Week #1

This first week has been pretty relaxed so far, we are in training/orientation for the week before we can actually start working full 8 hour days in the CDC (child development center) next week. On Tuesday we finally got our military ID passes so we are able to leave base AND get back on! yay! So since this was pretty exciting, a bunch of us went out to eat at an Italian restaurante down the street--and of course had some wonderful pasta! Later we walked and found a gelato shop but I was too full to have any--I feel that will be a frequent stop for me though throughout the summer!

* I am going to try to learn some more basic Italian...it is similar in many ways and some words to Spanish so I am hoping I will pick it up fairly quickly!

* Living on a military base is interesting--It is like a AMERICAN small town only smack dab in the middle of Italy! It is a bit bizarre. The base includes schools, daycares, a gym, bowling alley, hotel, restaurants, a Target-like store, a library, bowling alley, grocery store, etc....it is probably bigger than my hometown Hawkeye only less residential.

* Working in a daycare is interesting also: there is a procedure for everything and the kids are of course funny and energetic and usually getting into a bit of trouble! It is a bit frustrating so far because I don't know how the staff runs things. Most of the staff is made up of wives of the soldiers--many who are deployed right now.

* I learned that the people on base move around from base to base, country to country a lot and some even say that they don't know where they are from (kids especially) they get a little of the host country's culture, American culture, and also the culture of a military base/family...it's interesting. I think the term is "Third Culture Kids"

This weekend, we are planning to head to Venice--about 1 hour train ride away! hopefully I will have some great pictures to share afterwards!!