy with Italian lessons three times a week,  projects for every school subject, and technology issues.  We will address the technology issues first because they are easily explained.

Many of you will remember that previous to my departure I got a shiny new nexus 5, along with a protective case in anticipation of my usual tendency to  drop things. Unfortunately,  the one thing that the case didn't protect against was water.  I wish I could say my phone fell into the Mediterranean Sea or perished in a flood of expensive Italian wine, but the sad truth is that I bumped it into the sink while washing my hands.  At this point it is being sent off to some big city to be assessed for repair,  so fingers crossed it's easily fixed. (the only part that doesn't seem to function is the touch screen so I do have hope)

I can't remember if I mentioned here before that I've been having issues with my Italian lessons, but it has been a running problem for me.  My original teacher was inexperienced and her teaching style didn't match up with my learning style. We attempted to close those lessons and switch teachers but it was difficult to find someone nearby and the first teacher insisted on being paid in full. Therefore,  for the last several weeks I have been doing lessons with the original teacher twice a week and a new (and much much better)  teacher once a week. As a consequence my Italian is not quite at the level I had hoped it would be at this point. I am doing pretty well and I can understand almost everything,  but speaking is a slow and tedious process.

School is going alright, still difficult but most classes seem to have sorted themselves out. I have been removed from physics and philosophy due to some very stubborn and difficult to work with teachers and I am going to be aiding in an English class and possibly joining an extra literature class. Things have been a bit crazy with school occupation sand protests happening during the weeks before winter break, but everything wrapped up pretty well.

The holidays are finally upon us and I am enjoying the spirit of Christmas in Italy. The lights and Christmas markets create an amazing atmosphere and I hope to take some photos soon to share with you all. I am missing the familiarity of home and my family holiday traditions, but I'm proud and glad to have survived my first 100 days of exchange, and excited to experience the next 7 months.