Nissa Parker - Inbound Orientation

Hello all,

This weekend we had our Inbound Orientation in Brescia, a large city about 30-45 minutes from Cremona. We toured the main squares where I saw this biker convention:

This cathedral:

And this Corinthian temple:

We then went to lunch and had a five-course meal at a very nice hotel. After lunch, we proceeded to a meeting where the first order of business was to stand for the national anthem of every country represented, including Australia, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, and Finland. It was then that I started to feel the spirit of RYE--we gather from all corners of the globe to accomplish one goal, and that is mutual understanding and respect for every culture. After that, we all formally introduced ourselves to the other exchange students and to members of the District. Giorgio Giambiasi, the District Chair, then presented on rules and expectations as exchange students. 

Here are some friends I met that day. From the right: me, Alex from Florida, Ben from Canada, Yelin from Germany, and Camille from Belgium.

These are all of the exchange students in District 2050. All amazing people, I think. 

Yesterday some of the Cremona exchange students and I climbed the clock tower in Piazza del Duomo. It's the tallest brick building in Europe and shows time, date, lunar phase, and astrological phase. It was a fun way to hang out and get to know the other exchange students. 

We start school on Thursday, which I think will be interesting. I think my Italian is getting better because I am understanding more and responses are coming quicker. The Cremona exchange students all speak English and we will be at the same school, so I think that will be very fun, but I also need to focus on learning Italian and not just speaking English.

Otherwise, I'm doing great and I'm loving Cremona. Everything is awesome and beautiful and I'm so grateful to be here.

Peace and Love,

Nissa

Hope Nelson's Video of her France Rotary Exchange Experience

Nissa Parker - Sono qui!

Ciao!

I made it safely to Cremona last night after a long two days of travel. The flight from Denver to London was very long, but I managed to sleep for most of it. London Heathrow is a crazy, huge, scary airport but this isn't the first time I've gone through there alone. London to Milano is only two hours, but I slept for most of that flight, too. My host father, Fausto, and host sister, Caterina, met me at the airport and we drove the two hours to Cremona. The descent into Milano by air is beautiful--you can see the Alps in all of their glory and there are a bunch of little towns nestled in the valleys, just like Steamboat.

I took this photo out of the plane, but it doesn't do the actual landscape justice.

When I touched down in Milano, I realized how little Italian I know. I've been studying on my own very hard but I have a long way to go. It's a very humbling experience to barely be able to communicate without English. My host sister and host mother speak beautiful English, but I know that can be a trap when I'm trying to learn Italian. I will need to buckle down and force myself to speak Italian. 

From what I can tell out of the windows of our house, Cremona is beautiful. It's a nice sunny day and  the sounds of the city are clear through the open windows. Unfortunately, I have no idea where any of my host family is right now, so I'm sitting in the kitchen alone, blogging. I know I got up late, but I was just so tired. I don't feel great because of jet lag, but I'm sure I'll get over that soon. 

I start school at a science high school on September 12th, and I'm pretty nervous about that. I know there are a bunch of other exchange students at my school, though, so that will be fun. We have an orientation in Brescia (I think) on Sunday the 8th, and I'm looking forward to meeting all of the exchange students in my district. Otherwise, I have no more news but I will update once I do.

Peace and Love,

Nissa