The First Week of Classes...

Well, as I am writing this, I only have one more day of my first week of classes here in Roma, Italia.  My classes are very interesting, so this should be a fun semester.  I am taking History of Modern Europe: The Age of Nationalism, Abnormal Psychology, Italian 101, Ancient Rome and Its Monuments, and History of the Catholic Church.  They are all going great, and the professors over here are very nice.  I have a pretty open schedule, and I don't start before noon, except on Wednesdays.  The university is closed on Fridays, so we have only four days weeks over here.  Earlier this week, I found this neat thing on my Google Email account where I can call any landline in the USA for free and talk to people from my microphone in my laptop.  How neat is that?  I have used it a couple of times to call home!

Eating over here is amazing.  I have been having wine with a lot of my dinners, and lunch ends up being whatever I can find at the market.  There is a market right behind my house that I shop at a lot.  For dinner, I usually end up going over to Casey and Bliss's apartment because we decided we would all eat together.  Bliss cooks, and Casey and I clean.  It's an awesome set-up! 

This weekend the plan is to just stick around Rome, hang out with the roommates and friends from school, enjoy the night life, and explore some more.  The week has been going by fairly quickly, and before I know it my time her will be over, so I need to continue knocking things off of my "to-do" list!  I am having some issues getting my books for class, but that should be solved within a day or two.  It rained here in Rome for the first time today since I got here, so the tram on the way home way packed to the brim!  Packed tram in Rome on a hot summer day = major BO!  Gross.  Man, I was lucky that my stop was only a short distance from school.  

I have been reading my notes, well wishes, and emails from home every time I get down in the dumps about being so far away from home, and it always cheers me up.  I am really enjoying my time here and I am so happy that I decided to take this leap of faith this semester.  I am taking time to learn more about myself, the beautiful Italian culture, and more about my faith.  Every time I read the notes I have received from home, I always get more and more motivated to go out and see more of the things Rome has to offer!  I'm doing very well over here, and I hope all is well back in the States.  Just know that I am gone now, but my spirit and thoughts are with all of you every day.  I think about my beautiful family and awesome friends often, and miss you all dearly.  God has a plan for me, and being in Rome for this semester is part of the process of figuring it out!  And so far, I'm loving every minute of it!  Take care and know that my love and prayers are always with you, and when the time comes for me to leave Roma, it will be truly bittersweet, but I will be overflowing with joy to see all of you back home!