A Great Beginning

Gianluca was a professional by the end of the trip. He did amazingly well.

Here he's just getting loaded into the boat and I know he was nervous. You could see it on his face. But he overcame that fear and did it. So proud of him.
Getting started. Jeevan, myself, Kali and Gianluca
What a crazy group!
Gianluca met some new cousins today. He met Calista and Annelyse!

Today marked Gianluca's second full day with us. Our family has packed in so many events these last few weeks of summer and Gianluca has been kind of thrown into the mix. The upside is that he's getting to do some pretty cool stuff right off the bat, which although it may make him tired, I think he's really enjoying it. On Sunday we woke up and made waffles with fresh raspberries and cream, and some bacon. Then we went down to Pike Place Market to look for gifts for Noah's host family in Norway. After that we drove out to see the family at the grandparents house. This was all very overwhelming for Gianluca, I'm sure.

Today was a fabulous day filled with adventure. Today is my sister Karen's 40th birthday and we had the opportunity to go kayaking on Lake Union and Lake Washington. Gianluca had never been kayaking and I could see that it made him nervous. He was willing though, and embraced it. Once out in the water it took almost no time at all for him to be comfortable and learn how to maneuver his boat. He did great and what a rite of passage it was! It was also the first time that Grandma Carol had been kayaking and at 71 she did great! Tonight we picked up another AFSer, Max, and took him with us to Alki Beach to celebrate Karen's birthday with a good old fashioned weenie roast and smores. We saw a beautiful sunset and shared excellent company with friends and family. Gianluca and Max even joined in on a frisbee game with Noah and Mason.

What made me most happy was that I saw a lot more smiles on Gianluca's face. He seemed much more comfortable today and he really accomplished a great thing with his kayaking. I think he's going to have a great year with many new experiences. He's got a healthy curiosity and he is very brave. That's all he needs.