So, clubbing in Roma is fun.

Hey beautiful people!

Before I forget, I just want to say that I'm SO excited to see Mom, Kim, and Chris in less than THREE DAYS!! :) I can't wait to hang out with them in Roma and Venice for the next few weeks.

That being said, I'm really sad that I have only one day of class left. This program has been amazing - I've learned so much and had a lot of fun doing it.

I've missed blogging the past few days... Here's what I've been up to!

On Monday evening, I went to dinner at That's Amore near Via Rasella (our apartments). Meagan, Chris, Ishanee, Apu, and Shyam and I ate some really really delicious food! I had a calzone with broccoli in it. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of broccoli, but I was feeling bold and decided to try something new. It was so delicious. Now, I like broccoli, so congratulations for making the impossible possible Italia! :)

After dinner, we all went to write (in my case, edit) our papers that were due Tuesday. Then, Shyam and I went to a little bar/cafe near the Barberini metro station for a congratulatory drink for finishing our papers. I had my first cosmopolitan, and it was absolutely amazing. We ran into Chris who was working on his papers at a table in the bar/cafe, and then Shyam and I went up to the second floor where there were tables with a great lookout of the piazza. Shyam and I chatted for a while, swapping stories about life, and then decided we should go to bed. These early mornings are starting to make me sleepy. :)

Oh, we had the most amazing waitress! She was hilarious, and she kept teasing Shyam and I for leaving "our other friend" (Chris) downstairs reading and writing while we had fun upstairs. Haha, she was hilarious. Oh, and there was a REALLY drunk guy sitting upstairs who was talking to himself for about twenty minutes. Then, when he left, he came up to us and said "I really like Americans! Americans are good!" Gooood times in Roma.

So, Shyam and I went back to our apartments to go to bed. I chatted with Apu and Ishanee for a bit, and then climbed into bed, exhausted.

Tuesday, I woke up and got ready. We caught a bus near Barberini going toward a park near the Mouth of Truth. After getting cappuccinos, we went to the park to wait for KG to meet us. It was a beautiful day, and it felt really good to just lay down in the grass before the day started.

We met up with KG and went to go see an ancient meeting place for members of the Cult of Mithras. Apparently, not very many people get permission to visit because there was an intricate system of alarms in place. The alarm system was so good that it went off twice even when the guy who was authorized to open the gates was opening them. The meeting place of the Cult of Mithras was actually really interesting - not like any church that I'd want to attend, but it was cool for an hour or so. :)

After that, we went to Tiber Island to look at the ancient hospital. Our visit there was very brief. (But, Alex kicked butt at her presentation!!)

Then, we went to go visit another meeting place of the cult of Mithras. The Church of San Clemente was really cool - it had a Catholic Church and a bunch of other ancient cult meeting places underneath. Very cool.

After that, we rode a bus back to the AIRC and had a discussion about some of our reading. Most of our discussion was about religion so it was really interesting for me.

Then, Alex, Royce, Adam, and I headed back to our apartments and ate some lunch at a pizza place next door on Via Rasella. Alex and I went to her apartment where I watch HSM 3 (so good!) and some HIMYM. Then, I went to my apartment to take a shower and get ready for the night.

We went to dinner at an Italian place near Termini. The Venice group had eaten there the night they got back to Roma. It was really good - and a lot of people went, so it was a lot of fun. So, I had tortellini last night, and I had forgotten how much I LOVE tortellini. So delicious.

After dinner, we went back to the boys' apartment and hung out for a bit. Then, some of us went out to a bar/club near Piazza Navona. It ended up being Alex, Vicki, Apu, Ishanee, Meagan, Shyam, Chris, and Royce. It was a lot of fun - I miss dancing SO much. We stayed for about an hour and a half, then we had to go home. (Early mornings!) :)

We got to sleep in a bit this morning. Some of us met on our way to the Pantheon and had cappuccinos at a new place - Tazo D'Oro (The Golden Cup). It was really good! Anyway, it was right next to the Pantheon, so we stayed there for a bit and then walked to the Pantheon when it was time to meet KG.

We walked from the Pantheon to the Sant'Ivo courtyard. It was beautiful - a mixture between Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Today, we walked around seeing beautiful Renaissance architecture. We had a guest teacher (Dr. Irene Baldriga), and she was so much fun. Very knowledgeable and passionate about what she was teaching.

We went into a Baroque church (San Andrew), and it was the most beautiful church I've ever seen. Seriously, I was blown away.

We ended class today in Piazza Navona with some gelato (it had been like six days since I'd had gelato, and it was really good). Some of us hung out there for a bit, just relaxing. Then, Alex and I walked back to our apartments with the Three Stooges (Adam, Royce, and Daniel). I promise that's an endearing name. :)

Alex and I worked on some class stuff for a bit, and then I left to go do some shopping. It was a perfect day for shopping. I bought a new scarf, a keychain, an Italia jacket (so cute), and a Roma bag.

Then, Meagan and I went to go hang out with Alex in her apartment for a bit. Because Meagan and I both happened to forget our keys. Oops. Anyway, we all watched an episode of HIMYM. It was the one with the best burger in NYC. So, Meagan and I started really craving a burger. It's embarrassing, but we went with David to go eat at Burger King. So embarrassing. But it was delicious.

After that, I came to the AIRC to work on my presentation (it's tomorrow afternoon) a bit. We had a review session for our HUM class, and now I'm just catching up on my blog!

I'm about to go take a shower and then go out to dinner with some people from the group. We're going to Da Baffetto! :) Yummy pizza.

We're probably going out dancing again tonight - can't forget how to dance while I'm in Europe! :)

I'm sad that I can't watch the CWS tonight - Hook 'em horns! Cheer hard for me, please!

Ciao,
Ashley

PS - FAMILY IN < THREE DAYS!!!