Days 110-117: The End

     These last few days have been spent finishing exams, shopping, and packing. I can't believe my time here is over. I have learned so much in this time and I am going to miss my host family and some Italian traditions that have really grown on me, like family dinner. Some crazy stuff has happened the last few days; there was a shooting outside of my school. It was a racist event and the man ended up killing himself after killing three of the cart sellers. It was really sad and the whole city was rioting and unsafe.
     Tonight, December 16 at 6 pm, I said goodbye to my host family, took my bags, and then Nick and I took a train to Rome. We left a day earlier than anticipated because of course there was a train strike in the morning.
     We rented a room to put our suitcases in, then explored the nightlife (or lack thereof). We ended up falling asleep and missed the train we were supposed to take; we would've missed our flight too but Nick's friend woke us up! We took a taxi to the airport, rushed through security as fast as we could and then.... the planes were all late by over two hours. We ended up making our plane and left Italy behind. After spending hours upon hours waiting, I had a direct flight home to Boston.
     My time here is officially over!

Days 107-109: Rome and the Vatican City

     This weekend in Rome was very relaxed. I was originally supposed to go with Caroline, but she got sick. So I decided to go on my own and explore the city at my own pace. I obviously saw the Collosseum. That was the thing I wanted to see the most. I spent several hours in that area just looking at the ruins and walking around. I walked the entire city in the two days that I spent in Rome. The Trevi Fountain was something that I'd seen in so many movies that experiencing that in real life was awesome.

     On the last day that I was in the Roma area, I went to the Vaticano. I saw everything in the day that I devoted to it, including the Sistine Chapel and walking to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. Although I didn't always know what I was looking at (Caroline always kept me informed as she is the art history major), I had a blast. I have never felt more independent than this weekend that I spent alone abroad. I think that everyone who studies abroad should take one trip on their own and spend some time getting lost and finding themselves.

 

     Rome and the Vatican City were really the same place to me. They appeared on the same maps that you could buy, everyone spoke Italian, and there were no crazy boundaries barring you from the enclave country.

Days 103-106: Getting Ready For Exams

     I spent most of these days working on my photography project. It was a project of our choice, and I chose to do reflections. It rained and so there were plenty of puddles, as well as christmas balls, doorbells, shop windows... really anything that was a reflective surface found its way into my project. I love to see how much better my photography has gotten since I first got my camera.

Day 96-102: Skits, Grocery, Uffizi.

     I cannot believe that it's been 100 days since I arrived in Italy! I had skits for my Italian class this week; we made up one about being on X Factor. I'm relieved my classes are almost over, but there are so many loose ends that need to be tied up before I leave here, specifically shopping and visiting Rome.
     I did some of the grocery shopping that I've done each week since I got here. This is a typical grocery list: Special K cioccolate, yogurt, zucchero cookies, apples, and bananas. The food here is so much better than in the states. I especially love the easy walk to get there instead of a 6 mile drive.
     I spent some time in the Christmas markets in Florence as well. They aren't as good as the ones in Munich, but the ambiance of the city has definitely changed since all the Christmas lights and shops are around.
     I visited the Uffizi on the 102nd day. I don't particularly enjoy Florentine art so I went through it very quickly. I do love the art in the Piazza around it though!