Week of Hell is Finally Over!

Very Very busy week. Mid-terms are finally over. It was weird actually having to do work again. I haven't written a paper or studied since May and all of a sudden it was piled on....oops. It went alright I suppose, I know I got a few A's already. Unfortunately, I also had to deal with some fraud in my checking account this week. Thankfully, my dad caught it quickly and I was able to cancel my card. Lame, I'll just have to go without cash for awhile. I leave for Paris in the morning, I'm beyond excited to see Marion. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all. (p.s. 21 days until my parents come) Love you!

San Sebastian

I had the most relaxing weekend imaginable. I went to visit my best friend Dan, who is studying Spanish in Salamanca, Spain. We met in San Sebastian, which is located in the Basque country in Northern Spain. It is a beach resort back-dropped by the Pyrenees(aka awesome).
On Friday, I had to deal with the frustration that is Italian transportation. The air traffic controllers were on strike and, therefore, my flight was delayed 3 hours. It was maddening trying to figure out my connecting flight, but also rewarding knowing that I could handle traveling in foreign countries. I got there at 1am Saturday morning and pretty much just passed out.
The next day, Dan found a restaurant that served a big American-style breakfast. I got to eat bacon; I was very happy. Then we went for a very long walk along the beach, harbor, and one of the mountains that overlooks the city. It was great to just relax and talk. The weather was incredible, sunny and in the 70's. San Sebastian is a beautiful port town with a long white beach. There were several kayakers surfing the waves...I was very jealous. The entire town seemed centered around the water, which made sense because it was so beautiful.
After our walk, we went to the spa :-) La Perla is a saltwater spa located right on the beach(www.la-perla.net). On the first floor are hydrotherepeutic baths designed to massage different parts of your body. There is also a waterfall and a huge jacuzzi surrounded by glass that overlooks the Atlantic. Downstairs, it is dark except for the underwater lights that give a nice glow. There, the pools have underwater work-out machines and there are a few saunas. I could have spent days sitting in those pools. At one point, I was stupid enough to listen to Dan and we ran into the Atlantic before jumping back into the jacuzzi....the water's cold over here too.
Saturday was definitely one of the most relaxing days I've ever had. On Sunday, Dan and I did some walking and talking, then I headed home.
Now that I'm back to reality, mid-terms have started. It's going to be a busy week, but I get to look forward to Paris and Marion on Friday. Ciao miei amici!

It's Been Awhile....

Hey guys,
I've been putting this post off for awhile because I didn't really know what to write. These past two weeks have been filled with every emotion possible. I have known great joy and experienced wonderful things, but it has been overshadowed by a tragedy that I will never forget. This will probably be a very long post, so bear with me. I'll start with the sad and try to end with the happy.
On Thursday, October 8th, a friend of mine in the Arcadia program was struck by a motorcycle as she crossed the street. The motorcyclist was going full speed and did not see her. She sustained massive injuries. On Saturday night, she was pronounced clinically dead. Her mother and brother were able to fly over to say their goodbyes. Shalinda Toney was from Virginia, she was in her junior year at college, and she had a strong faith in God. Her parents are incredibly strong and most of their strength comes from their faith that Shalinda is where she was meant to be. It is hard to type this even now, as it does not seem to be real. It was a terrible accident that never should have happened and it will stay with me forever. Shalinda was an incredible person and an incredible friend. I feel very privileged for having known her, even if it was for such a short time. Shalinda saved six lives with her passing. She was willing to donate her organs, and ultimately saved six stranger's lives. The transplant doctor came to the service that Arcadia held for her and told Shalinda's mother that all six patients were doing well. With this death, I want everyone to know how much I love them and how much they mean to me. Life is fragile and hard, but it is also beautiful and full of strong people and love. I will miss Shalinda.

It is awkward now to type of the wonderful things I have been experiencing, but Shalinda's mom told us not to be afraid because of this death and that we need to use our study abroad experience to the fullest as her daughter had been doing.

Two weekends ago, I went to Abruzzo National Park. Abruzzo is to the east of Rome and is a hidden gem in Italy. Very few people go there, I only heard about it because I was scouring the country looking for good places to hike. I went for the day with my friend, Tia. It took a very long train ride and beautiful bus ride to get up into the hills, but it was well worth it. The trees are all turning colors and the pastures are full of bright green grass and white limestone. We strolled through the country, following old pasture roads. It wasn't an arduous hike because, unfortunately, our time alotted didn't leave us with much room to explore. I would go back there in an instant and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good hike, bike, or ski. The trails are very very extensive and really well maintained.
The next day I went on a school trip to Sorrento and Pompei. Sorrento left a little to the imagination. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and there were two cruise ships docked at the harbor. Therefore, it was crowded and definitely catered towards the tourists. We got to shop around a little, but I seem to be getting a little snobby about my locations, for I have seen places much more beautiful.
Pompei, however, was a Classic's major's dream. The ruins are amazing! This city is perfectly preserved, frescoes and all. We had about 4 hours to explore the hidden shops and alleyways. It was so amazing to see this city, that had been completely demolished in 79 AD. If anyone, ever, wants to know about Pompei or Mt.Vesuvius, please ask me....I love talking about it.
Last week was long and hard, but it brought the group together and I learned a lot about the people here. I have become very close with some of the people, it's nice to have this support.
Last weekend was very good. On Friday, we went to Ostia and checked out the ruins. This city is almost as cool as Pompei. It wasn't excavated until the late 1900's, so it is also preserved very well. the day was beautiful and my professor was full of information. If you don't have time to go to Pompei, definitely go to Ostia, it's smaller, but still insightful into the Roman world.
On Saturday, I did every girl's dream....I went to the Eurochocolate festival in Perugia. I ate my weight in chocolate, not even kidding. Every producer of chocolate in Europe was at this festival, with every type of chocolate. Let's see, a list of what I sampled: several chocolate bars, the best hot chocolate I ever had, a chocolate covered banana, chocolate crepes, truffles, chocolate covered fruit, Milka chocolate, nutella in fried dough(best thing ever!), chocolate covered apple, lavender chocolate, etc.....don't worry, I shared it with a bunch of my friends. I don't think I've ever seen so many happy people in one place. I would go every year if I could :-)
Finally, we've arrived at this week. Mid-terms are next week, so I'm busy studying. This weekend I leave for Spain to meet my best friend in San Sebastian. Life is rough as always....Ciao ragazzi!

Venezia

Ciao ragazzi!

So I had a wonderful weekend :-) It started off Thursday night when I went to the ballet with some of the girls here. We saw Carmen, which was a modern take on the opera. It was really good; a little strange though....it was set in Spain, sung in French, and performed in Italy. Very very fun though, I love the ballet.

Early Friday morning I set out for Venice. I've really wanted to go and no one else in my group got it together in time, so I ended up going by myself. Yep, it figures, I would go alone to one of the most romantic destinations in the world, haha. It was so amazing though. I can't get over how beautiful it was.

I got off the train and immediately got a 'bus' pass, aka a pass to use the water buses. (If anyone every wants to be a bus driver, do it in Venice, it's way cooler to drive a boat) I took the boat around the outside of the island until it came to Guidecca, an island on the south side. There I checked into my hostel, that was actually very nice and set across the canal from Piazzale San Marco. I had an amazing view! The rest of the day I literally just wandered. All the guide books told me that you don't really see Venice until you get lost.....mission accomplished. I wandered down so many back streets and wound myself all around that city. I think I saw a very very vast majority of the city....and it was all beautiful. In Rome, you can walk down a small street, turn and corner and there;s the Pantheon. In Venice, you walk down a small street and find this beautiful canal with a few boats puttering along, old stone buildings covered in flowers and laundry hanging out the windows. It was a very relaxing day, I felt completely free to do whatever I wanted (whether that was eating gelato or shopping for jewelry) I wandered well into the night, checking out a bunch of churches, the Rialto Bridge, and many many piazzas. I took a late boat cruise down the Grand Canal, watching the nightlife unfold. It was so incredible, the water was lit up by a full moon and it was so serene. Very happy moment.

The next day, I woke up early and went to the Basilica di San Marco. The Basilica is Venice's big tourist attraction. The entire ceiling is one huge mosaic, mostly covered in gold. In the late afternoon(I mad sure to go back later in the day to see it), when the sun shines through the windows, the light hits the ceiling just right so that the whole place sparkles. It's definitely worth going to Venice just to see that. After the basilica, I took a boat to the island of Murano where they make their world famous glass. I was able to see several glass blowing studios and tons of beautiful sculptures, jewelry, and vases. I can't believe they can actually make this stuff out of glass. It seems like their big thing right now is horses...there are glass horses everywhere. I spent the afternoon in Murano, wandering again, then took another boat around the island and up the Grand Canal to the train station.

Late saturday afternoon I arrived in Bologna. While I thought that it was a very charming city, it just couldn't compare to how awesome Venice had been. I went to the main square of the city, where there is a very impressive fountain of Neptune. On Sunday, I spent my afternoon in the Archaeology Museum looking at several Etruscan artifacts. And, of course, I had pasta with bolognese sauce, very yummy...

This weekend really was incredible. I'm happy that I went. Now it's just another week of classes :-)

Gotta Have Faith(that song has been sung at least 100 times in this apartment)

Hey. The week is going well. Finally got groceries, so I'm not living off of carrots and pasta anymore...
Class today was really awesome. In Masterpieces, we went to an exhibit on Roman Paintings that just started by the President's house. It was really incredible...it had all of these perfectly preserved wall paintings and frescoes from as late as the 3rd century BC. Rome still blows my mind.
In Mythology, we started reading The Iliad. So basically, it was a perfect day for me. Roman paintings and one of my favorite books :-)
Tonight, as with every Wednesday night, I volunteered with a local group handing out food at the local train station. I really like volunteering. It's a great way to meet new people and practice my italian. Every week, the group gets donations of pasta, pizza, bread, and drinks. The majority of people that we hand food out to are Afghani and Iraqi refugees. I've already been asked by several people to be their English tutor...don't know how good I will be at that, but I might as well give it a try.
So I know this post is extremely boring, but I was happy about volunteering tonight, so thought I'd write about it. Talk to you all soon hopefully :-)

Sienna

Last saturday I went for a day trip to Sienna: It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday.
It was a trip with my roommates and we woke up really early to get there. Unfortunately, we took a regional train, so it took 3.5 hours to get there....lots of napping time at least. For the last part of the trip we met a professor that teaches at the University of Sienna. He is a Psychology professor, but does a lot of stuff with art history as well. He began talking to us about his life(as professor's will often do) and we learned that he is a close friend of Dan Brown, author of 'The Davinci Code'. He helps Mr.Brown with his research projects for the books. He was also talking to us about the political system and corruption and all sorts of interesting things. I love how excited professors can get when they share information with someone who's willing to listen.
When we arrived at Sienna, the professor gave us a quick rundown of the city and bought us some famous cookies from Sienna called Cavallucci. These cookies are delicious; they're filled with nuts and fruit and spices and all that is good. We spent the morning wandering the streets and checking out some churches. In the Church of Santa Dominigo, we found the head and finger of St.Catherine. Yep, her head, you could see it, in all its shriveled and disgusting glory.
We went out to lunch at a place the prof recommended, and spent our time chatting and laughing. After lunch, my roommate Christine and I, climbed the highest tower in Italy. It had over 400 steps and it was this really tiny passageway that wound it's way up. Very very cool. The view from the top was incredible. You could see all of Sienna and off into the Tuscan country side. You know how most towers stop at a platform for people to get out and take pictures...this one had that, but you could also go alllllll the way up to the tippy top with the bell. It was definitely one of the best views I've ever seen. I'll put up pictures, I promise...still don't have my computer.....
The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets some more and buying more presents. Again, mom and dad, your x-mas presents are going to be awesome.
If ever in Italy, I would definitely suggest a trip to Sienna. It's a beautiful little town surrounded by beautiful countryside. If anyone ever goes, I'll be happy to give a tour :-)
Ciao bella!

Roman Forum+Friends=Great Week

This week has been a lot of fun. Wednesday night I went to a concert. It was a group based out of Rome that played music from all over the world. The group was made up of refugees that have ended up in Rome. This concert was their version of The Magic Flute. The music was extremely interesting, with a whole new twist.
On Thursday night, I was able to see my best friend Dan. He's studying abroad in Spain and came to Rome to visit. We went out to this incredibly delicious dinner over by Piazza Navonna. I love being able to pick a random restaurant and guaranteeing that you'll have a great meal.
Then, on Friday, we went to the Colosseum(my 2nd time), the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. I still love and will always love the Colosseum. However, the Roman Forum is just badass. It is crazy to think of the Forum as the downtown of the roman world. This is where politicians came to make speeches; where romans bought food at market; where the vestal virgins lived and prayed; and where Julius Caesar was burned after his assassination. It is just so cool to imagine, regardless of whether or not you are a classics nerd.
I could spend days upon days examining the curia(senate house) or the arch of Titus. And I fully plan on doing so as soon as the opportunity arises. If anyone ever needs a tour guide and wants to pay the 11 euros to get me in, I'm so there. In fact, next summer, you might just find me amongst the ruins giving tours to huge groups of people. Best job ever?
Hope life is well. Ciao