A little weekend with a big finish!

This past week was quite interesting. We came back from Florence a little battered and bruised and Rome didn't look very promising. The weather here looked a lot like Seattle, perhaps even a little more rain than usual. Alas, the rain finally subsided on Wednesday and gave way to blue skies and freezing cold temperature. We managed to take a walk to the Borghese gardens and enjoy the sun, while still wearing our coats and gloves. Thursday was just as gorgeous and just as cold. And the inside of ancient monuments is even colder. Not to reader: do NOT go in the pantheon when it is cold outside!

On Friday a group from our program headed up to Orvieto, a small hill town in Umbria north of Rome. It was a beautiful day but unfortunately all of those little towns take siesta quite seriously, which meant a very sleepy town for us to explore, but it was fun none the less.

Saturday one of my room mates and I decided to head out and explore a market to get some fresh veggies. It was about a 25 minute walk but well worth it. The market, unlike the campo market, was full of locals and the produce was cheap! I got eggplant for dinner and some dried apricots and almonds for snacks! The rest of Saturday we relaxed and enjoyed the sun.

And Sunday was the big day, not only is it SUPERBOWL SUNDAY, but I accepted my offer from Teach for America. So beginning in the fall, I will be teaching elementary school in Phoenix. Who knew I would be back in the valley of the sun. I am very excited but also a little nervous about this wonderful opportunity. Though I am very happy to be close to my family again. I will miss Seattle and UW, Go Huskies! As for TFA, I'm not sure of all the specifics yet, but I will also be a graduate student in the ASU Masters in Teaching program, so GO DEVILS! Back to my roots! With all this teaching excitement, who could forget the Cardinals! I never thought they would make it this far, let alone while I am in Rome. So, I have convinced almost my entire program to watch the game at the HardRock Cafe in Rome. The only catch is the game doesn't even start until just after midnight here! But I guess that is what espresso is for! 

In other news...my mom is coming to visit this week and I can't wait. We are going to have a fantastic time and I will be sure to post some pictures. Hope all is well back home!