Arrival- Assisi

So I miss you so much. I wish I could talk to you for real but Regina is skyping and my roommates are both still unpacking. I didn't want to hang up but It was mildly awkward since I don't know them at all.

So I left Cleveland after a great breakfast at yours truly with my mom before being dropped off at the airport by Mama. Then I waited at the airport after, much to my happiness, my suitcases weighed less than 50 pounds. My flight went soothingly, I sat next to our pilot for Rome and slept. Next, I landed in Newark, found food and started my 4 hour layover.

The first bump in the trip was the delay of my roommate Regina's flight by 20 minutes. Soon it was an hour and later would become over 2 hours. As I called my dad, letting him know that Regina would be missing the flight, I found out I was siting next to Mauro, a boy from Villanova who would be going to Rome with me to study at Saint Mary's. Of course, being me, first I had to question this because he was a boy and well I go to an all girl's school. Turns out out of our 46 students, 3 would be boys. There are 6 students from Villanova, two of which are boys and another boy from Holy Cross. So 39 students from SMC.

We soon started our 6 hour wait at the airport before we would leave for Assisi. I got a very light stamp in my passport, spent a possible 2 seconds in custom and a croissant, after actually ordering in Italian. After all the girls had arrived we boarded the bus, met our RA and the Leader of our little gaggle, Dr. Prebys, who as it turns out is in charge of every student studying abroad in Italy as shes the president of the American study abroad council thing but spends all of her time with us. She went to SMC before obtaining two Fulbright fellowships.

In assisi we unpacked, met our alphabetical roommates, at dinner at the Cittadella and all went to bed, exhausted. We awoke to breakfast, and a great half an hour hike up the hill. See Assisi is on a mountain. It's all uphill, steep stairs and a ramp basically. La Rocca is gorgeous but a hike. Let's just say my legs are in shape. Next we had 3 hour orientation in which almost everyone fell asleep for at least 15 seconds. The one thing that did awake us is a pigeon flying around the room and Dr. Prebys telling us well endowed women can hide their money in their bras before showing us her money clip. Before dinner we had registration in which I found out my schedule. After dinner was the most amazing hazelnut gelato followed by sleep and wandering around.

Friday we found no breakfast as it had been moved down the hill but we were fed before going to see San Damiano and the church of St. Clare, an amazing saint, who I saw her body, completely intact, though a little waxy. If you want to know a good story, look her up, especially since she is the patron saint of television because she had a vision of mass during her sickness before her death. It was very cool and i loved seeing her artifacts (aka relics).

The next day we went to see St. Francis' basilica. It was gorgeous and even though it was cracked by an earthquake in 1997. It's just phenomenally beautiful and not crazy upstairs so it's a favorite. I once again got more gelato....so great. Loving the food here.

I bonded with some great people on my 5 days in Assisi. I had great food, walked up lots of stairs and now am unpacking here in Rome. In three hours, I've unpacked somewhat, got pizza, took a tour of our school and been completely awed by the 3 minute walk to the pantheon. It's a great start to my adventure.