My First Week in Italy

This past week of classes was amazing. It came as a surprise because normally, when I learn Italian in class, I take a lot of notes on vocabulary and conjugations. Since I was put  in the most advanced group, we don't learn any new vocabulary or grammar, we only review what we know. Class is also really fun because we often play games to practice our Italian, instead of doing a dry review. I like that when I walk in, the teacher only speaks in Italian, so I can really be immersed in the language. What I don't like is something called "Missione Conversazione della Strada". This is when we must have conversations in the street with locals. This is very challenging and also very very stressful; it's difficult to find locals willing to talk to you.

Other than that, I enjoy the learning process and find that I am improving immensely. I enjoyed learning about the history of Ferrara this week. Every day they take us on activities and this week we went on a lot of tours. We took a tour of the castle, we did a scavenger hunt and then took a tour of the city center, and we took a tour of the theater. 

This weekend we also went on an overnight trip. Throughout the program we will we go on several trips to take a break from our classes. This weekend we went to the caves of Frassasi on Saturday and San Marino on Sunday.

Frassasi is a small town a few hours away from Ferrara; however, it's home to the largest caves in Europe. When we entered the caves I could not believe the enormous size and it was even larger than it looked. It was also incredibly beautiful, with over a million year old stalagmites and stalactites.

Caves of Frassasi

On Sunday we visited San Marino. This happens to the second smallest country in the world, completely surrounded by Italy. Everything about this country amazed me. Despite its tiny size, it's managed to stay independent for over a thousand years despite Italy's chaotic history. There is also no army and they value diplomacy as their chief weapon, instead of violence. There has not been a war in this country since the 1400s. Possibly even more amazing than the history of San Marino, would be the view from the city center. The city center is on a large mountain and has a castle, which gives the most amazing view of the mountainous land below it. I can honestly say it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

View from San Marino