On Sunday, I ofcourse got gelato and hung out with Mel and we eventually ended up at Scholars. The next day I had my last class for Michelangelo in Rome before the final. We visited Sant Agostino and San Luigi, two very famous churches that hold the works of Caravaggio. I made sure to get some more gelato that day as well. The next day I had my Italian class where we reviewed for the final. I still can't believe how much Italian I've learned in such little time! Later in the evening a few of us headed over to the San Lorenzo area by the Termini train station, which was a lot different than our usual hang out spot, but a lot of fun nonetheless.
On Wednesday I took a final and met up with Mel to go to Mama Eat for the last time, a place where one can get gluten free pizza (I got the normal one, but the gluten free one doesn't look too bad either!) Afterwards, we walked to the Vatican and had a little photoshoot, which was a lot of fun. Later that day I went to a restaurant in Monte Mario called Cucina Romana and had some bruschette, pizza, and french fries along with some wine. It was delicious!
Thursday was my legit last day in Rome, which was very sad. I had to take my last final, Italian, which I think I did pretty well on. Afterwards, I got gelato for the second time that day at my favorite spot, Della Palma where they give you huge servings of gelato such as nutella and chocolate fondente. Later, we hung out at our favorite bar in Trastevere, sipping some coffee and mourning our soon departure. In the evening, Claudio made Mel and I dinner and we went to Scholars for the last time. At Midnight, it was Mel's birthday, so we celebrated for a few hours until I had to leave to go home and pack.
What a sad day it was to leave! I didn't even bother going to bed- I took a taxi to the airport, and then had to go through a thousand and one steps to actually get to my gate. At first, they couldn't find my name on the computer and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my ticket to fly! It worked out, and I flew ten hours to New Jersey, sleeping only a couple of the hours on the plane. Once I got to Jersey, I had to wait 3 hours for my layover, and we finally boarded. However, the plane couldn't take off, so we had to get off and wait another 2 and a half hours for a new plane that wasn't having mechanical issues! By the time I got home, it was 10 pm STL time, 5 am Rome time. So basically a 24 hour trip!
It's nice to be at home I suppose, but I really miss Rome and my friends there. It was definitely an experience to remember, and I wish I could go back tomorrow, but alas. Thanks everyone for reading my blog! This will be my last post. I'd like to end with a little something I did similar to the beginning of the semester when I talked about the things I missed in America. Only this time, you can guess it will be a little different.
The Top Ten Things I Miss About Italy:
10. Zara! OMG the shopping! This store in particular store my heart and wallet with all of their trendy clothing. I think in the end I bought around 8 dresses here! Amazing! Someone told me there's a Zara in Chicago, so maybe someday if I get the urge I can go shopping there again. Maybe it's a good thing it's so far away from me...
9. The Walking - Okay, maybe my feet didn't like all of the pressure, but the rest of my body sure did! It was wonderful to walk around and be able to feel the fresh Italian air. I will definitely be walking more around the neighborhood atleast this summer.
8. Living in a Big City - the convenience alone was amazing! I liked using public transportation most of the time and being so close to everything. It also meant I could walk a lot more.
7. The Foreign Language- Anyone who knows me knows that I love learning languages, so getting to be immersed in the Italian language was a gift!
6. The Homemade Italian Meals - getting meals cooked to you by Italians is pretty legit, you have to admit. I have eaten so much pasta and pizza, it's insane!
5. THE PIZZA! Whether it was thin crust Roman style of thicker Neapolitan, it was all amazing. I am still not sick of pizza and could in fact eat it today probably hahaha.
4. The Art and Culture - this doesn't need to be explained, honestly. All of the art I've seen in Italy overall is overwhelming! Caravaggio, Titian, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael... I could go on and on and on...
3. Traveling - It was so much easier to travel in Italy when you are so much closer to all of those different cultures and countries. Seeing Barcelona, Paris, and the rest of Italy was really a treat and much more convenient compared to living in the states and traveling from there.
2. THE GELATO! I like how I capitalize the foods. But OH MY GOD THE GELATO! I don't know how I will live without that creamy, marvelous dairy product. Chocolate fondente, I will never forget you. Nor will I forget you, nutella.
1. The People I've Met - This definitely deserves the number one spot. I've definitely met some people I will never forget, from students from my program to people outside. I got a new best friend, Mel, who is going to (or better be!!!) visit me in Missouri sometime this summer. I also met Claudio, a guy I will for sure never forget. All in all, I met a lot of friends and hope to see them again sooner rather then later.
Ciao ciao!
Plane Ride Home. On Boeing 767
One last view of the Tiber in Rome.
At the Vatican
Oh I forgot to mention this! Hahaha I was trying to get into my house, but the key broke so I had to call the doorman and it took two hours for us to get into the place. What a fun evening that was!
Alas, we could not enter the threshold.
Trastevere Train Station - I spent quite some time here.
Some of Caravaggio's work in the two churches mentioned above.
Once again everyone thanks for reading. It's been a blast!
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