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A Letter Home

My dear family and friends,


As I approach the one-month mark of living in Italy, I've found myself thinking back to my home in the little town of Martin, Tennessee.


I won't lie, the homesickness definitely hit hard this past week. I miss everyone back home terribly; I probably miss my cat most of all (although I highly doubt he misses me) even though I don't miss the scars he frequently loved to put on my hands. I miss mom's strange dinner combinations of smoothies and toaster-oven veggies. It's hard to be thrust into a place so foreign and expected to thrive immediately.


What I have discovered, though, through these three weeks is my re-established sense of adventure. When I first arrived here in the jungle of buildings called Siena, I didn't venture anywhere. Now, I find myself begging friends to eat outside the walls, go to eat on whole other sides of the city, and even go to a huge world market. I've learned so much more in these few weeks than I ever could in my little town of Martin, and that is what I remind myself of when those waves of homesickness hit.


There's something for everyone to love here. There's countless museums and historical sites for my dad and my boyfriend; there's thrift stores and clothing departments on every corner for mom and my sister. There's mouth-watering food everywhere you look and everything smells and looks so delicious you'd scare your stomach, heart and wallet, in an attempt to try it all.


My favorite thing so far has definitely been the food. So far, I've eaten lunch every day with my peers and our favorite destination is this little kebab place that serves the biggest kabobs I have ever seen. Over here, kabobs are not merely chunks of meat on sticks-oh no. Here, a kebab is typically a gigantic sandwich that's stuffed with meat that comes from a gigantic stick. For just 5€ (maybe $5.50-if that much more) you get a huge "panino kebab" with fries and a drink. It's become my staple fast food–it's just that good.


I look forward to seeing what these next two months, and a week, have to bring me. But for now, know that I miss you all dearly and that even with the incredible kebabs and interesting classes I can't wait to be back home.

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