Dear all,
I don’t know how to begin to thank you for our six wonderful weeks in Italy. I’m sure everything has been said to you before because AHA is a truly fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys prosecco and a bit of art!
Steve and Alice started off our trip with such energy and a laid-back feel that we would have been mad not to have fallen in love with Rome and Naples. Steve brought the ancient world to life with his iPad and Alice’s friendship and humor kept all our spirits on such a high that by the time Andy joined us we had a book of quotes almost as full as our sketchbooks!
Lavinia and Alex’s sheer passion ended our trip on such a high, and our time in Venice was a real climax of the trip. The private visit to St. Marks was such an unforgettable moment and thank you so much for organizing it – it was an experience that can hardly be rivaled and so magical for all of us.
There are so many other highlights I could mention – mass at the Pantheon, dressing as Romantic poets, our special lunch in Herculaneum, the picnic in Pisa with Andy’s reading, James singing in the Pazzi chapel, acting out the AHA version of Romeo and Juliet in Verona, our mashed ball and many, many more. But none of this would have been possible without what is clearly an expert, military base at the AHA HQ! The luxury of never waiting in a queue and having everything prepared for us made the trip run so smoothly without any grumbles and I am so grateful for such exceptional planning and organisation.
My only criticism would be that six weeks simply isn’t long enough! I know that AHA has inspired me more in such a short time than my 14 years at school and I will be making every effort to return to Italy for many years and to try and recapture the magic and glory of our time.
I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a breathtaking experience and made such firm friends, both students and tutors. I really feel that AHA is incomparable to any other gap year and I genuinely couldn’t think of a better way to spend mine. From not knowing what fresco was to marveling at Giotto’s work in the Scrovegni Chapel – that is just the tip of the iceberg I took away with me.
I honestly can’t thank everyone at AHA enough for everything and wish everyone the best, although I’m sure we will keep in touch.
AHA Student
