Seeing as one of my number one goals while studying abroad in Rome was to learn how to do as the Romans do (i.e. stress less!) I guess you could say that I’m failing pretty miserably right now. While I’ve certainly learned to enjoy fine food and wine, my hopes of enduring less stress in my life is not quite working out, or at least not right now. It’s the night before my first of four midterm exams and all I can think about is how bad I’m going to do. Well, that and the fact that I’m going to be in Greece for seven nights in LESS THAN ONE WEEK! Oh, and my mom is visiting from the United States right now so, rather than studying like I should be, I’ve been playing tour guide for the past 48 hours And lets be serious, I’m living in ROME! Who really wants to focus on school when there is so much beauty all around you? I’m surrounded by incredible ancient forums, magnificant basilicas, runway fashion and, oh ya, let’s not forget those Italian men! So, what I’m really trying to say is that studying abroad certainly teaches you how to find a balance between work and pleasure. And we all know I’ve had my fair share of pleasure over here in Italy!
Like I’ve said before, there is never so much as one dull moment. This weekend my mom and I went to Venice, which was AMAZING! While nothing quite compares to the beauty of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Venice was certainly a close second! I couldn’t believe that people actually live on these beautiful islands with no cars and no means of transportation other than boats along the canals. By last night we had seen pretty much all of Venice and returned to Rome where we enjoyed a traditional Italian meal next to the Pantheon. After dinner, when we were both absolutely stuffed, I decided to show my mom the Spanish steps, as well as the famous Trevi fountain.
Today, we woke up bright and early and headed to the Vatican just in time to catch the end of the 10 o’clock mass being broadcasted throughout St. Peter’s Square. We waited in line for almost two hours to get inside St. Peter’s Basilica, or as it’s called in Italian, Basilica de San Peitro. It was certainly worth the wait to be able to see this remarkable cathedral, which I learned is the second largest basilica in the world! (It was HUGE!) After a long day we finally returned to my apartment earlier this evening where I showed off my new cooking skills to my mom! I made her one of my favorite dishes: seafood scampi in a white wine sauce over linguine. I guess you could say living in Italy has also encouraged me to brush up on my cooking skills!
I’m sure you can understand by now why I’m having trouble focusing on school! But let’s just say that, while I may not be living like an Italian in terms of stress, I’m most definitely taking great pleasure in most other aspects of the Italian lifestyle. After all, I wouldn’t want to let go of all my American ways though now, would I?
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