Entry 1: June 16, 2009

Thus far, studying abroad has been a life changing experience. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me.

A few days ago, I just got back from Rome. I spent three days there soaking up and sightseeing as much as I could. There were six girls in my travel group including me. The first night we got there, we were overwhelmed with all of the amazing sights we were going to get to see. We had scheduled a personal night tour of Rome with a guide. I was so excited to be in a city that is so ancient and where Julius Caesar walked. The first stop was the Trevi Fountain which was beautiful. We all made our wishes and then moved on to the next sight.

One of my favorite sights that I saw in Rome was the colosseum. I almost had to tell myself I was not dreaming when I realized I was standing right in front of it. I couldn't believe that more than 100,000 cubic meters of travertine were used to build it. It was crazy to think that one day the colosseum had ceremonies and games that would last for a hundred days and some 5,000 wild animals were put to death during that time.

Including the colosseum and the Trevi fountain, over the next three days my group got to see the Vatican City, the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, The Roman Forum, The Circus Maximus, The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, The Basilica of Saint Peter which was extravagant and breathtaking (there are really no words to describe how magnificent it is), The Crypts, and The Rome Beach. It was definitely a busy and exhausting three days, but so worth it! In addition, our group got to see The Pope speak on Wednesday which was awesome! There is so much to see and do in Rome, and you definitely don't have time to do everything but I was very happy with all of the things we got accomplished. I am definitely going to go back someday!