Rome at it's FINEST!!!

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hey everyone!! i am sorry it has been so very long since i have written! i have not had access to a computer since tuesday...ahhh!!! but i should be able to get some more time with them today!! so i hope everyone is doing well because i miss you all so much! Rome has been great, but it has also been extremely hard being away from everyone with people i don't know, and it has taken some time to get use to it and find a group of people to hang out with, but i think i finally got the hang of things!! plus, there are 18 people on this trip, and there are 5 couples so more than half of the group only hang out with their significant others. but anyway, wednesday was a busy day... we saw the Villa Farnesina, the Theater of Marcellus, several temples and I gave a site report on the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin. the site reports had to be prepared ahead of time and it's just a little presentation we give on a certain place. i really enjoyed it and it went very well. some tourists came in and stopped to listen to me talk, and some construction workers also came over and listened and they all applauded me when i was done... it was pretty fun!! i've been takin a bunch of pictures but i don't really have the time to put them up... sorry! but i'll definitely be showing everyone when i get back! thursday was awesome! we went to the palatine hill and saw the palace of domitian and many other very cool things. we had a picnic and had the best of the best! we had ham, olives, wine, cheese, and bread called pizza bianca...and it's AMAZING!!! the food is soo good!! then we saw the arch of constantine before we went to the colosseum. it was soo cool being able to finally see the colosseum because i have always heard so much about it. i really enjoyed it because it was so easy to imagine what the romans would have been doing and seeing while they were actually there. it's kinda sad that it is in ruins now, but they have preserved it really well and i'm actually surprised it is still standing!! the coolest part of the colosseum was a cross that had been put up right when you walk into the arena because of its declaration of holy ground since so many christians were martyred there. i thought that was pretty stinkin awesome!! that night a group of us went to the piazza navona and had a wonderful italian dinner then we walked around and just experienced the roman night life. one of the girls had a friend here so we met up with her and when we found out where she was staying, we decided to walk her home because it was soo far away. well, we ended up running into the pantheon, the trevi fountain, trajan's column, hadrian's temple, the baths of diocletian, and some amazing baroque churches. we really didn't plan to see all that stuff, but around every corner in rome is another marvelous thing to see. once we got her back, we were sooo far from where we are staying and we were tired and didn't want to walk so we got on the subway and rode it to the circus maximus, then we walked to the tram (we had to cross the tiber to get there!) well apparently we were very tired because we missed our stop, so we had to get off at the next one and hop on one going the other direction. then, as if that wasn't enough, we were walking down the sidewalk and 4 italian guys drove by us and slowed down and were tryin to talk to us but we just ignored them cuz we wanted them to go away. well they turned so we thought they had left, but then they came right back. it was extremely awkward. so we finally got away by crossing the street behind a garbage truck that briefly separated us, but it was crazy! the next day (friday) was our free day, so we slept til about 1230 then we had planned on goin to the botanical gardens. well, there was a transportation strike so none of the trams were working and we're staying in trastevere, which is actually quite far from the main city center, so we had to walk. we got there and they yelled at us and told us to come back tomorrow, well it turned out that they were closed for cleaning. so we just walked back to our hotel and had a very uneventful freeday. we had a lot of reading for class and i had to catch up on journal entries so i spent most of my night doing that. then one of my roommates cooked dinner and it was amazing! it was pasta with sauce that had bell and banana peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions, sausage, and seasoning!! oh my goodness it was probably the best thing ever!! well, i don't know about that... this gelato is stinkin amazing over here!! its like ice cream but it is sooo much better and is much more natural!! we have tried to get a gelato a day since we've been here!! then we had class again today at 9-1130, split for lunch...i got pizza!!!..., then met up again at the largo argentina. we then went to the crypto balbo, which was some museum but it was actually pretty boring! then we went to the pantheon (again) and the piazza navona. after that we walked to the ara pacis (meaning altar of peace, it was built by augustus), and then we saw the mausoleum of augustus (where he and his family were buried)! it's been very cool to see so much of rome, but it is almost tiring because it's so busy and there is so much to do!

but the coolest thing is that tomorrow we are going to the vatican for noon mass and are going to be blessed by the pope! ((so kyle, if you're awake about 5am, watch for me in a blue shirt and skirt!!!)) it's completely optional but hey, when else would i have the opportunity?! i am very excited because it means that they are cutting class shorter so that we can go!! ((we have no weekends here...grrr!!)) hehe, oh well! but anyway, i hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and i can't wait to see you when i get back!! sorry this entry is so long... it's rough not having a computer for 3 days!! i love you all so much and i am so grateful to everyone who has kept me in your prayers!! CIAO CIAO!!

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Comments

[twin b]

i love u sis and u better get me a bottle of wine blessed by the pope

[The Super Awesome Boyfriend]

walk, walk, walk, sight see, walk, walk, walk...
What are you gonna do for the rest of your stay in Rome? Cuz it sounds like you've seen everything already!!! That'll be really cool getting blessed by the Pope! Now you KNOW you'll be safe while you're there!! The food sounds AMAZING! You make want to go to Olive Garden or something tonight... :-) I love and miss ya!! Be safe!