Only one more week left in Rome and it is finals time. The actual study part of study abroad is incredibly difficult. We all think it should be just called "Abroad" and there should not be finals.
First off, arm update: I have full range of motion back in my arm and can do most everything I want to now. It is still slightly sore from time to time and I am working on getting my strength back in it but overall my recovery went very well! Yay!
This past week has been crazy busy! We started out with class in the Roman Forum with our history professor who is probably my favorite professor over my entire study abroad experience. His name is Jan and he has appeared on the history channel so you can watch him there! After the Roman Forum we all visited the Colosseum which has been on my to-do list this entire trip. It was such a cool experience and such a big part of history that we always see pictures of but you wonder if you will ever be there in person. This whole trip has been full of those experiences but the Colosseum was one of the best ones for me.
hanging out at the Colosseum
Tuesday morning we climbed St. Peter's Dome and had an amazing view of Vatican City and Rome. It was a little windy and a little rainy but still so much fun! That night we attended the Opera. We saw Simon Boccanegra and we had private box seats on the highest level. It was really cool to sit in a box at the Opera, however, the box seats do have a slightly limited viewing range depending on what angle you are sitting at. Keep that in mind all future opera goers:)
view from the top of St. Peters
On Thursday we toured some catacombs with our Theology professor and then we had our first final in Art History and I am glad it is over with! That night we attended the ballet and saw a modern rendition of The Nutcracker. It was the strangest rendition I have seen but it was still very cool to see an Italian ballet.
The next morning we traveled to Ostia Antica with our history professor and had a walking tour of the old city. It was once a thriving port city back in Ancient times that eventually died out and it is full of ruins similar to Pompeii but not quite as big. After our lovely day trip we came back and had our group Christmas party. We exchanged our final secret santa gifts and then handed out trip awards. This past week we all voted for 2 awards per person on the trip (one serious and one funny). I was awarded Best Photography and Most likely to post something to Facebook. We also had another big potluck dinner with potato pancakes, pasta, ham and cheese roll ups, brownies, cookies, and fruit salad! It was delicious!
Loading up our plates at the Christmas party
Yesterday some of us did some last minute shopping and visited the Christmas market of Piazza Navona. There are many Christmas/holiday markets all over Rome right now equipped with Santa's, sweet treats, street performers, and booths of hats/scarves, and holiday decorations. It was almost more like a mini-carnival than just a regular market. Then we went to the Roma v Firenze soccer game. It was probably one of my favorite experiences my entire time spent in Italy. The fans are crazy and although it is an open air stadium it was packed last night. The energy of the crowd was amazing and everyone was dressed in some sort of Roma gear. Our seats were right behind the goal and we were surrounded by fans cheering and waving flags and singing songs. Every time a goal was scored the entire crowd went crazy. It was definitely a must-do activity while in Italy! The final score was 4-2 and Roma won! Such a fun night with a great group of people!
At the Roma game!
It is very bittersweet that this journey is coming to an end. I am so thankful for my family for making this possible and the great group of people I have met because of this program. I couldn't have asked for a better group and a better experience abroad.
I will be home one week from tomorrow. How time flies when you're having fun!
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