“Rasasvada” – Week IX & X

“Rasasvada” : the taste of bliss in the absence of all thoughts.

These last two weeks were full of fun. After finals were finished it was time for everyone to let off some steam.

The very first weekend I spend in Thessaloniki, Greece (northern Greece) with a group of students, SLAs Anna and Jenny and Sander Evers (the Great). We stayed in a 5 star hotel along the sea and were treated like gods, which is ironic because we were right across the street from Mount Olympus.

During the day we went to archeological sights and museums to learn more about Phillip II and other Greek/Macedonian rulers. Then, at night, the manager and employees of the hotel would drive us into town and take us around to all of the different place to meet the Greek people that lived there. I never realized it was possible to get so close to your supervisors like we did with Jenny, Anna and Sander, without overstepping any boundaries that were set forth. But that is what is best about these side trips, they teach you a lot about yourself and those you surround yourself with.

Then, during the week we celebrated halloween at JForce with a karaoke party. It was wild and everyone had a blast. Sadly, I lost my phone so the pictures from halloween on have been minimal. That upcoming weekend was the first weekend I spent in Rome and I was surprised to find that it may be one of my favorite places to spend my time.

During the day a group of friends and I went to the Vatican just to have a look around. We were quickly overwhelmed by the massiveness of everything. We joked around that we were the least intelligent smart group of people because we were having discussions such as if it was possible to fit a million people just in the Vatican and the square outside. I argued that it was and I am still positive I am right.

Then during the night we visited such places as Coyote in Trastevere, Gilda by the Spanish Steps and Art Cafe near Villa Buorghese. There was never a dull moment with the people I was with. At one point in the night that we went to Coyote, my friend Zach and I met two visiting naval cadets from the U.S. who were visiting Rome during their off time from Syria. We ended up walking around and talking with them until 6:30 am and were able to see the sun rise on the way back to JForce in the cab. Not many people can say that has happened to them at home or even abroad.

Finally, one of the best parts (because I recently had a magnificent dream that I was eating Buffalo Wild Wings chicken wings for an entire day) we all finally found a burger place in Rome that served real burgers. To anyone coming to Rome anytime soon, it’s across from the Vatican and that is all I can say, but it was a hidden gem.

I just want to take a second to thank all of you for reading my blog. I appreciate the support and I hope that it is stimulating in some way for everyone!

Cheers i miei amici,

Megan