Fun fact: 99% of my time in Italy has consisted of me having 0% of an idea of what I’m doing. The beauty of this in Italy: it’s absolutely OK. Exhibit A: Weekend trip to Cinque Terre It’s 4:35AM, a group of 5 guys (me included) get off the overnight train from Rome to Riomaggiore, …
Days like yesterday are rare and always inspire me. It is unbelievable how many “life moments” can happen within the span of a day, not to mention how much exotic fruit a person can eat. I could write a novella about yesterday, but I will refrain, seeing as there would really be no climax to …
Hi all, I’ve had some truly amazing times in the past couple weeks here in Rome– I’m not even sure where to start! I’ll just share with you some of the highlights. First, our study abroad orientation trip to Tuscany and Umbria was absolutely fantastic. I think I had some of the best food (and …
“And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles (Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden)…” Saturday was a day of treks, tribulations, and gorgeous fountains and gardens. This was the day that four of us went to the small city of Tivoli, an hour east of Rome by train. While I …
I promised to try to post more and here’s the next one! Let’s go back to my 3rd week in Rome. You would think after three weeks the thrill of studying abroad would have worn off, but I can assure you it has not! After our Orientation Trip we all fell back into the rhythm …
The calcio field. Where heroes are made, dreams are shattered, and Jforcers learn the true meaning of studying abroad at the JFRC. At least that’s what I was told by friends who have studied at the JFRC before. Calcio, aka soccer, is a huge part of the JFRC. Every semester a league is formed and …
Hello readers! Yes, this is my 3rd post tonight. I’m in a blogging mood, I guess (and I owed you a few weeks of posts). This weekend I went on a day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum with a few new friends from SLU, Xavier, Fordham, and Loyola (well I guess that one doesn’t really …
In exactly 4 days it will be approximately one month since I left the U.S. In some ways it seems like the shortest 3 weeks of my life, but in other ways I feel like I left half a year ago. Pau has been treating all of us well. We took our placement tests and …
As part of our study abroad program, we are required to do community service while we are here in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ll admit, when I first heard this I wasn’t thrilled, but what I initially dreaded has quickly become my absolute favorite part of our program. We work with two very different groups, …
This weekend we had the opportunity to go to the Can Gio Mangrove Forest as part of our Environmental Studies class. We have been learning about the tremendous environmental pressure Vietnam is facing as the population continues to expand, tourism grows and resources shrink. The Can Gio forest is a perfect example of environmental problems …