recent happenings

life here in Roma is picking up. classes are becoming more tedious and plans are being made. I'm learning my way around and becoming more and more familiar with the Italian way of life. 

I have my grocery store I like with my favorite brand of granola and yogurt. I found peanut butter (cue Hallelujah chorus). I know where the best gelato is. 

I am feeling at home. 

and it's crazy how the Lord can know just what we need at the right exact moment.  even though I am feeling at home here and more comfortable, He knew that I needed some sort of comfort from home. which is exactly what happened. 

one of my dearest friends from school came all the way to Italy to visit me. I could not be anymore thankful that she is here. we have had so much fun already just exploring, catching up, laughing, and experiencing Rome together. oh and eating of course. it's one thing to be in this amazing city, but it's that much better when you are with a close friend. I truly wish everyone could come visit me and see this amazing place.

here are some pictures from our lovely time together thus far.  

I think we saw everything you can see in Rome in one day. 

what a blessing she is to me. I'm so thankful she is here and I'm so glad our time together in Europe isn't over yet. 

lots of love. 

such a tourist

I've only been here a little over two weeks and have yet to see everything Rome offers. this city is full of history, culture, art, and people.  I never could have imagined myself living in a completely different city and country than what I am used to; however, I am so glad that I was brought here. it's causing me to learn and grow in areas that I had no idea I needed to. it's wonderful. tough at times, but wonderful.

much to my dislike, it's been cloudy and rainy here the past few days which is no fun.  I'm ready for some sunshine and blue skies!  but even in the rain, I think Rome is beautiful. everyone has to visit this amazing city at least once, so go ahead and put it on your bucket list....now.

 luckily though, the clouds broke on Friday to reveal a gorgeous day just begging us to get out in the city.  this caused my friends and I to have a carpe diem moment.  we got up and went out to explore and wander down the cobblestoned streets of this ancient city.

we had a mission: to find this hidden treasure of Rome called the Rome Keyhole. it's apparently one of the best kept secrets of Rome, but not anymore! you just look through this key hole in a big door and see the most beautiful view of St. Peter's Basilica ever. it seriously looks like a painting. here is my picture I took of it.....

it's not very good, I know. but look it up on google and you can see a better shot.

it was a wonderful day of exploration going to the Spanish Steps and the street of shops. It's literally a street that has every store imaginable. it's amazing.

here are some shots from the day. enjoy!

lots of love dear ones. 

school days

ah the first day of class. the jitters of not knowing anyone; the excitement of new classes; the freak out moments after reading the syllabus. all of these things still happen even in a completely different country and university. 

but I love it.  I love to learn and I cannot wait to get engaged in these classes and get to know my professors. I'm a nerd, sue me. 

the classes here though are completely different than UT. my biggest class is 26 students and my smallest is 4. okay, so not what I am used to. however, I like that so much better. I like that the teacher will know my face and name and that we can have more engaging conversations, instead of just listening to those certain students who like to talk all the time (they can get annoying, sorry if you are one of them).

every class that I am taking will teach me something different and will all be useful in some way, which is great. tomorrow, I have Digital Photography which I am super pumped about. I have always loved taking pictures and hope this class will teach me how to be a better photographer. so who knows, you might be calling me to take your next family portrait....doubtful, but still. 

probably one of the coolest things about being in Rome is the fact that I have the rest of Europe at my fingertips. for instance, tonight my roommates and I were planning a weekend trip to Paris in April (fingers crossed). that's just not a normal thing. 

but I love it. 

sending lots of love your way friends.

ciao for now!

slowing down

the past couple of days have not been very eventful so I apologize for not posting. but in reality, I am living in Rome, so that's an event by itself. it still has not sunk in.

yesterday (Sunday), made me realize how much I miss my church and being in a Christian community. I have not even been here a full week, but I am starting to see how important it is to surround yourself with other believers. I talked to someone who lives here and they suggested this English speaking church, so I'm going to check it out next Sunday. it's not to far from my home so that will be nice!  I'm hoping to get involved in a youth group or bible study of some sorts too. so we will see!

a couple of my roommates and I cooked dinner last night for the first time and it was so cheap! we made this pasta with pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella and it was yum. I'm going to try and cook as much as possible to save money and just because it's fun! everything here is so fresh and it just tastes so much better. I like it. 

today is technically supposed to be the first day of classes, but I don't have any Monday classes. SCORE. our school also does not have any classes on Friday either. DOUBLE SCORE. I'm so excited for this because it means that I can make weekend trips longer and I can have extra time to do homework, laundry, etc. 

tomorrow, I have 3 classes: The Victorian Novel, Women in Film, and Writing for the Media. I am really excited about class and cannot wait to learn. nerd alert. I think it will be nice once classes start so that I can get into a routine. I'm hoping the homework load will not be too much though. 

my roommates and I also planned out our trips that we want to take together. I already feel like this time is going to go by so fast!! it's crazy. 

I will post pictures of my apartment soon so that you can see where I am living and everything. hope you are not too bored...it will get more exciting soon I'm sure! I do live in Rome for goodness sake. 

ciao!

speechless

I am in love. 

but don't worry, it's just with Rome.  everyday this city amazes me.  I did not think that it could be this pretty, but it is.  today was the best day I've had here so far and it was just amazing.  the weather was perfect and I got to see all of the touristy places in Rome that are all only a 30 minute walk away from me!!!

so Matteo (our cute little Italian student guide) took us to Altare della Patria, or commonly known as the Wedding Cake....incredible.

then we turned the corner and in the distance is this.

no big deal. I got goose bumps. there is so much history here it is amazing. my inner nerd is loving all of this. 

The Colosseum is so much more incredible in person. I can't wait to go back.

then the tour was supposed to be over, but we still had a couple of hours to kill so we asked Matteo if we could explore.  we start walking and were wondering where he was taking us when we show up here....it's the president's house. it has an amazing view of the city in front of it.  I'm up for the next election.

we keep walking and literally have no idea where we are and then turn the corner and there is the Trevi Fountain. NO BIG DEAL OR ANYTHING.

of course I had to make a wish and no I will not tell you what it is.  but I hope it comes true...

we keep walking down unknown streets and turn another corner and there is the Pantheon. WHAT. I told Matteo that he was my favorite person ever for taking us to all these places. 

we went back to our school for lunch and a couple of girls were saying that they wanted to walk to the Vatican city, which has St. Peter's Basicalla. so I tagged along and that might have been the best decision I have made so far. it is so dang beautiful. pictures do not do it justice.

of course I had to get a solo pic in front of it. duh.

we went inside because it's free (SCORE) and it was just as insanely pretty on the inside. unfortunately, I only had my phone to take pics so I'll wait and post ones when I go back with my actual camera. you will definitely want to look at those. I was speechless the whole time (but in reality I just kept walking around saying how pretty it was).

oh my favorite part....so we walked outside and saw these two very colorfully dressed guards standing here guarding the entrance. they are supposed to not be moving, but I look at one and we make eye contact and he winks at me! A VATICAN GUARD WINKED AT ME. it was great. and then I took this picture and if you zoom in you can tell he is looking at my camera. so basically, he wanted to marry me. no big deal. 

the best part is that the Vatican is only a 25 minute walk from my apartment which is so nice. however, I was exhausted when I came home. 

today has been such a fun day and I am just so in love with Rome. it is so pretty. everyone needs to visit here at least once in there life. 

I cannot wait for more adventures here in my beautiful new home.

ciao!

field trip.

field trips are my favorite. I love that they are organized and you have a plan and you get to go to a cool place (most of the time).

well today was no different.  the program that I am with, SAI, has an inclusive welcome excursion that is paid for and we get to see something really cool in Rome.  it was awesome. I was just speechless the whole time because Rome is just so beautiful, I can't stand it. 

they took us to Ostia Antica, which is this ancient port city a little outside of the main city. it's obviously all in ruins now, but for being thousands of years old, you can still recognize and picture what it might have been like back then.  I was worried it was going to be too rainy all morning but thankfully the rain held off until right when we left. 

the pictures really don't do it justice....

then the trip gets even better.  they take us to this organic farm that serves us a 5+ course meal for free that is all grown on the farm right there. it was so yummy. after we stuffed our faces full of Italian food, we went on a tour of the grounds and saw the places that you can stay. and people even get married there!! so romantic. 

all in all, today was great.  I love Rome.  It's so beautiful.  the end. 

ciao!

exploring.

I'm convinced that orientation anywhere is just overwhelming. 

the first day (yesterday) was alright, but to be honest, it overwhelmed me a lot. there was just so much that they talked about and told us that I just did not know what to do.  however, it was good because they told us how to get around Rome and other useful information about living here.  for example, they warned us to watch out for the "mano morta," which translated into English means "dead hand." not creepy at all. I bet you are wondering what it is.  well, let's just say it's creepy and disgusting and I'll leave it at that.  hopefully I will not encounter any dead hands...hopefully.

also, yesterday I walked back to my apartment alone for the first time. and what they say about Italian men is true. they are just not afraid to openly look at you and say things. no worries, mom and dad, nobody touched me or stole anything and I was safe. but I'm not really painting a good picture of Rome here am I....woops. so let's get to the good stuff.

one of my roommates and I (there are 6 of us total) went exploring in our neighborhood a bit later that night. we were stunned that we live here. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

 so we walked up these stairs covered in ivy and trees because we heard there was a park behind our street and we found this beautiful church. not entirely sure what it is, but it's pretty nonetheless. 

  it also had a beautiful view of the city.

 and inside some gates, there was this. I'm sure this is something important, but I wish I knew what it is...if you know please enlighten me. 

 we continued walking and stumbled upon this fountain. it was gorgeous.  

we found the park, but it was closed so we kept walking down this street for more. I'm obsessed with these trees. can you imagine how beautiful they will be once spring comes? sigh.

finally at the top of the hill we see this little statue. there were busts of men's heads lining the way up and also a little arcade thing which we thought was random/funny. anyways, I'm sure this is also important, but I just don't know what it is....shame on me.

the statue faces this spectacular view of the city with the mountains in the back. I was speechless. it's just so beautiful and I live here. no big deal. 

I'm still pretty shocked that I actually live here. especially when I'm sitting in my apartment or walking down the street because I just don't realize I'm in Rome. but like today, I was walking with some people by the Tiber river and we crossed this bridge and looked back and there was the Castel Sant'Angelo just right in front of us. like what?! and I live here?! too incredible. 

I am just amazed at the beauty of this city and the fact that it has been here for an extremely long time. so much history...I love it.  I can't wait to go explore some more. 

I really could write on and on about orientation and the city and everything, but I don't want to bore you.  I'm realizing though that this whole blogging thing is fun!!  I like it and will try to update as much as possible. 

xoxo 

nuovi inizi (new beginnings)

I am currently sitting in an apartment in Rome, Italy. shut the front door. 

this cute, Italian apartment in the Roman neighborhood Trastevere, is my home for 4 whole months. I did not think that I would ever be able to do something like this, but I am so glad that the Lord has brought me here.  I can already tell that this experience is going to grow me and that I am going to learn so much. 

the journey over only had a few bumps, but other than that it was so much easier than I anticipated.  What a blessing from God.  Traveling alone is quite fun.  The only thing I don't like is not having someone to talk with me constantly.  I am already realizing how much I miss fellowship with people who know you in and out.

I was not nervous or anything until the last part of the plane ride to Rome.  that was very tough.  I regretted coming and wanted to turn home right then.  But once again God provided and I immediately found a group of girls who are also studying abroad here, so we helped each other out and talked while we waited.  I ALREADY MADE FRIENDS MOM.  

anyways, we waited for our luggage (which thankfully got here) and then went out to meet our SAI coordinators.  I got my apartment key and was taken there in a taxi, where the man just dropped me off and said good luck.  Talk about scary.  

I walked into my building and was instantly lost.  But once again the Lord is so good and this sweet woman walked in who spoke english and she helped me find my apartment.  I was the first one of my roommates here and got to pick the best room, which is always a plus.  The apartment is bigger than I thought and I actually really like it.  I unpacked, prayed, and waited until my roommates arrived. 

they all came at different times, but once everyone was here, we made the journey to the grocery store (which is not actually a journey, it's just down the street.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the store was stocked with some pretty great things.  I can't wait to cook some yummy pasta in our little kitchen. 

we are all exhausted so bedtime is coming fast and I'm extremely happy about that.  I am just so thankful that the Lord got me here safe and sound.  I know there will be hard times, but there will also be good times too. Tomorrow starts orientation and hopefully I will begin taking pictures so I can spice up this blog a bit. 

I still cannot believe that I am here for 4 months...it's going to be such an adventure.

and if you are still reading this, I love you and miss you all already. 

a new year.

my sweet grandmother told me this verse the other morning and I just think it is perfect as we have entered a new year. 

Philippians 3:13-14

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
let's forget the past year (except maybe the happy memories) and look forward to what this new year holds.