I began packing... And it's intense.

The Last of the Beginning

Today was the first day of our break between eight weeks spent in Auburn and the next eight weeks to be spent in Rome. This week has been a little (actually tremendously) hectic: Carceri drawings due Monday, studio booklets due Wednesday, two essays to finish for Seminar of History and Theory, and finally our final for Community Planning. All seemed to go smoothly.

It's strange to think by this time next week, I'll be sweet dreaming (or hitting the town) in Rome. The reality of this whole situation has yet to sink in. Tonight is an extravaganza of laundry, cleaning, and organizing, preparing everything I need to take home. These first two months have been a blur. I had no idea that a semester could fly by this quickly.

As of right now, my roomates and I have planned a few weekend trips to Florence and the Tuscany area as well as Greece and maybe throw in a short expidition to Ireland the weekend before St. Patti's day. We've planned to spend a few days in Barcelona, probably one of the most exciting cities I've visited. I'll be going a little ga-ga over the Antonio Gaudi architecture.

I realize this is to be an architectural endeavor, but I'm truly most excited about being submersed in a new culture. Yes, I've spent some time in Europe, but not enough to feel like I'm living there. I can only hope that I'll bring back a new found perspective that will serve me well.