Writer's Block

As the new year approches, I have been struggling to think of things to write about. Each Monday, I have sat down at my computer and tried to come up with something to post, but as you can see, for the last 4 Mondays I have been unsuccessful. For those of you that have been following me from the very beginning when this blog was "Make Way for Alligators", it has been a year and a half now. Unfortunately, I have written about all of the "timely things" such as New Years Resolutions, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and more. As 2013 rolls around, I would feel weird writing about those same subjects again for much of the content would probably be the same. My daily life in Gainesville is not nearly exciting enough for me to write about, trust me. Being almost entirely consumed by school, I'm afraid that my blog would become much too educational for my liking.

So, here's the plan. I will be taking a hiatus from my weekly blog posting until further notice. I don't expect this to be very long, but I think I need some time let my brain relax. Hopefully after this break I will have come up with and stored away great material to write about for many Mondays to come. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you...which I'm assuming is none. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic start to the year 2013. That is, of course, assuming the Mayans were wrong and we all make it past December 21, 2012.

President Obama Re-Elected

Well, it's official. With the re-count of Florida finally in, President Obama will have another four years in the White House. On November 6, all of America tuned into their televisions as the votes trickled in and the projections started being made. For the first hour or two, Republicans felt pretty comfortable that Romney would win this election. At the time, he had many more electoral votes than Obama and was also leading in the popular vote. Democrats, however, were also extremely confident that President Obama would win this election. As the voting polls in the more populous states began to close, it became clear that Governor Romney would need to win almost all of the battleground states to pull out a victory in this election. Even at the sight of this large feat, Republicans remained confident and assured their viewers that Romney would pull out a "straight-line" victory. As 10:30 p.m. approached, none of the critical states could be accurately called as all of them were still too close to call. Just after 11:00 p.m., breaking news came in that President Obama would win Ohio. The Democratic Headquarters was beyond excited as this would almost surely secure President Obama four more years in the White House. The Republican Headquarters was quiet and tense as the audience stared at the television hoping for some sort of miracle for Governor Romney. That miracle would never come. President Obama would go on to win Virginia, Nevada, Colorado, and Florida giving him 332 electoral votes, many more than the 270 required for re-election. President Obama would also win the popular vote by almost 4 million votes. The last time than an incumbent lost re-election was George Bush Sr., so it was most definitely a stretch for Governor Romney to pull out a "W". Despite his loss, Romney clearly gave Obama a run for his money in what ended up being a pretty close election.

It's clear that America is changing, both demographically and in our mindset, and America wants a President that sees this change and views it as progress. I hope, and am optimistic in the idea that, without another election in his future, President Obama will be more apt to work with both parties and accomplish more of the goals that he had previously set out to do. To his defense, this is no easy feat. America is clearly divided, which I find to be very discouraging. I think that both parties need to make significant changes and an effort to work together. Some say that in order to have a chance at winning the election in 2016, Republicans need to completely rebrand their party and come to the middle on issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Unfortunately, these are two of the issues that Republicans believe most strongly in and the likelihood of that happening seems to be very slim. In my opinion, America is at a very critical point in its history. I will be very interested to see what happens in these next four years. I hope that in 2016 we will see an America that truly has moved forward as President Obama has so coined the term.

One Week Until The Election

Alright ladies and gentlemen. We are officially one week away from the 2012 presidential election. Next Tuesday, (weather permitting) America will make its way to the voting polls and cast their ballots. Analysts are claiming that this could be the closest election since 2000, and Ohio could very well be the deciding state. As candidates are trying to put in their final words and last attempts at persuasion, Hurricane Sandy hits the northeast coast. Meteorologists claim that this storm will be felt by nearly one third of the United States. Hurricane Sandy has already caused 26 storm related deaths and millions are without power. New York City is almost unrecognizable as cars float down the flooded streets of Times Square.

So, what does this powerful storm mean for the final week leading up to the election? Well, immediately it has forced both candidates to cancel campaign appearances. With the race as close as it is, these final week appearances were critical for both President Obama and Governor  Romney. Some news stations are saying that this storm will benefit President Obama not only by giving him the opportunity to act "presidential" in handling this natural disaster, but also by possibly slowing the steady momentum that Governor Romney had been gaining in the past few weeks. As voters focus on this storm, Republicans worry that the independent voters may forget about the debates and provide Romney with some what of a uphill climb as November 6th approaches. That being said, I believe that both candidates are doing the politically correct thing by essentially not making this storm political. It's important that in these times of trial and disaster competition is temporarily set aside to "come together" as a nation.

Stay safe in this crazy weather, and I will see you next week when we will have a winner of this 2012 presidential election!

Vice Presidential Debate 2012

Contrary to the Presidential Debate last week, the debate between Vice President Biden and Congressman Ryan struggled to name a clear winner. However, if one had to be chosen, most sources say that Vice President Joe Biden was the victor. The style of this debate was polar opposite to the Presidential Debate we saw just a week ago: both candidates were seated and the tone was much more combative. Now I don't believe that either of these characteristics are inherently negative, but I did not "enjoy" this debate nearly as much as President Obama versus Governor Romney. Whether it was through masking laughs (or in Biden's case, outright laughing), interruptions, or consistently fact checking the other candidate, it was clear that these two men had no intentions of playing clean tonight. Biden had some serious work to do following his boss's performance in convincing America that the two really do want to be reelected this November, and Ryan was expected to continue the energy and solid performance of Governor Romney.

In my opinion, I found the moderator to be biased in favor of Joe Biden. After asking around, I received mixed opinions. Political party affiliation had no effect on opinions, so I can only conclude that it depends on the person. I saw a woman who worded questions in favor of Biden and often challenged Ryan on what he was saying. She continually pressed for more information, which in many people's opinion made her a great moderator. In mine, however, I saw it as helping Biden in making his points. Biden received many comments about his performance, and most of the negative ones referenced his constant interruption and blatant laughing at Ryan. Despite his etiquette, Biden was still named the winner by most sources.

One of the last topics discussed was defense and foreign policy. Each candidate has clearly different views on what America should be doing abroad. Having grown up in a strong military family, I have the upmost appreciation for our troops. I would love a world in which everyone got along and war wasn't a concern, but that won't happen in this lifetime. Having accepted that fact, I strongly believe in having an equipped military. I find it hard to justify backing out of every operation abroad when on September 11, 2012 we experienced a terrorist attack in Libya. It's clear through the increasing attacks, protests, and crimes towards the United States of America that was are not every country's friend and still have very real enemies in this world. Better safe than sorry.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's second Presidential Debate as it will focus much on foreign policy. I am eager to hear both sides' opinions, but almost more eager to see the energy and attitude that President Obama will bring following his poor prior performance. I highly doubt that President Obama will let Governor Romney walk away with another victory so easily. I am expecting (and hoping) for a much more engaging debate tomorrow evening.

Round One: Romney

Last week, President Obama and Governor Romney participated in their first debate leading up to the election in November. I was very excited for this debate as I am still looking to finalize my decision on who I will be voting for. The results of the debate, however, surprised me. Both Democratic and Republican sources named Romney the clear winner of the debate. America knows President Obama for being a compelling speaker, and on Wednesday, we were all shocked. President Obama gave off the presence that he just didn't want to be there and wasn't prepared at all for the debate. President Obama's body language was submissive, and also dismissive. He wasn't able to retort to many of Governor Romney's comments and often laughed off Romney's statistics. Romney's constant eye contact with the President and correction of the statistics President Obama was revealing let him easily dominate the stage and get his points across much more clearly and compelling than President Obama.

If I'm being completely honest, I didn't fully understand much of what was being said. I was either analyzing the delivery too much or I simply don't understand much of politics. What I did hear was both candidates talk of a balanced budget for our country, though both presented different definitions of what that entails. The passive aggressiveness of both candidates made me rather uncomfortable. Governor Romney often talked over the mediator and beyond his time. I know that he was just trying to get his point across (and he did), but it still made me uneasy. While the debate's content is extremely important, I believe what resinated with America was the presentation of the material. Governor Romney clearly came prepared to debate any and every topic, while President Obama lacked his spark and usual eloquence. An overwhelming majority of the country was disappointed in our President, but don't count him out of the race just yet. Although Governor Romney jumped significantly in the polls, (I'll leave the credibility for you to determine) most polls still show Obama winning the election. It's clear that both candidates still have their work cut out for them in the next 29 days.

This Thursday evening, Vice President Joe Biden and Paul Ryan will take the stage for their debate. Let's hope that both candidates come fully prepared and equipped to make their case for this country.

Just One of Those Days

Welcome to October everyone! It's breast cancer awareness month and Halloween will greet us on the 31st. Unfortunately, I've been having one of those "bleh" Mondays and am having a bit of a writer's block. School has been very challenging this semester thus far, and I spend most of my days in between Calculus, Accounting, and Statistics. On these ever so rare days when I just don't have the energy or mindset to write something compelling, I feel like I still need to give you a little something. When in doubt, search YouTube for videos and hope that my readers don't get too upset with me! :)

Fall is Here! And so is TV.

The first official day of Fall was three days ago, the 22nd of September. Now, with Fall comes cooler weather here in Florida, the changing colors of leaves, college and NFL football, but for many, television season premieres are the highlight of Fall. America loves its football, and we love our TV. Colleges across the United States thrive on football season and the University of Florida is no different. Every game day in Gainesville, the town shuts down and turns completely orange and blue. People come together for the common love of the Florida Gators. I've never seen anything like it. Oh, wait. Yes I have. Every game day in Tallahassee is the exact same, except with garnet and gold. (Much prettier in my opinion).

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, America sits glued to their televisions watching anxiously as each and every play unfolds. This year, the replacement referees of the NFL have been causing quite the controversy as many of the calls have be clearly wrong and caused the wrong outcomes of games. During the week, however, television shows tend to dominate the evenings. This year, some of the noteworthy shows on television are:

1. NCIS. Returning for its 10th season, the #1 drama on television will undoubtedly captivate millions of American's attention, mine included. NCIS is one of my favorite shows on TV, if not my favorite, and I am anxious for it's return.

2. Modern Family. On Wednesday, Modern Family will return to ABC. Modern Family heavily dominated the Emmy's and it's no secret why. With a brilliant cast and possibly more brilliant writers, Modern Family is a comedy that's impossible not to love.

3. The X-Factor and the Voice. I group these two together for the purpose of categories. Both are signing competitions and competitors. The preference toward one or the other will most likely come from which judge panel the viewer cares for more.

4. The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon Cooper, the genius scientist, makes this nerdy comedy a show for the entire family. Well, if your family is composed of nerds. The canned laughter and the science jokes create a rather cheesy sitcom, but I absolutely love it.

5. New Girl. New Girl is back for it's second season and I couldn't be more thrilled. With a character named Schmidt, I automatically love the show. The quirky humor and charming Zooey Deschanel keep me coming back each Tuesday night for another round of laughs.

6. Revenge. Now, I have yet to see this show, but from what I have heard it is amazing. Revenge is an intense drama based on avenging the death of a loved one, and it's season two premiere has been highly anticipated.

7. Glee. Broadway on TV, almost. For those that love to sing and dance, Glee is the perfect one hour escape to sing along with the talented cast and pretend to be a Hollywood star. At least that's why I watch it...

8. The Office. This Fall, The Office will premiere its final season on the air. After 8 seasons of laughter, tears, and joy, Dwight and Jim will have their final feuds before saying goodbye to their fans. Many people have stopped watching The Office for the past year due to the departure of Michael Scott (played by Steve Carrell), but it still holds a strong fan base that I believe will carry through it's final season.

This Fall, it's clear that there are tons of television shows to watch and keep up with. Pick a few, but don't forget to spend time with friends and family or head outside for a little bit. And if you're a student like me...remember to study!

Michelle Obama Speaks at UF

Yesterday, the 17th, the First Lady of the United States made her way to the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The word that Michelle Obama would be in town spread like wildfire last Thursday. Callie (my roommate) and I waited in line for over two hours to get tickets to see Michelle Obama speak. The line was short, but moved incredibly slow. We were bombarded by people trying to get us to register to vote in Alachua County (no thank you) as well as making sure that we were indeed registered to vote somewhere. When we finally made it to the front of the line, we provided volunteers with our name and address before receiving our free ticket. We filled out the bottom as requested by the volunteers and made our way home.

The First Lady was scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, September 17th. As this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I skipped my final class of the day to go wait in line. Callie, Justin, and I arrived at the O'Connell center at 2:00 p.m. However, by this time the line had already wrapped around the parking garage and through much of the parking lot. It took us over an hour before we made it in the building. While we were waiting in line, we learned that you could not bring backpacks inside which was unfortunate considering that I just came from class. Justin, (Callie's boyfriend) kindly volunteered to take our things home and miss the speech. What a good boy. Part of me thinks that he really didn't want to go or wait in line any longer, but we won't hold that against him. ;) As Callie and I neared the front of the line, a family of four cut in front of us (and about a thousand other people) and scooted under the rope. I didn't say anything to avoid starting a fight, but I thought it was rather rude. Secret Service personnel screened us just like airport security before we entered the building. It was absolutely packed. However, the organization of this event was less than efficient, particularly the seating arrangements.

Michelle Obama did not take the stage until 4:00 pm. 30 minutes later than scheduled. I'm sure there are  reasons why she was so late, but I was still a tad peeved to be waiting for so long. When she did walk out on stage, the crowd roared. We all stood and applauded for the First Lady. I listened intently as I want to make an informed decision this November. Here are some of the points that she made that stuck with me: 1) "We don't get anywhere on our own".  Now, I'm sure this wasn't meant to be insulting, but I thought it was a little bit of a risky statement following her husbands "You didn't build this" comment. She continued to say that for every time that we accomplish something, we have a community to thank, a special teacher, or someone that helped us along the way. While that is not entirely false in my opinion, I think the statement she made was a little bit too strong. 2) The Obamas will always tell us the truth, even when it's hard to hear. Very false. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will ever tell the people the entire truth. They have a campaign to win. Politicians have two goals in life: Get elected, and get reelected. Many times, the "hard truth" wouldn't allow them to get elected, so they tell the people what they want to hear instead. That comes as no surprise to me. That's part of politics. I watch the news knowing that there is no way that I am getting the full truth and I have come to accept that. So, the fact that I am getting lied to doesn't bother me nearly as much as politicians insisting that they are telling me the truth. 3) When President Obama took office, the newspapers were using words such as "meltdown" to describe the state of the economy. Interesting. During President Obama's term, we were minutes away from a government "shutdown". 4) The slogan of "GM is alive, Osama Bin Laden is dead" continues to be used heavily through the campaign trail. 5) Women. The First Lady made many appeals to the women in the audience, countering Governor Romeny's "War on Women". 6) With ObamaCare, children can stay under their parent's insurance until the age of 26. To me, that seems a bit ridiculous. In many ways I'm sure that is helpful, but I find it to be more enabling and crippling than helpful. I don't think that that encourages independent young adults.

Florida is a battle ground state. Our votes in this election are critical. I believe this is largely why Michelle Obama came to Gainesville to speak, and Tallahassee later that same night and I don't blame her. She knows that we will have an influence on this election and she wants to make her case for "4 more years". I think Michelle Obama is a wonderful speaker, just like her husband. I also think that she is a loving, dedicated wife and that speaks volumes to me. During these last four years at the First Lady of the United States, she had made great progress in the effort to fight childhood obesity and I admire that. Following this speech, however, I am not sure that I agree with much of what was said yesterday and will be eagerly watching the debates that will begin shortly.

Happy Tuesday! Make it a great one!

The Democratic National Convention

President Obama and his fellow constituents took the state in Charlotte, NC for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Speakers included, but were not limited to, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and President Obama. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the First Lady's speech, but I heard that it was rather good. That doesn't surprise me one bit. I have always liked Michelle and found her to be a genuine lady.

One of the more interesting moments of the convention was during the attempt to put God and Jerusalem back in the party platform. When asked for the majority vote, it was clear that there was no majority. However, the speaker tried again, and a third time to attempt to determine a 2/3 majority. No majority could have been determined from the vote, much less 2/3. Despite the failed vote attempt, the speaker read off of the teleprompter that already stated that God and Jerusalem would be reinstalled in the Democratic party platform. Following this verdict, there was a significant amount of booing among the audience as I'm sure they felt unheard and cheated. Unfortunately, this incident took up much of the "highlights" of the convention and received more attention than many of the speeches.

I did get the chance to watch Former President Bill Clinton speak prior to President Obama's address. In my opinion, at 50 minutes, it was rather long. Whether it was the length, or the content, I was not particularly impressed with Clinton's speech. However, the audience clearly was. The delegates laughed and applauded almost as if Clinton was still the President. Critics and analysts have stated that Clinton is actually rather Anti-Obama and is merely putting on a good show not to burn any bridges for when his wife runs again for President. My opinion on this, is irrelevant. Political standings aside, Clinton provided great entertainment for those in attendance at the convention as well as millions of viewers across America.

Following Vice President Joe Biden's speech, Michelle Obama gave a brief, but sweet, introduction for her husband, President Barack Obama. President Obama walked in to loud applause, cheers, and smiles. No matter your political party of preference, it's hard to debate that Obama is a wonderful speaker. He captivates the audience from the first line of his speech all through the last. In my opinion, Obama's speech was a good speech. Despite the excellent delivery, I did not find anything "new" in the President's speech other than the tone. Excellently delivered, interspersed with jokes and inspirational statements, and delivering a message that Obama is hopeful for the United States of America, rather than his previous campaigning tagline of hope and change. 

For the 2012 Presidential Election, I truly believe that both candidates are genuine people with America's best interest in mind. Why would one run for President if you didn't love the country that you  were running to govern? Both have seemingly stable and great families with loving, supporting, and intelligent wives. To me, it's not a question of candidates as people. Or, at least not the deciding factor. Rather, it is a matter of policy, which I believe is how all elections should be. People are entitled to their own opinions and allowed to vote as they please. That's the beauty of America. Over the next couple of months, we will see many debates between President Obama and Governor Romney, and come November 6th, our country will have to make a decision for the next President of the United States of America. Which slogan do you best align with: "Forward." or "We Built It."?

The Republican National Convention

 This past week, Mitt Romney and his fellow campaign members took to the stage in Tampa, Florida at the Republican National Convention (RNC). I will be able to vote in this election, which has spurred a sudden interest in politics for me. So, for four days, I sat in front of the TV and watched the RNC. The following is a brief overview on what I took away from the convention, trying to be as unbiased as possible.

Going into this convention, Romney and his teammates had a huge task ahead of him. The goals of the RNC, to me, were to humanize Mitt Romney as well as appeal to the women across America. My favorite speech of the entire RNC did not come from Romney, but from his wife, Ann. Ann Romney struck me as a very genuine woman with good intentions and a strong belief in her husband and his capabilities. I found her speech very effective in not only helping Mitt appeal to women, but giving the impression to America that the Romney's are a well rounded family that deeply care for one another. I was intently listening to her speech from beginning to end. I also rather enjoyed Condolisa Rice's speech and applaud her for not using a teleprompter. Brava. Seems to me like the women dominated this convention, at least speech wise.

In an attempt to humanize Governor Romney, two couples told their heartfelt stories about how Romney had helped them through some very rough times in their lives, such as helping a 14-year old boy write his will to make sure his skateboard would be delivered to his best friend when he passed. To me, this was the most successful part of the Convention. These stories were very genuine and heartfelt and gave the audience a deeper and more personal look into the life of Governor Romney and his contributions to the community.

Clint Eastwood made a guest appearance just minutes before Romney made his speech, and I must say it was rather interesting. As a Hollywood star, one would assume that he would be pretty liberal in his political views. However, Eastwood spent most of his speech talking to an empty chair where Obama "sat" in an old fashioned style comedy routine. While it was very entertaining and kept me tuned, Eastwood delivered some pretty harsh blows to the President. Some analysts were worried that Eastwood may have taken the spotlight of the entire convention, but I disagree. Although it was a nice comedic relief and distraction, I didn't think that Clint Eastwood stole the spotlight.

When it finally came time for Romney's speech on the last night of the convention, I was pumped. I was really looking forward to what he had to say and gathering more knowledge for the upcoming election. Although the speech didn't have much for me to criticize, it also was not particularly captivating. I found myself drifting off in thought, unlike in the prior speeches. However, I paid attention enough to catch some of his main points. With a few subtle attacks at President Obama and a few more that were a little harsh, Romney made it clear that he is ready to change the operations of the White House. He mentioned a "5-step plan" to get the economy on track, reduce the deficit, and create 26 million jobs...but he did not give any specifics to the audience. While I know that policy was not the primary goal of this convention, I was slightly disappointed not to hear any specifics from the Governor. I suppose that I will have to stay tuned for the upcoming debates as this election process continues.

Overall, I think that the RNC was a success. The Romney and Ryan families were presented as well grounded and genuine and confident in one another. I really enjoyed the RNC's slogan, "We Built It" as I thought it spoke accurately and directly to both the Republican ideals as well as a retort to President Obama's comments. This week, President Obama and Democrats will take the stage and you can bet your booty that I will be watching all four days of the convention. Stay tuned for my thoughts next Monday. :)

An Overview of the Semester

Well, I'm back in Gainesville. The thrilling and adventurous European posts are over; now it's back to my daily life in Gainesville. Hopefully I can figure out how to make this just as exciting ;) Today began the second week of classes here at the University of Florida. Classes began last Wednesday and I started my second year of college. For those of you that don't know, or may have forgotten, I am a General Business major with a minor in Mathematics. The plan (as of now) is to one day become a math professor. So, that means that this semester I am taking Calculus II, Financial Accounting, Business Statistics, and Age of Dinosaurs. The last class is just a general education requirement, nothing special. It looks like it is going to be a very challenging semester, but hopefully doable.

I am living with Callie at a new apartment this year. Callie went to Leon High School in Tallahassee and I met her through her boyfriend, Justin, who rowed on the crew team with me. Both Callie and I are very organized and a little bit OCD, so we get along great. We are living in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment. So far, I'm loving it! It's on the third floor and there is no elevator...so, I get to work out my quads a few times every day by climbing the stairs. We have a full sized kitchen so I am looking forward to cooking a lot of meals this year :)

CrossFit begins the 1st of September and I am eager for it to resume. I am so out of shape and need the routine of working out back in my life. However, I know that the first few weeks are going to be absolutely awful as my body loses some fat and starts to rebuild the lost muscle. Oh well. No pain, no gain...right? I am planning on working out three times a week in the mornings before class, so around 9:00 a.m. I am hoping that this will be a good start to my day and I can develop a healthy habit of waking up at a reasonable hour and getting my day started.

As far as clubs and involvement on campus goes, I have not started looking into clubs intently...as classes just started. My goal is to join at least one organization on campus this semester. Possible candidates as of now are Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Toast Masters (a professional speaking club). I am also looking to volunteer at a local school to start developing contacts, connections, and experience in the education world. Through volunteering, I hope to eventually be able to tutor some kids for a little bit of extra spending cash.

It's raining here in Gainesville, and I'm sure most of you in Florida are experiencing similar weather. Although I don't particularly like walking to school in the pouring rain, I do love looking at all of the students with their different colored umbrellas. I imagine that if one was to take an aerial shot of the campus during this rainy week, it would prove to be a pretty cool picture. Tropical Storm Isaac looks like it will miss most of Florida come time for impact, but stay dry anyways! Happy Monday, make it a great one.

That's a Wrap (August 7th)

On August 7th, I returned to the United States of America. My morning began with a 45 minute taxi ride to the airport. As I rode out of the city of Rome, it hit me for the first time that I was leaving Europe. As excited as I was to go home and see my friends and family, I was also very sad to be leaving Rome; it proved to be a remarkable, unbelievable city that I had the privilege of spending my entire summer in. I arrived at the airport immediately after two gigantic groups on Astro buses. Perfect. Fortunately, they were not flying on the same airline as I was or else I might have missed my flight home. I checked in with US Airways and watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 on my laptop as I waited to board my plane to Charlotte, NC. The plane was an hour delayed leaving Rome. I can't say that I didn't expect it, but I was still an unhappy camper. When it finally came time to board the plane, a mob formed and we all pushed and shoved through to board the plane from the tarmac. During my summer living in Rome I learned how to push, shove, and weave better than most Americans; I was through the mob and on the plane in no time at all.

The plane ride to Charlotte, NC was 10 hours. This flight home seemed shorter than the ride over there and I was grateful for that. Although we made great time to Charlotte, we arrived an hour later than scheduled due to the delay and I was most likely to miss my flight. I tried to be patient through the long line at customs, but spent most of my time in line bouncing up and down. When I made it through customs it was 5:20. Boarding began in 5 minutes and my flight left in 40. I sprinted to the baggage claim where I had to pick up my luggage and re-check it. The lady at the help desk suggested re-booking my flight due to the time, but I said "No thank you. Please put my luggage on the flight, and I will see it in Jacksonville at 7:00 p.m." I was determined to make my flight. To my unfortunate surprise, I had to endure another security checkpoint and time was growing close. It was now 5:40. 20 minutes until departure. A few understanding people let me cut them in line and made way for the anxious girl trying to make her flight. As I made it through security, I threw everything in my backpack, slung it over my shoulder, hopped into my shoes, and sprinted to my gate. Literally. I passed dozens of people on the moving sidewalks and a few shouted "You can do it!" or "Good luck!" as I passed by. I made it. With almost no time to spare, I boarded the plane and we took off within 10 minutes. I was on my way home. I was seated next to four Florida students...what a small world! The hour plane ride flew by with conversation about the University and Gainesville.

I scurried off of the plane after it landed and sped walk to the baggage claim to see my parents who would be greeting me when I arrived. As I turned the corner, I saw two signs labeled "Kristy" and "Schmidt" being held up by two young men. Around them was a group of 15-20 high school and college aged guys. I tried not to show my confusion and scanned the group for familiar faces. None. As I walked towards this herd of men, I had no clue who any of them were. When I get about 20 feet away  or so, they began to chant "Kristy! Kristy! Kristy" and divided into two lines to form a tunnel. I decided to go along with it all and ran through the tunnel of cheering boys to find my parents waiting for me at the end of it. What a greeting! I was so confused, but also so happy to see my parents. As things settled down, I learned that they had been waiting on their friend Scott who had just returned from a month in Spain. After they greeted him, they said to my parents, "We're waiting for Kristy Schmidt" and asked for the signs. My parents had no idea who this group was, but they said yes. Of course. Well it made for the most interesting, exciting, and unique greeting I will probably ever receive at an airport. We picked up my luggage at the baggage claim (all of it!) and headed to the parking garage after a farewell to my new friends. I was finally home. Almost. 3 hours later, I would arrive in Tallahassee, Florida...but Jacksonville was close enough. With Zaxby's in my belly for dinner, I was a happy camper.

Below is a music video that I created while abroad. It features Jennifer and I around Europe in famous places such as the Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, Florence, Venice, and much more! It is to the very popular song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Ray Jepsen. This video, to me, reflects my experience in Europe just as accurately as all of my blogs. Enjoy! Thanks so much for following me on my European Escapade! I am now back in Gainesville for another school year at the University of Florida and will resume my normal blogging routine this coming Monday. Have a wonderful Wednesday! :)

Venice (August 3rd- August 5th)

Our final trip in Europe would be a weekend excursion to Venice, Italy. Four hours by high speed train, Venice is a sinking island, and a beautiful one at that. We left on Friday after our final exam and arrived in Venice around 8:00 p.m. Our hostel was actually located on another island called Tronchetto, so all we planned on doing that night was eating and then heading to the hostel. After walking around for about 20 minutes or so, we found a place to eat. Seated at a table by the water, we ordered from a set menu that included three courses. After dinner we took the People Mover to the island of Tronchetto. Here we would catch a bus to Jolly Camping. Yes, we would once again be camping. This campsite was from the same company as our campsite in Florence. Appearance wise, it was much nicer with much nicer bathrooms and a better layout of the campground. However, the tents were placed so close together that one could hear every conversation going on in the tent next to you. Unfortunately for me, I can't go to sleep unless it's silent. Well, I have my sleep machine of course. After two hours of listening to these girls talk next door, I finally went over at 2:30 and asked them very nicely to be quiet. Around 3:30 a.m or so, I finally drifted off to sleep.

Saturday was our one full day in Venice. We started the morning off with some breakfast from the local supermarket: chocolate donuts and strawberries for me. Mmmm. We missed the shuttle to the main island so we were forced to take the public bus. No biggie; we were professionals. Following a 15 minute walk, we made it to the bus stop and headed down the island on a 25 minute bus ride. Once on the island, we just began walking. And walking. And walking. Venice is the perfect city for wandering. No big roads, just little back alleys. We stopped in almost each and every little shop, trying on the famous Venetian masks and looking at the beautiful Murano glass. Shelley, Jennifer, and I each bought souvenirs for family and friends. Through wandering in the back roads, we finally made it San Marco Square: the most famous square in Venice. We toured the basilica and walked up to the edge of the water. The water was absolutely breathtaking, with the gondolas perfectly placed along the shore and docks. San Marco's Square was overtaken by pigeons. Hundreds and hundreds of pigeons flew overhead and walked along the ground. I had to be careful not to step on one and kill it. Many children had purchased bird seed and would hold out their hands as pigeons swarmed over and landed on their shoulders, arms, and heads. It was quite the sight to see. Close to 4 p.m. we took a gondola ride through the back canals of Venice. Though it was rather expensive, it was the one "thing to do" in Venice, and it was worth the money. Our gondola man was friendly and pointed out little fun facts for us throughout the 35 minute ride. The rest of our evening was spent exploring more shops before catching the 9:30 p.m. bus back to the campsite.

Sunday was a half day. Shelley would catch a train home at 2:30 p.m to meet up with her aunt in Rome and Jennifer and I would catch the 5:00 train back to Rome.  We had one mission today: buy masks. Venice is famous for its beautiful masks and we each wanted one. After trying on dozens and dozens of masks and once I had about 10 pounds of glitter on my face, I finally found my perfect mask. And it was lovely. Jennifer found hers at the same place as mine, but Shelley still had not found "the one". Well, when Shelley finally found her perfect mask, she actually found three. Venice is Shelley's favorite place in the entire world, so three masks was a must. I'll admit, they were all beautiful. We had completed our mission and with an hour or so to spare. We searched for a place to eat lunch and found a smal bar/cafe. The Olympic Games were on so we spent a while watching the women's marathon before heading to the train station. One last gelato stop and we headed to the train station. Jennifer and I chose to wait in the train station; it was much too hot to be walking around and we had already accomplished all of our goals. The train ride home was rather long, but for a long stretch of it all I could see out the windows were fields of sunflowers. I was a happy camper. Jennifer and I arrived back in Rome at 9:00 p.m. Tomorrow would be my last day in Rome before heading home to America on August 7th. Gosh, time truly does fly when you're having fun.

Walking Around Rome, Tivoli, and Gypsy Camps (July 24th-July 29th)

This was my second to last week here in Rome, Italy. Our UF final exams are July 31st and August 3rd. After those, I will take one final excursion to Venice before returning home to the States. This week was occupied with my Survey of Art and Architecture Class, and I can actually say that it was a pretty interesting week. I will apologize in advance for the lengthiness of this post.

Gianicolo Hill 

On Wednesday, we walked around the neighborhood of Trastevere in Rome. Our first stop was Villa Farnese, a beautiful villa that was home to Cardinal Farnese, who later became Pope Paul III. The villa was extravagantly decorated, maybe a little too much for my taste. Still, it was beautiful nonetheless. We then made our way up to Gianicolo Hill. On our way up, we stopped at the place where St. Peter was actually crucified, although his body lies in St. Peter's Basilica. This basilica was very small and our professor said, "It's similar to Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but it's Honey I Shrunk the Temple." That definitely gave us all quite the laugh. We sat around the temple for a few minutes, eating peaches that he had brought for us. These peaches were flat and incredibly sweet. If I remember correctly they are called white peaches. After our refreshing snack we continued our trek up the hill. As noon approached, our professor hurried us along to the site where the cannon blows every day at noon. We made it just in time. Literally as we stopped in front of the canon, it went off. It was a pretty awesome experience; one more thing to check off of my To-Do list. We began to make our way back down the hill and our professor stopped us at the edge of the mountain. He pointed out the jail and explained how communication back in the day was done through shouting names. Even if your loved one didn't hear you, word would travel through the jail that someone stopped by to say hello. I suppose. Well, our professor had us scream "Bruno!", apparently one of his friends. Unfortunately, and rather anti-climatically, there was no response from Bruno. "No matter.", said our professor. "We will be seeing his family on Friday when we travel to the gypsy camp." We all exchanged looks of terror and confusion, but also laughed. More adventures with Professor Ferro.

The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Capuchin Crypt 

After class, Kaleb and I caught a bus towards the Pantheon. We had a few things left to accomplish here in Rome, and time was running out. The Pantheon is probably the second or third biggest tourist attraction in Rome, and for good reason. It is truly a remarkable building and is my second favorite place in Rome after the Colosseum. The architecture was mind blowing as well as the sheer size of the building. The Trevi Fountain ranks pretty high on the tourist attraction list as well, and it was conveniently just ten minutes away from the Pantheon. Unfortunately the left side of the Trevi was under construction (typical), but it was still beautiful. And packed with people. Kaleb and I squeezed through the crowds and finally put our 1 euro cent coins to good use. Make a wish and make it count! It was impossible to find a place to just sit and relax for a while, so we decided that we would have to come back at night with the rest of the group. After another ten minute walk, we arrived at the Capuchin crypt. This crypt is "home" to hundreds and hundreds of Capuchin monks. Boy was it creepy. The crypt walls are "decorated" with thousands of bones. Some monks were still in their robes, propped up, appearing to be looking at us. The "Crypt of Skulls", "Crypt of Pelvises", and "Crypt of Femurs" were exactly as they sound. Rooms just filled of bones. Although it was a very cool experience, it was nice to be outside and back in the fresh air when we were finished. There is something a tad weird about being in a room with a few hundred dead people and being able to see their bones.

Tivoli 

Thursday, Domenico accompanied us to the town of Tivoli. Just over an hour outside of Rome, Tivoli is another ancient town. The layout reminded me very much of Sorrento, but without the coast nearby. Our main attraction was the Villa d' Este. Now, this was my kind of villa. The inside of the villa was...well, exactly like every other villa that we have seen. But the outside; it was beautiful. The "backyard" of this Villa was overrun with magnifient fountains (including the 100 fountains featured in the Lizzie McGuire movie), pools, and just gorgeous trees. I was in heaven. We found tons of little baby frogs and I picked them up, of course. I did have a small mishap with one as I tried to place it on my nose and it fell off. I thought I had killed it, but it survived, thank goodness. We spent a couple of hours just frolicking in the garden and taking pictures. Domenico suggested a sandwich shop for lunch and Shelley, Kaleb, Jennifer, and me took him up on his suggestion. Tivoli is famous for its pork, so that's the kind of sandwiches that we got. Oh my gosh. Fresh sliced pork and fresh sliced peppercorn cheese. It was probably the best sandwich I have ever eaten in my entire life. No joke. Finish the meal off with a lemon slushie and I was in heaven. At 3 o'clock we made our way out of the town and back to the train station to catch the train home.

Now, this is where things got interesting. God bless Domenico, for without him, we would have had no idea what was going on. Apparently there was a fire somewhere between Tivoli and Rome and all trains were temporarily suspended. We were told to wait on the train in the AC until it was cleared for departure. Well, two hours later we were still waiting. Everyone was sleeping except for Shelley and me. We don't have the gift of being able to sleep anywhere and at any time. So, we just sat and talked about our future school and career plans. As 5:45 rolled around, I was beginning to accept that I would have to move to Tivoli and never return to America. Thank goodness that was not the case. At 6:00 p.m. a bus came to pick us (and 50 other people) up and take us back to Rome. We boarded the bus for an hour and a half ride home on velvet seats with no air conditioning and static playing over the radio. Shelley, Jennifer, and me attempted to stay positive and played the "Share your dream life with me" game, but after thirty minutes or so we were all clearly ready to be back in Rome. When the bus finally arrived in Rome, we boarded the metro and arrived back to St. John's 30 minutes later. Turns out that we didn't make it back to Rome until 8:00 p.m, 4 hours later than originally planned. That made for a 11 hour day of class, yuck. If not for this transportation issue coming home, the day would have been perfect. Villa d' Este was truly magnificent.

Gypsy Camp

Today was the day that we would brave a gypsy camp with our professor. Going into this visit, we were all quite skeptical, and for good reason I believe. It's not everyday that you go and visit gypsies in their homes. I stored my money in my bra and was ready to go. Turns out, that was an unnecessary precaution. The family that we met was extremely nice and welcoming, despite the humongous language barrier. I could tell how much they appreciated our professor and the food he brings for their family. Contrary to the stereotypical images of gypsies, they were not dressed provocatively and in colorful garments. They were dressed rather normally, I thought. After formal introductions, Professor Ferro suggested that we went inside and drew with all of the children. Even though we couldn't communicate through talking, drawing is universal. I was pleasantly surprised and had a wonderful time with the children. We stayed for an hour or so and then headed back to Rome before we overstayed our welcome.

Olympic Opening Ceremony

On Friday, as you know, the Olympics began. USA! USA! Lucky us, we had the opportunity to watch the ceremony live. Study abroad advantages. So, at 10 p.m we watched the Queen, David Beckham, Mr. Bean, and JK Rowling in what was a fantastic opening ceremony...in my opinion. The whole pub at Scholar's was watching and cheering as their favorite people came on TV. It took a little persuasion for the bar to put the sound on. Apparently Italy doesn't really care about the Olympics, just soccer. Lame. After chanting "Sound! Sound!" for a few minutes, the manager obliged and we all watched the ceremony as happy campers. Jennifer, Shelley, and me left before the US walked out (it was 12 am), but as we arrived as St. John's we saw the ceremony playing in the common room and the United States walked out within 5 minutes of us sitting down. Talk about perfect timing! Let the Olympic games begin and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Climbing St. Peter's 

Saturday morning Shelley, Jennifer, and me climbed St. Peter's Basilica. Talk about an early morning workout. We made it to the Vatican shortly after 9:00 a.m and began our climb up the dome. 551 steps up, 551 steps down. 90% of these steps are spiral staircases. The first 200 steps or so weren't really steps...more of like a spiral ramp with small steps every feet or so. We didn't feel anything until about 300-400 steps in. The spirals began to get narrower and steeper. We never really knew how close we were to the top of the dome, but somewhere along the line we all got disoriented and had to take a couple minute break. Good thing none of us are claustrophobic...or at least not really. We knew that we were nearing the top of the top when the walls began to slant inward. We had to lean to the right in order to climb the steps. The final fifteen steps were the worst of all. Steep spiral staircase that was just narrow enough for one person to fit in, at an angle.


After we made it to the top, we were all sweaty, exhausted, and rather confused. That was probably the weirdest experience I have ever had climbing to the top of a building. I can say that I am glad that I did it though, the view from the top of the basilica was breathtaking. It was a long way down, but that meant that we could see for miles and miles. The dome allowed us to get a full 360 degree view of Rome and we all pointed out the famous landmarks that we have been too many a times. After a solid twenty minute rest at the top of the dome, we made our descent back down the dome. It was much easier going down, but it still felt never-ending. 1102 steps later, we had climbed St. Peter's Basilica, and in just over an hour. Power climbers!

Palace of the Medici and Returning to Rome (July 23rd)

For our final day in Florence, we would visit the Palace of the Medici and Santa Croce Cathedral. Kaleb opted out of these activities and waited in the train station; it was just us four. We got a rather late start to the day, checking out of the hostel around 11:30 a.m. It was our final bus ride down the mountain and back to "home base", the train station bus stop. From here, everything in Florence was no more than a 15 minutes walk. We headed off towards the Palace of the Medici and waited in a short line before purchasing tickets. The Medici was the richest family in Italy, and rather ostentatious if I do say so myself. The palace was beautiful, but Versailles is still my favorite palace that we have visited to date. We toured the palace for an hour or so before making our way out into the dreary skies; rain was coming.

The final church that we would be visiting is called Santa Croce. This is the cathedral in which Michelangelo, Galileo, and Donatello are buried. Unfortunately, and not to our surprise, the cathedral was under construction. The altar was covered in scaffolding which was disappointing; however, the graves were fully visible. The church connects to a secret leather market where we got to see the work stations of leather makers and more high quality leather. No more prizes, though.

For a rather late lunch, we had pasta in a small restaurant. I had the pasta carbonara and it was delicious, and for a rather good price. For dessert, on our way to the train station, I stopped and splurged on a Nutella covered waffle. Good decision. My goodness that was good. Around 4:00 p.m we met Kaleb in the train station and waited patiently for our train to come. Just eight minutes before departure, we saw the "bin" number flash on the board and made our way to our high speed train home.

More Markets and Florentine Steak (July 22nd)

We spent most of today walking around the city of Florence. We started under the arch where the original Roman forum in Florence was. It was in the center of one of the many piazzas. As we walked under the arch and down the road, we spotted another leather market and decided to peruse. Many of the purses were the same as we had seen on Friday, but it was still fun looking. We managed to come across a statue of a boar that had a golden snout to rub for good luck. So we did so, obviously...who doesn't want good luck? As we were walking up a shopping street we were given a flyer for a pizza place. I quickly dismissed it, but Jennifer noticed the words "Jersey Shore" on it. Could it be? Was this really the place that Jersey Shore worked while in Florence? For those of you that have absolutely no idea what Jersey Shore is, let me fill you in. It's an extremely dumb reality show about kids who like to party and do stupid things; however, it's addicting. Kaleb is obsessed with Jersey Shore, so that was all we needed to convince ourselves it was okay to eat there. It was still rather early for lunch, so it was just us in the restaurant. I'll admit, it was pretty cool. I am not obsessed with Jersey Shore, but I do watch it on a regular basis; it's always very cool sitting where celebrities sat and pretending that you're famous. The pizza was actually amazing! It was rolled, tossed, and prepared right in front of us. I ordered some spicy salami and mozzarella pizza and I was impressed. It was way too big for me to finish it, though. Before leaving the restaurant, we managed to sneak some pictures, as always.

As we continued our walk through the town, we made our way to the bridges. The first bridge we stopped on overlooked the river (obviously), and we stayed for a while. I kicked my shoes off and laid down on the bridge, relaxing and soaking up the sun. Shelley had booked another reservation for he Ufizi museum, but the other three of us had not. So, while Shelley went off and toured the museum, we sat in a piazza and watched a miming performance. It was perfect timing really. It's hard to really describe what he did...considering he's a mime. Nonetheless, it was very entertaining and kept Kaleb, Jennifer, and me occupied until Shelley returned from the Ufizi gallery. When Shelley rejoined us, we walked over to another bridge that had markets all along and inside the bridge. It was packed with tourists and the shops were way out of our college budgets, but it's always fun walking around. Intro to Walking Around... A+.

For dinner, we headed back to the Duomo to a restaurant that we had spotted on Friday. It had a great deal for a Florentine steak and fries. I was beyond excited. I love me some steak. Although I tend to prefer filet, any cut of beef would satisfy me tonight. The steak was a gigantic T-bone and accompanied with a good amount of fries. I ate quickly, and then slowly, trying my best to savor this meal. I knew that the next time I would have steak would be in America. While eating, something happened. As always. I'm sitting there, just minding my own business, and I feel something on my foot. I look down and a pigeon is crawling on my foot! After saying some mean words to the pigeon, it walked off my foot and continued meandering along and finally out of the restaurant. Not a dull moment when traveling in Europe...I love it.

The Academia (July 21st)

Despite the blaring of music until four in the morning, I got a pretty decent sleep. Around 8:15 or so, I trekked across the campgrounds in my PJs to take a shower. The bathroom was filled with girls showering and attempting to primp in front of sinks and tiny mirrors. The showers were interesting to say the least. There was a wall of six or seven showers, with short doors. When you closed the three foot door, your head and shoulders peered over the top and your knees and legs below. I threw my towel over top of the door to shield everyone from me awkwardly staring at them while I showered. Showered and ready, we left the campgrounds on Bus 13 down the mountain. Our first stop this morning was the Leonardo da Vinci interactive museum. Apparently there are two, so we just picked one. This museum was filled with replicas of Leonardo da Vinci's early work that pioneered the way for future automobiles and weapons. As we walked through the museum, we were invited to turn knobs, wheels, and all sorts of things that made the pieces of art move. You're never too old for interactive museums. Never. Unfortunately, the museum was smaller than we had anticipated and when we were finished we still had over two hours to kill before our 1:30 p.m. appointment at the Academia. After grabbing a bite to eat we strolled the streets, poking our heads in souvenir shops along the way.

1:15 p.m. We made our way to the entrance of the Academia museum. With our reservations, we avoided the line and were let in right at our appointment time. The Academia houses Michelangelo's famous David. We started out in another room looking at oil on canvas paintings and other sculptures, but the anticipation was killing us. We walked into the next room and as we turned the corner, we saw it. At the end of the hallway stood David. It was by far the most magnificent sculpture I have ever seen in my life. He was huge in person. I've always heard how large the statue is, but seeing it in person was nothing like I had expected. We spent a solid twenty minutes around the David, just marveling at him. Although pictures were strictly forbidden, I managed to sneak in a few...after being scolded by the security lady. Oh well. We strolled around the museum and while it was all very impressive, nothing compared to the statue of David. One room had a floor covered in shards of mirrors which was fun to play around in, but even then I found myself wandering back to the room with David. We eventually said our goodbyes and made our way out of the museum and back onto the streets of Florence.

As we made our way back up the mountain, we ended up riding the wrong bus up and down the mountain twice. We were on the bus for 94 minutes before we finally got off at our stop. By this point, we were all rather frustrated and decided to postpone the Cathedral we had planned for today to another day. We had dinner at a food truck on the top of the mountain by Piazzale Michelangelo. I ordered a Motard sandwich which probably sounds unappetizing, but it was amazing. A toasted panini was layered with fresh beef, sausage, pork, bacon, and this secret sauce concoction. I couldn't finish the whole sandwich, unfortunately. For 4 euros, that was definitely in my top five meals of this entire trip. As the sun set, we crossed the street to Piazzale Michelangelo where a copper replica of David stood. The Piazza overlooked the entire city of Florence, quite the sight to see at night. Shelley took some great pictures of the city with heat lightening lighting up the night sky. We once again had the privilege of falling asleep to club music. I guess this counts as the substitute for my sleep machine?

Florence Leather Markets, Duomo, and Camping (July 20th)

Today, Jennifer, Shelley, Kaleb, and me were embarking our our second to last excursion this summer: Florence, Italy. The trip began with a routine train ride...nothing exciting enough worth documenting. We arrived in Florence around 9:00 a.m. Apparently, shops were still not open. We may have been a little over ambitious by leaving at 6:45 in the morning. After getting off the train we found a bench and went over our plans for the day. They were as follows: perfume shop, leather markets, the Duomo, and checking in at our hostel. Since we were sans Jenn this trip, Shelley was our planner! She started us off at this super fancy perfume shop behind the Santa Maria Novella Cathedral. I sneezed more times than I count while inside, but it was definitely worth going. Talk about a high class place. Kaleb bought some lotion for his momma, but I left empty handed. I was afraid of being allergic to these foreign scents so steered clear. After the perfumery, we headed to the local markets. Florence is famous for their leather, and the streets don't lie.

The leather market was huge. Absolutely gigantic. Hundreds and hundreds of vendors spread across dozens of little side streets. We took a deep breath and began walking. Within two tents, Kaleb had bought silk ties and Jennifer and I were on the verge of buying a leather purse. However, because we were only two tents in...I decided to keep looking before making my decision. Despite his fantastic "1st customer of the day" offer, I figured I could find great deals elsewhere. And I was correct. While Florence is famous for its leather, I would not venture to say that it is famous for its diverse selection of leather. After two or three streets, we started noticing that many of the vendors sell the same products and seem to be working together. So, halfway through, I found another vendor with the same purse I had been admiring earlier. Jennifer and I set up a bargin with this young man and managed to walk away with two purses for 50 euro. Not a bad deal. The four of us stopped in a local food market where we were showered with samples of cheese, balsamic oil, and olive oil. We were rather enjoying ourselves until we came across the meat/seafood section. I still have yet to get used to the European concept of eating the weird parts of animals...like hearts and intestines. Yuck. On our way out of the leather market Shelley found herself a beautiful leather purse; we had all successfully bought prizes for ourselves.

As we checked the map and began to head towards the Duomo we realized just how small Florence was. What looked like a solid twenty five minutes walk on the map turned out to be just over ten. The "actual city" of Florence is much smaller than Rome which came as a surprise to all of us. Can't complain though; it makes being a tourist rather easy. The Duomo is perhaps the most famous building in Florence. Constructed by Brunelleschi, the Duomo exhibits very intrinsic and detailed Gothic architecture. Because it is a cathedral, modest dress is required. We were well prepared, but many tourists were not and had to purchase blue hospital looking gowns to wear while inside the cathedral. I found it rather amusing...and had to take a picture.

Our accommodations for this trip shouldn't surprise you; we were camping. This go round we were not in cabins, but in permanent tents. Our campsite was home to mostly students traveling abroad which was a nice surprise. The campsite offered a common area with a small restaurant where we congregated and people watched. Many of the students were Australian, which I loved. And best of all, they all spoke English. We didn't really socialize too much, but we did get to hear all sorts of great stories being exchanged. For dinner we just decided to order pizza from the restaurant. The staff was less than enthusiastic, but the pizza was delicious...once we got it. There seemed to be some confusion on our names so Shelley ended up taking a random "John"s pizza and Kaleb took Shelley's pizza later on. Despite the confusion, we all got our dinner and it was great. Sleeping in the tents was expected to be an entire other adventure. And it was. The tent had no AC, obviously. It also had no electrical outlets. The beige tent had one mesh window which remained open due to the extreme heat in Florence. As Jennifer and I laid down to go to sleep that night in our tent, we were "serenaded" by a club not 500 meters away. Unitl 4 a.m. Nothing quite like falling asleep to Adam Lavine's "Payphone" and Flo-Rida's "Whistle" blaring in the near distance.

Ostia Antica and Orvieto (July 11th- July 19th)

Ostia Antica

 As a part of my Survey of Art and Architecture class, we go on day trips in and around Rome. Ostia Antica is about 45 minutes outside of Rome by metro. On an early Thursday morning, the eight of us made our way to Termini metro station where we met Dominico. Dominico is one of the staff here at St. John's and he would be accompanying us to Ostia Antica. We met up with our Professor at the site and began our day of touring. 

Ostia Antica is an ancient city of Rome, set up like a military camp. What remains of it are merely ruins, but with the help of our professor, we learned and attempted to envision what it would have looked like in its prime. Ostia Antica is laid out on a grid-like system, with two major roads intersecting in a main square. Though it used to be covered in marble, the only structures still standing are brick. While walking along the road, our professor offered us native plants and berries to try. Jennifer and I eagerly tried blackberries, fennel, and pine nuts. We didn't get sick, thank goodness. We did come across the plant used to brew hemlock. (We refrained from trying that one). Our professor also warned us to be on the lookout for lizards and...vipers. Well thank you for that warning, sir. Keeping my eyes open. We walked around this old town for about three hours or so, coming across old mosaics, public restrooms, public baths, and basilicas. It began to rain around 1 o'clock or so for about twenty minutes which cooled things off, temporarily. After lunch/snacks at a cafe on site, around three o'clock, we hopped back on the train and headed back to Rome, hot and exhausted.

Marketing and Management Exams

This week I had my second exams in both my Marketing and Management exams. The summer semester was officially two-thirds over, which put things into perspective. Only 3 weeks or so left in Italy before I head back to America. Not very exciting stories, but worth mentioning, as I spent many hours studying for these two exams rather than blogging. Both went well.

Orvieto 

Orvieto is an old hilltop medieval town about an hour and a half outside of Rome. Our teacher paid for our train tickets and we headed to Orvieto on another early morning excursion. By early morning, I mean around 9:00 a.m. Just for reference. When we arrived in Orvieto we took a people mover up the side of the mountain. Not quite a roller-coaster ride, but exciting nonetheless. The view from the top of Orvieto was gorgeous. Contrary to Rome, Orvieto overlooks miles and miles of orchards, groves, and open fields. My kind of place. Our day in Orvieto began at the Duomo (cathedral). Most of the cathedrals in Rome look almost identical inside and outside, so it was nice to see a different style of architecture. The Duomo is a Gothic building, standing tall and complete with gargoyles. The outside is painted in black and white stripes, giving it a very distinct appearance. The inside was a large open space with beautiful columns and murals.

After touring the Duomo, our professor let us have the rest of the day in Orvieto to explore and wander around. Kaleb, Jennifer, Shelley, and me grabbed lunch at a small cafe. Melissa, Joanna, Jenn, and Katie went to lunch elsewhere. Jennifer, Kaleb, and me had this very strange gnocchi. It was bright green and we couldn't find the source of the green color. Despite its odd appearance, it tasted like pasta and Parmesan cheese, so we were happy campers. We spent the rest of our time in Orvieto walking along the old medieval streets, trying to peer over walls to catch glimpses of the view, and shopping. Orvieto is famous for its ceramics...and boy were they everywhere. Every store was filled with colorful ceramic pots, plates, mugs, and more. I'm not particularly a fan of ceramic, but it was very cool to see the trademark of Orvieto. (Similar to Sorrento and lemons). On the way out of town, we picked up some delicious gelato  and headed back down the mountain on the fun people mover. Kaleb, Jennifer, Shelley, and me headed home earlier than the other girls because we had an early morning train the following day to Florence, Italy! 5:00 a.m. always comes faster than you think.

Take Me Home Tonight (July 1st- July 10th)

"Take Me Home Tonight" would be our theme song for the next 12 hours of traveling. At random times during the day, one of us would start with "Take me home tonight..." and the other two would fill in accordingly. We were ready to be back in Rome. Now don't get me wrong, traveling Europe is fantastic. But, being a tourist is hard work. Walking, sight seeing, and no sleeping. Our travels went as smoothly as they could have gone. No frisking, no wounds, all of our bags fit. It was like Rome wanted us to come back too. Our flight touched down around 5:15 and we made it back to St. John's University an hour and a half later. We were "home".

Exciting things since I've been back in Rome 

Now that I'm back in Rome, I have gotten back in to the normal routine of things. Or as normal as being in Rome can get. I've picked back up the schoolwork, caught up on sleep, and caught up with friends and family. Here are some of the highlights of this past week:

1. Family dinner with the UF group. The night after we all made our way back to Rome, the eight of us went out to a nice dinner to share all of our stories from the past week of crazy adventures in Europe. It was nice to have the group back together again. And even though it was lonely without the St. John's kids, the eight of us are a good group and get along just fine. 
2. Starting "Survey of Art and Architecture". This week, I started my art class. Or as many prefer to call it, "Intro to Walking Around". We basically tour all of the famous sights in Rome, and get a grade for doing so. I can't say that it's my favorite part of the day, but it's nice to get out and about every day and see the sights. It's definitely hot, though, which makes walking around for 3 hours in the sun less than awesome. But. My flip flop tan lines are pretty awesome. 
3. Vatican Museum. Kaleb and I went to go see the Vatican on Monday. Jennifer and Shelley had already been, and the other girls took a trip to Florence for the weekend, so it was just us. (We are going to Florence a different weekend, by the way. I'm still going) The Vatican Museum houses the Sistene Chapel, home of Michelangelo's famous frescoes. It was truly a sight to see, and incredible to think about someone actually painting this ceiling. My neck would have been killing me. 
4. Castel Sant'Angelo. Earlier this morning, Shelley, Jennifer, and me went to tour Castel Sant'Angelo. Although the layout of this gargantuan building was rather confusing, we somehow made it through. Originally constructed as the Mausoleum of Hadrian, this building has also served as a castle and fortress for the popes, and now is used as a museum.
5. New sunglasses. A rather dull highlight of my week, I know. But, after losing my sunglasses somewhere in London, I couldn't see very well in the sunlight. At all. Today, that problem was fixed and now I don't have to squint like Popeye in all of the pictures. (Although, that is my signature look)

Hope you all are having a fantastic week! I'm finally caught up on days which is nice. Thank you for your patience with that and I hope you all enjoyed "coming" on my European escapade with me! Have a great Tuesday :)