I Can Almost Taste the Pasta

Friday was travel day to Rome. I could not wait to get there and start my two weeks of exploring. More importantly, I couldn't wait to get there and see my parents and Carolyn! 

Jane and I had a 6:30 AM flight. This meant that we were leaving the hotel at 4:30 AM. Not very fun, but we were almost done with these very early departures. When we landed in Rome, the weather was GORGEOUS.  It had to be 65 degrees and sunny. We had about a half hour drive to our apartment, where my mom and dad were waiting for us. When I saw my dad waiting for us on the street, I was so happy. This was the longest I have ever gone without seeing my parents, three months to the day. I know this does not sound like that long of a time without seeing them, but if you know me, you know that I am such a homebody.  Going abroad was daring for me, even though I saw my mom and dad after only seven weeks last semester. Three months was a huge feat for me! 

Once we settled into the (awesome) apartment, we waited for Carolyn to arrive, and our family friend, Caroline (the one I visited in Copenhagen). After the whole gang got there, the six of us ventured to the Jewish Ghetto for lunch. This was one of Carolyn's favorite neighborhoods for food when she studied in Rome, so I was excited to go there! We went to a restaurant that literally looked like a hole in the wall. But oh my goodness, do not let the looks deceive you. The food was incredible. We had artichokes, pasta, chicken and roasted peppers, more pasta, bread, carbs, and more carbs. Bring on the food, Italy!

We walked all over the city after our feast. Rome was absolutely packed, which was not surprising, it was Easter weekend, after all. We went to the Trevi Fountain (which is under complete restoration currently, so no pics were taken), the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona, Carolyn's favorite cafe, Sant'Eustachio, and a lot of wandering, taking in the sites. I have been to Rome a few times before, however, after eight months of living in Europe, I have a total new appreciation for it. I was falling in love with Italy. 

Later that night, the gang headed to our cousin's house outside of the city. My dad's first cousin, Vito, invited us over for dinner.  It was so great seeing him and the rest of the family.  We never see these family members, or many of my Italian relatives, so this was a great treat. 

So far, day one was perfect. Be back soon (most likely overloaded on carbs--if there is such thing)!

XO,

Caitlin 

                   Jewish Ghetto

             Fam minus Maureen!

 

                       Pantheon

                 Such a nice day!! 

SUBMITTED

Thursday was the day I was leaving for my trip! I cannot believe it was finally here!

My morning was crazy. I needed to hand in all eight of my papers. I was so close to being done with my junior year! I would have one more exam to take when I came back from Italy and Greece and that was it. I went to a few of my classes. Once again, I showed up to one and no one was there. I really do not know what is going on here!  The rest of my day consisted in doing laundry, cleaning my room, and getting organized. I would be gone for two weeks. My mom and dad were already in Italy which made me even more excited! 

Jane and I took a train to Dublin later in the evening. We would be staying at a hotel at the airport for the night. Our flight to Rome was at 6:30. One of the last few early morning flights we would have.  Woo! 

Be back soon, in ROME!

XO,

Caitlin 

   15,000 words, 1 boarding pass later 

      Hot chocolate break at the hotel! 

More Birthdays!

Wednesday was more paper writing. I had to finish up my long one, and then do one more short one. I was so close to the end!

I didn't go to my morning class because I had already written the papers and felt that I could be more productive at home. I tried to go to my afternoon class, but when Jane and I got there, there was no professor. We definitely missed the memo on something!  After class, Jane and I went to a spin class before going home and getting back to work. 

When I came home from spin, Meadhbh and I had a little surprise for Orna. Her birthday was on Easter Sunday, so no one would be around to celebrate. Meadhbh and I thought that it would be nice for us to have a little birthday shindig for her. We got cupcakes and sang happy birthday and gave her some presents! She would be 22 on Sunday!

The rest of my night consisted of work! No fun.

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin 

               Gloomy day in Cork

              Happy Birthday, Orna!

HC Family Dinner

Tuesday was the day I had to write the longest paper out of the eight assignment I had. This was the day I have been dreading...

I did not go to my morning class, but I did go to my evening class. I thought that I need to maximize my time and I would be more productive if I stayed home and got work done.  My roommates were all working on assignments as well, so thankfully we could relate to one another's misery. Other than work, my afternoon was pretty quiet. I was trying to spend as much time with my roommates as I could. My time with them was starting to become very limited because he end of my semester was in sight. Not something I want to think about!!!

After classes, Shane, our advisor, took all of the HC kids out to Market Lane for dinner. This is a really great restaurant in Cork, so everyone was very excited. There is nothing better than a fancy meal to distract you from finals

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin 

           My favorite cider in Cork!

                     Steak dinner 

                        Dessert!

Getting Down to Business

Sunday was another day I needed to get back to the books and make some more progress on my papers. I was getting closer and closer to the finish line, an end was in sight!

I slept in a little bit because I was up pretty late working on my papers.  It is so much harder writing papers for UCC than Holy Cross. Professors at UCC provide you with little resources or information surrounding the power topics. At Holy Cross, my professors have always prepared me very well for every assignment I have been given. It is definitely an adjustment here regarding work. It has been nice because I haven't had very much, but I really miss HC a classes (I will be taking that statement back next year when I am drowning in work). Thankfully, I'm almost done wIth UCC classes! 

My afternoon consisted of homework and getting ready for my big trip. Thursday would be my last day in Cork for two weeks! I was so excited to meet up with my family in Italy and then go to Greece with Jane!

Be back soon, hopefully a little further in my work!

XO,

Caitlin 

                 Starting to pack!

Distracted...oops

Monday was my last Monday class at UCC. Crazy that classes are almost over! 

As of Monday, four of my eight papers were done. That sounds like a lot, but it really wasn't. I was putting off the hardest one, and I needed to face reality and get it done! However, that didn't happen on Monday. There is always Tuesday, right??? When I got home from class, I finished my packing. It was going to be very hard to pack for two weeks in my tiny suitcase. I needed to get the packing done with so I had some time to really organize.  I fit everything I wanted, I did not think this was possible! Once I packed, I worked on another assignment for a little while. I was making great progress on this paper, hopefully the motivation would continue!

I went to a spin class later in the evening so I could have a little bit of change in what I was doing. The apartment walls were getting to be a little stale to constantly stare at!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin 

                       PACKED

            Flowers in bloom at UCC!

Slow Moving

I really had to get down to business on Saturday with my final papers. There was no time left for slacking off!

I slept in a little bit, I really needed to catch up on sleep if I wanted to be productive. It was weird not waking up to Linds on my floor. It was too quiet for me!   Before I sat down to work, I walked into the city to get a coffee. I was really loving the fact that there was a Starbucks in Cork now. At a time like this, a very large coffee was essential, well, large in European standards (I really miss large Dunkins!). I also picked up some salmon at the English Market for dinner. I wanted to make a nice dinner because it gave me an excuse to take a study break at some point in th evening. It was a beautiful day out, so I took advantage of the sunshine and took my time. 

I finally got to work in the afternoon. I had two of my eight papers done at this point. I needed all eight done by Thursday. It was crunch time! I was pretty productive during the afternoon, so I decided to go to a spin class with Jane to clear my mind and have some human interaction. When I came home, I made dinner and got back to work. I needed these papers out of my life!

Be back soon!

XO,

Caitlin 

                        Sunshine!

           A PACKED English Market