Going Home

Well, the year has sadly come to an end, and I'm now back in the U.S., though very happy to see family and friends. The day that I had to leave was very sad with a lot of tears. Many of my classmates came to the airport to see me off and my host mom, Alessandra, was very sad to say good-bye as well. Just as I left from New York, it was only fitting that I got to end there as well. My mom met me at the airport and we had a great time in the city, with a visit to the NYU campus, shopping in Soho, and tickets to 'Mamma Mia!'. I'll be home in Rapid City on the 5th of July, after celebrating Independence Day with family in Iowa. Thanks everyone for following the blog this year, and I hope you have all truly enjoyed it! Ciao!

La Costa Smeralda

Last week, Dario, a friend from Olbia (on the north shore of Sardinia), invited me to stay at his house for a week. He lives near La Costa Smeralda, which is where most of the nicer beaches are and where all the rich and famous go for vacation, so I said yes of course. He took me around the city and the beaches with his friends and we had an extremely fun week. It was definitely worth the 4-hour train ride to get there!

Venice

Last week, my host mom surprised me with a two-day trip to Venice. We left very (too) early Sunday morning and spent all day in the city, where we saw San Marco Square and took boats around the city. Venice is so unique because there are no cars, only canals and boats, so it feels like it's in another period of time, much further behind our own. We visited the Guggenheim Museum, and another museum which houses an old prison where Casanova was kept prisoner. I prefer Venice over Rome or Milan any day. A wonderful parting gift from my host mom!

Trip around Sardinia

As my year quickly comes to an end, I had a great week on vacation on the beaches of Sardinia. I and many other exchange students took a week long trip around the island, visiting beaches, Nuraghi, and many other great spots. The best day was definitely the last, when we took a boat along the coast and stopped at various beaches along the way that can only be reached by boat. This was arguably the most relaxing vacation I've ever had. I met new students from China, Japan, Chile, Germany and Australia, and we all had a wonderful trip together.

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!