So today was my craziest day in Italy yet. My very first day of actually teaching and I have never felt more unprepared for something. I feel qualified and confident, but there were a few reasons why I was hesitant about today: 1. the teachers manual is in Italian (yeahhh), 2. I have not been around 20 4-5 year olds since I was 4-5, 3. I had no idea where the school was (of course, I got lost on my way today), 4. no one at the school I was going to knew English and they didn't know I don't understand Italian well. So, needless to say, I was extremely nervous. The commute for this job is absolutely insane and I will never agree to a job again until I look at a map--but my boss told me to ask the bus driver where to get dropped off. I did, and he told me to get off at a stop no where near the school. So I was literally running with two bags a purse and a backpack to make it to this no where to be found destination on the outskirts of Rome. When I finally arrived in the classroom there were 20 of the cutest little Italian kids I have ever seen sitting in a circle around me and I realized I had absolutely NO IDEA what I was going to do. It was a crazy crazy morning and I somehow made it through. It took a lot of smiling and singing (yes-singing, those poor unfortunate little children are scarred for life!). THEN I had to go and interview over 20 Italians and determine their English level for over a period of 6 hours regarding a prestigious opportunity to work for a business in China (I am not too sure how Carmen, the woman who gave me the teaching job hooked me up with this), but I met a lot of very kind people. Kindness is a common theme among most of the people I have met in Italy. Strangers who help me out on a daily basis for no reason, my roommates who try to help me out and feed me whenever they can, students who I have worked with and smiling faces I see on the streets here everyday. Even in those stressful moments when the bus driver drops me off at the wrong stop, or I get lost, or I am in a classroom feeling completely lost--I am grateful for those around me who have been so kind so far :)

I miss everyone from home though!!