Week 15

This week was my last full week of study abroad. There have been a lot of emotions about going home, and it is all bitter-sweet. I miss my family and friend a lot and I am so excited to see them. But I have also many so many friends here, and I have left lasting memories in many countries. I've been trying not to be sad about it, but with this week being the last week of classes before finals, it is inevitable.

On Monday in my drawing class I worked on a simple piece that I did down at Marina Grande. I worked on that most of the class and then spent the rest of class preparing for my final next week. After class, my friends and I went to Orbit to get bubble tea. All of the Sant'Anna students go there to hang out and study, so it has been the prefect spot to go to between classes now that the beach is getting cold. That evening we had History of the Mafia so we did a review for our finals exam. Once everyone is out of class, we usually all hang out in someones room and just goof off for a few hours. We hung out late and then went to bed.

The next day was a shorter day for me since I only had 1 class. So I slept in a bit and then went grocery shopping with my friends. While we were grocery shopping, we saw all the Christmas Markets that are now up in Sorrento, so we went by a few of the vendors. They are selling all kinds of things like chocolate and nut spreads, candies, pastries, cannoli's, fudge, and more. It is mostly desserts but there are also vendors with Christmas items you can buy as well (we are visiting those next week). We walked around the markets for a bit and tried the cannoli's as well and different nut and cookie spreads. After walking around Sorrento, we went back to the dorms for lunch and then has class. After class, Kathryn, Emily, and I were all free while our other friends were studying or doing homework, so we went down to Taverna Azzurra, and had an aperitivo, We shared a bottle of white wine, and I got some bruschetta and they got calamari. Taverna Azzurra is right on the water so we got to enjoy the sound of the waves and just spend some time Marina Grande.

The next day was just another day of exam reviews and hanging out with all my friends. That evening was our 2nd to last wine Wednesdays, so we went to the market! A few of us went early since we were done with class, and we waited for the rest of our friends. We all got our typical drinks. I think most of use were getting emotional since this was our last full week studying abroad, so we went around just sharing sappy stories. Once everyone was there, we ordered our bread and cheese, and spicy salami. I usually don't eat salami because I think it looks weird, but Kathryn made me try it and it was actually so good! We stayed at the market until they closed and then went back to the dorms. Thursday was pretty similar to Wednesday.

On Friday, we spent the morning hanging out, and then went to all you can eat sushi. This has become a favorite place on the weekends. I always enjoy going and eating the noodles and rice! Per usual, we were extremely full afterwards, so we went back to the dorm and just hung out. We pretty much hung out all night until it was time to go to bed. The next day was our last Saturday, and if was the only day that the bar and club was open. Most of the bars were closed but 1 bar, Horseshoe, was still open. So we had da plan to do a white elephant gift exchange at Caroline's apartment, and then go out after for one last hoorah. That morning we all went shopping for a gift. I ended up going to a jewelry store and finding a glass bracelet made with Venice Murano glass. I bought that. After shopping we hung out at got ready. We went to Caroline's apartment and had Christmas cocktails and played games as well as did the while elephant. Caroline ended up getting my gift, and I got Emily's which was Italian perfume and lotion. It was the cutest gift ever and I needed it. All the gifts people got were so fun and unique. We continued playing games for a while and then around 9pm went to Horseshoe. We used to only go to English Inn, but now that they are closed for the season all of the Sant'Anna students were at Horseshoe, so that's where we went. We played Pub Golf there and just enjoyed seeing the street filled with students and locals. During the winter it can get quiet, so nights like this are so fun and eventful. After Horseshoe we went to Fauno for a few hours to dance, but the music was not the typical music. We only stayed there for a bit, before going to get pizza. We only get late night food at Pizza Di Franco because they are open so late. So we got pizza around 3AM and I got the Messicana, which is my favorite. After pizza we walked back to the dorms and headed to bed. The next day we spent the day studying and preparing for finals, as well as starting to pack up to leave. It was bittersweet, because the thought of finals only means the end of this semester, and sadly I never wanted it to end.