Home

Got home on Wed. and went out to dinner with the family. Our luggage didn't make it so we had to fill our some information to have it deliver to our house. I got mine late that evening, so it wasn't too bad. I slept till 3:30 PM and helped decorate the christmas tree on Thursday. went to work on Friday, so that is good. I feel fine and not experiencing an culture shock yet:) I guess this wraps up my blog then, unless something else exciting happens in my life;) untill then,
Ciao!

2 days till we leave for home

It's Monday and we officially leave in 2 days. We had our digital gallery presentation today and I thought it went well, very casual compare to midterm because we didn't have guests. The only class I have tomorrow is Lucy's final for Italian class:/ We watched a video that Kristen had made of our semester and Caleb got everyone an Italian flag, so we spent time signing each other's flag:) Just have studying left to do and getting a good nights sleep:)

Enjoying Rome at Night

The countdown has started for when we leave for home.  Jenna, Rebekah, Kelly and I decided to tour Rome one more time before we leave. Yesterday we went and saw the Pantheon and visited Piazza Navona. Today, the three of them went to the catacombs in the morning while I stayed back because I'm been therefore and am not a fan of being underground in such tight spaces. I joined them later in the day at the Spanish Steps and we visited the Borghese as well as doing some shopping. We headed back to the convent for a rest before heading out again at 7 to Trastevere for dinner. Rome is so pretty to walk around at night, especially when there are Christmas decorations out:) Kelly and I got stuck outside because we came back before the other girls but didn't realize that it was past 10, therefore the nuns were not there to open the gate for us. This would not have been a problem as we could just call someone but I didn't have any more minutes on my phone and Kelly's phone was dead. So, there we were, two girls stuck in the rain at night. We decided Kelly would stay at the gate while I went to the Chinese restaurant and ask to use their phone. What should have been simple quickly became frustrating as she didn't speak English and I didn't speak any Italian. Thankfully there was a man who did, but right when I was going to call the convent, Kristen called me and said that she was at the gate (she was coming back from a Christmas party at the church). That brings us to the conclusion of our pleasant evening;)

Papal Audience

Today was our last excursion day before the semester is over and we head home:/ Dr. Szabo took us to the Vatican City to have an audience with the pope. Rebekah, Jenna, Kelly and I left at 7:30 because we wanted a good seat but that was pointless because there wasn't that many people there. The rainy weather might have had something to do with that. Anyways, the pope bless everyone in like five or 6 languages. Geneva College even got mentioned by name in his blessing:)
After the audience, I came back and did some homework for Humanities and Italian class. Besides that, not much else happened here at the convent. I finally get to go to bed before 12:00!!!!!! I will get pictures up tomorrow, which we reminds me that I dropped the camera in Greece and the lid that keeps the battery from falling out got chip, so it does not close now. Taping it shut will work, other then that, the camera is in good shape.

Greece

We made it into Greece safely at 2 in the morning!! Our group had hired a private taxi to pick us up-we all had to shell out about 20 but there were no transportation running and taxis are double at night. Paul, our driver was nice and gave us a little tour of Athens.


We headed out around 10 to the Parthenon, it was amazing!!! The climb to the top was pleasant and the sun was shining! We had gotten a pass to the Acropolis and a dew other sites. It was stupid because EU students get half off, so we would only have to pay 6 euros but I hadn't brought my Roberts I.D, so I showed the lady my visa that says I'm a EU student and she told that I couldn't use it!!! So, Jenna and I ended up paying 12 euros:/ It was so stupid because I would think that they would want to make sure the students were UR ones. Once we got to the top of the Acropolis, there was an amazing view of Athens.  After that, we headed to the theater of Dionysos which was basically all ruins and there wasn't much to see.    After that, we head to the oldest part of Athens, Plaka and did some shopping. I got a few items for myself and other people. We headed back to the Apollo Hotel because a few of us had to work on our art paper. In a few minutes we will head to the National Archaeological Museum and then dinner. Thats all for now, I will write more if anything exciting happens.

Venezia

Venezia was amazing!!! The weather was cold but it was suppose to rain the whole time we were there and it didn't!! Dr. Szabo took us to Saint Marco's cathedral, S. Maria Della Salute, and the Peggy Guggenheim museum. This allowed a lot of free time for us to roam around Venice. the first day there, a group of us girls took a gondola ride and he even sang for us:) We did some shopping and got to see Saint George's Anglican church on the last day. We spent Friday on Murano, which is an island famous for their glass making and we also stopped by Burano, which is famous for their lace. There were some cool stuff at both islands and I saw a gorgeous sunset while we were leaving the islands.
The boat system was hard to understand and I would not have survive without Jenna!! The only way to get around is by boat and there aren't any lanes or anything for them to follow. It was fun getting on one and just riding it to enjoy some of the sceneries. It was weird having the fog come in so early and seeing the tide rise. This was obvious in the morning because we had acqua alta the first morning there. This meant that there were boards raised up on metal legs for people to walk on and that made getting to our destination very difficult.
Overall, it was amazing and I love how Venice is built in the water!  Would not mind returning:)

Sicily this past weekend

A group of us went to Sicily this past weekend. The weather was beautiful and some of us girls spent 2 wonderous days on the beach. Where we stayed did not have a of attractions and it was also off season, so boat tours were closed. We had wanted to go to Mt. Etna but the bus would have taken too long. We went to Mondello beach (pic. above), which is a 30 minute bus ride from our hotel and basically lounged on the beach all day:) Had a wonderful weekend and getting ready to head to Venice on Wed.

Prague

Had a great day today, went exploring Old Town by myself and did not get lost, thank goodness! The town has a typical Prague feel to it, small cute houses painted different colors and lots of cathedrals for such a secular country. Old Town Hall has the famous astronomical clock that Jan Taborsky had rebuilt. I also got to see Powder Gate (used to store gun powder in the 17th century), Municipal House with its beautiful Nouveau art, Jan Hus Monuments, walked across the Charles Bridge and bought some gifts, and took a beautiful walk in the woods to Prague Castle which was not that impressive except I got to see the changing of the guards:)

The weather was chilly and it sprinkled on and off but I kept warm by walking fast. At the center of the square, there were people selling traditional Prague food and trinkets. I had some pig for lunch, it was not as good as I had expected. I sat on the benches and people watched for awhile. Came back to the Hynds' house around 5 and had some home made chicken noodle soup with green beans for dinner. Today was basically a relaxing day because I'm starting to wind down now that break is coming to an end. Mrs. Hynds will take me to the airport in the morning and I will be back in Rome by 3. Sad and excited to go back.

Prague

I made it into Prague with no problems except that the man who was sitting with me had my window seat. Mrs. Hynds picked me up at the airport and I am staying with her till Friday morning. I basically passed out on the bed and didn't wake up until 3, so I'm just gonna relax, do some laundry (she has a dryer!!!), and plan what I  want to do tomorrow. Maybe see the old town tonight because Mrs. Hynds said it was a safe area, don't know though because I'm starting to wind down. The Hynds live in a cute little neighborhood and their house is beautiful!! They have a cat and dog, who pretty much mind their own business;) That's all for now, I will update this if I do anything tonight.

London

Millenium Bridge

It's my last night in London! The weather was cold and chilly but I still had a great time seeing Big Ben, the Eye, Buckingham Palace, and walking across the London Bridge. We went to church at Westminster Abbey on Sunday:) We had dinner at the Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, it's the oldest pub,which was under the reign of King William and Queen Mary and a number of other kings. It had the old historical feel which added to it's character.We also went to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone!!!!!!!! among other Egyptian artifacts on Monday. The British Library was the next day and I got to see the original Beaowolf manuscript and the Magna Carter. Jenna and I also went to Harrod's which is a really expensive shopping mall with name brands like Gucci, D&G, Armani and so on. I got a puzzle which is pathetic I know but I could not resist! Not going to be fun trying to pack it in my suitcase. It's been a great couple of days and I want to be a nanny in England for sure now! Going to bed early because I have a plane to catch at 7:35 to Prague!!

London Bridge

Oh, Kylie and Jenna kindly pointed out that it is illegal to bring fruit from one country into another which I had by mistake (2 clementines I was going to eat as snacks but forgot to), no one at security stopped me though.

Barcel and London

I made it to Barcelona! The weather was gorgeous and the culture is beautful. We got into Barcelona at one and went directly to bed. I went off by myself the next day and saw the Sacred Family, it was amazing and overwhelming at the same time. After that I headed to the Picasso Museum, I've never been a fan of him and enjoyed it until I saw some of his errotic drawings, it was disturbing. I wandered around the town for awhile and saw the Santa Maia Del Mar church. After that, I went to the beach and enjoyed listening to the waves. It was peaceful and relaxing. On Saturday, Sofia's friend Emily,gave us a tour of one of Gaudi's park. Afterward,we headed to lunch and did some shopping as we headed to the beach. I left that evening for London:)

Fall Break!

It Fall Break is finally here!!! This week was extremely stressful because we had papers to write, a presentation, and a midterm in Italian. Definitely ready to relax these next 10 days. Heading to Barcelona in a couple of hours, will be there till Sat evening and than I head to London till Wed. I will wrap up my trip with Prague and come home Friday.
My parents came this week, it was nice to see them but I felt bad for not seeing them more because I had classes and this week was just plain busy. We did go out to dinner on Tuesday with Rebekah and Kelly, so that was fun and they got to know the girls a little. Went to Trestevera last night for Peter's 22nd birthday with Nick, Robert, and Mr. Cole. We got some gelato afterward and did some shopping. Nick and Robert were sick, so we didn't stay out that late. I also had to get back and study for Italian, which I did okay on today:/ Definitely need to do better my tests and final now.
Well, I need to go do some last minute things and finish packing. Ciao!

Florence Weekend

We got back from Florence this afternoon and went directly to getting our pictures taken for the Public Relations office, a long and exhausting day! We did get gelato as a reward for getting our pics done:) Florence was cold, but very beautiful and full of places to shop. I am not good at bargaining with the sellers at all!! Bought some gifts for people and I got a scarf and shaw for myself:) We saw the Accedemia and Uffizi Museum as well as the Saint Maria Novella, where Masaccio's fresco painting of the Trinity is.
My parents made it safely and I got to see them a little today. They and Mr. Cole made dinner for us all, which was really nice because I didn't have any food in my container. My digital gallery group met and we went over what everyone is doing, so I got mine done but need to add some more information to it. I still need to do my movie review and practice my skit for Italian on Tuesday!! I am heading off to take a shower and going to bed, thank goodness class isn't till 10 tomorrow.

Florence Weekend

It's the weekend and we are heading to Florence tomorrow at 8! Today was a crazy day because we had classes starting at 8:30 and we went till 4 because of the film, La Dolce Vita, which was like 3 hours long!!! I wanted to gouge my eyes out because it was such a pointless movie with no plot. Anyways, Dr. Cole and Chisty Miller arrived today and she did a few shots of me;).
We also had our talent show this evening and I actually had fun. Jenna did some ku fu moves on me because I was her prop and we amazingly won the "people's choice award" Finished my packing and still have to wrap up my paper on seeing Dante (definitely taking Italian homework with me because our midterm is Thursday!). Its going to be one heck of a weekend but I'm ready for it...I think. Well, off to get a good nights sleep so I can function tomorrow:)
Cioa!

Assisi and Siena

This weekend was a blast!!! Rebekah and I left for Assisi on Thursday around 5. We got there around 8 and couldn't find our hostel, so we basically hiked around town until we found it. The place was beautiful but kind of off the main road, so walking down there in the dark was kinda creepy. We spent the next day exploring the place and caught a train in the evening for Siena. That was quite the adventure!! Rebekah and I ended up hiking down Assisi because we couldn't find the bus station that the lady at the hostel told us about (beautiful view of Assisi at the bottom). Rebekah and I went to what we thought was a pizzeria but it was the next building (it had all guys) so the workers said we could stay and they heated up some pizzas and french fries for us!! We had this restaurant all to ourselves and we were able to practice our Italian:) We got into Siena around 9 and had the same problem finding our hostel again. We ended up wandering around for 45 min. trying to find it because everyone kept giving us different directions. We stayed up and waited for Jenna who missed her train because her cooking class ran late and didn't show up until 12ish.

We had planned on renting vespas the next day but found out that we couldn't because none of us had driven one before, so that was a bummer:/ We toured the city and saw Saint Catherine's and Saint Domenico's Cathedral. The latter had the thumb and head of Saint Catherine's, so that was kind of neat. The Catholics really like to preserve their saints for some reason! We also saw the outside of the Duomo Church but didn't want to pay to go inside. We went and climbed the town hall with its 382 steps, for an incredible view of Tuscany:) Got back around 9ish on Sat and that was the conclusion to an awesome weekend.
Went to church on Sunday like normal and have some reading to do for classes tomorrow. Florence and parents come this weekend!!!

week 4

It was excursion day and we went to see Saint Paul's Outside of the Walls and the crypt with all the friar's bones in it. I was pretty gross out and didn't stay long because I felt like it was disrespectful. Saint Paul's was beautiful and they have all the pope's on the wall. Dr. Szabo had given us a pope to research and share with the class when we were there (Joe and I had Boniface the VIII). We were done after that but some of the girls, including me stayed to do our sketching. After that, we went to Termini and bought out tickets to Siena and Assisi for this weekend:) We then headed to a Chinese place for lunch and there was a cute little Asian boy there. He was so adorable and kept coming to our table (he blew me a kiss). I did some reading afterward for classes and basically watched television all day. Can't wait for tomorrow!!!!

Today was pretty relaxing because we didn't have cinema class:) Taught English class this evening and that was a little stressful because the 2 boys would not sit still and pay attention. I need to learn some Italian phases so I can tell them to be quite;) Cathy made dinner and it was some kind of chicken soup, amazing! Our little community had a movie night and we all got together and watched A Walk To Remember, I didn't stay for all of it because I've seen it so many times and it is a sad movie to watch. Excursion tomorrow to Saint Pauls' Outside of the walls and Cappuccin Crypt. It is a church I guess, with monks skulls decorating the place, so I'm excited and creep out about going there.
A lot of stuff is coming up, parents come in about a week, going to Siena and Assisi this weekend, fall break is fast approaching and we have papers due soon!!!! Going to get my beauty sleep now;)

I can't believe it is October already!! Where has the time gone?  Cinque Terre was AMAZING and I want to live there. It is 5 towns along a cliff next to the ocean. The towns were cute and Jenna and I hiked all 5 towns, which took us about 4 hours. The views were amazing and so worth the 800 plus steps we had to take!! I think I might have also sprain my angle or did something to it because it hurts to walk on.We got back Sat. which was good because I needed to work on my paper for HUM 300. Went to church on Sunday and than headed to Peppo's house for lunch. He obviously goes to the church and heads up the young life. Got back around 4 and did some homework. Got Chinese with some of the other students and heading to bed early tonight finally:) Planning for Siena this coming weekend and the week after we go to Florence and my parents come!!!!! I think Geneva needs to have a clothing policy either in the handbook or Kristen should mention it at orientation because it is going to be a problem.
Ciao rigazzi!

week 3

Well, it has been quite awhile since I wrote in my blog. I've been busy with school work, teaching English and enjoying Rome:). Heading to Cinque Terre this weekend to hike and maybe go swimming depending on the weather, suppose to rain tomorrow:/ We almost didn't go because there was a train strike but I guess they resolved the problem which was good because I paid 46 euros for my ticket.
Got most of my school work done except the paper for Humanities 300 which I really had wanted to get at least half of it done today. I'll do some reading on the train for culture making and work on the paper when I get back Sat.
Things have been going smoothly here but we did have a little tension going on at our last community meeting. Its life and the sooner people realize that, the better. Would write more but don't want the wrong people reading this. Can't wait for my parents and Nick to come!!!!!! That is all for now, going to try and work on my paper but we will see how far that goes. My roomie is getting sick I think, or allergies. Ciao!

Pompeii and Naples this weekend

We were in Pompeii this Fri and it was amazing!!!!! Professor Szabo and Kristen showed us around a little but after that, we basically had the whole afternoon to wonder around Pompeii. Saw some cast of people who had died and walked on the same streets as they did back in 79AD!!!! How cool is that? The buildings were intact and we could even see the fresco paintings on some of the wall. I could have stayed there for another day because we only got to half of it that one day! I talked to some other people and we might come back and hike to Mount Vesuvius, I also would not mind going to Herculaneum too.
A group of us stayed behind in Naples for the weekend. On Saturday, we had planned to go to the beach in Malta but it was raining, so we headed to Sorrento and wandered around. Over all, it was a fun day minus the rain and cold;) We are going to tour Naples and head home in the evening on Sunday. Thats all for now:)
Ciao

So, I am eating gelato and trying to read The Aeneid because we are going to be gone this weekend!!! Today was calm and we didn't have our Italian quiz because Lucy didn't make enough copies. Film class was great, we watched Open City and it was actually really good!! Did the wash today and still need to make my bed. I don't like line drying because everything is rough. Tried to book plane tickets to Barcelona but they didn't have capital one as a choice, so frustrating because I need to buy tickets ASAP!!!
Going to go make my bed and do some more reading...maybe

I totally forgot to write in my blog for yesterday...oh well, nothing exciting happen. Had classes and my group made chicken catch a tori for dinner. We also made a shepherd cake for dessert. Today was pretty normal too. A couple of us did go to the rome baptist Church and taught English, I was with the young children (age 7-9). They were great learns but the Chinese boys would not settle down. Im in love with the two Sri Lanka girls, Davida and Nathani. They are very sweet, heard workers, and want to learn English. Had dinner there, Pastor Dave's wife, Cathy makes dinner for all of us.
Came back around 9 to trouble in paradise. Guess some girls got into trouble for missing dinner and this was not the first time. Don't know the whole story but whatever. Another issue I have is, shouldn't the RA set a good example for us? Being late to class and coming in your pj's after professor Szabo told us not too? Other than that, everything is going well, the food has been great so far, especially the gelato place a couple of blocks from us:) I got some before going to teach English because it was near our bus stop.
Going to do some reading and drink my tea:)

Start of week 2

Well, I am about to start week two in Rome:) Today was Sunday and the majority of us attended the Rome Baptist Church.  Jess, Kelly, and I went to a panini place for lunch and than did some shopping. Got back around 2:30 and I decided to do some reading for school.
Dinner was fun because we had Pastor Dave and is wife Cathy for dinner along with Jason and Laura. He is the associated pastor I believe and I am also helping him teach English. They have 2 adorable boys, Everett is 5 and Keaton is 18 months. They work for campus crusader and have been in Rome for five years. Kristin and Professor Szabo made roast along with potatoes and salad for dinner. All together, an awesome dinner. Speaking of which, my group makes dinner tomorrow and hopefully it turns out better than last time!
This evening, some of us headed out and saw the Colosseo burn! Yeah, you are all freaking out I bet, but it didn't actually burn. There is a group from Denmark that is going around the world and "fake" burning monuments. Its some kind of major marketing thing, but it was really cool to see!
I still have some more reading to do, so ciao!

Ooppss, almost forgot to write in my blog! Well, what did I do today?  Me and some of the other girls did some browsing in the market where they have everything from veggies to seafood, to clothes, and accessories! Than we went to a typical medieval Italian town called Trastevere. We ate lunch at a little cafe and I got the spaghetti with clams, which I realized I like a lot.  Kylie, Rebekah, and I tried to get a picture with this military guy but he wasn't allowed. He claims to be on duty but he was texting!! I don't think he's allowed to do that on duty, oh well.  It sprinkled for awhile but I didn't mind it, especially because I had an umbrella with me:) That took about all day and I got some homework done, not as much as I wanted though:/ Jenna and I got pizza from a place a couple of blocks away, I got a calzone and it was really good. Oh, I also had a gelato and have decided that someone needs to start one in the States! Thats all for now,
Buonasera!

1 week

It is officially one week that we have been in Rome. There were no classes today, so I went to the park with Kelly and Sofia to do some homework and explore the area. Trying to find a decent price flight to Switzerland and that has not been fun. I am heading to Naples next week with a much of people after our excursion of Pompeii, pretty pump for that! Other than that, nothing exciting happened at the convent. Going to make some dinner now.
Ciao!

I just finished washing the dishes and got my clothes of the drying line, feel like one of those domestic woman back than. Not much happened today, besides classes. We watched a silent film that was black and white for Italian Cinema. We have classes from Monday through Thursday and than its the weekend!!!! Might be going to the beach with Caleb, Mindy, Jess, and Meg, but we don't know because Caleb is planning it and like any boy, he didn't plan ahead of time. If not, than I'll go exploring the neighborhood. Homework will happen in there sometime:)

Day 3

Today was our first excursion and we went to see San Clemente's Basilica and St. Peter's Square! San Clemente's Basilica was okay, but I was not a fan of it being underground and dark. I did drink from the spring water they and down there, don't know how safe it was but one of my professor did it and she lived to tell us about it:) Our assignment was to study something for 15 minutes and than sketch it. This would be one of those time I wish I could draw!
St. Peter's Square was jammed pack with people waiting in line. I have to say, the line did move quickly but the heat was a killer today! Being inside brought back memories of when I went with my class a couple of years ago;) Bernini's work is just amazing and there are no words to describe it.
I did some more exploring with Kelly after our excursion and we got lost but were able to find our way back home, an hour later. Nevertheless, I am beat and heading to bed after I practice Italian.
la notte!
Oh yeah, the Italians like to 2 things in life: 1. smoking and 2. making out in public!

Ciao!

When in Rome, do as the ROMANS do, which was exactly what I did (crossing the street). This doesn't mean that it was safe or even legal;). Just thought I would mention this because everyone has been giving me a hard time about how I cross the street...:)
Well, today was kind of slow considering that I am in Rome but Italian class was amazing!!!!! Lucy, our professor did not speak any English (she did it on purpose) and it was basically sink or swim (I half floated/half sunk). It was really fun and I'm looking forward to our next class on Thursday.
I did 2 things worth mentioning, teaching English at the Rome Baptist Church and making dinner for tomorrow evening. A few of my classmates and I are helping teach English at the church, where I plan to attend regularly. The meeting went well and dinner was provided for us by Pastor Dave's wife, which was a plus:)
Everyone was assigned a cooking group, and that group has to make dinner for the evening. My group consisted of Jenna, Rachel, Mike and me. We made 2 egg casseroles and had a nice time getting to know each other.
Well, thats for all, as I need to go get my beauty sleep and call my family:) Heading to the Basilica tomorrow!!!!!
Ciao!

First day of class

Salve l'amico!
I was not able to post any blogs because our internet was down when we got here. Today is the 4th day I've been in Rome and the first day of classes:) To give you an update on the last few days, our flight went smoothly and we did not lose anyone. Once our flight touched the ground, we were off and running as Italy is 6 hours ahead of the United States. We were met by our professors and took a van to the convent, which is an hour away from Fiumicino Airport..
The convent is located on Via Nomentana, which is about a 10 minute bus ride from the Basilica and maybe 20ish from the Pantheon and Colosseo:). The first couple of days were orientation and on Sunday, we all attended the Rome Baptist Church. Kelly (my roommate) and I went exploring in the Piazza Venezia, which has the Colosseo, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Victor Emmanuel II monument, just to name some major sites:). That about brings you up to date on what has been happening the last few days.
This morning, I had only 2 classes: Humanities 300 and Culture Making. I also did some grocery shopping with Kelly and talk about expensive! The euro is currently higher than the U.S dollar, so for a few pieces of lunch meat, it was almost $3! FYI, The Romans don't eat a lot of meat, so for those of you who know me, I like my meat!!! Well, thats all for now and hopefully I will remember to post something at the end of the day.
Ciao!