Wednesday, September 2, 2009

O.M.G.

This place is like 80,000 times better than anything I could ever have imagined. In my wildest dreams. And, if you know me, that's pretty damn impressive. I'm rarely at a loss for words... and this is one of the rare times that I can't really think of anything to say. Now watch me write another three paragraphs in contradiction of that statement.

Our flight from Detroit to Frankfurt was pretty painless. I watched Star Trek, which was decent, but not altogether enthralling. I guess this comforts me on some level... the level that really doesn't want to see the rest of me telling people to Live Long and Prosper accompanied with appropriate hand sign. I get obsessive sometimes. I followed that up with a glass of white wine with dinner and then two Tylenol PMs a little later. Maybe not the brightest idea I've ever had, but it worked like a charm. I woke up about an hour and a half before we landed, just in time to catch the crappy breakfast service and then walk about ten miles through the Frankfurt airport to the A terminal for our next flight. They talk about German efficiency? HAH! Don't make me laugh... it sucked. But we finally got there and waited for awhile until our flight was called, then boarded and took off for ROME!

Flying in was like nothing I've ever experienced before. Try to imagine the anticipation of flying into somewhere you've been dreaming about for years. YEARS. and then realize that yeah, you get to live here. We flew over vinyards and a church that I recognized from a slide in Billie's class... and I choked up. It was lunacy. I've discovered in my walks through airports with the other 8 girls who are on this trip that I'm totally my mother when it comes to walking. I go FAST. Madame speed part II.

And then we came into Rome proper after another hour of waiting with the reps from AUR until everyone got there. I was thrown into a bus with Kelsey, one of the girls from K, and a bunch of other kids. We drove through the insane Roman traffic for, I'm not kidding, three hours. Or at least that's what it felt like. It had to be at least two. I was trying as hard as I could to take in every second, but sensory overload coupled with only about four hours of sleep made it a little overwhelming. But all the waiting and driving around was totally worth it. We drove right past our school, down a hill and this gigantic vista opens up in front of us, with the Victor Emmanuel monument right there and downtown Rome right in front of us. We could see all the way to the Vatican. I almost died. It really hit me right then, as Alex, a guy from AUR pointed out the fountain on our left, the huge vista on our right, and then stopped the car and unloaded our bags right in the middle of all that splendor.

We're sharing the 2 bedroom apartment with two fashion majors from Philly, and they seem great. We're all going out in a minute to explore, get lost a little bit, and find some delicious Roman food. I can't believe I'm here. It's way too good to be true. More later, when my computer's not dying.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Meg -- Welcome to Europe!! I loved reading your blog about arriving in Rome -- 11 months after we touched down it brought back all those initial feelings and reminded me of just how fun the start of a new adventure can be! We know the feelings of sensory overload as you try and take in everything you've dreamed of and pictured for so long -- and then you are there. Enjoy your time, and think about hopping the Adriatic -- we've got plenty of room, budget rates, and lots to see!

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