Thursday, April 5, 2012

Thursday: Budding Relationships

This trip has been very surprising and interesting so far for me. I didn't really know what to expect when I signed up for this missions trip but I was excited. I love Italy and I love the culture. I was excited to meet the people in the group because I didn't know some well. Here in Italy I've gotten to know so many people while being here which is very special to me because I cherish relationships. When we first arrived to Italy we were all so shocked to see the beauty surrounding us and it was so fun to share that with everyone. These past few days have been so amazing because I've gotten to know so many people in my group and outside of my group. 

Growing as a group is something very important when you're going on a missions trip. We started to bond over time before the missions trip a bit, but I feel when we actually came to Italy we started to become more of a group. The first day we came we were practically itching to get to the beach and mess around. Some of us decided to go swimming in the sewage infested waters without knowing but if we didn't we wouldn't have had that time to mess around together. It was so much fun and great to hang out that day with everyone in the group. The day after that we went to Rome and I had fun hanging out with many people and seeing the beautiful scenery around us. I had the chance to hang out with the people in our group and share the things we saw together. On Wednesday we got the chance to really have a lot of group time do things together. And today was great because we had another chance to work together in groups and help give ideas to each other. I love having the chance to be with these people all day and get to know them a little more everyday. And I can't wait to get them more in these last few days. 

But, this is not the reason we came to Italy. I've loved getting to know the Italian people while we've been here. At first it was hard, of course, to try and get to know the Italian youth. They were very nice in welcoming us into their group the very first day and made us feel comfortable which helped a lot. We had the chance the next day to hang out with them some more because of the workshops. I sat down with the Hands On group and we were making origami. I loved just sitting there listening to their conversations and laughing at the deformed bunnies that we made. The next day we went to Rome and on the train ride there I had the chance to talk to one of the Italian guys and he talked to us about his life and interests. He told us some very shocking stories that were very interesting and awesome to listen to. And on Wednesday and Monday we had the chance to go to Italian homes and eat real Italian food and get to observe the culture. On Wednesday I really enjoyed being at one of the homes and seeing how comfortable they were and how great they were at making their guests comfortable. I had so much fun that I laughed until I literally started to cry. The Italians that had us over just enjoyed us laughing with them. 

This whole week so far has been so great and honestly I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet. But I know that even though I didn't know what to expect from it at the beginning I really learned a lot just being on the trip this week. Getting to know the people all around me is awesome and very special. I will cherish these relationships when I leave Bella Italia.

From, Lizi

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