Well here I am, in limbo between Winter break and the Spring Semester. All of my friends at Loyola are already almost half way through their first week of classes, and I am procrastinating packing for a semester in Vietnam. I leave on Thursday for the grueling trans-pacific flight and have hit the “what am …
I guess the pizza and wine days are over for now. I’m off to Asia, Vietnam to be more exact, in less than a week. Although it is nice to be home and back on familiar (comfortable?) soil, I miss being able to take the bus down the hill of Monte Mario, past the …
To Roma: My dearest Roma, you passionate but stubborn lover. The last four months have been an emotional rollercoaster, but so are all the best relationships. When we met in August you seemed decadent, bold, moving, and overwhelming, but I’ve come to learn that there is more to you than that. From learning your history, …
It’s funny how God has our lives come full circle sometimes. Seven years ago, when I was in the eighth grade, my choir came to Rome over Christmas break to sing not only in Rome and Vatican City, but also to take a pilgrimage and sing in Assisi. Seven years to the month later I …
Some of you (my most loyal readers) may remember my post from earlier in the semester when I wrote about seeing my family’s villa in Tuscany. I told you a little bit about my family’s heritage, and about our roots in Tuscany. What I didn’t tell you, though, is how that’s only half the story. …
It’s funny how diverse Italy can be. One minute you’re standing in front of the Colosseum and by simply turning a few streets you can end up in a tiny little restaurant where the food is authentic and no one speaks English. And that’s how all of Italy is. One second you find yourself in …
I have a confession. I’m a sucker for leather. Real, fake, black, brown, even the sight of white patent leather go-go boots gets my heart racing. From the smell to the feel I can’t get enough of it. Of course, on my college budget, most of my leather is actually pleather and is bought at …
This weekend I was in a different world, perhaps one you could have seen on the Discovery Channel. Our last project in Environmental Science was a presentation on the “Cloudy Forest,” commonly know as the Ta Kou Nature Reserve, located in Binh Thuan province about 120km outside of Ho Chi Minh. Our ‘team,’ made up …
After our time in Hoi An we flew to Hanoi to finish up our trip. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country’s second largest city. It is also an incredibly beautiful, hectic and overwhelming city. We live in Saigon, which is chaotic by any standards, but Hanoi makes Saigon look tame. The city …
Our next stop on the trip was Hoi An. This quickly became my favorite city in Vietnam. Hoi An is an ancient town and a former trading port during the 15th-19th C. It is filled with beautiful, ancient buildings and the town is an official UNESCO World Heritage site. The town itself is beautiful, the …