Well, I'm now entering into week 5 of my stay here in Rome and have had plenty of adventures the past couple weeks here in Italy.

To start, I'm absolutely loving my archaeology class. The days are long and I have yet to get use to all the walking but it's well worth it. During week 3, we spent our days exploring what was left of the Campus Martius, Forum Boarium, and the Forum Holitorium of ancient Rome. While not much remains of these once busy markets, it allowed us to wonder through some of the most cultured sites of modern Rome, including the Jewish Ghetto. And, as a last treat, our professor took us to Monte Testaccio - "The hill of sherds." This hill, which was gigantic I might add, was made up of nothing but ancient pottery sherds. Literally. It felt wrong to be walking around on top of ancient pottery fragments but there I was, and it was amazing. Talk about a nice surprise to the end of a long week.

That weekend, to escape homework and the hustle and bustle of Rome, a group of us decided to make a day trip up to Assisi, Italy - home to the Basilica of St. Francis. The church was beautiful and was spread across a good portion of the hill the city sat on. After a visit through the grounds, we hiked up to the top of the hill to spend the afternoon playing among the remains of a medieval castle and enjoying the beautiful weather. Assisi sits at the base of Apennine mountain range and, while the hike from the train station was murder, the weather was gorgeous. It was cool but warm in the sun, with a slight breeze and even some remnants of their last snow fall remained on the ground.

What I learned during week 4 of my archaeology class can be summed up with three words: "people gotta eat." We spend both field-trip days in Ostia Antica, the ancient port city of Rome. Some of the things I saw were incredible - including an ancient hotel with the vaulted ceiling perfectly preserved with the frescos still intact! The mosaics were beautiful, used both as decoration and advertisements back in antiquity. I would go into more details, but then I would just sound nerdy. And as much as I would like to share with all of you my knowledge of the ancient economy, it would probably bore you to tears. Just know I felt like a kid in a candy store. I kept wanting to go play hide-and-seek (which has been the favorite past-time of many children, and adults, who have visited the site). But alas, our time in Ostia was up before I knew it.

This weekend was a pretty laid back weekend. I spent a majority of my time catching up on homework and enjoying the beautiful weather. However, on Saturday, a couple of us decided to make a visit to the Villa Borghese Gardens and to the museum there. After goggling at some of Bernini's best works for a couple hours, I (very happily) laid down in the grass under a tree to enjoy the relative quiet that the gardens offered. Then, with my tummy grumbling, I went in search of an afternoon snack and returned home to once more, dive into my mountain of accumulating work.

That's about it for now. My next update may not be for a while as our trip to Tunisia (Yippie!) and midterms (Ugh.) are right around the corner. Just know that more wondrous new tales are on their way. Ciao!

Daily life in Rome and Trip to Florence

I must first apologize for the lack of entries during the last two weeks; I’ve been quite busy. But, a lot of exciting things have happened since those first few days that I wish to share with all of you.

So, after two and a half weeks, I have become well adjusted to my life in Rome. A normal day begins with a cup of coffee from the local bar and a 25 minute walk to the Institute. After attending classes, I head to lunch at l' Insalata Ricca with my friends from the institute. I order my usual, grilled chicken and roasted potatoes. (Yum. This is probably the only meal that I don't eat some form of pasta.) Over lunch we dicuss our plans for the weekend after which we head back to the institute to work on homework. The day ends with a walk home, a trip to the local supermarket for dinner, and, yes, more homework. This may seem like a boring daily routine, but it is the unexpected surprises that occur in between that make my time here worth while.

For instance, about a week ago, a couple of us decided to make a trip over to the Vatican City. And while the weather wasn't the best, it was great to see. St. Peter's square is massive (Picture above). I'd never seen a place like it. And inside, it was even more grand. There was literally gold on every square inch. And of course, the art was amazing. Sometime soon, when Pope Benedict is in town, I plan to go back to here him speak.

Also, I must say that I love my archaeology class. The homework for it is long and tedious but in return, the actual time spent in class is amazing. We go on two fieldtrips every week and listen to lectures literally in front of the momument the professor is talking about. Our first fieldtrip (a week from last Thursday) was to Tarquinia, a city north of Rome. This was a major site of Etruscan power (before the rise of the Romans) and now is an Etruscan burial site. We spent the day exploring tomb after tomb, learning about Etruscan culture and burial rituals from hands on material. It was incredible. Then last Tuesday, our class made a trip to the Capitoline Hill and visited the Capitoline Museums. Again, amazing. And b/c the Institute gets special priviledges, we got to see some behind the scenes stuff. We had a guide lead us to the basement of the museum where we saw its foundation: an old Roman temple. :) Finally, this past Thursday we had a marathon event: The entire Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum (Picture above). And again, we got special priviledges. As well as getting early access to the site (we had the place to ourselves for almost an hour), we were allowed into the famous House of the Griffins. Absolutely beautiful (Picture on the Left). As for this week, I'm not sure yet what's on the agenda, but I'm sure I'll love it.

Although a lot has happened within the past couple weeks, I can't share it all. You would be reading a book. However, there is one last thing I'd like to share and that is my trip to Florence this past weekend. Despite being close to a last minute trip, it was a great experience. Friday morning I hopped onto a train with three other fellow students, ready to get out of Rome and explore new places. Florence, while small, has a lot to keep one busy. During the 48 hours I was there, I visited the Duomo, climbed the dome of the Duome, visited the Ponte Vecchio, saw Dante's house, climbed the hill up to Michaelangelo's Piazza, and spent several hours in the Uffizi Gallery. I slept very well after that marathon but it was well worth it; I had a wonderful Valentine weekend (Pictures Below). And now, it's off to more adventures in Rome until my next excursion within Italy and elsewhere. Ciao.

Arrival and first few days in Rome

Hello from Rome! So finally, after several weeks of waiting and preparations, I’m finally here. And so far, I’m having a blast. I have no complaints (besides very limited access to internet) and am looking forward to the next 16 weeks here. Before I get too excited and tell you all about Rome, I should probably start from the beginning of my travels. (Don’t worry; I’ll keep it brief.)

My adventures began on Wednesday in Houston, TX where I took a 9 hour flight to London. And despite my attempts to sleep, it didn’t really happen. So I arrived in London at 7am on Thursday considerably more tired than expected but happy to be on my way. I saw almost nothing of the airport (I spent most of my attention on getting through the massive line at security.) though I did take a shuttle that drove on the wrong side of the road and had a very interesting conversation with a woman who had a delightful British accent. I was happy. I then met up with one girl from my program and off to Rome we went. My arrival in Rome was accompanied with both surges of excitement and panic. Everything was in Italian with few English translations, but somehow we both managed to get through customs, find the train station, buy a ticket, get on the right train, and get off at the right stop. And after an hour of walking around in circles at the train station, we found the rest of the group and headed to the apartment, where I collapsed for an hour from exhaustion.

So far, the only way I can describe Rome is amazing. Although the initial shock has worn off some, I still find myself stopping to stare every now and then at the incredible views. Everywhere I turn there are 20th century buildings next to 18th century architecture next 13th century apartments next to 1st century monuments. Simply incredible. The apartment I’ll be living in is located in Trastevere next to the Tiber River and south of the Vatican. The following picture is the view outside my bedroom window. The Institute, where I will be going to school, is located in the heart of Rome, literally across the street from the ancient Roman Forum and Capitoline Hill.

My program through the American Institute of Roman Culture specializes in Classics and Archaeology and is consequently very small, with a grand total of only 9 students in the program. But so far, we all get along very well together and enjoy spending time with each other. As classes didn’t start until today, our group has spent our first few days exploring the city, getting to know our way around, seeing the sites, and learning some of the local language. (Only 2 of the 9 students in the program can moderately speak Italian. And I’m not one of them.) Italians are wonderful people (very helpful and forgiving) but contrary to popular belief, few of them speak English unless involved with tourism. But I’m learning, and so far I can say most of the basics (Hello, Goodbye, Thank you, Excuse Me, and How much?) plus a few other random phrases. (I can also successfully order a sandwich in Italian. Yippie!)

The food is great (though I miss my tex-mex) and includes lots of bread and tomatoes (as was expected). I also am convinced I’ll return to the States in 4 months at least 15 pounds lighter. I’ve always enjoyed walking but I have NEVER walked so much in my life as I have in the past few days. I’ve calculated it and I’m averaging about 8 to 10 miles of walking a day easily. (The walk to and from the Institute is 5 miles in itself. Then you have to add trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, and Laundromat, plus any site seeing we want to do.) That’s a lot of walking. (And something else to note, cobblestone streets are very unforgiving on one’s feet. Even with comfy shoes.)

During the semester I’ll be taking three classes: Introductory Italian, Advanced Latin, and the six hour credit course The Archaeology and Topography of Rome. Classes will be intense, with lots of reading and homework, but the program includes weekly fieldtrips to ancient sites in Rome (some with access to things no other university has access to). And during the semester, we also plan to visit Ostia, Pompeii, and Tunisia (The location of the ancient city of Carthage. Yes!)

There is little else to report (besides the fact that Italian soap operas are hilarious to watch). I miss home and American food and English speakers but I’m still very excited to be here. I’ll try and keep everyone as updated as possible on all my adventures while here in Rome (provided that I can find a way to access internet regularly). Best wishes to all, both those in the U.S. and abroad! Ciao.

P.S. I’m sending out my request again, but if anyone would like a postcard, let me know and send me an address. Otherwise, you might not get one…

Hello all! Due to popular demand, I have decided to appease the masses and post the first entry of my blog (despite not having gone anywhere yet). As you all know, instead of spending this semester at Trinity University, I'm off to Rome, Italy to study at the American Institute of Roman Culture. As well as taking classes focusing on classical studies and archaeology, I'll also have the chance to participate in several archaeological digs in rural Italy and perhaps even travel to the ancient city of Carthage *fingers crossed*. But why Italy? you ask. Good question. As of right now, I know little of modern Italian culture and my command of the Italian language is close to non-existent. But hey, that's the point of study abroad, right? And despite the growing number of butterflies in my stomach, I'm more excited than ever to start this once in a lifetime adventure. It will be here that I will regularly post stories and pictures of this "voyage of exploration" to share with all of you. So for now, it's a couple more weeks of preparations and then, it's off to Rome to, well... do as the Romans do. :)