Highlights of the Exchange

     Those of you who receive my newsletter saw a bit about the second half of our Italian-American exchange program, but I thought it would be fun to elaborate on some of our activities here and share some cultural pictures of Italy.  The five Italian students who participated were so sweet and planned unique activities for us every day for 8 days.  Several of the things we did were also firsts for some of the Italians, so it was fun to adventure all together.
     Easily my favorite day of the exchange was when we went to a little medieval town an hour outside of Rome called Bracciano.  It's known for a huge volcanic lake that is so beautiful, and also for this massive Odescalchi castle that has now become a popular wedding site...unfortunately, probably out of my budget :(

Yes, castle. Apparently Tom Cruise got married there.

Six of us went that day, 3 and 3, and it was perfect.  God blessed us with beautiful weather and a fun day exploring.  I really appreciated how by this point in the exchange (day 3), we were all hanging out as friends rather than as part of a program or obligation.  The ride up to Bracciano was really pretty, I saw plains of grass, sheep, and horses for the first time since I left.  I don't think I've ever considered myself a country girl, but the longer I'm living in the city the more I appreciate seeing and being in nature.  We all hiked down to the lake, which was quite entertaining going back up because Italians tend to walk incredibly slow and do not engage in much physical activity other than walking the city.  We also ate at a cute lunch trattoria, where the food was super cheap because it was all local.  Travel guide push here, if you're ever in Rome I definitely recommend the day trip!

The group above the lake

     New Year's Eve in Rome was...ridiculous, fantastic, semi-dangerous, covered in the Lord's protection, hysterical, and highly entertaining.  After a feast of a dinner at my apartment, we all went to the Colosseum to bring in the new year.  All of December Italians have been practicing their fireworks at random points in the day; Taylor and I have long been used to the sounds similar to gun shots going off outside our window.  NYE the noise poppers and fireworks were everywhere, from street corners to cars to inside the metro to in the massive crowd packed from the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia (a distance that takes about 10 minutes to walk).  There were no rules for safety, and at one point we did see a thatch roof of a restaurant catch on fire after someone shot a flame gun.  At midnight champagne was flying everywhere, so we were all sufficiently misted in it and looking out for corks.  It became my new favorite NYE memory, and even though some of our Italian friends were unnerved by the fireworks the hours leading up to the actual shows (it was their first time for the big celebration too), they were all happy we went to the chaos!

     The third highlight from our exchange that I'll end on is our last day, the day that we "went to the snow," as the Italians kept putting it.  Reid took us up to a mountain two hours away from Rome in our team van, and we spent the day admiring the Lord's creation, sledding, trudging through a foot of snow, making snow creatures, laughing, and sliding down the mountain like penguins.  One of the funniest things about Italian winter fashion (in my opinion) is how they wear these massive, marshmallow puffer jackets once it has been designated 'winter time'...even if it is still 60 degrees.  Since neither Jordan (Reid's sister and one of the American students) nor myself had snow clothes, our friend Silvia brought the full equipment and we got to wear the awesome puffer jackets for a day.  Manuela went down a sled for the first time that day, and I'm pretty sure we all set a new personal record on highest point climbed in snow/longest sled run.  Overall, it was a great getaway from the city and way to end the exchange!

the girls making snow angels :)

    Please keep praying for these friendships!  New Year's Day I was just so excited when journaling, thinking about all the potential for this year and the rest of my time in Rome. Near the top of that list was the continuation of these relationships, getting to know all five students better and seeing how God continues His work chasing after their hearts...I'm looking forward to seeing what He does!