Did you miss me?

I miss all of you!

I have a million things to write about, so prepare yourself for a massive post. You might want to tackle it in parts, the way I would my Latin translation...

In exactly two weeks I will be on a plane flying back to the United States, which means my study abroad experience will officially be over. It's a very weird mix of feelings. At the beginning of the semester 3 and a half months felt like an eternity. It seemed as if I would live in the land of pasta, ancient ruins, and frantic gesticulation for all time. I went on field trip after exhausting field trip, and the weeks slipped by. Now only four field trips remain and we only have one more trip on the bus!

I am very anxious to come home. Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder as there are things I never expected to miss, that I am absolutely homesick for, like an American grocery store or simply listening to the radio. I am not so foolish to wish the rest of my time here away. The moment I step on that plane my adventures abroad will be over (for now), and that is a sad thought. I am lucky enough that I will probably return, but there are no definite plans. I doubt I can even imagine all of the things (and people!) I will miss when I leave. Over the course of my semester I have often wished that I could be in two places at once and I can imagine that that feeling will continue even after I return.

I have been busy (always so busy!) the last month. We took our second all program trip, this time to southern Italy in the region of Campania. I saw the beautiful Naples, and also went to Pompeii. Visiting the archeological park at Pompeii was definitely a highlight of my whole semester. We spent a full day there (from when it opened until the sun set and the park closed) and it was truly amazing. Of course spending that much time outside wandering around was tiring, but I really did enjoy all of the time. As soon as I got back from Campania, my friend Valerie, who is studying in Paris, came to visit Rome and I got to spend quality time with her for the weekend. It was nice to catch up and just be in the same place as her for a while, I'm definitely looking forward to next semester when we'll be suitemates! The following weekend my friend Jodi, who is working in London, came and we had an amazing time hanging out, and as an added bonus I finally got to see the Sistine Chapel. I believe that catches us up to this weekend, which was a bit of a disappointment. I had planned all along to visit Sofia O. in Florence this weekend, but our plans were foiled by a strike of the Italian train workers! I'm even more thankful now that I got to see her in Rome, she won't be back at Rice until next fall!


This the Forum of Pompeii. In the background is Mt. Vesuvius, which is the volcano that erupted and covered the city in ash, tragically killing everyone, yet preserving all of the structures.



One of the amazing aspects of my program is that it has been around for several decades and has cultivated relationships with a lot of people. Because of this we get special permission to see things that are not open to the public. Above is a mosaic from inside a bath complex in Pompeii, that most people never get to see!


This my friend Rachel and me looking into the sun as we take a picture. We're at a villa in Pompeii.


This is a wall fresco from one of the "exclusive" villas we were allowed to see. The coloration and detail is so amazing but it was made before 79 AD when the volcano erupted!


This is carbonized bread that was left on a table during the eruption. The museum had several other artifacts like carbonized grains, fruits, and many personal items.

This is a shot taken on the bus. We spend so much time on the bus it seemed like an important thing to include.


This is a row of fountains taken at a Villa we stopped at. It's not classical and I don't really know anything about it... except that it's pretty!!


This is a structure I gave a report on. It's the Serapeum at Hadrian's Villa. The half-dome ceiling is actually constructed "like a pumpkin" as an ancient architect criticized. The dome is alternated between four sections of flat roofing and four sections of concave roofing. Water would stream down the walls by a complex series of piping, and they would hold dinner parties here. I could tell you more but even I'm getting bored....




Here are two crazy Centristi (Lisa Geiger and Grant) posing on statue bases.


We saw this sign on Thanksgiving. It struck me as pretty hilarious. I have not eaten at a McDonalds in Rome, but I hear it's actually pretty tasty. It's also kind of expensive 6 euros or something...


This is Trajan's column (in Rome) we were going to go up into it (there are stairs inside!) but it was apparently a safety hazard or something.

These are the remains of the Temple of August. Nikkei is doing a good job to show the scale of the temple.


Alright I'll try and post more before I leave. I've already made a list of things I'm looking forward to and things I'm going to miss!