So... I'm obviously not very good about updating my blog regularly. Oops. Well, I'll try to pick up where I last left off and give you the highlights of the past few weeks.

After Spring Break, life pretty much went back to normal. Or, as normal as a week in Rome could be. For class we continued to explore parts of Rome, including the Caelian Hill, Esquiline Hill, Janiculum Hill, Trastevere, and Vatican City, and learned about their importance to Rome in antiquity. On my own, I too explored to Rome, but simply to enjoy the city and to appreciate it for what it is today. All in all, I've done a lot of walking in the past few weeks, but it's been worth it. I've made some great discoveries and had a lot of fun.

The first Sunday after Spring Break was Palm Sunday, for which I (and a few of my friends) spent the first half of the day at Mass at the Vatican with the Pope. The service was long, and it was very crowded but overall, it was a great experience. How many people say they actual got to go to Mass at the Vatican, let alone the Palm Sunday. Unfortunately I still didn't understand enough Italian to know what was going on, but still... it was great to see.

The weekend after was, of course, Easter weekend. Unlike for the rest of my classmates, it wasn't that busy of a weekend. Chris, one of my friends here, had his Catholic confirmation at an English speaking church on Saturday, which I went to with a few other friends. Then, on Sunday, after spending an hour at the cafe, I simply grabbed a book and an apple and went wondering around the city. I eventually found myself in a secluded park near the Janiculum Hill. It was quiet and green, so I found an old stone bench and camped out there for a few hours. The weather was beautiful, perfect for sitting outside and reading for while.

The next week was our trip to Campania. We started out driving to Terracina and Sperlonga, on the way to the Bay of Naples. The next day, we spent most of our time in the area around Pozzouli, better known as the Burning Fields. We saw many well preserved villas from antiquity as well as many views of the sea. The day concluded with the Naples Museum, after which we headed for the hills to spend the night in Pompeii. The next day, we took a train to Herculaneum and spent the whole day exploring the archaeological site. Simply put: I was a kid in Willy Wonka's Candy Factory. Then, for the last day of the trip, we spent the whole day in the archaeological park of Pompeii. Again, kid in a... well, you get the idea. For the rest of the weekend, the group split up. Four of my classmates took a train back to Rome that night. The rest of us decided to take a train in the other direction and spend that night and the next day in Paestum, a very well preserved ancient Greek town... in southern Italy. The hotel we stayed at was right on the beach, but it was too wet and cold to do more than simply take pictures. Then, after a day spent in the museum and archaeological sight, we found lunch (Btw, best sandwich I've ever had... nothing but fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and tomatoes on bread.) and headed back to Rome.

The days since the Campania trip have been great. Two of my friends from home, Sarah M. and Rebecca, who are studying abroad this semester in Egham, England, came to visit me for a few days. It was nice to be able to show someone from home the city I know and love. It was also nice to simply spend time with someone other than my 8 classmates. Yes, they are all great people, but after spending 3 months with the same 8 people, it was nice to see someone different. Then this weekend, one of my roommates (Ashley) and I went to the beach in Sperlonga and then spend this morning at the Vatican Museums. In the past 48 hours I've done a lot of walking and my back is rather sunburned, but, again, it was well worth it. That seems to be a growing theme of my experiences here in Rome: "it was tiring but amazing."

Well, I should stop procrastinating doing homework. Alas, my stay here in Rome is beginning to come to an end. I only have one week of classes left, followed by one week of finals and one week of archaeological digs. Then (exactly 3 weeks from today, actually) I'll find myself on a flight back to Houston. This semester has sped by and although I miss English speakers and tacos, I'm don't think I'm ready to leave this wonderful city. And I plan to make the most of my last few weeks here.