Can you say STRESSED??

These last 2 weeks have been really hectic with school but a really great time in Rome. Last week I had a presentation to give and this week I have 5 essays due and a final! I really wish some of my teachers would have spread the work out more (like one class alone has 2 essays and the final the same day) but then I would have had to have done more work during the weekends and I wouldn't have been able to travel as much so I guess killing myself with work now is worth it. Here's the run down on last weeks Rome activities:

Wednesday night there was a free concert in Piazza del Pololo put on by National Geographic for Earth day. There were a couple Italian bands that played, and I actually liked one of them, called Subsonica. Basically The Killers in Italian. Headlining the show was Ben Harper! I think every American in Rome went to the concert, even if they arn't Ben Harper fans just because he's American haha. He played all his new music which I don't know, but it was still a really cool concert.



Saturday was a gorgeous day in Rome so a bunch of us went to Parc Pamphili near our house and had a picnic. I love this park because its really big and open and this is the only place you see Italian's being "normal" compared to American standards. They play games and exercise and there are kids playing everywhere. We brought food, lots of wine and mad libs to entertain ourselves. It was the perfect day, so relaxing and awesome to just enjoy the weather and take a break from school work.



The rest of the week has been work work work! Thankfully I only have one essay left to write, due tomorrow (or next week if I choose but I just want to get it done!) I'd love to say it's my last essay left ever, but one of my finals is a take home essay so I'll be working on that this weekend. Luckily I'll have only 3 actual exams to study for, so for once I'm not that worried about finals.

This Friday Christina and I are going back to Florence to visit my aunt and uncle so that will be a nice break. There are still a few sights we didn't see back in January, most importantly David!! Unfortunately we can only stay for the day, we're not even sure anymore if we can stay the night because of studying, but we'll see how it goes. I can't believe next week is my last full week in Rome, I still have so much to do!!!

Me, Christina and our roomie Hilary leave for Greece May 10th, I'm so excited!!

Amalfi Coast

Last weekend me, Christina, Jessie and Lauren went to the Amalfi Coast with bus2alps. The tour was with all Rome study abroad students, most from JCU. We met up at the train station and took a bus down to Sorrento. We stayed in Sorrento at 7 Hostel- it was gorgeous. This hostel was basically a hotel except we stayed in 10 person rooms and each floor shared bathrooms, it felt like I was living in the dorms again. Friday we went to the island of Capri. It was a long hike from the marina to the town but we saw some awesome views.



We split off for lunch and wandered the town. The weather was cool and cloudy in the morning and in town so that was a bummer but later we went back down to the marina and it got sunnier. We just relaxed on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. That night we all went out to dinner and then to a karaoke bar, which was more a big singing party then karaoke.



Saturday we went to the small town of Positano, which is in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Positano was my favorite place of the weekend, it's smaller and less touristy and has cute little boutiques. Capri was cute too but it has more designer stores, which are boring to go in when you can't afford any of it. The weather was much nice Saturday so we could lay out in our bathing suits and tan. I got handmade sandals there; Capri is famous for them but they are wayy overpriced there.



Unfortunately our tour didn't arrange our transportation back since we didn't have evening plans they let us leave whenever. Well the ferry's weren't running to Sorrento for some reason that day so everyone had to take the bus. But of course the buses didn't show up for some reason so there were like 80 tourists waiting in the road. We ended up hiring a private driver with a Mercedes to take us back, it was 12 euros each which sucked but it was the most entertaining ride ever. Our driver was hilarious and he wanted to teach me to drive stick in his Mercedes! I declined though because 1) I had been drinking most of the afternoon and 2)I haven't driven in 3 months so I would probably hit something haha. That night the hostel had Mexican BBQ and a band playing in the bar so we kicked it there all night.

Sunday we checked out of our hostel and went to Pompeii. It was so cool to see how much they uncovered. It's way bigger than I imagined.



The weather was touch and go all day, cool and rainy. Luckily it didn't rain while we were on the tour so we all had a nice time. We left around 4:30 for Rome and got home around 8:30. It was an awesome weekend, the weather could have been a little better but I got to relax by the beach so I was happy!

Ireland

Over Easter weekend Me, Lauren, Jessie, Molly and her friend Cassie went to Ireland! We stayed in Dublin for 5 nights and also went on 2 day trips to nearby smaller towns. Friday we went on a free tour of Dublin and saw most of the main areas including Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, St. Patricks Cathedral and St. Stephan's Green. The rest of the day we relaxed in the park and wandered down Grafton St. the main shopping area.


St. Stephan's Green

Saturday we went to the farmers market, explored Temple Bar area more and did some shopping. That night we were really excited to go out because it was Good Friday the day before and no alcohol was sold the whole day, meaning no bars were open. On Sunday Lauren, Jessie and I took the DART (yes just like BART aka a metro) to Dun Laoghaire, a small port town. It was a gorgeous day, sunny but cool and we walked along the pier. We stopped at People's Park where they had a farmer's market for lunch and then continued walking along the water. We ended up walking through 2 more towns, Sandycove and Dalkey. We did some rock climbing and relaxed on the huge rocks for a while, enjoying the sun and the amazing view.





Monday was the first day we had any rain, it was bound to happen being in Ireland lol. We went on the Wild Wicklow Tour that took us through the Wicklow mountains to Glendalough and past other small towns and countryside. We unfortunately couldn't see the extent of the mountains and the views because it was so foggy but we got to walk to the river in Glendalough and saw better views there.



We left Dublin Tuesday evening, it was a great trip but unfortunately the massive amounts of school work we've all been assigned were on our minds most of the trip. The end of the semester is coming fast, less than a month left and professors have been assigning a lot of essays. I've got a lot of work to do but I have to find the time to soak up as much of Rome as possible. I'm leaving tonight for the Amalfi Coast for the weekend, Sorrento, Capri, Positano and Pompeii! It's my last weekend trip of the semester, I'm glad I'll be staying put in Rome for the last few weeks.

Paris

Me and Jessie went to Paris for the weekend and we had a blast! We stayed with her friend Kerry from school who is studying abroad there. We were so lucky to have awesome weather the whole weekend, it made me love Paris even more!. We got there Friday and did most of the touristy things, but first we ate at Breakfast in America and I basically had a Denny's grad slam, it was delicious! We walked along the Seine, went to Notre Dame, Jardin des Tuileries and sat by one of the giant ponds, walked down the Champs Elyses to the Arc de Triumph and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That night we went to Fajitas for dinner, yay for Mexican!!! Saturday we went to Disneyland Paris!



It's almost the same as the real Disneyland, except some of the rides are a little different. I was really mad that the Indiana Jones ride is completely different, no fun adventure, just a roller coaster. Overall it was really fun and awesome to basically be in America-land, except everything was also in French. Sunday we went to the Louvre because it was free, which meant there was a long line and it was packed. We just saw the Mona Lisa and another few key pieces before leaving to enjoy the weather! Later that evening we went to the Eiffel Tower! We went to the second landing (it's cheaper than going to the third and you can actually see the view better) and took gorgeous sunset pictures.



By the time we came down, the lights turned on which was another beautiful sight.



For dinner we went to fondue! There is a set menu so it's really easy and it comes with wine, but you have to drink it out of a baby bottle! It was so much fun, it's a tiny place, with only 2 long tables, you can probably fit maybe 40 people total. The people who sit on the booth along the wall have to climb over the table! It was awesome. Monday we wandered around a little and I had the best crepe ever, nutella and banana. Mmmmm. Our flight left that evening, of course it was delayed an hour, stupid budget airlines. I had a fabulous weekend in Paris, it took all my energy to not do some serious shopping though!

Things I miss about America

1. Target- Italy doesn't believe in one stop shopping, and it's just fun to waste time wandering around the store.
2. Driving- It's just so much easier to get things done quickly, and I miss my little car (well it would be considered big compared to Italy's abundance of smart cars lol)
3. Foreign cuisine- Italy doesn't have the most diverse selection of food, I just want some Mexican food!!!!!!!!!
4. Being able to wear flip flops without getting crazy looks- Italians must have feet phobias because they do not like to see people in sandals.
5. Customer service- In general Italian's don't care for Americans, which I can understand because we expect them to speak to us in English and that's not fair. When they come to the U.S. they don't expect us to speak Italian! But they could be a little nicer when we struggle to speak their language. Luckily in Trastevere most are more friendly to us because they are used to all the students (and like our money haha)


Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'm still in love with Italy's 4-P's of food- Pizza, Pasta, Panini and Parmesan but sometimes you just crave things and unfortunately it's very difficult to get it here. I guess that's half the fun of being abroad, being forced to try living life differently and finding new loves. I'm already foreseeing my withdrawls from Italian chocolate and the cheese selection at Safeway is just not going to cut it!

On a happier note, spring as sprung in Rome. We have been enjoying temperatures in the 60's, which feels much warmer here than at home, probably because Rome isn't on the water. Even when it rains (which is often here in spring) it's still pretty warm; as long as I don't have to wear my coat anymore I'm happy!


On my walk to school