Last Hurrah

School is out, and I’ve been enjoying the heat of a real Italian summer this past week (it’s been in the upper 80’s and 90’s all week). So far, it has been a very laid back beginning to my summer; I've been  basking in the sun at Club Giardino and watching World Cup games. Though the World Cup has been filled with exciting games so far, Italy’s opener against England was definitely one my favorites. The game started at midnight here, but you got the feeling that the entire country was still awake. After some initial tense moments, Italy’s class shined through and their 2-1 victory was thoroughly deserved. 

Another fun part of the week was a mega-concert held in the piazza last Tuesday night. The concert featured some of Italy’s biggest names, and the crowd that came out to see them didn’t disappoint. In fact, there were an estimated 35,000 people in the piazza (that’s half of Carpi’s total population).

One of my overall highlights of the year came two weeks ago when my friends threw me a surprise birthday party. My entire class was in on the plan, and I genuinely didn’t see it coming. It was a really fun night, full of food, good music, and plenty of laughs. This is just one of the many ways in which my friends have been awesome this year. From the first day of school forward, they have been welcoming, friendly, and incredibly helpful. I consider myself really lucky to have been a part of their class at school. And because you take all your classes with the same people the whole year, you really get to know each other well. I’ve made some great friends this year that I hope will last well beyond my time in Italy.   

La Mia Famiglia

Culturally, Italians place a lot of importance on family and family bonds. It isn’t uncommon for extended family to live together in the same house or to at least live within a close radius of one another. Whereas in the United States relatives can be separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles, Italians prefer to keep their families close. For example, my host grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all live within twenty minutes of us, and Luigi’s ancestors have lived in the Reggio-Emilia area for as long as he can remember.

During my time in Italy, I have been lucky to have had such a great family experience; from day one I have felt like just another member of the Zanti family. Over the past nine months they have been incredibly accommodating and helpful. They all made a potentially difficult transition as smooth as it could possibly be, and have continued to help and support me along the way:

Cate- She is my second sister who helps with schoolwork when I needed it, and more importantly has given me plenty of fashion advice. She likes to tell me what works and doesn’t work, and can’t stand my pink shorts.

Simo- My first and only brother. We spend a lot of time playing together, whether it be Playstation, soccer at Club Giardino, or even the occasional wrestling match.

Luigi- Along with Simo, we enjoyed rooting on Sassuolo together this year. Beyond our shared interest in soccer and history, he has taught me the correct and only method for cutting salami.

Antonella- Last but not least, my Italian mom (I didn't forget this time!). She has been so supportive and kind, and has helped me with everything imaginable this year - school, transportation, feeling at home, etc. (She even buys peanut butter at the grocery store for me).



There have been so many special moments spent with my family this year, but what I enjoy the most is our more quotidian moments, the moments we share at the dinner table talking about soccer, school, or even telling jokes. I guess that this is what I am most thankful for. I found a family that I really click with, a family that shares my slightly twisted sense of humor and passion for soccer. They are fun and unique, but also remind me in a lot of ways of my American family (for better or for worse J)

Birthday Celebrations and Trip to the Mountains

This past Thursday I had my first Italian birthday experience. It was an amazing day, thanks to my wonderful family and friends. At school, I was greeted with a Mars cake (basically a better, Italian version of rice krispy treats made with chocolate instead of fluff) that my friends made. It was a fun surprise that we enjoyed together as a class. 

Mars Cake

After school, we had a family lunch that was topped-off with a scrumptious gelato cake. Despite all of this, the best part of the day was yet to come. After soccer practice, we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. They serve typical Emilian dishes and are well known for their gnocco fritto and tigelle (my favorite Italian food). We all ate until our stomachs could take no more, a beautiful feeling. It was a day of great food in the company of family and friends; I couldn’t ask for more.

Eating Gnocco and Tigelle

Gelato Cake

The restaurant

Gnocco Fritto 

Cate with a piece of Gnocco

Another fun part of the weekend was going to visit Luigi’s cousin in the foothills of the Apennines yesterday. The Apennines run the length of Italy and are similar in size the White Mountains. It was a nice scenic drive and calm afternoon, one in which I felt a little bit closer to home. The rolling green countryside, crisp air, and earthy smell was a welcome change from the flatness of most of northern Italy. We spent some time at Luigi’s cousins house and then visited a small medieval castle located nearby. It was built around the year 1000 and offered truly spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. It was a fun and refreshing way to spend the afternoon.

at Luigi's cousins house

By the castle 

A Medieval church

The view from the castle

Looking ahead, only one week of school remains. I have finished all of my tests, so this week should be low-key and low-stress. Today also marks the beginning of my last month in Italy.

Some Lessons I’ve Learned as an Exchange Student in Italy

1. Don’t be afraid to try new things:  Whether it be food, activities, or experiences, having an open mind to new things is crucial. In fact, when I let go of some of my initial uptightness, I tried some crazy things like pieces of fried pig hoof and talking in Italian before a crowd of 50 (only a month after I arrived). 
2. Smile:  This was an especially important skill at the beginning of the year. I frequently found myself in a conversation in which I understood very little of what was being said, but with a smile, it usually ended well.  
3. The difference between the words “Coniglio” and “Coglione”: A few weeks after I arrived, I made my biggest gaff. Instead of ordering ragù di coniglio (rabbit), I asked for ragù di coglione (a slang term for male anatomy). Needless to say, we all had a good laugh.
4. How to talk with my hands: Though I won’t return to the U.S. gesticulating like a sign language translator, I have picked up on some useful hand gestures. Some gestures accompany the words you say whereas some can do the speaking for you.
5. Go with the flow: Living in a foreign country can put you in a lot of awkward, stressful, and uncomfortable situations (many of which are results of cultural differences or not knowing the language). It’s important to not get too stressed-out and just go with the flow a little bit. 
6. Don’t forget the keys: This happened only once, and the consequences weren’t as bad as they could’ve been. I got home after hanging out with some friends a little bit after midnight and realized I didn’t have the keys to the house. Thankfully, my parents were still awake; they spared me a night of sleeping outside.
7. Bike carefully: Urban biking is a hectic and potentially dangerous activity if not done properly. Knowing that traffic laws aren’t always followed, bikers should always be aware of cars and Italian drivers!
8. School on Saturday is as bad as it sounds: It was one of the things I wasn’t looking forward to with the Italian school schedule, and rightfully so. It isn’t that school takes up your whole day (we actually got out of school at noon on Saturdays), or even that you can’t stay out late on Fridays (a lot of times we would do so anyways), but it’s the fact that you can’t sleep in. Instead of having 2 days to recuperate from 5 days of getting up early, there is only 1 day to recuperate from 6.
9. Ask for help: I consider myself a pretty independent person, someone who doesn’t like to have to rely on others or even ask them for help. But it would be impossible to complete a year abroad without getting help from my family and friends. Whether it was getting photocopies in school or having my family explain the meaning of a word, I learned to not be afraid to ask for help.
10. There are countless alternative ways to pronounce the name “Ethan”:  the sound “th” is extremely difficult for Italians to pronounce so I heard a lot of interesting pronunciations this year, ranging from the more common “Etan” and “Natan” to the likes of “Eden”, “Ayton”, “Eelton”, and many more.

hanging out by the pool

at the disco