Week 10 + Maryann's Visit

I had a really enjoyable week! It was a shortened week due to Assumption Day on Friday (Aug. 15th), so I was able to relax with a three-day weekend. I continue to really enjoy my internship...not only the work that I do, but also the people and atmosphere that I work in. My supervisor has been really, really nice too. He has helped me network with people in different offices and worked to make sure I get the most out of my internship. So it's nice knowing he has my best interest at heart. On Thursday, we had a few parties in the office not only for Assumption Day (what a holiday!! -insert sarcasm, if you couldn't pick it up), but also a few of my colleagues are going on "holiday"...I was listening to the news on Thursday and they said that 5 million Italians were leaving the country for vacation (1/12th of the country)!

Anyway, Maryann came to visit on Thursday-Sunday... She is studying in Dijon, France with Ohio State's French Study Abroad program and has been able to travel during the weekends. She arrived on Thursday, visited the Coliseum/Circus Maximus, and I met her in Piazza Flaminia after work. We rode back to Morlupo together, had a nice dinner, and relaxed. On Friday, we walked to St. Peter's from Piazza del Popolo (along the Tiber), went past Hadrian's tomb and saw the Basilica. It was really odd, because I had never seen Rome so bare before (due to the holiday) and there didn't seem to be any tourists either! Anyway, after we saw the Basilica, we went to Piramide for lunch, and tried going to the Protestant Cemetary (but it was closed), saw Piazza Venezia, the "Wedding Cake", Forum...and headed back to Morlupo for the evening. Friday night, Franco made his famed (he's really becoming a pro) zucchini pasta while I handled the grill. We had a nice dinner, listened to the fireworks from Morlupo's Assumption Day festival, and called it a night. Saturday, I showed Maryann Morlupo before heading into the city. We checked her into her hostel (a block away from Termini) and then went to see the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Trevi Fountain. For dinner, we went to a local grocery store to make sandwiches to eat on the Spanish Steps. It was pretty neat just relaxing, eating, and people watching at Piazza di Spagna. We were stopped by the Police (you aren't supposed to eat on the steps), but they really didn't seem to care, and we acted like ignorant tourists. We then wandered around the city, before I dropped Maryann off at her hostel at Termini and caught a train back to Morlupo (she had a 7:30am train back to Dijon, Sunday morning).

So, I had a really nice weekend/week, it was great to see Maryann/catch up, and it is fun to be a tourist every now and then! It's hard to believe I have four more weeks of work left, the summer seems to be flying by! I am really enjoying myself here, but am looking forward to the autumn (school, friends, my house, and a football national championship!). Take care and I'll write back soon!