First few days in Roma

Hey y'all!

So, I arrived in Roma yesterday morning... I was only able to sleep for about two hours on the plane, so I was pretty exhausted all day. But, I got to watch three movies that I had been wanting to see for a really long time, so it's all good. I watched Madagascar 2 (hilarious), Yes Man (very funny), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (sooo good!). Anyway, it was nice to see three free movies and totally worth it to miss some sleep. :)

I met up with three other guys in my program (there are 15 students total), and a driver from the American Institute of Roman Culture picked us up to drive us to our apartments in Roma on Via Rasella. It was nice to be the only girl because the driver carried one of my bags. Haha :)

Our apartments are SO nice (pictures will be posted soon) and really are right in the heart of Roma. We are within five minutes walking distance to both the Trevi Fountain (which we pass on our way to class every day) and the Spanish Steps. It is just an absolutely beautiful part of town, and it is quite safe.

After getting our apartments set up, we met up with some other students in our program and explored the area a bit. We went in some beautiful churches that made me extremely excited to be a Catholic in Roma. After a few hours of exploring, we headed back to apartments to shower and get ready for dinner. At six, we all met up to walk around together, and then we headed through the Forum to dinner. While eating, we met our two Italian professors and got to know them a little bit. They are both extremely nice and seem really excited about teaching us about Roma.

After dinner, the group headed home. We ended the night with a classy glass of vino and a game of Catchphrase where the girls dominated the boys.

Today, Meagan and Chris joined me for mass... at the PANTHEON! It was amazing. We got up around nine and got coffee and croissants at a place that is reputed to serve the best coffee in Roma. It was fabulous. Mass in the Pantheon was incredible, even though we couldn't understand everything that was being said... Some was in English and and other parts were in French, German, and Italian. Thank goodness I'm Catholic because I had a pretty decent idea of what was happening most of the time. Haha :)

After Mass, the group met at noon for a tour of the city. We saw Piazza de Fiori where we ate some delicious lunch, the Pantheon, some parts of the Forum, and a lot of other places that I really can't spell.

My internet is about to run out, so I must sign off. However, I'll keep y'all updated about my adventures.

I'm loving this trip so much!

Ciao,
Ashley

Safe in Roma

I have landed safely in ROMA! I will post about my first day soon.

I love you all!

Ciao,
Ashley

PS - I am in love with Roma.

Last few days in America!!

Hey y'all -

I set up this blog so that my family and friends would be able to know what I am up to during my six weeks in Italy this summer! I'll try to keep this blog updated about my adventures in Europe so that y'all know what I've been doing. Also, I just bought an amazing new camera, so hopefully I'll be able to figure out how I can upload pictures of my trip to this blog, too.

I left Austin on Wednesday (yesterday) when my mom drove me to San Antonio for my flight to Atlanta. I started getting REALLY excited during the drive... I think the fact that I'm going to ROMA for six weeks finally hit me! :)

Anyway, my flight went really well, and I met up with Kimberly and Chris (my sister and brother-in-law) at the Atlanta airport. We went to a late dinner and then back to their apartment for the night. Today, Kimberly took off work, so she and I went to a late lunch and get pedicures. Then, we went shopping to buy clothes for our trips to ROMA. :) After that, we went to get get some gelato at Paolo's. Then, we picked up Chris from work and went back to their apartment for a bit. Kimberly and I went to dinner, and now we're all just sitting around watching basketball and TV before heading to bed.

I'm really excited about leaving for ROMA tomorrow! I still can't believe that I'm leaving quite yet. I'm going to see so much beautiful art and architecture and experience an entire new culture for the next month and a half. I'm sure I'll miss Texas and America, but I'm so excited to spend some of this summer in Europe.

Thanks for letting me go study abroad this summer, Mom!

I love you all, and I'll write soon from ROMA!

Ciao,
Ashley