Ciao a tutti!
I decided to write a blog post as I listen to Italian music and reflect on the times behind and ahead of me! My summer has been jam packed, and I am scrambling to get prepared (mentally, physically and emotionally) for my departure. I just received my visa papers (that includes a letter of school enrollment from Liceo Statale "G.D. Cassini") and it made everything so real!
The closer I get to la mia avventura, the more nervous I get, but I am working very hard to let go of all my anxieties and to just enjoy the ride. As an exchange student, you have to trust your decision to study abroad as the right one, and know that things will turn out just as they're supposed to.
I can't deny a little sadness I have to leave my family and friends here in Colorado. It's the small times when I sit there and watch my life from the outside as I eat dinner with my family, or jam out to John Mayer live with my mom and brother while looking out over the skyline, or cook a feast with my grandparents, or hike with my dad, or watch my niece crawl around while my nephews run rampant around us, or when I walk my dog under the stars and breathe in the fresh Colorado air-- the list goes on forever. It's little moments like these when I feel so blessed in life by the people who surround me.
But I know, I cannot bear to stay either. Wanderlust is "a strong desire or impulse to travel and rove about", and it has a hold on my heart. I watch the Travel Channel or I look at pictures from people's summer adventures, and there isn't one place that doesn't get added to my travel wish list! With all the traveling I want to do, I believe it's best to start early and keep wandering as long as possible.
I am doing the most to make the best of my All-American summer (including climbing my first "14er" called Gray's Peak, and going to the Luke Bryan concert this week) while preparing for la dolce vita. I have 44 days before I bid my beautiful state of Colorado farewell and I plan to enjoy every single one of them.
Pinch me, I cannot believe it's true! :)
Arrivederci!
Adriana
P.S. Just a friendly reminder that you can still donate to my cause at smartypig.com/loves/AdrianaG :)
And like my Facebook page at facebook.com/ladolceadriana - Grazie mille!
Buongiorno!
It has been quite awhile since I last wrote, but I have so much to share! I have been traveling for the majority of June with friends and family (taking trips to Glenwood Springs, California and Hawaii). Within the last few weeks though, I have been learning a lot more about my trip and working hard to make sure I am well prepared to leave in September.
I got in touch with my host family after technology had failed us all for a month or so. We had each sent emails that didn't go through, but luckily I covered my bases and sent them an old-fashioned letter by mail that they received. Now, we have talked on multiple occasions and I am feeling even more excited and comfortable about my trip-- I am really blessed to say that my host family and I were perfectly matched for each other!
My family will consist of: Alessandro (father), Regina (mother) and Matteo (brother). I am hoping to come back fluent in Italian and Spanish, because Regina is actually from Santiago de Compostela, Spain and both languages are spoken in their home. We will be an active and social family!
Additionally, they informed me that I am enrolled in the Liceo Linguistico (Linguistics High School) of Sanremo. Thus, I will be working on the core subjects along with a few foreign languages; I am very glad because I really love languages and was already working on multiple languages here.
My actual travel plans are set in stone now as well! I will leave Denver on September 4th for New York City (where I will have an overnight "Gateway Orientation") with the other AFSer going to Italy from Colorado, Taylor. From there I will go to Zurich, Switzerland and on to Rome's Fiumicino Airport. I will spend the weekend in Rome with all the other AFS participants I will be sharing the La Dolce Vita experience with before heading off to have a long-awaited meeting with my host family! All flights and hotels booked and ready!
My Italian skills are becoming more proficient as I continue work with Rosetta Stone, listening to Italian artists (including Marco Mengoni, Chiara and Emma Marrone), following Italian calcio (their Confederations Cup run as well as the club summer transfers), watching Italian movies (my top one being La Vita รจ Bella) and conversing with AFSers and volunteers from Italy.
While I am here in the States, I am enjoying quality time with friends and family and have a busy schedule making the rounds with my loved ones! I still have a mother daughter trip to Cheyenne Frontier Days to see Luke Bryan with my friends Rachael, Lauren and our moms-- which I believe is the ultimate, all-American experience. Following that, I will go to Chicago to get my student visa. One of the most important things I have to do is to fundraise; now that I am home, I am working on organizing many fundraisers that anyone can participate in if they like (I am open to suggestions as well). Donations are also accepted.
I hope this wasn't an overload of information, but I am incredibly excited and wanted to share all my good news with everybody! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them, and I would also love to see many people before I leave, so don't be strangers!
A presto!
Adriana :)
Ciao!
My name is Adriana Gonzales, and I am a student at Legacy High School in Colorado. Right now, I am embarking on a life-changing journey: I am going to live and study in Sanremo, Italy for 10 months beginning in September of 2013. I am a girl who is simply in love with different countries, languages and cultures around the world. I have traveled around the United States, Mexico, and Western Europe with my family and I simply cannot get enough. I am not only attempting to see new places, but to live and breathe the full culture through learning languages as well (my goal right now is to learn the Western Romance languages: Italian, Portuguese, French and Spanish).
Ultimately, my life goal is to make an impact on humankind-- particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where I feel there is a dire need for a change. Traveling now in high school will give me a new, broader lens through which I will look at the world. I will also have a base in many languages as I am studying all four Western Romance languages (though Italian is of utmost priority with my trip coming quickly). I will be a well-cultured person with the skills it takes to make a new place my home, to connect with people and to understand who I am. My study abroad trip to Italy is a stepping stone in my bigger, life-long journey.
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As of right now I am preparing in every way I can: learning Italian, cooking Italian food, working with the program I am going with (AFS USA), and raising money. This program is something that my heart is set on, and I am taking all the necessary steps that it takes to get there. If you would like to help me, I have a donation widget on this blog for anyone who would like to donate to my "SmartyPig" account at https://www.smartypig.com/loves/AdrianaG. My current fundraising goal through this is $10,000 through these donations and all of my other fundraising efforts. Feel free to donate in other forms by commenting with any tips, words of wisdom, encouragement, etc., that you would like to offer-- anything and everything helps! I also accept prayers and positive vibes! In exchange for your help, I will be updating this blog from this point forward; I will post about checkpoints in my process, how I am feeling about my trip, how my fundraising is going, and all about my life once I am in Italy.
I cannot explain how excited I am to have been given this opportunity, and I am truly grateful for it. Thank you for your time and any donations (spiritual, emotional, physical, and so on); I am forever grateful for your help in making my dreams come true.
Molto amore!
Adriana
P.S. Feel free to share with your friends, family and acquaintances! Anybody!
ladolceadriana.blogspot.com
P.P.S. Go like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaGonzalesExchangeInItaly :)
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