A lot has happened these past few months, and there have been a lot of changes in my life. Some changes have been good, and some have been and still are rather difficult to confront. I will go into more details later, but for now I will just give a quick recap of what I have been doing these past few months.

I had signed up to study abroad in Rome in June, and before leaving I found out some very sad news. The person that had been like a father to me since I was about 12 years old, Dr. Elegado, was diagnosed with liver cancer in April. On May 10th, Mother’s Day, he passed away. It was and still is very difficult to deal with. It is hard to believe he’s gone. The tragedy did not end there, however, because his kids chose not to grant him his last wishes and have made this difficult situation even more painful and stressful. In fact, lately I have been suffering from panic attacks quite often and randomly. This is something new to me that I am having to learn to deal with. I guess there were too many changes and too much stress in a short period of time for me to handle.

On a brighter note, I did get to go to Italy! I even went on a side trip to Egypt. I flew to Rome at the end of May and stayed until the end of June. I had 5 roommates for a total of 6 girls sharing one bathroom! That made for some interesting times. Our apartment was in a nice location close to Vatican City. We could easily walk to St. Peter’s Square, Castel Sant’Angelo, shops, cafes, the metro, and bus stop.

I learned a lot while studying abroad not just about the classes that I took while there, but also about dealing with different people, roommates, Italian hospitals and healthcare system (not quite by choice), living in Rome, and of course, art and a bit of Roman history.

Instead of going on the optional trip to Venice I went to Egypt! It was my first time there, and on the African continent for that matter. It was extremely hot, but I had a great time there. I was able to see a bit of Cairo, the Nile, Saqqara and the ancient pyramid and temple there, Giza’s pyramids and the Sphinx. It was a wonderful experience.

The other exciting side trip I had this summer was to Las Vegas, Nevada. I spent three fun days there, and did a little gambling. I won $300 playing mini-baccarat, so I can’t complain. I even got to see one of Cirque du Soleil’s shows, KA. My favorite part was trying out the different restaurants and buffets there, which were all very good.

In a few days my summer vacation will come to an end, and school will begin. It will be my last semester, so I will graduate in December with a bachelor of arts in international studies. I am two classes away from a minor in Spanish, but I can’t fit anything else into my schedule next semester and I absolutely must graduate in December as a result of some of the unfortunate changes that have taken place with Dr. Elegado’s passing. All I can do now is hope for the best and try to stay positive, but it is hard at times.

That is all for today. Wish me luck in dealing with all these changes

Rome, Italy

I will be studying abroad in Rome, Italy in June. I’m really excited, and a bit nervous. I’m not looking forward to the long flight to get there, but it will be worth it.

The last time I went to Rome was about 10 years ago and only for a few hours. However, I instantly fell in love with the Eternal City and have been wanting to go back, if not move there, ever since.

While I am there I will have to keep a journal and write a ten page paper to waive the B.A. in international studies internship requirement at the University of New Orleans. On top of this, I will also be taking two courses:

Papal Rome: Art & Culture in the Renaissance and Baroque

Introduction to drawing – My drawing is mediocre and I will be expected to draw some of the greatest monuments and buildings in history. This should be both challenging and comical.

Most of the classes will take place in the city of Rome itself in museums, churches, parks, etc. I predict as a result of this I will get a tan and lose a few pounds, assuming I can control my intake of delicious Italian food.

I will be studying in Rome for the entire month of June. We will also go on a trip to Florence, and I will probably go on the optional excursion with my drawing class to Venice. After they all leave I plan on going to Sicily to see my relatives. I will try to keep you all posted on my adventure =)

There is a reason why I posted a nice picture of a pretty colorful tree and a little bit of snow. Let me start by saying this…I love winter. I enjoy when it rains or even snows and I find it relaxing, but I live in the New Orleans area so snow is not something I see often. Needless to say I was very excited and had to run outside in my pajamas and a coat when nature decided to give me an early Christmas present and blessed me with snow in early December! It was Eros’ first time seeing snow. I wasn’t sure he would like it, but he was rather curious about it. Eventually he got cold even with his jacket on and started running around in circles. I wish I would have videotaped it, but I was too busy enjoying the moment. Maybe next time. I hope it will be just as funny the next time he encounters snow.

Since it is past 6:00 AM and I still have not slept I think it would be wise of me to cut this entry short and try to get some sleep before the sun comes out. I will try to post oftenish…key word being try hehe. Hopefully, my next entry will be a little more interesting.