Benvenuti a Roma: inizia il viaggio!

Day 1: April 14
For those of you who don't understand Italian, the title translates to: Welcome to Rome: the journey begins! Thus begins my incredible journey to Rome, Capitol of Italy. After a 17 1/2 hour flight- which I was so thankful to be off of- my brother picked me up from Fumicino airport. We headed to the villa where he had been staying the last 3 months. We headed from the airport on the train, followed by a bus. Let's just say the drivers here must be more than crazy because how they can get around some of the tight spots, I'll never know. After surviving my first experience with European public transportation, we walked up and down a hill a arrived at the villa. After walking the hill, I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the villa. Settled in a large amount of land lies a villa that contains a monastery, a guest house, and classrooms. The land is filled with beautiful tress, from olive to lemon to firs, and there are sounds of birds all around you! After taking in the view, Josh lead me to the guest house where the girls all slept at, then over to the dining room. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner-where I met a few of his classmates- of potatoes and zucchini, with orange soda and water.
After dinner we took a walk around the grounds, then went our separate ways. I was so so glad to unpack my toothbrush and put in pajamas! I slept like a baby that night (I hadn't slept in a real bed for over 24 hours!