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Published: February 14th 2008
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Oh what a day! After 26 hours of travel, I have finally arrived to Rome. Mom, Dad, and I woke at the crack of dawn (aka: 5:45AM) to head towards Indianapolis airport. It was still dark outside and there was about 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. Good thing I decided to bring my big, WARM coat after a long debate with Mom (haha). My flight from Indianapolis to Chicago left at 10:40AM. My sister, Andrea, met us at the airport to say her good-byes. After two Northwest Airline delays and an emotional good-bye from my mother, I set off through security hoping I had all my necessary documents. I realized just how small the world is... when I ran into Brooke Hilsmeyer on the other side of security. She was waiting in line at the women's restroom with a group of students from Purdue. Weird huh? So I set out to my gate and waited. The flight from Indy to Chicago was short. I read through my book on Rome (a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad) and wrote down my list of places to visit. It was long...too long...I realized I was going to have to do
some eliminating.
Before I knew it I was in Chicago. I found the baggage claim with no problem, but I waited...and waited...and waited...No bags. Bridget, Molly, Sammi, and Jess all were waiting for me to meet up with them at the Lufthansa gate, but I didn't have my bags. Small freak-out was coming...I pictured myself having to go to Italy with no luggage. I did not like this idea! Bridget and Mr. Ronayne (her dad) were on their way to fetch me. It was now 2 hours until our flight to Munich departed...still no luggage. HA...I was relieved to see my red suitcase coming around on the belt...my black one was right behind it.
I found Bridget and Mr. Ronayne, and then we took the terminal to the Lufthansa gate. My suitcases were weighed...Dad: You would be proud to know that I, your daughter, had the lightest suitcases of the group. That is an accomplishment for me! haha... Bridget, Molly, Jess, and Sammi all said their good-byes to their parents, and the five of us set out to discover what traveling abroad was all about. Task 1: Make sure to give the security checker-in guy the
right ticket...not the ticket to get home! Task 2: FIND FOOD!!!
The girls and I caught up on exciting Christmas Break/New Years events. Before we knew it, we were on the plane to Rome, and the airline attendants were speaking German to us. Yes, I am from I German town, Jasper,...but I didn't understand a word!! It was at this instance when I realized my means of communication were lost. It was the weirdest feeling in the world. I studied Italian for 3 semesters, but now it occurred to me that I would be forced to use the Italian language. I would actually have to put to use what I had learned in the classroom...WHAT? oh yah...that's why I go to college...! and so I came to reason "Hey Micki, you're not in the U.S. anymore!"...oh what I had in store for me...
I sat next to Sammi on the plane. It lasted 8 and 1/2 hours. There were about a dozen Saint Mary's girls on the flight. Surprisingly, I knew only a couple...so we introduced ourselves and shared our excitement towards our stay in the eternal city. Even though I got four hours of sleep
the night before, I could not sleep. The flight attendants brought our dinner--chicken and rice. The food was alright, and one wouldn't be surprised to know that I ate it. They then brought out some wine. Me, thinking we had to pay for it, refused. Later, I found out it was free...how stupid of Sammi and I!! haha...
We got into Munich, Germany REALLY early in the morning! We (the Saint Mary's girls) found our gate, and all of us passed out on the benches. We made sure at least one of us stayed awake so we wouldn't miss our flight/get mugged. We waited in Munich for about 3.5+ hours!! The flight from Munich to Rome was about 2 hours, but I fell asleep before take-off and woke up after we landed...so I missed out on seeing the countryside.
Miss Hoffman met us with a blue Saint Mary's College sign... like seen in the movies. My exhaustion left, and I was feeling quite ready to explore my new home. We loaded our luggage onto the charter bus and drove to the Hotel Tiziano. The drive was not that far at all, but I wondered to myself
why Italy had "Lion King" trees everywhere along the countryside. Then I saw a couple palm trees...I then concluded that Italy is a very diverse country with Africa trees and palm trees to signify this characteristic.
Miss Hoffman told us our room assignments. When doing so, I discovered that she knew where Jasper is... She told me her dad grew up in Jasper, and her family returns there often to visit family. Again...Small world!! (Wow...I have learned so much on this study abroad trip already!!)
Jess, Sam, and I are rooming together. Our room seemed pretty small at first, but we made do!! We have very limited clothing space. Later in the evening, we had a short orientation in our classroom building. Our classroom building is right across the street from our hotel...BUT we have to cross a really busy street, populated by MANY motorini!! After our orientation, my family-Jess, Sam, Bridget, and Molly- went to a nearby restaurant called l'Insalata Ricca. It was just want we needed...FOOD! After dinner, we set out to explore Rome. We came across a big, ancient-looking building.
-"Hhmmm this looks important"..."
-"Do you know what this is?"
-"Is there a
sign or something?"
-"We should probably know what this is...'
-"Hey...I think it's THE PANTHEON!!!"
-"No...it can't be"
-"oh...okay"
So we drowned our confusion in gelatò...I LOVE ROME ALREADY!!! Then we returned to the Hotel Tiziano and quickly fell asleep in our new "dorm room", dreaming about the adventures that awaits us and the ruins of Rome that we will soon discover.
*Side note: It was the Pantheon... haha!!...smart studentesse dell'italia!!
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LUCKY YOU!!!
MICHELLE: I REALLY ENJOYED YOUR 1ST INSTALLMENT. WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS. PLEASE SEND MORE INFO AND PICTURES IF YOU HAVE THE TIME. ENJOY YOURSELF AND DO NOT FORGET TO STUDY!!! SLICK