Update

Well, May has been flying by and next month will be my last in Sardinia. I've had quite a busy month traveling to Rome, running, going out with friends, and even sailing. On the May 26th, I'll start a short vacation with the program where we'll get to visit different sites in Sardinia and then at the end, we'll have another 3 days in Rome before coming back on the 6th and then finishing school on the 10th. I'll have the remaining time to go to the beach and hang out with friends before heading to Milan on the 22nd and flying to New York on the 23rd to meet up with my mom. Here are some photos from this month.

Roman Holiday

My host mother Alessandra told me on Sunday that she had work in Rome on Tuesday, and asked if I wanted to go. Well, of course!!! We had an early morning flight from Cagliari, and Alessandra took me to the subway when we got into the city and I spent the morning at the Vatican, which was incredible! I got to visit Pope John Paul II's tomb, the Cupola, St. Peter's Square, La Pieta by Michelangelo, the Vatican museum, and the Sistine Chapel. Then after an exhausting morning of walking, I took the subway back to meet Alessandra, who had just finished her meeting. Then we went to the Fontagna di Trevi, and made wishes with Euros. Afterward, we took the subway and then the train back to the airport and flew home that evening. I will have another trip again in June and I can hardly wait!!! The pictures are of me in front of Michelangelo's Pieta, and the other is of Alessandra making a wish at the Fontagna di Trevi.

Happy (Italian) Birthday!!!

Ah, what a wonderful birthday! I even got two parties! First, I had a small pizza dinner at my house with two classmates (Davide and Dario), an Australian friend who's also an exchange student (Abbey), her host brother (Enrico), and a friend from the cross-country team (Fabio). I got two Sardegna t-shirts, which are very cool, and a delicious birthday cake. Then the following Saturday, my classmates "surprised" me with a "surprise" party at an ice rink/pizzeria. They didn't do a very good job keeping it a secret! Anyway, unfortunately, I only got one photo on my camera before the battery died and then I'm still waiting for photos from the second party, so we'll just have to imagine! My awesome classmates got me Carrera sunglasses that I've been dropping (enormous) hints at all year, so I was a happy camper! I probably won't get very many Italian birthdays, so this was a pretty special year! Thanks Gran and Grandad for the extra "help" for getting to Rome as my gift. The trip came much sooner than expected!