Written by Italy & Greece Students, Hudsyn and Allie
What’s New in Our Journey?
We kicked off our journey at Panta Rei! It’s a beautiful community where we learned useful Italian phrases and how to live more sustainably within our surroundings. Building a community was a new experience for all of us—new people, a new environment. A strong community requires trust, effort, and leadership. We faced challenges, overcame our addiction to technology, and turned our hearts and minds toward each other and nature. Living in a sustainable community means being mindful of everyday things like closing doors, flushing toilets, and conserving water. With these lessons and our newfound community, our group is stronger than ever.
Top Three Highlights of the Week:
- Trails: We were fortunate enough to hike some of the beautiful trails around Panta Rei last week. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and we all had an amazing time learning from our host, Chiara, along the way.
- Town: We spent time in the wonderful town of Passignano! We used the Italian we’d learned to order gelato, ask for directions, and converse with the locals. Passignano is one of the most picturesque towns you can imagine, nestled at the edge of a vast and stunning lake. The only thing that rivals the beauty of the landscape is the warmth of the community. Everyone we met was so welcoming and kind.
- Football: We had the opportunity to play soccer with some of the staff at Panta Rei, as well as locals from Passignano! It wasn’t a fair match—the locals had way more experience and we lost pretty badly—but we had a blast nonetheless!
Challenges We’ve Faced (and Conquered!)
One of the most challenging things this week was not having access to our phones. Many of us found ourselves instinctively reaching for them, looking for mindless entertainment. It was also tough not having access to news or being able to communicate with friends and family back home. However, we all got used to it, and agreed that it was a much-needed detox!
Group Dynamics:
Our group is doing incredibly well! Without our phones, we really connected with each other. We spent hours playing games, sports, making music, and more. Over the last week, we’ve built strong relationships that we know will last.
Reflections and Gratitude:
It’s incredible how 13 people, who met at an airport, are now best friends 10 days into our 70-day adventure. Our group coming together couldn’t have been by chance, given the impact we’ve made at Panta Rei and on each other. The connections we’ve built with our hosts are special bonds that we won’t forget, and we’re all going to miss the residents of Panta Rei very much. Just because a community is built in 10 days doesn’t mean it can’t be strong and have a lasting impact on the world around us.
