What Peace Looks Like

One of the reasons I wanted to be an exchanges student is that I desire peace in the world. I desperately dream of showing people that there is a sameness inside all of us. We are more the same than different, we all love, we all laugh, we all cry. I believe once people CHOOSE to see the similarities instead of the differences there will be peace in the world. To some this is an impossible dream, and to them I say " I have already realized my dream, I am creating peace right now,". These past weeks in Italy I had forgotten my dream. My dreams had been lost in a confusion of homesickness, loneliness, frustration and embarrassment.  I had forgotten my reasons for being here, but now after an amazing 4 days at the AFS camp in Torino, I remember. I remember because, now I know what peace looks like. Before the camp,  peace was an idea. I had never truly seen it in action, but now I know and let me tell you: It is amazing!
So what is peace you ask?

Peace is a group hug that includes 6 different countries, peace is half the world posing like a ninja for a picture, peace is a crazy group picture, with every kids from every continent, taken at midnight. Peace is laughter, peace is joy, peace is seeing each other as we are, without fear of the unknown. This is my definition of peace, you can see it in these pictures and hopefully feel it in your heart. And now I see the sameness inside of us everywhere. I see it in school in Italy: when students complain about homework, or talk during class. I see it in my italian family: when we watch t.v. when we hug. I saw it at the camp: when every student knew the Korean  Gangnam style song( even though none of us are Korean). I hope to carry this peace inside of me, just as I know that every student in that camp will. Years from now we will all be adults, living on our own in the world, and years from now we may run into fear and racism, but now I know that these 50 students will never hate the unknown because they fear it. At the camp we knocked down our preconceptions of each other and saw only the person inside. So what is peace? Peace is AFS, peace is spreading knowledge of the world instead of fear. I am creating peace right now, I am changing the world by being openminded and trying to learn new things, by growing and crying and laughing and making mistakes in italian. 470 students came to italy this year, and I can guarantee you that these students and every person they meet will never be the same . So thank you AFS for teaching me what peace really looks like!

Milan, Pizza, and Accomplishments

It is a month since I left California, and on Tuesday it will be a month that i have been in Italy! Last weekend I went to Milan with a few friends from school. As promised I am publicly stating that their english was perfect and they were amazing tour guides :) . We first went to the Duomo which is a very important Gothic building. I was shocked by the sheer size of the building and the intricately carved facade. When we went inside my jaw literally dropped. I mean we have nothing like that in California. What shocked me most though was the extreme mixing of the old and the new. For example, the Duomo, a gothic building, has a large advertisement hung on the side for a clothing store. It was like this all over Milan. Old buildings and buildings created in that tradition had flat screens outside to advertise. I found this mix a little confusing because in California everything is new and the old things are disregarded or destroyed. Milan was very fun and i got to shop and try some great food. All of my classmates are very nice and include me in everything I am very lucky!
I am a little frustrated with the language because i feel like I'm not learning anything, but i have decided to try and speak more in italian even though i feel like an absolute idiot most of the time. I just can not hide my California girl accent no matter what i do. The worst is numbers my tre sounds like tray and my due sounds like do-ah. Luckily for me i have several of these in my phone number -_-.
I made a pizza a couple days ago :). I was really good at rolling out the dough for the square one, but the circle was another story. it is much more difficult to make a circle than a square lol. It ended up great though and very yummy.
This month has gone by very fast and I think soon I will be able to understand and communicate a lot more in Italian. One month is a great place to be because I am 1/10 done. Another nine of these doesn't seem like such a big deal.
I have been making a little progress with the other languages I have to study. I have just given up in french. I mean the make one little sound and it has like 15 letters. But, i have started taking the first year german classes in addition to my fourth year class and it is very fun. I can actually understand a little of what is going on for once and that is a huge relief lol. I think working on German is actually helping me  learn Italian , if that makes any sense. Because they are learning very simple words in German and I know those words in Italian so it helps.
As far as applying to college goes I am not very concerned about it surprisingly. I actually feel ahead and i know exactly where I am applying and what i have to do. The excitement of going to college next year actually makes it easier sometimes when i am homesick because i know that doing this and getting through this year will help me get into the colleges i want to go to.
Things with the family are getting easier too. I don't feel like a stranger anymore, but it is definitely nice to have some alone time. I have decided that any time i feel like i want to cry because i don't understand I am going to smile instead and it actually works very well.
I'm trying to join the choir, theater club, and animal shelter here, and hopefully that will work out because it would be really fun.
The weather here has been really nice this week. It is like 60 F in the mornings and 72F in the afternoons and sunny. I think that is unusual for this time of year, which is lucky for me because I am freezing anyway.
Well I can never think of what to post so any questions or anything you would like to know about please comment or message me so i can write about it!