Florence, Pisa, and Lots of Love

It was another great week at camp this week! I can’t believe it was week five of camp and week six of the summer. Time is flying by! This week I was in soccer camp. CYS contracts two coaches, Coach Gon and Coach Gam, to run most of the sports camps held at the centers. This meant that not only were we with our SAC kids, we were also with the kindergarteners and the kids from the youth center. There were a lot of kids but the coaches were great and we all had so much fun. It felt great to have a ball back at my feet! I’m even thinking about stopping at the thrift store to try and pick up a ball and a cheap pair of cleats to use the rest of the summer! Soccer camp was all ages but I spent most of my time this week with the older kids since I went on the field trip with them (on Tuesday) and to the pool with them (on Thursday). Our field trip this week was to a science museum. It wasn’t exactly what I pictured based off the science museums I had been to in the states, but it was still cool to see! And of course, we finished the week with Pie Day, Friday. I’ve made so many great connections with the kids and I’m already dreading leaving them at the end of the summer.

The rest of the week was just as fun as camp was! We went to another Taco Tuesday this week and then hit up the commissary again. Tuesday night we finally got our 24-hour gym pass and got to use the gym for the first time! It’s a little intimidating to workout with all the soldiers but the facility is really nice so it makes up for it! Wednesday night we decided to go bowling again (starting a new Wednesday tradition), but invited some of the staff to join us. I am definitely not a good bowler but it’s a great mid-week pick me up! Instead of our typical meeting on Thursday, we went on a scavenger hunt that ended with us receiving letters from our loved ones. It kind of felt like I was on Survivor, getting my loved one letter/visit. Guess that means I’ve made it pretty far! Thursday night we also started playing sock assassination. Each person was secretly assigned someone else that they must assassinate. To kill them, you must hit them with a sock without anyone else (even a stranger) seeing it happen. I haven’t died yet but we’ll see how the rest of the summer goes! We also got a home-cooked (and delivered) dinner from one of the staff on Thursday. Everyone has been so great to us. I couldn’t have asked for a better placement!

My dad and step-mom flew out to visit for the week and even though they flew into Venice, we decided to spend the weekend with them in Florence. We left Friday night and got in around midnight. We walked to our hotel and called it a night. Saturday morning we headed over to Pisa with just enough time to take pictures with the Leaning Tower and grab a few souvenirs before returning to Florence to meet up with my dad and step-mom at the Uffizi Gallery to view some medieval and renaissance art. After the museum we explored Florence a little and got to see the outside of the Duomo. The architecture and detail is incredible to see, especially considering how long ago the work was done. Saturday night we had a nice dinner in a room decorated with cat paintings. The food was delicious but the ensemble was a little strange! We ended the night with gelato before venturing over to the Accademia to see the original David sculpture and the artwork displayed there Sunday morning. It was another culturally enriching experience. Our time in Florence ended with the best meal I’ve had yet!

Despite a relatively easy trip into Florence, the way home was not as fun. We were supposed to have four train changes, departing at 3:10 and arriving back in Vicenza at 8:20, but our first change (the second train we were supposed to catch) was over an hour late! We ended up stuck at one of the smallest train stations we’ve stopped at, sitting on the ground in the sun, for 79 minutes! And since were so delayed, we missed all the rest of the train we were scheduled to get on. Thankfully, we were able to buy a cheap ticket home the rest of the way. This trip had only one change where we ended up eating KFC in Padova for an hour. Our five hour trip turned into a little over six hours but we made it! As much as I hate having to travel for so long on the weekends, we’ve been able to visit a lot more cities and explore Italy more than the girls who get on the direct trains!

I’m so glad to be having this experience, and to be able to share it with (part of) my family! It’s already week seven and even though I’m starting to get ready to come home, I’m having the time of my life. I can’t wait for what this upcoming week has in store!