I'll start with saying the trip to Assisi was nothing less than a disaster. I can't talk about the trip here without commenting on how bad it was, however I PROMISE everything from here on out has slowly gotten much much better.
We left LAX last Saturday after a long train + bus ride from Stockton. Soon after the picture above was taken, I called my family to apologize for not being able to attend my little sister's graduation as well as say my last goodbyes. We took the absolute last flight from the US to Italy we possibly could without missing class on Monday (which we realized would nip us in the butt later), but I still wasn't able to see her watch the stage. Luckily for me, I know I will have many more ceremonies and celebrations involving the successes of my bright little sister in the future!
Our first flight would take us to Dusseldorf, Germany. I did what any other person would do on a 10+ hour flight. I slept a little, listened to entire pop albums, tried to make the best of the view, and enjoyed all the free beverages offered to me. By the way, when you ask for root beer in Europe, chances are they'll give you actual beer.
I've heard that root beer is the flavor of cough syrup around here, which makes Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke as popular as garlic smoothies.
Exactly.
While the passenger next to me had little problem falling asleep on the plane (Ana Laura), I did a lot of thinking. Here I was, thousands of miles away from the country I've lived in my entire life, about to leave it for a place of pizza, pasta, and gelato (or so I thought). We were enrolled in an Immersion Program offered through our school in Assisi, and we weren't the least bit prepared. Would it be hard to get around? Would we get to class on time? Would my straightener work?
And after our first night in Italy, we were able to answer no to most of these questions (and it wasn't the first one). Ana Laura was kind enough to let me study her lingua mappa, which gave me the boost I needed before getting a little lost in Rome.
If you really want to know how we got lost in Rome, ask me in like 67 years (when I am old enough to laugh at my foolishness), because this is going to take at least 30 years before it is even something to be talked about. I will tell you that it was quite an adventure, if not our greatest one thus far! I learned a few things that night.
1. When in Rome...don't go to the terminal past 9 pm. It's where the italian male species go to feed/find potential mates/whistle at you/pet you/try to steal your stuff.
2. There is a small population of females in Rome (not including the bag ladies or ladyman prostitute).
3. Filet-O-Fish is universal.
I'll go as far as saying that we saw parts of Italy we never ever thought we would see.
Exhibit A: Italian McDonalds, the only thing aperto 24 ora!
Exhibit B: Roma Termini at three in the morning, the place to go when the McDonalds security guard gives you 20 seconds to leave the restaurant.
Exhibit C: Foligno at 7 in the morning, our last stop before finally getting to Assisi.
(My hair is up--you know it's serious).
And after traveling for over 24 hours, we were finally in Assisi.
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