Backstory: In 2008, my entire family including my grammie, aunt, uncle and two cousins, went on a two week cruise around europe. I was at the end of my freshman year of high school and truly knew that I was going to go to whatever college allowed for me to come back and study abroad. (USD just happens to be ranked #1 in the country, no big). At the time, I was 15, Sarah 14, Catherine 11, Lindsay 9 and Grace was only a little bebe at 5. So crazy to think 5 years feels like yesterday.
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| Florence |
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| This picture was actually taken in Rome. I was all too occupied with my point-and-shoot. Gotta love the highlights and the awkward side bangs. |
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| :: This picture is too good for words :: |
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| Venice (look at those little munchkins!!!) |
That being said, all of us at CEA got our rooming assignments for the fall semester. I will be living with 6 other girls... which is fine. I know how to live with girls. I am a veteran at that.
We got our street address also: Lungotevere Farnesina. A total mouthful. Of course I had to GoogleEarth it...
Lungotevere is direct translation of the Tiber River. Our hotel in Florence was almost ON the Arno so it makes it easy to find your way back home. My roommate and I would always ask directions (in Italian) to get back to the river, because once we were there we could find our way back. I feel like this might be a similar situation.
Just to get an idea of scale, I mapped out walks from my address to the major landmarks in Rome: Pantheon, St. Peter's, the il Coloseo, Fontana di Trevi, etc.
AHHH!!! Only 33 minutes of walking will get me to the Colloseum!!! SO WORTH EVERY STEP. I cannot wait to people watch up the yin yang.
16 minutes walking to St. Peters and the Vatican! Too stoked! The last sunday of every month is free admission so I will be spending as much time with the Sistine Chapel as humanly possible.
Lastly, only a 20 minute walk to the Pantheon. I have loved this landmark since I first laid eyes on it in Mrs. Talle's AP Art History class. The history and significance for paganism, catholicism, and christianity is astounding. My Dad's cousin Laura who lived in Italy says all of her favorite restaurants are in the same Piazza. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of free time there.
I also got my schedule (!!) and I could not be happier. Mondays and Wednesdays I take Theology: New Testament and Catholicism (UD Theology Req.) and Italian 201 (Lang. Req.) and I don't even start til 10:30!!!! (Which means I can get up and walk in the mornings and still look presentable for class!!) Tuesdays I am taking (brace yourself for the awesomeness): Art History: Angels and Demons of the Renaissance and The Culture of Wine and Food in Italy (yes, it's a real class, Dad.) Both of these I get to take for fun!!! I am so ahead in credits that all I needed to accomplish academics wise was my religion and language!
AND... the best part is: drum roll please...... NO THURSDAY CLASS!!!!! Holla for an extra day of traveling!!!!
As of now, it hasn't totally set in that I will be there on Monday (well Tuesday). Everything (roommates, apartment, classes) still seems so other worldly and intangible through all of the technology. But in 4 short days it'll start feeling really real!
Devotissimo Suo,
M
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