The adventure of a lifetime…. it all started when a 16 year old girl named Letizia Tatti, from Sardinia, Italy, arrived to Jacksonville. Right from the start, she fit right in with our family. We took her to Disney World, Sea World, Kentucky (for an American wedding), St. Augustine, a Suns game and her favorite thing, mudding. She spoke very good English, which helped me out a lot because my Italian was on the weak side. Everyday I would learn a couple new Italian words, so by the time I got to Italy, I had all of the dinnerware and greeting words down. She had a great personality and was always willing to try something new…! I knew from the start that this was going to be a great summer.

When the month came to an end… it was my turn. After the long flights, I finally arrived in Sardinia to meet Leti’s family. When I applied to go to Italy, never in my wildest dreams had I imagined going to this beautiful island. Her family welcomed me with open arms and, even though her parents and brother spoke no English, it just gave me a bigger motivation to learn more Italian.

I lived in a small house right on the beach in a town called Torregrande. Not until the first week had it hit me that I was actually in Italy. I lived with Letizia, her parents, brother, sister, and a girl named Danielle, who had been in Italy for eight months on a long-term exchange from California. She was definitely a big help when I needed things translated.

Everything was extremely different than in Florida: we ate dinner at 10:00 every night and then would leave the house to go out for the night around 11:30… they had no air conditioning….everyone drove REALLY fast … and the guys were VERY CUTE, but short!

I was definitely busy for the entire trip. We went to the beach almost every day (crystal clear water), we did lots of shopping, I learned how to cook some Italian meals, we went dancing at the discotecas and I made many Italian friends. They even flew me to Rome to see that memorable city! For some reason, everywhere I went in Sardinia, everyone knew that I was American. All of the people there were beyond friendly and they loved to try and speak English with me. There were four other American girls in Sardinia who were also doing the summer exchange.

One thing that I really do miss now that I am back is the incredible food! I tried many new things that I never even imagined eating before. I ate eel, horse (my favorite food now!), and frog legs. All of it was very delicious but it was hard to stop eating because all of the food was sooo good!

I had such an amazing time that I would not trade those 2 months for anything in the world. I made many new friends, I have a wonderful family in Italy, and I got to experience a dream life for a month. I could not have asked for a more perfect trip. So, when it came down to saying "goodbye," it was one of the hardest things I have had to do. They couldn’t have made me feel more comfortable in their family.

Next summer, I hope to be returning to Sardinia. But, this time, I am taking my family with me and I am going to share with them the wonderful experiences that I went through. I can never say thank you enough to Rotary for giving me this amazing opportunity that I will always remember. Ciao Ciao!

~Stephanie~