Margaret Graham '09

Dear Readers,

Buon giorno! My name is Margaret and I am a junior about to study abroad in the majestic and bustling city of Roma, Italy. But before I tell you anything about myself, I'd like to say a big Thank You -- especially to my wonderful family and friends -- for reading this blog in the first place. Your support and interest mean more than you know. I look forward to having an amazing time, and I hope that you can enjoy my wild and crazy adventures along with me!

Part I (Departure)

Ahhh, the wonders of travel... and oh how it has its pros and cons. On the 17th (this past Thursday), I arrived at the airport totally prepared (physically, not so much emotionally) with all my papers, suitcases, et al. only to find my flight canceled and the impending doom of bad weather whispers all around the airport. So, after being rerouted twice (I got to visit the lovely city of Amsterdam from 6:45 to 9:45 a.m.) and being chosen, of course, for extra special screening at the security check, I settled as comfortably as possible in one of those faux leather chairs at Gate 5, and waited for my flight to board. Even before leaving the states I learned a valuable lesson: expect the unexpected. No matter how prepared I think I am, it will never be enough.

So already a week has breezed by, and during that time I feel that I've been doing nothing but learning. Every minute of every day is a lesson. Which is exhausting, but fascinating. Italian culture and even the Italian's basic approach to life are completely different from the U.S. (much more so than I had feigned to imagine, anyway). So whether it's in class, on the street, in a café, or in some Mannerist cathedral, I'm breathing all things new. I'm seeing everything like a child sees it, for the first time: Monuments, ruins, cobblestone walkways, traffic signs and the sharp, blue sky.

Fun fact: Week three has turned out to be one of the best thus far. It contained some of the most amazing, beautiful, and informative days that I can ever remember having. And since it is my duty to help you, readers, vicariously discover the joys of being abroad, I will do my best to share my experience with you.

This weekend our group took its first trip into the rolling countryside of Toscana to explore and enjoy that beautiful little medieval gem called Firenze (Florence). We took the city by storm, going on a handful of tours, seeing more artistic masterpieces than most can hope to see in a life-time, and (of course) scourging the street markets and shops for leather goods. I had a great time myself, wandering and shopping, being an adventurer and seeing the sites. So here are some snap shots of the wonderful things I saw and did on this marvelous adventure...

After all the hustle and bustle of traveling to Florence last weekend, I decided that it would be nice to keep it local this week. It's also getting to that point in the semester where I've realized that there may be more studying to studying abroad than I thought there would be, so I've spent a lot of time taking notes, doing homework, and organizing myself. In truth, midterms are only two weeks away(!), and the only way for me to make sure I can recall all the amazing things that I've learned thus far is to start studying now. But having all this work to do doesn't mean I haven't been having fun, too!

Sorry, dear readers, for not having the time to update you on the happenings of my life over the past two weeks or so... but as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day!" So with midterms, deadlines, trying not to get sick, and making travel plans, things around here have been a liiiittle nuts. However, I am glad to report that in the meantime I have visited quite a few (more) breath-taking works of art, successfully convinced my mother to come visit me for the second week of spring break, and gone to Venice. For having so much on my plate, I'd say that's not too shabby.

Bonjour encore a Paris!

After a grueling two weeks of tests and papers and projects and presentations and what have you, the worst of the semester is over and spring break has begun (and it really couldn't have come at a better time). So yesterday, Emily and I packed up all our things, moved out of our room, and shipped off to our first stop: la belle ville qu'ils appellent Paris. And I must say that although I've come to love Rome, Paris is still one of my favorite places in the whole world... and thus, as the song goes, "j'ai deux amours."

After a couple weeks of shoddy Internet connections, marvelous adventures, and oh so much more, all roads have indeed led me back to this lovely little pocket of the world we call Rome. Let me just take a moment to heave a sigh (SIGH) and settle down comfortably on my bed so as to prepare myself to tell my tale. While certainly no epic, it is a tale filled with romantic landscapes, both gray and sunny skies, and quite a few pleasant surprises. This, ladies and gentleman, is a story I like to call "Spring Break 2008."

So this weekend, despite my overwhelming exhaustion from balancing a fresh load of homework, my social life, and spending time with my parents while they were here (which was molto bene!), Emily and I lept across the English Channel for a visit to jolly old London. Having no idea what to expect besides Big Ben, double-decker buses, fish and chips, and a whole lot of bloody brilliants, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I adored the city ... even if I had to stop converting pounds to euros and then to dollars in my head because it was starting to give me a migraine.

Breath-taking. Unassuming. Temperamental. Verdant. Inspirational. Grand, yet simple. Difficult to climb yet worth it once you get to the top. All these things describe the Isle of Capri, an Italian island off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, and subsequently one of the most beautiful places in the world. I went for a weekend trip with my program, and despite the unfavorable weather, I would've been happy to stay for a week, a month, a year, forever. Capri captured my heart, and it's not very hard to see why.

I absolutely cannot believe that I leave Rome in less than two weeks! But I can't say I wasn't warned... I mean, everyone I've ever know who went abroad told me (more than once), that it was going to a) be the best time of my life, and, b) it was going to feel like only the blink of an eye. Personally, I think that was a bit of an understatement. Either way, knowing that it's all slipping away from me, day by day, I'm certainly beginning to appreciate all the wonderful things I've seen and done thus far.

So today is officially my last day a Roma... my last day in Rome. Which means that this semester is over and summer vacation has begun. And that I am actually leaving Europe tomorrow to return to the (good ol') US of A. What a strange and wonderful/disconcerting concept. But, as they say, tempus fugit.