HOST FAMILY!!!

WoOoooooOOoOoooow...

These past few weeks have been crazy. I received all the information on my host family a couple weeks ago, and haven't had the time to update the blog until now!



Okay, so here's all the info:
I'll be living in a town called Modica, which is on the south end of Sicily. It's situated in the Hyblaean Mountains, and is one of those super beautiful stacked towns- where all the buildings and houses are stacked up the mountains. It's absolutely amazing. 
Some history: Modica was owned by many different countries and inhabited by many different people, but was annexed to Italy in 1860. As the city developed it was gradually split into "Modica Alta" (Upper Modica) and "Modica Bassa" (Lower Modica).

Garibaldi Theater

Cathedral of Modica

Modica is home to some of the most beautiful architecture in Sicily, in the Sicilian Baroque style. Some of its most famous buildings are a large Baroque Cathedral dedicated to San Giorgio, Castello dei Conti, and Garibaldi Theater. 

Along with being a picture perfect city, Modica is also known for its chocolate! Great 20th-century Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia once said that "Modican chocolate is unparalleled in savor, such that tasting it is like reaching the archetype, the absolute, and that chocolate produced elsewhere, even the most celebrated, is an adulteration, a corruption of the original." If that isn't perfect enough, every year in April there's a five day Chocobarocco festival, devoted entirely to chocolate. I think I've died and gone to heaven.



I'm going to be living with my host mom (Valeria), dad (Antonino), and two younger sisters (Beatrice and Lucrezia, 8 & 14). I'm really excited about this because I've never had younger sisters :) I've been talking to my host mom on Facebook (thank god for Google Translate) and she's amazing. They're so welcoming and excited for me to come. My host mom even told me they already have a room ready for me. Knowing my family makes me a whole lot less nervous and a whole lot more excited!! My flight leaves New York on September 5th. It'll take 7 hours to get to Zürich, Switzerland, and then from there I'll take a 2 hour flight to Rome.

Countdown: 59 days, 20 hours, 20 minutes, and 16 seconds!

-Maeve 

PS- Unfortunately you can't donate directly to my tuition anymore, but if you'd like to make a donation just email me and let me know!