- October 29, 2013
- 6:28 am
- William Steffek
- no comments
Naples, Oktoberfest, Greece & More!
Hello Everyone!
It’s sad to admit, but I’m now roughly halfway finished with my semester in Rome. The reality hit while craming for midterms… But if the second half of my semester is as great as the first half has been, then I surely will have plenty more good things to report!
Before I left Chicago, the current Ricci class met with one of the former classes for dinner. The former Riccis advised us to try and take one “solo” trip while abroad this year. One weekend a few weeks into the semester, I did just that! I booked a spur of the moment ticket to Naples and had an adventure on my own!
I’m glad I did it as it put me out of my comfort zone and I learned a few things, but I think one solo adventure was enough for me because it honestly became lonely after the my second or third meal alone.
The following weekend I headed to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. In 2010-2011 I studied abroad as a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Taipei, Taiwan and made many great friends there from around the world. One of my friends, Leonie, is attending university in Munich and was kind enough to host me and enjoy Oktoberfest with me.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime weekend and one that I will remember for years to come!
Soon after, we had a week off of classes for fall break. Along with 50 other JFRC students, I participated in the school-organized 10 day long study trip to Greece. We started out in Athens, then went to a small mountain village, spent a few nights in Nafplio and finished with 3 nights on the island of Mykonos. Although technically a “study trip,” I can say with confidence that that trip to Greece was the best vacation I’ve ever taken!
Otherwise, it’s been fun just exploring locally and discovering new places in Rome. My Art in Rome class meets on-site at a different historical destination in Rome every week. It’s kind of crazy being able to say that I’m meeting for class the next day at the Pantheon, or the Roman forum, or the Vatican!
Later today I’m meeting with some friends to work on planning out travel for the rest of the semester, so expect more trip reports in the near future!
Also, please feel free to comment below with any questions you may have.
Ciao!