Today we are shining the spotlight on Sasha from Colorado who is currently studying abroad in northern Italy for the spring semester! She takes us through her daily life as a student in a foreign country and all that she is currently gaining from her experience abroad!

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Hi, my name is Sasha and I’m currently studying abroad in northern Italy! I’ll take you through what my normal week looks like including classes I’m taking, a little bit about my host family, and some of the interesting things I’ve done and places I’ve seen!

My normal week: 

I wake up at 7am most days and 10am on Sunday. I eat toast with jelly and some orange juice or an espresso. I have school Monday through Saturday at Liceo Classico (classical studies for high school in Italy) from 8am to 1pm. I take the bus to and from school.

Currently, I am taking math, physics, science (chemistry), philosophy, Italian, art history, gym, German, Spanish, and English. I stay with the same group of kids all day.

After school, I take the bus to my host grandparents house. They live in the same town as my host family and have a beautiful yard. We have lunch together and play card games. My host grandmother is an amazing cook and makes pasta or gnocchi from scratch for the first course, then we have meat (fish or chicken usually) some vegetables, and lots of bread. She also makes me dessert, so how could I refuse? This is when I get the best practice with speaking Italian.

My host grandfather drives me back home where I spend a lot of time studying Italian with my host mom. I also enjoy horseback riding, running with my host dad and hanging out with some of my friends from school. It’s strange to have so much time after school. I am always exhausted from my Italian, so I take some naps, but I hope to explore more of the city as I gain endurance.

We eat dinner around 8 or 9 pm. It is always a first course of pasta and a second course of meat and veggies like lunch. They grow a ton of kiwis in their backyard, so I always enjoy one or two. Dessert varies greatly but recently I have enjoyed chiacchiere (a dessert for carnival) and Gil’s (host dad’s) homemade gelato! They always have an espresso after dinner, but I can’t sleep if I drink espresso after 5 pm!

I love everything, but it’s difficult because Italians eat a lot at once and then don’t snack. I am either overly full or starving but adjusting quickly.

On Sunday I get to sleep in!!! At around 11:30am, I go to mass in the town church with my host mom and dad. I don’t understand a lot yet, but it is pretty. The church is from the year 1600 and has beautiful artwork. We listen to Francesco (host brother) play in the band after church, then go to the grandparents’ house for a late lunch. I also joined a youth group with the town church and we meet frequently to do community service.

My Host Family: 

Milena, my host mom, is a microbiology researcher/professor. She is very active and always doing some sort of fitness class. She’s definitely an Italian mom, super caring, protective and an amazing cook! Milena has really welcomed me into the family.

Gil, my host dad, works in telecommunications. He is very patient with my Italian speaking skills. We go on walks and run together around the town after school. We’ve also made plans to go play tennis.

Francesco, my oldest host brother, is 23 and does computer software engineering. He is super smart and knows a ton of English. He even watches ‘Game of Thrones’ in English! He plays the saxophone in the town band and skis very well.

Alessandro, my older host brother, is 19 and attends university, studying to be a personal trainer. School here is very difficult so he studies a lot. I don’t see him as much, but he is very nice!

Interesting things I have done:

I went to Bellagio, a small city near Lake Como. It was picturesque, with the sun setting over the mountains and reflecting on the water.

Our class went on a field trip to an art museum in Milano with the art history teacher. It had a ton of ruins from ancient Milan and the history of the city. We also went to a theater to watch a performance of Plato’s Philosophy. To be honest I did not understand much of this play given the dialect was from southern Italy.

Last weekend we took the camper to San Guiseppe to ski at Valmalenco. We parked 100 feet from the base of the lift and stayed for two days. The skiing was a ton of fun, and fairly different than in America. My host family all ski quite well so it was a blast!

I also recently saw Bohemian Rhapsody in Italian with my school as a fun day and will go to Milano to visit the Museo ‘900 soon!

After school fun:

Like I mentioned, I go horseback riding once a week. It has been a cool way to meet kids my age. The horses are a bit older and not very passionate about their work, but it’s interesting how different styles of equitation are taught.

Finally, I got a haircut last week. My hair is shorter than it has been in years due to communication errors, but I am happy with it!

I have only been saying yes to my host family and school friends so I can try a bunch of new things and experiences!