Finally Here!!

Hi everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write, i just got internet access. I'm at my family's house! i arrived yesterday at about 5 oclock. so here it goes from the beginning::
I left bay for NY on wednesday. i got into the airport at like 730 and hung out with this girl from Berea (whos going to portugal) for like 5 hours then we met up with other kids, and all hung out and waited for our bus. we took thebus to the hotel and i got a room right away, which was reallz nice. I accidentally hit my roomate with the door, i felt so bad. But she was super nice, she was from California. So we hung out then headed downstairs and met all the other kids. there were like 100 of us there, 63 going to italy, like 20 to spain, 10 to portugal, 2 to south africa and 5 to ghana. We split up into groups and had a mini orientation. Everyone was really nice. We had dinner then Iliana (my roomate) and i watched anchorman with this kids going to spain, super funny, and a good last taste of home before we left. I met this super cool girl named catherine, and she's staying sort of by me, so hopefully i'll get to see her! We headed out the hotel on thursday at like 230 and checked in at JFK. We left at 6, and flew into Zurich and got there at like 8 their time. I didn't end up sleeping on the plane, becuase i sat with this really cool girl named Annie, and we watched movies and played who wants to be a millionaire like the whole time. We got into Zurich an hour early, so we had a lot of time to kill before we left for rome. WE all walked around and got food, and attempted to sleep, which didn't work. i did get burger king though, which was really weird. Coke light totally isn't as good as diet coke, but i'll get used to it. We saw the kids who were going to spain, so we got to say goodbye to them, which was nice. We left for Rome at like noon their time and i fell asleep even before the plane took off. it was only like an hour and a half flight, but sleep is still sleep. so we landed in rome and it was like 95 degrees and we forgot they didn't have air conditioning, so we were all sweating so much. But then we split up into groups and took an hour and a half bus ride to the hotel. We didn't really get to see rome at all, so that stunk, but we got to see the suburbs of rome, so that was cool. We got to the hotel and gave them our big bags, and i totally forgot to take out shorts and dresses and stuff, so i spent the weekend in jeans and t shirts when it was like 95 with no aircondtioning. but they really didn't have hot water either, so cold showers were nice. on friday we just got to hang out and socialize with all the kids from around the world. We met these really nice kids from new zeland, paraguay and brazil. everyone else was really standoffish. i think they didn't like us very much. and i felt stupid because everyone had to speak english to us, because we didn't speak any other languages. so that wasn't fun. and they would talk to us, then talk in their language and laugh. not fun at all. our rooms were really tiny, but they had these amazing balconies. catherine's overlooked rome sort of, and at night we could see all the lights. but mine overlooked this really pretty couryard, but it kind of stunk becuase we wanted to leave our balcoy door open and that was the courtyard everyone hung out in, so we could hear them until like 2 in the morning. saturday we had orientation all day, and it was really hot. but i had fun, my g roup was good. sunday i got up at 530 and we took the train to Milano! the train was soo long but i sat with catherine and we had a lot of fun. we watched most of fightclub on this kid david's ipod, so that was enjoyable. we got of the train in milan at like 3 in the afternoon, and we walked about 5 minutes to the station and i was freaking out. i met my local rep, franco, he was very sweet. then we walked into this huge group of people cheering with signs and stuff, it was very crazy. i found my family, and we headed out. i got to say goodbye to all of my friends, so that was nice. i find it very funny how all of us AFS kids are very similar, so we got along really well. its weird that i've only known some of these kids for like 5 days, but we're close because we're going through the same thing, and we have been with each other for the 5 days at like all times, almost 24 hours everyday. we came back to the house and i got to meet the girls, they're great. we went and got gelato and the place down the street, like not even a minutes walk. (could be a bad thing that its so close?!?!) then i got to shower and unpack and we had dinner. the meals here are sooo good. light breakfast and lunch and heavy dinner. very good. then my dad had to leave, since he is in the states on business until saturday, when i skip school to meet him at the other house with the rest of the family. I start school on wednesday, after we go to the police station to register me as a citizen. i'm nervous to start school, but i'll tell you how it goes. so Letizia and i watched lost in translation last night, then iwent and wrote in my journal and fell asleep. my room is kind of tiny, but i really don't need a lot of space. It has a balcony off of it, which is very nice. so today i got to sleep in, which was nice. Letizia doesn't start school until next monday, but lucia and daniela started today. daniela's mother came over today, and she doesn't speak a lot of english, so that was difficult. all she kept saying was eat bella, eat bella. so i had breakfast here, then letizia and i went out and got coffee. we walked around the square (crocker on huge steroids, and way prettier, cobblestone streets. pics soon hopefully!) we came back and had lunch with grandma, daniela, letizia, lucia and myself. then we worked on my italian for like 4 hours while i finished unpacking. then the girls and i headed out and got gelato and walked around more. a man blew a kiss at us, which i was totally not used to, and its so weird to be stared at for my American-ness. we came home, and worked on my italian more. i know all the present tense conjugations, so thats a start. and i know some vocabulary, but i'm working on it really hard. my mom called last night, it was like 11 here, so that makes in 6 in ohio, but it was weird to talk to her. i hadn't been homesick until she called (sorry mommy!) and i didn't feel like i wanted to come home just yet, but i just wanted here to be here. i still feel like i'm coming home in like a week. but i'm not, so its weird. i love it here though, its very very beautiful. We have a flat on the 2nd floor of a building. which is very close to town. i'm getting a cellphone, hopefully, so i can stay in touch when i go out. but i have to make friends first, so we'll see how it goes. tonight we're eating dinner and possibly watching a movie, but i'm not sure. This is so long, so i'm going to go, and we're about to eat. but i'll get back on and keep everyone updated as much as i can! I miss you!!
Ciao,
Jessica