One Month To Go!

Today, December 28th, my friend Ellie flew out to the USA for her year-long exchange. Which means that there is only one month left until my adventure begins!

Since my last post I have skyped my host family twice and I often contact my host sister Alice (her name is pronounced "ah-lee-chay") via facebook.

An excited screenshot I took whilst skyping Alice and her Nonna when I realised that she was wearing an authentic Christmas sweater. Perfection.

I now know that I will be attending the same school as Alice, a school called "Educandato statale Emanuela Setti Carraro dalla Chiesa" which is amazing! The school is located in Milan in an ex-palace which was built in the first half of the 19th century. It was in 1865 that the palace became a school which was founded by Napolean. Alice has been telling me a lot about school and I can already tell it's going to be so different! For starters, they sit in one class all day and have different subject teachers come to them, not the other way around! And when I asked her about which bag to take to school, the answer included "Marc Jacobs" - need I say more?

Some screenshots of my school from google streetview :)

Note the beautiful building at the end of the street that looks like a castle.
It's actually the public library.

I've been spending a lot of time on google maps and Alice explained to me that their house is split into three houses. It was built in 1896, is three stories high and has a large backyard. I cannot believe such pretty places exist!

When you split the house into three, the middle part is where I will be living. Alice also tells me that the middle level window three across from the left is my bedroom window! Or at least, I think that's what she said hahahaha.

As for the rest of the family I finally met Massimo, my host Dad, who was very friendly and energetic. I can't wait to take him on in a game of tennis; a sport I am told he dedicates much of his time to. Chiara, my host Mum, is always cheerful when she says hello and has me terribly excited for the shopping adventures we will have! I have also gotten to speak to my host brother Filippo, who is 14, twice. He does not go to the same school as Alice, as he is very artistic, I believe he sketches. However I have discovered that he owns a Ukulele, which is only, like, my favourite instrument in the world, so I think it's safe to say that our friendship will be solid :)

Finally, in the beginning of December I went to the WEP Orientation day where I met 8 other girls who I will be flying with! So, in exactly one month today it's Arrivederci Australia and Jess, Charlotte, Callie, Ellen, Angela, Rachael, Keira, Georgia and I will depart from Brisbane and fly to Sydney, then Sydney to Dubai (14hrs 30mins), then Dubai to Rome (6hrs 25mins)!

The WEP Orientation Day featuring nine very excited girls who don't speak a word of Italian.
From left to right: Georgia, Keira, Rachael, Charlotte, Callie, Ellen, myself, Jess and Angela.

I have a family!

I am ecstatic.
So ecstatic, in fact, that I felt it appropriate to compose my first post for my Madeline In Italy blog.
Last Thursday I received a phone call to say that a host family in Italy had chosen me to live with them for a whole year!

It was slave day at school and I was sitting in period five legal dressed head to toe in a Bugs Bunny body suit and wearing roller blades, when my phone rang. A lady, whose name I unfortunately forgot in my all my excitement, delivered me the news that the Massetti/Mottola family had chosen me as their host student. She told me I had a mother and father, Chiara and Massimo, and two host siblings, Alice and Filippo. She also added, with hesitation "and they have a dog, will that be okay with you?". As if I could possibly say no!

The very next afternoon, after many hours of practicing my "Ciao, io sono la tua studentessa da Australia. Mi chiamo Madeline." I made my first international phone call. Although I had planned to hold the conversation in italian for as long as possible I quickly bailed and asked a very excited Chiara if she spoke english; praise the lord she said yes! Almost two hours of skyping my future host mum and sister, and briefly their adorable dog Louise, ensued. Their house is beautiful, they eat pasta every day, Massimo loves to play Tennis, Chiara rides a motorbike and although I don't completely relate to Alice's taste in music she seemed to be so sweet, so friendly and so terribly afraid of spiders that I know we are going to get along wonderfully!

And so it is that next year I will be living in Noviglio, Milan, Italy, just 16226.69 kilometres from home, with a host family who is all I could have possibly hoped for and more.
I am ecstatic.

- a snap jayana took of me in legal during my very exciting phone call from WEP