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!