So my first month of summer has been relaxing, but of course, busy. I've been taking my consumer ed class, working, hitting the beach with friends, trying to make time for everyone I'm going to miss! Although summer is great.. I'm really just ready for it to be September 8th! On that particular day of the year, I'll fly to New York (first time I will be going on a plane alone!!!!!!!!!!) I will have a overnight orientation there with all the other AFSers from the U.S., then on September 9th we'll fly to Switzerland and then have a connecting flight that will have us arriving in Rome around noon on September 10th! We then meet with all the other AFSers from around the world that are studying abroad in Italy, and we have another overnight orientation. Then we all split up and go to our part of the country... My part being Perugia!
AFS let me know this week that I would be staying in Perugia. although I already had a heads up because my host sister actually added me on facebook a little while ago and told me she thought I would be living with her next year... But I didn't want to say anything until AFS confirmed it. My host sister is 16, like me, and I will also have two younger brothers.. one is 13 and the other is 6. I don't know too much about my family but me and my host sister have been talking and she knows some English, which is a huge relief to me. Perugia is located almost exactly in the center of Italy and is a city full of hills and known for its chocolate (: Its the capital of the region of Umbria. I can not wait to see Perugia and every other part of Italy.. and hopefully every other part of Europe!!!!!!!
But before I get to experience the very promising country of Italy, I will be taking a pilgrimage with 10 other students to Turkey! We will be getting a "Taste of the Second Holy Land". Although my group has been together for 4 years, and we have been planning this pilgrimage for the last 2, I wasn't that excited about it until recently. Its going to be a very religious trip and I'm still at a point in my life where religion is not a top priority. So 10 days of "searching for God" did not excite me as much as a month in Costa Rica did. But I do think that my view on religion will change as I grow older and mature and this trip will be a big contribution to where I go with religion. My group had a meeting on Friday to discuss the final travel plans, and what exactly our expectations and thoughts for the pilgrimage were. I've come to the personal decision that if I have a open mind I could get so much out of this trip. It might not be some glamorous vacation full of tanning and relaxing... But I am such a lucky teenager, because by my 17th birthday I will get to say I have lived and experienced 4 different cultures (Costa Rican, Turkish, Italian and of course, American). That is something that very few people my age get to say. So I am ready for 10 days of trying to grasp a better understand of religion!
Of course I'm still fundraising and accepting donations for Italy! Thanks everyone!
I Hope everyone has some travels and adventures of their own this summer!
Love, Gracie (:
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