<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s Tuesday and I am late in writing to you yet again\u2026I think the European lax ideas of tardiness are starting to rub off on me.\u00a0 All of my apologies, I am now caffeinated and ready to share!\u00a0 So, to start where I left off\u2026midterms ended (thank God) and break was upon us!\u00a0 Spring break held the promise of so many enticing prospective destinations but I ultimately decided to venture out of Rome and visit the land of tapas, flamenco dancing, bull fighting, and where two of my best friends are currently studying.\u00a0 Spain was the name of the game.<\/p>\n First stop: Madrid!\u00a0 My friend Lauren and I flew into Madrid late (in American<\/p>\n terms) Thursday night and grabbed a taxi to our hostel.\u00a0 Our Chicago roommate and best friend Emily was there waiting for us!\u00a0 What a perfect start to our trip.\u00a0 True to Spanish custom we did not go to bed upon late arrival but rather ate delicious tapas, drank copious amounts of sangria and stayed out as late as our bodies would let us.\u00a0 In the following weekend we visited the Palacio Real, the Prado Museum, Plaza Mayor, and the St. Michael Market to name a few of our adventures.\u00a0 We met up with another Loyola friend, Donais, who had studied in Madrid the year before.\u00a0 She introduced us to some local friends and we hit the university nightlife scene.\u00a0 It was a wonderful end to a spectacular weekend.\u00a0 Luckily for me, it was just the beginning of my Spanish adventure.<\/p>\n Adios Madrid! Buenos dias Alicante!\u00a0 Alicante is a small, southern beach town where the sun shines with promise and the people are some of the kindest I\u2019ve met! Emily is studying at a university there and living with a host mom, which differs<\/p>\n greatly from my dorm style living in Rome.\u00a0 We walked the town soaking up the sun, sipping on caf\u00e9 con leche and hearing all about Emily\u2019s adventures in this gorgeous town.\u00a0 The beach overlooking the Mediterranean Sea was flawless and locals and international students alike were taking full advantage of it.\u00a0\u00a0 We met some of Emily\u2019s amazing friends and even had a true Spanish lunch with her house mom, Salome.\u00a0 Despite about 4 years of Spanish language experience I am nowhere near fluent in the quick paced language.\u00a0 Regardless, Salome spoke slowly and beautifully in a pace that I could understand and I felt like I was getting the kind of experience I could only dream of.\u00a0 She made typical Spanish dishes and we spoke of politics and women\u2019s rights for a delicious and leisurely 2-hour meal.\u00a0 The next few days were characterized by climbing.\u00a0 We climbed to the top of the Alicante castle and up the hill of a neighboring town to its gorgeous main plaza.\u00a0 The views of the sea at sunset are some I will never forget.<\/p>\n Sad to say goodbye to Emily but excited about continuing our adventure, we headed up the coast to Barcelona.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 I have never experienced a cooler city in my life.<\/p>\n The nightlife rages until morning, the food is spectacular, the shopping is divine, the people are beautiful, and the architecture is some of the most interesting I have ever seen!\u00a0 I felt like a grown up kid walking around CandyLand in Parc Guell with the sandcastle-like creations of Gaudi.\u00a0 We decided the city was too big to explore on own so I did something I thought I would never stoop to.\u00a0 Yes, I took the infamous red tourist bus.\u00a0 Sunglasses and scarves allowed us to feel incognito while boarding the bus stamped with \u201cwe aren\u2019t cool enough to be from here\u201d on the side.\u00a0 The English speaking tour was actually thorough and helpful and I decided ultimately being cool was overrated anyway.\u00a0 I shed my sunglasses and really took in the city from the roof of the bus\u2026it was perfect!\u00a0 Our other Chicago roommate and great friend, Thomas is studying in Barcelona this semester as well.\u00a0 We grabbed dinner with him and got the honor to meet a bunch of his international and amazing new friends.\u00a0 We played a traditional game with Germans, listened to Parisians talk about home, and played American beer pong with friends from the Netherlands.\u00a0 It was the most internationally enlightening 21st<\/sup> birthday party I have ever been to.\u00a0 As the week came to a close I was sad to say goodbye to Spain and to my old friends, but alas the time had come to pack up our messy hotel room and fly back to Rome.<\/p>\n The next week occurred without too many stories to share.\u00a0 Midterms have slowed to a halt and I had time to take a cooking class and learn how to make homemade pasta with pesto sauce\u2026yum!\u00a0 The weather has been wonderful and we passed most of the week sitting in the courtyard soaking up the Italian sun.\u00a0 The whole sunny week led up to one of my favorite holidays\u2026St. Patrick\u2019s Day. I was jealous of my friends\u2019 Facebook and Twitter posts about the bright green river and two-day citywide celebration happening back in Chicago and it caused me to miss home quite a bit.\u00a0 Who celebrates an Irish holiday in Italian Rome? A group of about 10 of my JFRC friends and I hit the town in our green shirts searching for any type of measly festivity. \u00a0We found it, but it wasn\u2019t so measly after all.\u00a0 The Irish pubs, the Italian restaurants, and the streets alike were alive with celebration.\u00a0 We met new people, drank great beer, and celebrated until morning.\u00a0 I found a comfort in Rome that day.\u00a0 We really aren\u2019t all so different after all.\u00a0 After my week in Spain and my holiday in Rome, I have realized we are all just people looking for reasons to celebrate and to laugh.\u00a0 I feel at home in this sentiment.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/files\/2012\/03\/64660_10150600147633683_528238682_9267901_1835574920_n-150x150.jpg\")
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