I was born in Sicily, Italy. I lived in Messina for the first 23 years of my life. Soon after finishing high school, I began to travel to improve my language skills and I discovered that I loved traveling more than anything else. Most of my travels were in Europe, with the exception of one month spent in Boston with an American family. I spent one academic year in London, as recipient of the Erasmus project scholarship. Upon graduation, I was awarded the Leonardo scholarship and I spent one year in Berlin, Germany. In between, I traveled to Austria, Czech Republic, France, Ireland and Hungary.
Chicago happened by chance. One day, I read an ad in an Italian newspaper, about 20 scholarships offered by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan for internships around the world. So I signed up. I passed the written and oral language tests both in German and English. I was offered Vienna and I kindly turned down the offer. Chicago was, then, presented to me. A city I knew nothing about. Perfect. I arrived in Chicago on October 7, 1997 on one of those glorious Fall days. It took me one day to decide. Chicago was my home.
I currently live and work in Chicago. I work at YogaNow, as yoga teacher. I, also, teach Italian at Italcultura, the official Italian Government office dedicated to teaching the Italian language. I love my work and my life with a passion. In my free time, I run marathons.
antonellasjourneys 