Final week/Ultima Semana

The last week was very hectic because I had to pack, take four finals, re-visit all of my favorite places, and do last minute shopping, all in four days. My girlfriend returned back to the states on that monday, it was crunch time for me. Those days and nights were absolutely hell, just because I was out of 'school mode' for an entire 6 months, but I made it and finished strong. The final night, without finished packing, I went out with my close friends from my program for the entire night, trying to stay up till sunrise. We visited all of our favorite nightlife hotspots and said goodbye to familiar faces from bars and clubs we regularly visited. Attempting to leave our mark on the eternal city, some of us could not retain our alcohol, so I made sure some of my buddies made it back safely. Strolling into my apartment near sunrise, I finished up packing and saw the end of the sunrise from my window. Around 7 am, Dave and I rolled our giant suitcases down four floors and grabbed a cab to the airport. After we got through security and realized that our abroad experience was coming to an end, we spent an hour reflecting on what we learned the past four months.

What I can take away the most from this, amazing life-changing experience, is appreciation and opportunity. Looking at the dichotomy of the two cultures (American and Italian), I now appreciate the diversity that encircled Rome, the value of public transportation, the full use of a dryer for my clothes in the states, how economical the Italians are, and the notion of space. Being such a new country, we have so much more room here than over there, but that does not mean I did not enjoy the housing and lifestyle. I just now appreciate how much more space we have to work with here than there, which is an advantage to Americans because we desire to keep building and expanding. Also, every time I saw a gypsy or some poor person, I would think to myself of how much more opportunity us Americans have than any other country in the world. Yes, we may be in slump right now (economically), but that does not disprove our country's willingness to provide us enough to live freely. Italians cannot feel or say the same, because their government does not run same way. I do not regret this experience whatsoever, and strongly encourage anyone that has not taken up on such an opportunity, to do so. The best and moth memorable four months. Hands down.

Malta

The guys
Paradise Bay
The resort
Quickly, I would like to say that my blogging was put on hold for a few weeks because I was preparing for finals and I was entertaining a friend visiting for nearly two weeks. Two weekends after my eventful trip to Munich, my roommates and I went to Malta to kick it on the beach in the extremely hot weather. Following the first day, we all ended up getting toasted and looking like lobsters for the next week. Every hour, we were in dying need for aloe and some shade, but neither was really readily available, so we had to suck it up and stick it out for the next few days. Even though our bodies were telling us to avoid anything hot for a long time, we could not resist Paradise Bay, our resort pool, and the Blue Lagoon. Laying out with drinks, cliff jumping, diving into underwater caves, and eating often, pretty much sums out our three day trip to Malta. The water was the bluest I have ever seen before, and the island was very rocky and desert like. For the future traveler, Malta's terrain may seem unattractive, but isolating yourself in the north part of the island with a good supply of food and drink, will keep anyone happy.