Cheap Wine on School Nights... BAD IDEA.

So I guess I should continue my Rome adventures from where I left off.  On Tuesday night, some ingenious classmate of mine decided we should hold our own wine-tasting with the super classy wine we bought at the local grocery store (called the Dem).  The most expensive bottle there was about... 5 euro.  Which was surprisingly much crappier than the 99 cent bottle.  Anyway, mixing all that really really cheap wine was a terrible idea because we all felt pretty crappy afterward.  Not to mention that there's already a virus circulating around campus and incapacitating students.

Wednesday was the first day of half-classes. Basically just an introduction.  All my teachers seem decent (except not really, there's one I'm a little concerned about) .  The reading have definitely started!  Aristotle, church fathers, and a bunch of other old, dead guys.  Wednesday night we were all really lame and stayed in and did our reading like good girls and got caught up on sleep.

Thursday: Everyone else on campus had to go to the Post Office to get their permessi (document allowing them to stay in Italy). Except I didn't, because I'm British.  I also found out that because I'm a member of the EU , I can apply for an Italian driver's license without taking a test or anything.  Which I am really tempted to do because that seems like a legit souvenir.  Thursday night, Elise and I and what seemed like a third of campus went to the local bar called Saints and Sinners.  Alcohol is ridiculously expensive, so we just split a drink, which is a great idea because we're both extreme light-weights.

Today we had classes in the morning, and in the afternoon we went to the catacombs of St. Sebastian.  It was really cool venturing through all those little dark passageways under the earth.  After we finished the tour we had mass in the church there, and then they loaded us up onto the bus to take us for an authentic Italian "fast food" dinner.  Of course, being in Italy, the meal took two hours.  But it was delicious (all sorts of meats and cheeses and grilled vegetables and bread and followed by pizza.. and of course wine).  Now we're back on campus and about to commence with our weekend!

Tomorrow we're going to go on a mandatory scavenger hunt in Rome to get us accustomed to the public transportation or whatever.  Our team is totally going to win.  And then after that we'll have a big dinner and a wine tasting led by Monseigneur Fuccinaro.  I guess I'll get all my homework done on Sunday.....

Saints and Sinners

Roommates outside the catacombs.

Day One: Jet Lag?

So after three plane rides with no major incidents, I've arrived in Rome.  I managed to sleep almost the whole plane ride over, partially due to the fact that I was seated next to a 60 year old woman.  Considering that it's the middle of winter, Italy is ridiculously green!!  It looks a little bit like Ireland.  The campus is not as rural as I was expecting it, but the dorm rooms are definitely smaller.  There are only two desks, so that means one of our roommates is going to have to miss out on doing homework.  Except not really, because that's not how we roll.  We arrived to find over thirty books piled on our desks for the upcoming semester, among which are such fun sounding titles as Saint Augustine's Confessions and Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy.  So anyone who has been referring to this semester as a "boondoggle" needs to stop.  I also need to look up what that word actually means at some point, but I just assume its a 50+ expression.

UD kept us exceptionally busy yesterday to help us get over jet lag.  We had mandatory tours of campus and meetings, and then a convocation mass and introductions of the staff.  Then last night they served us a five course dinner (which started at 8:15), which was a terrible idea because everyone was really exhausted and it seemed to drag on forever.

This morning we got up at 5 to get ready to go to St. Peter's Basilica, where we had mass at 8 AM.  It was absolutely beautiful in there, so ornate and just really inspiring to actually get to see.  Plus the Swiss Guard look exceptionally goofy in their parachute pants.  After St. Peter's we went on  walking tour of Rome in small groups(Mine was directed by Dr. Nelson [Philosophy teacher]).  We saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, numerous churches, and the Roman Forum.  We also got to stop for gelato, which was delicious.  I still need to work on picking up a few more Italian phrases because I'm still limited to saying hello, goodbye, and STOP IT.   But seeing as no Italian man has harrassed me yet, I haven't gotten to yell at anyone.  Which is a little unfortunate because my mother gave me the impression that Italian men would be grabbing my butt the whole time I'm over here.  Evidently not true.  But the semester is still young.

For the rest of today, I'll be taking a walk around the vineyard, and maybe going to the local store to look for an italian flatiron.  Four months of big hair just isn't going to work for me.  (Although now I have the ability to blow dry it semi-straight thanks to my wonderful friend Ali).

Ciao!

One more day in America...

So today is Friday the 21st.  And I leave on Sunday (at 6 in the morning, no less ).  Meaning that I have one full day left in Tulsa before I head off for the semester.  At this point, I'm mostly packed.  I still have to make photocopies of all my documents and throw some last minute things into the suitcases, but hopefully that wont be too stressful.  I'm really worried I'm going to forget something vitally important, because there's not a Wal-Mart on every corner (and even if there was, it's shut most of the afternoon anyway).  I think I was pretty successful at packing lightly.  I mean, I've decided to only take five pairs of shoes. Getting everything home is going to be more interesting, because I tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. But don't worry, I don't think we're going to be buying a gerbil off of Craig's List this semester.  So that's one less thing to transport (note to all concerned: Chubby Cheeks sounds like he's having a fabulous time with his semester-long vacation in a TCU dorm room).

Tomorrow is my last day in America until June.  Part of me wants to go on an eating binge and hit every fast food joint in the area because I know I won't have that option for four  months.  But then I remember that I never eat fast food even when I am in America, and it would be a shame not to fit in my skinny jeans when I arrive in Italy.  Other things on my agenda:  finishing another Harry Potter book, finding something to do on the plane, and tormenting the dog enough to make up for my semester-long absence.. I lead an exciting life.


The idea here is to keep everyone updated on my travels and adventures while I'm overseas.  I really hope I make time to update this regularly.  And I really really hope that I'll actually have some good stories to tell.  I'm really excited for the upcoming semester, although a four-month separation from my flat iron is going to be ROUGH.  Hopefully the bad hygiene of Europeans doesn't rub off on me.  And hopefully I don't get kidnapped by a gypsy, because I hear that could be a real concern.


SO if anyone wants to contact me while I'm away, you can email me or facebook me.  Or skype (but that's really unreliable because the internet connection over there is SUPER CRAPPY) 

:)