Wow. Where did those 4 weeks go?! I can't believe my Italian adventure (so far) has come to an end.

I have had the most amazing time with the most amazing people. If you haven't already read Anna's blog (the one previous) you MUST so you can get an idea of a) the kind of life we had and b) the kind of crazy person she is haha but I love her to bits :)

From the start she definitely took me under her wing and threw me into her Spiazzo world. She did NOT take it easy on all those curves she mentioned, zooming past any slow moving cars and at one point even curbing it! You can imagine my first impressions were... fear! Haha but of course they were soon overcome when we realised how similar we were! My single buddy in Italy, I could not have asked for a more fun, gorgeous, loving, insane exchange partner in the world!

She introduced me to ALL of her friends (which are a lot), some which I only met once and some I got to know really well as they attempted to understand my speedy ramblings. Her friends from school Ilaria, Arianna, Julia, Christina, and of course Francesca took a while to brush up on their English enough to converse with me but each of them made a HUGE effort! Especially Ilaria who would ask me a question and after a respond in some detail she would say 'oh yeah' and then two seconds later in Italian exclaim to Anna that she didn't understand a word of it! But at leas she pretended to make me feel better!!!

I have definitely had new experiences and gone out of my comfort zone. I have never been rafting for one! And what better place than the amazing surroundings of Northern Italy! It was super fun and amazing but it was also soooo strenuous and hard and FREEZING COLD!!! I nearly died of hypothermia. At one point I had to contemplate how I could complete my trip if I had to have both of my feet chopped off! The solution would have been some rad wheelchair trip, which would technically mean no more stairs! Kind of a win!

But the best part of my time here was definitely getting to know Anna's gorgeous family. From the start they have welcomed me into their home like a daughter and sister and each of them have been so kind to me. Elena became my second mum, calling to ask where I was, feeding my eggs in the morning (which is apparently weird here, WHAT?!), helping me bake, doing my washing and making my bed! Even though I will miss all those things slightly I will mostly miss Elena's constant smile and best hugs when you need them most. Fausto, Anna's dad, never failed to make me laugh at dinner and Fabio was pretty much speaking fluent English by the end of it! I like to think I have had a positive influence on the family but I'm sure Fabio will be glad to get his room back!

Most of all I have to say a big HUGE GINORMOUS thank you to Anna. She has not only been an amazing friend but a true sister. We had a LOT of laughs (mostly at me talking Italian) and a lot of hugs and a lot of duets in the car. Anna is probably one of the most caring and bubbly people I have ever met. She is the reason I can say I had the experience of a lifetime here soooo thank you thank you thank yooooooooou!!! And I will be back in October to continue our adventure so get READY!