Ciao Roma

So today I woke up in Rome, and will go to bed in Minnesota. I am still wrapping my head around that concept. Trust me, I have had plenty of time, I am six hours into an eleven hour flight. Bleh.

In order to not confuse you I will go in chronological order of my last 24ish hours.

We, being the roomies and I, after some last minute shopping walked around Viale di Corso (the shopping street), and the Roman Forum, and the Trevi Fountain. We wanted to soak up our last day in Rome.

Viale di Corso is gorgeous at Christmas. All the way down the street there are red, white, and green lights. It looks like there is a giant, illuminated, Italian flag running down the whole street. The place is packed with shoppers and men selling roasted chestnuts (actually, kinda gross…). In the various piazzas on the street they have big Christmas trees. It is so pretty. Also, let me just briefly say that I loved being in a country that I could say, “Merry Christmas” and be chastised for being politically incorrect.

Then we meandered on over to the Trevi Fountain. It is probably one of my favorite places in Rome. It was pretty quiet over there because the tourists are gone, so the four of us were able to just sit on the side of the Fountain and reminisce about all the awesome things we have had the opportunity to do. We also threw more coins in the Fountain, just to be on the safe side….. : )

When we had soaked up enough of the Fountain we went back to our apartment to do secret santa. Of course, going back to the apartment could not be easy. There was a public transportation strike, so we ended up hoofing it half way across Rome, in the drizzling rain, back to our apartment. I would be bitter, but it is the Italian way. Our trusty friends at ATAC just wanted to make sure we got the full Italian experience and did not go home feeling disappointed.

Brief blogging interlude. I just got a sandwich on the plane and it came with a Kit-Kat. I really am on my way back to America. Huzzah.

Okay, where was I….oh yeah, secret santa. Erica got Kesley, Kelsey got Erica, which left Molly and I with each other. It was a lot of fun. I received a beautiful frame (which will soon have a picture of the four of us) and an ornament.

Then we went out to our fancy dinner. It was a darling restaurant, the name evades me, and it was authentic because there was not a drop of English in the place. We all ordered something different and shared. It was bitter sweet. Sweet, because I love my roomies and spending an evening with them over delectable Italian food. Bitter, because I don’t know when the four of us will be reunited.

Another brief interlude. The Kit-Kat is SCRUMPTIOUS!

When we finished dinner and started walking back to the apartment the clock struck midnight and we burst into “Tanti Auguri” (Happy Birthday) as Kelsey was at that very moment no longer a teenager.

Then commenced more scrubbing of the apartment, listening to “A Muppets Christmas Carol” (ha ha ha its CHRISSST-MUUUS). We all got about an hour-ish of sleep before we said teary goodbyes to the birthday girl at 3:30am. Then back to bed for an hour and half before I got ready. Then it was another round of teary goodbyes.

And now here I sit. Wishing I was not on this ghetto Delta plane. It is an ELEVEN hour flight and we don’t have the individual television sets. It is retro style with one giant screen in the center. I have no books (negative of living in a country where they don’t speak English), my crossword puzzles are ridiculously hard, and my seat companion speaks no English. Though, I did manage to have a conversation utilizing my mad Italian skills. Covered all the basics, thanks Italian 101!

Sorry for the stream of conscious blog post. I thought I would give you a super detailed version of my last hours in Rome. Plus, the last post can’t be short, that would just be a disappointment (sorry, Mrs. Sutton), also, sleep deprivation is not helping.

…….

Leg one of the journey complete. Holy cow. That was an exhausting eleven hours.

Update on Atlanta. That was by far one of my most stressful travel experiences EVER. Yeesh. To start off the disaster that was that layover my flight was thirty minutes late. People were panicking and missing connections left and right. After we got off the plane we were shuttled through the normal passport/customs checks. Unfortunately for me, my flight was 100% full. So were the other two international flights that landed at the same time. Yeah for long lines!!!

Then onto baggage claim. I sat by the carousal watching the time tic on, fearing that I would miss my flight. Boarding started at 4:45 and at 4:25 I was still waiting for my bag. When my bag finally came I lunged for it, heaved the overweight bag off the carousal (so heavy, my things multiplied… also I am “that girl” with a giant carry-on that is smooshed into the overhead), and sprinted to the baggage re-check. Then I impatiently tapped my toe while Mister “let me just use five (no exaggeration) security bins AND forget to take off my belt” was putzing around. GAH!!! It became so bad that after he passed through the security man looked at him and said “just grab and go sir.” I yanked my stuff out from behind him and booked it to my gate, which was a 5 minute tram ride away. Needless to say I was out of breath, hot, and arrived at my gate just in time for boarding.

Also adding a degree of panic to this is the fact that my cell phone is dead, so I would have had to ask some nice stranger to loan me their phone had fiasco come to bear.

Clearly everything worked out, because here I am typing away on my flight to Minnesota (marking hour 12 of my 14 hour travel day). I am trying my hardest not to fall asleep because that will make sleeping tonight that much more challenging. The three hours of sleep in the last two days is definitely working against me though.


…..

So at long last I am home! After the longest day of traveling known to man, I arrived back in snowless Minnesota. My parents, trying to be loving and kind, and wanted to meet at the baggage claim door. However, my seasoned traveller of father (or so he says) went to the wrong door. Long story short, I had to find them. They did not recognize me. I walked up to them was all “after four months of being gone I feel like my own parents would be more excited to see me.” Then, my mom, who never cries, misted up and handed me a bouquet of pretty orangey-pink flowers.

After fetching my bag we went to eat at Pei Wei. Man, I missed Chinese food. The egg rolls and pad thai were super tasty. Except since I was still on Rome time I was not terribly hungry. Something about eating Chinese food at three in the morning is mildly unappetizing.

The semester was so much fun. I saw a lot of amazing things and met great people. It was a wonderful opportunity and I am so thankful that I was able to experience it, but at the same time I am so ready to be home.

This will be the last of my Roman ramblings as my time in Rome is now done. Thanks for following my blog and following my European adventures. I was happy to share them with you and hope you enjoyed reading the posts as much as I enjoyed my adventures. It certainly was a four months to remember.


Buona Festa, grazie, e ciao!

Where did the last 108 days go?

So it is my last day in Rome. Wow. That went by so fast. My life is neatly packed into two suitcases and Roberto (the trusty driver) has been called.

Most of the day has been spent packing and organizing our apartment. We have to tidy it up a bit. It is really amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in four months. The apartment is starting to look so barren. Counters that have been cluttered with things all semester are suddenly clean. The kitchen is nearly scrubbed clean (one last pot soaking) and the trash is all lined up waiting to be emptied. The four of us have exchanged addresses and phone numbers (because in one day I can use my beloved Blackberry again), and have sworn this is not (rather will not) be goodbye.

Last night we had our last home-cooked roomie dinner. It was hysterical. We are in full on clean out the cupboard mode, so the meal was....interesting. I made mac-and-cheese, Kelsey made chicken and potatoes, Erica made bean dip, and Molly, well...she had no food left, so she rented the movie.

We all felt a good way to end the semester was by watching Roman Holiday. It is so weird watching a movie and being able to say "I have been there!" We were all "Look! It is the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps." So strange. One of the funnier moments was when they showed children playing in the Trevi Fountain, that would never happen today. The ending of the movie was sorely disappointing, but we still enjoyed it.

Now we are off to do some last minute souvenir shopping, eat our last italian meal (we are going out tonight) and see the monuments by night. I can think of no better way to wrap up my semester.

Evil Exams

Finals are all consuming. They honestly make me despise being a student. Let me just study for four days straight reading my tear smudged notes, barely leave my apartment, and fall asleep at my laptop. Bleh. I can think of no worse way to spend my last week in Rome. Alas, the demon exams go hand in hand with being a student.

I have finished three of my classes and have one exam left. Woot. My slavery exam was easier than I thought it would be. There were four essay questions and she wanted no more than one to two blue-book pages for each(which over here are give you the writing space of an 8.5 x 11). Luckily for me one of the essay questions was the topic that I wrote my research paper on (*evilly rubs hands together*).

My law final, which I fully expected to cry in the middle of, was actually tolerable. There were five essay questions that we had to answer. Three of which pertained to Libya and where/when/if Qudaffi's son should be tried. The other two questions were more general concepts.

It was a challenge, and one of the questions I had no clue how to answer. But considering we have never applied in class the concepts and cases we have learned I thought I did alright. Plus, I did not melt into a puddle of tears. Bonus!

There is no since in worrying about any of them now. I studied my heart out and did the best that I could. Plus, I can't exactly change anything now.

With that I am off to bed. I have to get some sleep so I can conquer my last final (Italian) tomorrow morning. I may just have to skip the mile back to my apartment when I am done...

Nine Days?!?

So I come home in nine days. Nine days! I still feel like the four months have passed super quickly. All the same, I am ready to come back to the fine state of Minnesota. A girl can only take so many strange looks from wearing no jacket at 60 degrees. The snow banks and below freezing weather beckon (ask me how I feel about that come February though).

It will be nice to have people speak my language, not have to guess what cheeses and meats I am getting at the grocery store, have rye bread, and coffee that comes in sizes.

All the material things aside I am ready to be back in my own home, have a real mattress, family dinners, Sunday brunch, an English newspaper, and my friends and family.

Seeing the snow in my front lawn and the Christmas tree all set up make me wish that the next nine days go quickly. Which I am sure they will. Plus, in nine days I can say that I graduate in one year. *gulp*

Today was pretty nice. I woke up to Erica blasting Michael W. Smith's Christmas album and baking. It was so nice. The rest of us crawled out of bed and joined her. We drank coffee, sat in our jammies, and baked peanut butter cupcakes. It was a good time.

The rest of my afternoon has pretty much been spent studying. Have to be prepared. My first final is on Monday and then they are in rapid succession. One Tuesday, one Wednesday, packing, and home (!!!!!).

Anywho, I must continue to study for finals. Contrary to popular belief studying abroad does indeed entail studying (I don't have a slacker program cough* Kavan *cough*). Three tests and and international flight and I am home free!

Last Day of Classes

Lots of exciting things happening in Rome right now (and only part of that statement is sarcastic!).

Where to begin....

The water heater was out again. That was great. Had to wash my hair in the sink, which is always a fun experience. To make matters worse the SAI people are off all week because of meetings and a national holiday. Luckily we were able to get through to them and a man came to fix it. So this morning, I had a real shower and dishes could actually be done. Woohooo!!!

One of my professors decided, spur of the moment, to make our final cumulative. Can you feel my excitement radiating off the screen, because you should. She also said to make it more "fun" she would test us on things that she had not taught in class. She recommended brushing up on international current events that have taken place over the semester. Does she realize how much has happened and that I have THREE other classes?!?!? BAH!!!!

Last part of my tangent. I promise. I got my paper back for my slavery class today. Over a month after I turned it in. There were only three comments on the whole paper and it was eight pages long. Grumble. I will happily take my grade, but it drives me up the wall when teachers give you an assignment, make you invest time in it, and don't reciprocate. If you don't want to grade the papers don't assign it.

The cherry on top of the last three days though has been finding out that my prof (who is ill and is no longer teaching) won't be grading our final papers.

Oh. Well. I guess it is all part of going to a horribly disorganized school. The really good news is that I have successfully finished a semester of classes abroad. Today was the last day of classes, so now all I have left is finals.

On a much happier note Erica and I watched the entirety of A&E Pride and Prejudice. For those of you who are not Jane Austen aficionados that is a six hour movie. It was well worth it. The best part was our running dialogue mocking the shrill voice of Mrs. Bennet and the obnoxious nature of Lydia and Kitty. Also, just going on record saying that Colin Firth makes an irresistible Mr. Darcy.

The Forgotten

In my hurry to "power down all electric devices" I left out a very important detail o my weekend in Prague. We went on a ghost tour (cue scary music). We found a flyer in our hostel that advertised a ghost tour at night in which we learned various tales of death and woe that happened in the streets.

Turns out that the tour that we wanted to take (at 10pm) happens only in the summer. Luckily for us, a German couple misread the brochure as well. Not wanting to turn down 6 paying clients the tour commenced. But only after he changed into his costume...a cloak reminiscent of little red riding hood. Not at all scary.

Also, I feel like he was not he normal tour guide because he kept fumbling over the stories. The tour was not at all ghostly or scary. We spent way more time laughing then being frightened. Funny side note. Every time the guide said "murder" or "death" we had to go "auhhhh."
Moral of the story. Not all ghost tours are scary and some are even given by little red riding hood (note: he was supposed to look like an executioner. Epic fail).

Walking in a Fairy Tale

This weekend marked my last weekend adventure with my roommates. Bittersweet. We took the trip that we had booked back in September: Prague.

People told us that being in Prague was like being in a fairy tale. Man were they right. It was gorgeous!! The town was all decorated for Christmas, so there were lights and little markets everywhere. On our last night there we were so inspired by the Christmas spirit that we sang carols. For over an hour. Some cute little man shook our hands, people recorded us, and there was applause. No joke. It was a lot of fun. I wonder how many of them actually understood us though.... oh well!

It was also fun this weekend because we got to meet Erica's friend Gabriella. They both go to Suffolk and studied in Spain together last semester. Kelsey, Molly, and I have all had people visit us, or we have visited friends, so it was really nice for Erica. Gabriella was a great tour guide. Her Prague history class really has paid off. As an added bonus she is from Eden Prairie. She and her family even went to Wooddale for a time, but now they go to Grace What a small world!

Other activities this weekend included go to the castle in Prague, and seeing a cathedral. That particular spot had amazing views. Apparently they filmed part of Mission Impossible there. Interesting fact. It is currently owned by the state, so you have to pay to see most of it. When it is owned by the Church anyone can go. Clearly, the state owns it now, because there were ropes blocking things off and people collecting tickets. It was a bit of a bummer, but it was still very beautiful (lots of pretty stained glass).

We did not physically go into a lot of things. While there is a lot to do in Prague, we only had a short period of time, and the bulk of the things to do are just walking around and looking at the architecture, stores, and epic views.

Things we did see, Old Towne Square. Sounds moderately boring, but there were some really cute little stores. We got a delicious cinnamon sugar pretzel thing. The name escapes me as it was Czech. I assure you it was good.

While on the subject of food, we ate some really tasty stuff. There is a lot of German influence so it was comfort foody (goulash, stew...). The best restaurant was right off Old Towne Square. They had little heaters set up under a canopy and we could see the Christmas tree.

The only bizarre thing about the weekend was the money. The Euro (and the USD) are waaaaaaay stronger than the Koruna. Their money has like no weight. The bill for our last dinner was over 2000 Koruna. Sounds like a lot right? Wrong, very wrong. It was between 20-25 euro for each of us (less than 30 dollars) in one of the more expensive food areas attached to a shwanky hotel. Score!

The weekend was amazing. I could not have picked a better a place to end my adventure. Sounds so weird to say that. I mean, I still have two weeks left, but this is my last trip with my roommates, and my next flight will be bound for Minnesota, not Zurich or Amsterdam. So adventure-wise the clock is winding down.

With that it's almost time to power down all electronic devices. So here is to a weekend of castles, fairy tales (but no prince charming), caroling (but no snow), great memories, and the last time seeing the Swiss alps from my airplane window. It's been a weekend, and a smester of travels, to remember.

Chocolate, Chocolate Everywhere

I would like to say that my lack of blogging this week has been due to some epic adventure. Alas, it was actually a term paper that kept me away. The good news is the paper is finished. So now I can blog. Woohoo!!

Lets see..... my slavery class was cancelled all week. So that was nice. I got some time to sleep in and clean up around the apartment. I was also able to get my research for my term paper done and still have energy to cook at night for myself. Don't judge. Researching can be exhausting, especially when it happens after almost six hours of class. Woe is the life of a student.

Other exciting news. Erica and I had an impromptu cannoli date. I was working on my paper at home like a good little student when my phone rang. It was Erica (but I am sure that you had gathered that). She told me to go to the fresh filled cannoli place STAT. The store is amazing. You get to pick your cannoli shell and then they ask you what you want it filled with (ricotta, chocolate, or pistachio cream). You even get to pick what you want the ends rolled in (candies, fruits, chocolate, or pistachio). I went traditional (ricotta and choc. chips) and Erica had chocolate cream with pistachio crumbles. Best. Study break. EVER! Bah. I love Italy.

Today I went to the end of the semester JCU art exhibit. Both Kelsey and Erica had works that were being displayed, so I wanted to go to support them. It was really cool. There are some very talented students.

Post the show we went out to dinner at a cute little pizza place. The pizza was meh, but the bruschetta was to die for. Seriously. Whoever thought of the pear and gorgonzola taste sensation should have a monument erected in their honor.

Then to finish off our evening we went to the chocolate fair that is happening this week. Be jealous, Steph. There were chocolate sculptures (shoes, elephants, people...), chocolate covered strawberries, hot cocoa, truffles, the works. So tasty. However, we did restrain ourself to just hot cocoa. Which is rich enough to be a meal in and of itself.

This weekend I am off to Prague with the roomies. It will be a lot of fun. It is our last traveling hurrah, and the first one as roomies since Tuscany. We are all very excited. We were preparing to wake up at 4am to catch our 7am flight when we got a call saying that our flight had been cancelled. The next flight was 7 hours later. So there goes almost a full day in Prague. Boo hiss. On the bright side, there was another flight and we were all able to get on it. Plus, now we get a full nights sleep.

On that note, I am off to bed. Have fantastic weekends with adventures of your own!