Week 3

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 Hello Blog People!

Again, we had a pretty normal week here at school. Here are the highlights of my week



Packages: Last week I ordered a few things from Amazon. It was a little sketchy because I wasn't sure if I had the right address for the school. But on Monday, my packages finally came and I am so excited about it. I got bug spray, which is needed but not the best part. And then I got my hammock. I have a hammock at home, but I didn't bring it. Nicole, the chaplain, said that there would be a lot of trees for hammocking this weekend, so I bought one to have here. I have already set it up a few times in the olive grove and it is one of my favorite places ever. 

Indian Food: I went out on Wednesday with a few of my friends and got Indian food at a local restaurant. Apparently, this place is very popular with the ACA students. The owner has a bunch of selfies with the students on his wall. The food was really good. I split a kebab roll with Natalie, which was amazing, and then tried a samosa. That was a bit too spicy for my liking. 

Cooking Class: On Monday I had my culinary class in the afternoon, and we made eggplant parmesan (top picture). I'm getting better at trying foods I don't think I will like, and this was a good time to be adventurous. It tasted really good. It had fried eggplant, tomato and onion sauce, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. We each got to make little servings for ourselves, and I would definitely make it again. I need to get the official recipe from the head chef at some point... 

Worship: I have also spent a lot of time at the piano this week. Our chaplain was sick, so I did music for some of the morning worship. I'm glad that I have kept up my piano skills, because the first time I had about 15 minutes before my classes to pick songs, and then the second time I was asked right before worship started. I'm hoping to find some other people who are willing to play so that I don't have to do it all the time. I also gave a talk on Thursday for the morning worship. it was about Isaiah 43:1-7, which is one of my favorite Bible passages. I read it every night before I go to bed, along with a little nighttime prayer. I'm glad I got to talk to my ACA class, and also encourage people to share a worship talk in the future. 

The Grove: I just want to say this. Every day when I walk down to breakfast and every evening when I walk from the dorm to la Mensa for dinner, I am amazed at how beautiful Italy is. I get the same view, but a different sky or a different sound, but I absolutely love it. I think looking at the old buildings and the sky at sunrise or sunset is one of my favorite views ever. I will not stop talking about it, posting it, or being grateful and in awe of its beauty. If you ever get the chance to come to Villa Aurora or go to Italy, find a hill or some countryside and watch a sunset or sunrise. It is so peaceful and definitely falls on the list of my favorite things. 

Poppi: This weekend we are going to Poppi, which is about 2 hours away for a spiritual retreat. I'm really looking forward to this time because it gives us students a space to get to know each other and bond as a class. I am also giving a little talk on Sunday, and I'm really excited to share that. It's about the Sabbath, which is a topic that is close to my heart. I think the whole weekend will be a lot of fun. 

One thing that we have been told is that Poppi does not have great cell reception or wifi. So this is basically an unplugged weekend, which should be fun. So if you don't hear from me, that's why :) I am looking forward to having some time away from everything, even though we have been in school for like only 2 weeks. 

That's all I have. Next week's update should be more exciting because we will be spending the whole week on the Amalfi Coast. I'm super excited for that one. 

I hope you have a great weekend. Love you all!

Ciao,

            Ellie 



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