Journal Entry #6

November 28, 2007

I have done so much in the past two weeks! First, I went on a trip with some of my roommates through the school to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello and then we spent the rest of the day in Bologna. Being a car lover, I had so much fun at the Ferrari museum and being able to see all of the old models. Bologna was a beautiful city where they had a dessert festival going on that weekend. We made sure to load up on a lot of good desserts and chocolates!

I then went to Venice for three days to meet up with one of my close friends from Fairfield. She is studying abroad in Brussels and loving her experience there. It was so great to be able to see her! Because tourist season is over, Venice was very quiet. It was cold but still so beautiful. We wandered around the city and explored all the little streets and alleys. Because there are no cars in Venice, the city is so peaceful and really a magical place. We also took a tour that brought us to some of the islands around Venice, including Murano. We saw a demonstration where they showed us how they blow the Murano glass. It was so remarkable to see them twirl and blow into the pipe to make the glass bowls and glasses! Also on the island, the fisherman paint their houses different bright colors so they can see them from far away. They were so striking - you could see them across the river!

On my train ride home through the countryside there was a bit of frost all over the grass! It is getting pretty chilly and the rainy season has arrived so it is cloudy most days. The windows are all decorated with Christmas decorations and they have been stringing lights up around the city. Thanksgiving was this last Thursday and 8 of my friends and I got together and cooked ourselves a Thanksgiving dinner. I've always helped out my mom during the holidays, but preparing Thanksgiving dinner by yourself is a lot more work then I expected! It was nice all being together and celebrating an American holiday in Italy!

I only have a few more weeks left before its time to head home. The workload has begun to catch up to me and I have a lot left to do before I leave! I'm getting more and more excited to be able to come home to see my family and friends! The end is in sight...