Im Gonna Keep it Short

Im not in much of a mood to blog but I have been told some of you get more excited about reading my blog than a little kid who wakes up to micky mouse pancases with chocolate chips on Saturday morning. NOt to mention I dont want to get out of the habit of blogging so that I have a record of what I did it the future. That being said, I have going to keep this one short.

My roommates and I got up this mornig and caught a train to the beach. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed swing inthe Mediteraining Sea. It is wierd to think about the fact that today I swam in the same body of water where Jesus once was. It was the perfect day for beach, and we stayed for several hours.

Keep my roommate Stacy and her family in your prayers. When we returned from the beach her mom called to tell her that her grandfather had passed away. He had a heart attack a few days ago and I guess it all just went down hill from there. She would really like to go home, but it just really isn't possible. The next few days will be very hard on her family, but they will pribibly be even harder for her as she struggles to find closure without the physical support of her family or a funeral.

On a happier note I am very excited that classes start for real on Monday and CBHS beat White Station on Friday. Go Brothers! Since the Razorbacks make dont play this week I am happy to announce that we will be headed into week 3 undefeated as we take ont he Georgia Bulldogs at home. I really miss American Football in case you cant tell. This will be the first seaon in 22 years that I have not watched a down on football live and in person!

Pizza Fantasy and the Kosovo Terrorist Network

So before you all freak out and think that it is unsafe over here I will tell you about the Kosovo Terrorist Network (KTN). About 2 days ago I go on the computer and open up the internet. When I did I did not find the usual home page. Instead I got this creepy black scream with weird music that said I was being logged into the Kosovo Terrorist Network. I immediately closed the window and reported it to the You Place in Rome people and they came and fixed it yesterday. Apparently our computer somehow got hacked into but all is well now. This is why I have not blogged in a few days. I did not want to somehow expose any of your computers to anything. Needless to say I will doing things like checking my bank account and anything else I hope to keep secure on the computers at the school since they seem to have a more secure network.

Now for Pizza Fantasy. Last night we all (all 10 people in my program) decided we would go out and find this place called Pizza Fantasy that Brian had been talking about all week. So we all go dressed up because we had intended for this to be a night out on the town. It ended up being a very long bus ride and mediocre Pizza, but since 75% of my friends were drunk they thought it was great. I on the other was just a little uncomfortable. After the outing last night I now know why Americans have a bad reputation over here, and why crazy things happen to them.

All and all things are going very well. I have finished the first week of school, and real class starts on Monday. I think my classes are going to be great. I am very excited that I only have class in the morning. This will allow me to go back and visit sites in the afternoon as well as practice my sketching. I need a lot of work! We are talking about going to the beach on Saturday so that should be fun.

Rome is My Classroom

I got my first taste of what class will be like this semester. I think that amazing is probibly a good word to use. Now today was still just orientation but we began going on tours of the city and the day was set up much like my class will be. Here is how class goes. Meet the Professor at a random location in Rome (today it was the school Wednesday it is Capitol Hill), walk and look around in amazment, stop and listen to the professor talk, ask questions, sketch, move on and repeat. It is so much fun. If every class in life were like this no one would hate school. It is so amazing how much there is here. The city is almost 30 feet deep with one building on top of another. You are walking down the street and all of the sudden you turn a corner and it is like BAM there is an amazing building and history is just before your eyes.

Apparently the link I posted yesterday didnt work so I am going to try again. Try this link for more pics (if it doesnt work as a link try copy and pasting it into your broweser.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2214991&id=20607137&l=5f78f69d64

PS Spell check isn't working today so if all my smarty pants friends could refrain, posting comments (sending email, facebook messages, etc.) that point out every miss spelled word that would be great. Let just all get the good laugh out now. "haha Megan can't spell"

much awaited pics!

So, if you find yourself wondering why I have not posted in several days it is not because I have been so busy having fun that I have not had time. Thought I have been very busy having fun as you will see from this post. It is because our internet and phone have been down since Thursday. Thanks to the Center I know have a local phone number. It is an international call for you but a free for me so let me know if you want the number and I will give it to you. I can also give you my skype number (which is free for both of us if you would like it).

Rome has been great the last few days. I am getting use to living in a city that has between 3-5 million people, but I don't think you have to worry about me wanting to move here predominantly. I like it here but my heart still, resides in Fayetteville with a little piece in Memphis. We began orientation here today. It was nice to have something we had to do and get familiarized with the Rome Center. The faculty is great and I am excited about all the adventures the semester holds.

So without further ado here are the pictures...



my living room




My bedroom



the kitchen and laundry room.

For those of you thinking "HA Megan will never use that room" You are wrong! My roommates and I cooked dinner last night, and I have already done laundry once.



THe bathroom

More pictures can be found at


Sorry they are side ways I will figure out how to turn them for the next blog maybe!

My New BFF and Air Conditioning

Ok so I hate to disappoint you but I don’t have a new best friend nor do I have air conditioning, but I do have 2 things that come very close. My TomTom and a new fan. TomTom, my gps, is perhaps the greatest item I brought on this trip. It is far better than any map or tour books. While he is not perfect, he allows me to navigate easily from wherever I am to wherever I want to go without any trouble! He talks to me and tells me which way to go. It is impossible to get lost because if I make a wrong turn it just gives me a new route to my destination. Basically like I said before it is the greats thing ever, and if you are travelling anytime soon you should acquire one too!

In case you did not pick up of the fact that it is very hott here and I don’t have AC, it is and I don’t. I do however, now have a fully functioning fan. After a lot of searching, a very Under the Tuscan Sun shopping adventure, and some assembly without the proper tools I now have a fan that has cooled my apartment down tremendously. My two roommates from KU, Theresa and Stacy, arrived today and they plan to purchase a fan very soon as well. So basically I feel as though my apartment is now air conditioned!

For those of you wondering what an Under the Tuscan Sun shopping adventure is I encourage you to rent the movies. In short I speak basically no Italian, and the people at the store spoke basically no English, but after a lot of gesturing and grunting I managed to purchase a fan!

I had this whole long blog with my days adventures and lots of photos planed but the internet is less than reliable right now so it will have to wait until it gets fixed. Over all I am having a great time and am very happy to be here.

Tammy dont worry you could never be replaced, esp by a machine!

Day 1 Down

I apologize that I don’t have the pictures of the apartment download yet but they are coming. I spent much of the day trying to catch up on sleep and getting settled in. My apartment, like most in Rome, is not air conditioned. It is very warm and humid, so I am in great need of a fan. I a few hours this afternoon looking for one, but did not find any shops that sell them. I am going to email the school and the people at Your Place in Rome to see if they have any ideas on where I might be able to purchase a fan.

I hate to complain about the weather, but I feel that it is justified for 2 reasons:

1. It is hott enough that the Romans are complaining about it. And in my opinion is the locals are complaining about it the visitors can too.
2. I spent 6 of the last 12 weeks living in a TP and Kamp and was never really this hott.

It is as hott and humid and Memphis and Central Arkansas in mid-August and I know that those of you reading who have been there before wouldn’t dare part with your A/C.

All and all I am doing well. My neighbourhood is great. There are lots of restaurants, and shops. Everything I need (except and fan) is just right around the corner.

Thing I have Learned Since I Arrived:
1. 5 minutes= 15 minutes and 20 minutes= 45 minutes
2. Bubbly water is gross and all water has bubbles unless it is coming out of your sink or says mineral water on it.
3. Despite what travel books say, Italians do where shorts. They are just longer. In other words the travel books should say "Italians don’t where booty shorts"
4. There is no reason to sleep-in in a city that takes siestas. Just take a nap while they do whatever it is they do during siesta.
5. Restaurants and bars and open late but nothing else is.

For those of you who have Google mapped by address, mine is the yellow building second floor from the top on the corner.

Happy Birthday Courtney! I here 23 is kind of let down but have fun anyway!

IM here!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am here. My appartment is wonderful, and I have had a good italian meal. Seeing as how I have been up for well over 24 hours now. I am going to shower and go to bed, but know worries details and pictures will come tomarrow! (I have already taken many pictures of my appartment)