We have conquered Campania

Buon Giorno, Tutti!

What a great first weekend we had! We were so busy that I didn't get a second to steal away to an internet stop. So, here it goes . . .

Everyone met up at Newark airport, over a stretch of about 5 hours. They were all excited to head out, and even more ready to meet each other. The flight to Fiumicino was very comfortable and pleasant, but the kiddos had a hard time going to sleep, knowing that the next place we'll plant our feet was Italy! The plane was nice, and service was great - everyone even had their own small TV screen for watching TV shows, movies, or even playing games, which made the flight pass far more quickly.

We landed into FCO, and easily passed through Passport check and Customs, to find our bags arriving on the belts as we were coming to baggage claim. And everyone's bag arrived!!! This could possibly be my first time to have not problems with bags!!! We met our driver (Franco) after a little bit of a hunt, and piled onto the nice, comfortable bus to head to Pompeii. A good opportunity for everyone to have a 2-hour rest before hitting the cobblestones of Pompeii! We walked through the entire city, from the Theatre to the Amphitheatre, to the Forum, then up to the Villa dei Mysteri! Slightly jetlagged, very tired, sweaty, and covered in Pompeiian dust, everyone climbed onto the bus to enjoy the beautiful drive along the Sorrentine peninsula, until we arrived at our hotel (fancy - 5-star). The kids wanted to simply crash then, but I gave them an hour to clean up, and we went into town for our first night's stroll - dinner at a pizzeria, and the best gelato in town, plus a nice visit to the sunset! Upon returning to the hotel, I don't think anyone saw 10 PM (including me)!

Saturday brought us an EARLY rising - we had to catch 7 AM taxis to get to the Marina Piccola in Sorrento for a boat out to Capri. Again, just like Friday, the kids willingly took on every opportunity and chance to experience Italy. We took the Funicolare up to Capri, then walked from Capri to the Villa Jovis, one of Tiberius' twelve villas on the island. Even had a little chat about architecture and archaeology of the first century, A.D. We then strolled back, stopping at a spot for my treat of granite di limone (refreshing and sweet!), and caught a bus back in Capri up the cliffs to Anacapri. From there, we caught a chairlift up to Monte Solaro, the other peak of Capri island (Villa Jovis is on the other one), and got FABULOUS pictures of the view of the island, the Sorrentine Peninsula, and the Bay of Naples completely. With swollen feet and exhausted kiddos, we returned to the marina grande of Capri and caught a boat back to Sorrento. Some kids chose to immediately return to the hotel, where they spent some time at the pool and snack bar. Barbara and Stephen joined me for a few more hours around Sorrento, visiting the lemon grove and having a nice lunch. We all met back at the hotel, cleaned up again, and returned together to Sorrento to enjoy a great dinner (and an entertaining waiter) at Zi'Ntonio's, located near the Piazza Tasso. We all then enjoyed another sunset on the cliffs, and had a few hours of free time to stroll the streets with the locals of Sorrento before returning to the hotel, exhausted and filled with the spirit of Sorrento.

Sunday morning, we slept in, and several of us met for breakfast (very nice spread) before our bus picked us up at 12 noon for a 6-hour drive to Siena. That traffic-filled, winding ride out of Sorrento to Naples always takes down a group, and, as usual, we were all pale-faced and weak by the time we got up from the cliffs. We arrived into Siena around 6:30 to meet our homestay families, and everyone headed to their Siena home to have their first dinner and a good night's sleep before classes today!

The kiddos are almost already done with their first day of classes, and we'll go for a stroll through town to learn about the city of Siena, and the basic services they have for us! I can't express to you how proud I have been of them this far in the trip. You have some amazing kiddos - appreciative, mature, adventurous - as I told them on our bus ride yesterday, they have given me the best experience I've ever had as a Director this far!

As I shared in past blogs, this week offers many big transitions for the kids - they're truly learning how to live a completely different life! Homesickness and culture shock will plague them. Some situations will be challenging for them, and others will be fascinating. If you hear from your kids, offer an open ear and share your love with them, as you always would. Ask them questions (rather than offering solutions) if they seem to be challenged by a situation. If you have concerns, please feel free to contact Jeremy, who will get to me immediately. Again, your kids are so mature and such great communicators that I feel very confident in their ability to work with me and the school in making their experience in Italy as safe and comfortable as possible!

Please know that I will be spending all my internet time on these blogs, and not looking at the group. You have the ability to post comments about any blog, and, believe me, if you're thinking of something, another parent has the same thought. Please post comments here, and I can easily reply to them!

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my own love for Italy with your students - I can already see them developing the same apprecation . . .

Grazie!
Laura :)