I apologize for waiting nearly a month to write another blog post, but I am not lying when I say that I have been extremely busy here in Rome. I have dealt with more things in the past few weeks than I would normally at Stonehill in a semester.
For about two of those weeks, I was sick with some sort of bacterial infection which caused a lot of trouble when it came to eating. My friends were very supportive, but I eventually had to visit a doctor and go to multiple pharmacies before I finally received the antibiotic that helped me. Now, I've bounced back to my normal self -- stuffing my face with gelato, pizza, and pasta (the usual).
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you probably do not believe that I am taking any classes; but, much of my time has been spent doing homework, reading, writing papers, and making presentations. We didn't waste any time getting into the coursework. Although they are sometimes challenging, I've enjoyed my classes so far at JCU. My favorite has been learning about Ancient Roman history. The class is on-site so we get to actually see all of the temples, forums, and tombs as we listen to the Professor's lecture. She also has a great Danish/British accent which helps our attention span.
The good stuff...
These past couple weeks have been FILLED with traveling. Two weekends ago I went to the Almalfi Coast with my study abroad program, API. It was absolutely magical. I have been to Capri and Pompeii once before, but I was still taken back by its beauty. We started our trip with a boat tour around the island of Capri where we saw the Faraglioni Rocks, Marina Grande, and the bluest water I have ever seen before. Inspired by the water, a couple of my friends and I decided to rent our own, private boat and take another turn around the island. We just wanted to get into the water as soon as possible, so this time we decided to swim in the grottos and go cliff jumping... It was awesome.
That week we also had the opportunity to hike up Vesuvius. Another amazing experience. It was a work out to get to the top, but it was worth the sweat. Our last excursion of the weekend took us to Pompeii, where we were able to see the ruins of the ancient town that had been destroyed by Vesuvius years ago. It is incredible how archaeologists can piece together the lives of people that lived so long before us.
After the Almalfi Coast I had a tough week at school with my first ten page paper (It's been a while) and studying for a mid term. Mid term! Already?! I don't even want to think about it. I had a lot of motivation to work hard last week because on Thursday I would be flying to London to visit some of my best friends. Going to London was just what I needed: a little taste of home! Just being in an English speaking country was comforting enough for me, but when you add Alex, Jeff, and Austin to the mix ...the sky is the limit. It was so nice to catch up with everyone, swap stories, and have good friends show you around a great city.
We arrived in London at 4:30 AM on Friday morning after traveling for about nine hours straight from Rome. We weren't entirely sure of Jeff's address, so the plan was to walk around his dorm screaming "JEFF" until he heard us. Thankfully, it worked. We crashed on his floor and when we woke up we headed straight to Starbucks. The first day, Alex Chev and I explored London on our own: Big Ben, the Eye, Trafalgar Square. We eventually met up with my Stonehill roommate, Alex, and grabbed dinner. The Next day we were able to hit all of the major spots: Portobello Road, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We ate fish and chips for dinner and went out to a pub for the night. It was perfect. We even survived Ryan Air!
This week I've been working hard to get my work done early and even get ahead for next week. I am so excited to see Thomas and MC on Friday! Then, on Monday I get to see Connor for ten days and even take a trip to Venice!
I can't believe we are already into October. I hope this was enough of an update! The pictures say it all: I am living a dream.
Arrivederci!
