With the last midterm quiz turned in and essay emailed to my professor, I am officially free of my academic obligations...until Monday! I definitely underestimated my abilities to get so much done in such little time. Somehow last night I was able to pull off a reflection paper just three minutes before leaving for the Opera. Also mad props to my roommate and I for having the most productive study session of all time before going to bed last night. Like, actually though. In the span of an hour we covered nearly 2000 years of Roman history and left our quizzes today feeling confident that we did well (knock on wood for us!).
Back up a little bit. Last night we were lucky enough to attend the famous opera Tosca at the Rome Opera House with our Cities as Living Museums professor. But, because we lost so much track of time working on our papers and forgot to eat dinner, we decided to get ready quickly and get gelato for dinner...this is not the first-or second-time this has been the case for me. After downing delicious gelato, we hopped on the metro for the Opera House, meeting up with our professor and some of the other IES students. Having seen the Palais Garnier in Paris, I kind of knew what to expect. While their opera house is stunning both inside and out, the one in Rome was like the Times-Union Center at home in comparison. Don't get me wrong-it was very nice and we had our own box-but it's just one of those things you cannot help but compare. Unfortunately for us, neither of us know Italian or really anything about Opera so we proceeded to spend the three-hour performance rotating seats (would you prefer kind of seeing or not being able to see at all?) before running out at the first curtain fall for a taxi. After a study session, it was off to bed for our second to last night here in Rome.
Now for the fun part. Unfortunately we did nothing photo-worthy today...you've already seen my view walking to and from class, which we did 4 times today so almost 5 miles total. And I'm writing this now because I'm putting off packing until the last possible minute (good idea, right?), so no new pictures today. But, here's a little anecdote to commemorate my time here in Rome. My dad and I love awards shows. Especially country music awards shows. Mostly we just enjoy watching the performances and listening to the speeches. So, in honor of my last day in Rome, I thought I would make a little "thank you" speech to mock the ones we used to make fun of when I was younger:
First, I'd like to say thanks to my family who got me to where I am today. I do not know what I would do without your constant support even though it feels like I just nag you all the time. Mom, Dad, Aaron, you're great. And my wonderfully funny roommate D. Living with you these past 2 weeks has been nothing short of amusing. I'll miss our nights watching Orange is the New Black on non-authorized websites because of the lack of netflix, or just listening to you laugh while watching Dr. Who when I'm trying to go to sleep. And the housing agency. Thanks for this really cool apartment near the Vatican. Despite the lack of air conditioning and bad wifi network and impossible-to-understand-washer and complicated key entry system, it's been a fun place to live. Without the location, I may never have gotten used to talking back to the $1 selfie stick people on the street or pushing my way past mass groups of tourists. And ATAC. Thanks for a (sometimes) reliable public transportation system that stayed away from strikes until the day we leave. While your metros are incredibly crowded and covered with graffiti and not always convenient, I will miss the scenic bus rides through the city on just as crowded vehicles. And last but not least, IES. It's not every day that you have professors who design a course just for you. I definitely would not have been able to enjoy the Colosseum, Villa Borghese or Palazzo Massimo without your knowledge and expertise. It is because of you that I fell in love with Roman museums and monuments because I was able to have a personal tour instead of using an audio guide. But to everyone at the IES Center I want to say thanks. You took a program in its infancy and constructed an experience like none other that I have had before. There are not enough words to express my sincerest thanks and gratitude and I hope to be able to come back again. A part of me will forever be in Rome.
Rome, it's been unreal. Thanks for your endless amounts of delicious pasta, pizza, house wine, tiramisu, and gelato. Thanks for keeping me pleasantly surprised with your corners displaying beautiful churches and historic buildings, bright colors and cobblestone streets. Thanks for being nothing like I expected and more than I could have hoped for. Thanks for being better than you were portrayed in The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Grazie Roma you are too wonderful. Until we meet again.
Hasta mañana en España
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