Let the Adventures Begin!

On Friday we finished the endless sessions of orientation and my friends and I signed up for a community dinner.  120 students signed up and we were split into 2 groups.  My group was the first to leave and we had no idea what they had in store.  

Two of the SLA (student life assistants) led us to a Sicilian restaurant for dinner and it was nothing like I was expecting.  First of all, typical Italian dinners consist of many courses (antipasti, primo, secondo, and dulce) and usually last around 3 hours.  The dinner I experienced had six appetizers such as a mushroom, olive, and eggplant dish, an octopus salad, fish meatballs, some kind of pumpkin dish, fried potatoes, more mushrooms, and bread.  There were so many appetizers that we eventually ran out of room on the table!  Unfortunately, I was too busy eating to take pictures of any of the food.  The next course, the primo (usually pasta) was served with fish.  I love seafood, so I enjoyed the dish.  Then finally came my favorite part- dessert!  Dessert consisted of a cannoli (my favorite) and a type of pound cake.  

Saturday consisted of listening to a lecture on the history of Rome and then we were bused to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum!  We had an hour to explore the Colosseum but we only used about 30 minutes to explore.  The Colosseum is huge and beautiful.  I can't image what it looked like back in its prime.  My friends and I met some other girls from Loyola and spent the rest of the day with them.

Arch of Constantine

We then made our way to the Roman Forum.  I had been to the Colosseum and the Forum many years ago, so it was a great to be able to experience it again.  The Roman Forum is huge and it is easy to image the buildings that made up the area.  My friends and I made our way to the top which provided us with a view that took our breaths away.  Unfortunately it was very cold and windy and some people were afraid they were going to drop their phones, but thankfully nobody did.  

Roman Forum

JFRC thought that it would be a great opportunity to let us on our own so we had time to explore and do whatever we wanted afterwards.  Getting back was an adventure but 2 trains and a bus later we made it back to campus.  Overall, I walked 11.5 miles, so I was ready to sit down and relax a bit.

Sunday was the last day of orientation.  We boarded JFRC on wheels (buses) and traveled to Caprarola, a small town in the countryside about an hour northeast of Rome.  We toured Villa Farnese, a mansion built in the shape of a pentagon that was initiated by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and then finished by his grandson with the same name.  The villa is covered with beautiful fresco paintings and the tour ended with an incredible grotto. 

Villa Farnese

After the Villa, we drove about 30 minutes to have one of the best (and authentic) Italian meals that I have ever had.  We were served bread with your choice of olive or eggplant spread or tomato bruschetta, cheesy lasagna, chicken, fried potatoes, and lemon cake.  The meal was fantastic.

View on the drive back

We then made our way back to campus.  Today I started classes and the work is beginning.  I also started back up on studying for the MCAT, because I will be taking that on Saturday (yikes!).  Stay tuned for my adventures in London!

~Christina