Hello again! I know I haven't posted in a while but that was mostly because the 3 week intensive Italian course became quite monotonous and nothing really exciting was happening. What I can say is during my leave of absence I started 4 new service projects!
My first project is with horses, which I'm sure most of you could guess makes me really really happy :) I am working with an organization that works with children with disabilities and uses horses for therapy. It is a really great program and I am so excited to help in any way possible. I don't know much what I am doing but I think largely I will help take care of the horses and also work on desensitizing them so they learn how to behave around young kids. My second project is with a cat shelter and basically my job is to pet cats for 2 hours. Not a bad deal for me. Third project is serving people at a soup kitchen run by a sassy nun (yes actually). Last but not least I am working on an English language conversation class with young adults about my age and a bit older. I am so excited to get more involved in all of these projects so I will update you as I better learn what my role will be.
Last week we ended our intensive Italian course with a trip to the south! It was such a great time and a fantastic opportunity to relax after all of the work we have all been doing. We started on Thursday and we went to a place called Tivoli where one of the Roman emperors built his gigantic vacation villa. The place used to be extravagant and outfitted with only the best of everything. Unfortunately though, most of the artwork and anything valuable was stolen about a hundred years ago so only the collapsed stone structures remain. It was very interesting to walk around a place where an emperor spent most of his time. Not many people were invited to the villa unless they had business with the emperor, you could just sense the history that happened right where you stood. Really, that is how I feel in most Italian places. People lived here centuries ago, and now I get to walk the exact same streets.
The next day we went to a Buffalo mozzarella factory and literally ate balls of mozzarella for lunch... it was delicious. then we ended the day by getting to the island of Ischia. Ischia is near Capri, where i have been before but it is so much more interesting! There are beautiful beaches and mountains all within about 40 square miles (give or take). I loved this island because I was able to go to the beach and swim in the crystal clear water. Great way to end the month of September. We ended the trip on Sunday in Pompeii and then drove all the way back to Siena where we got the unpleasant surprise of pouring rain on our 30 minute walk home!
This week, we started our regular schedules. I only have three classes but I will be completing about 15 hours of service each week. I have Italian for 2 hours every day except Wednesday, Reflective writing every Friday and Institutions in Society every Tuesday and Thursday. I am excited to get settled in a regular weekly routine that does NOT include 5 hours of Italian during the day. I think now it feels more like real life and not so much like a very long vacation here in Siena.
Today was a fun day because I actually got to see my Aunt Renee and Grandma! They have been in Florence since last week and they have finally gotten a chance to get into Siena. Today we only got a chance to visit for a couple hours and have some lunch but I will get to see them again this weekend when I go to Rome!
More updates to come after this weekend! Also, there are tons of pictures of my 4 day trip on Facebook so check them out!
Haley
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