Today was judgement day, or that is what it felt like. I had 3 finals to take.
My first final was from 9 am to 11:30. I spent the morning studying for it and looking over my notes. The teacher really didn't tell us what would be on it. All I know is that it is going to be a case study. When I finally got it, it was pretty easy. It was a case study about Google in China and another country. It mostly talked about privacy laws in those countries, since they have laws restraining freedom of speech. It also talked about how Google handled it. The questions took me awhile, so I only had about 30 minutes to spare to study for my next final. My next final was Marketing from noon to 2:30 p.m. Professor Signorini had told us exactly what would be on the final, so we could study. I used the full 30 minutes, and then wished I had studied more. The final only had 2 questions. The first was a definition that we should know from a list of 3 definitions. We pretty much had to tell everything we knew about this definition (all of which were processes). I saw the sheet and realized that I didn't know 2 of the 3 well enough to talk about them. So that left me the last definition, but I kept mixing the term up with another process to the point that I didn't know which was which. I finally gave up and went with my first thought, which I had the most confidence in. (I checked after class, and I made the right choice). The second question on the final was a scenario. He gave us two scenarios to choose from, and we had to create a marketing strategy for that product. We had to discuss things like who was our target market, where would we sell the product, etc. I think I did okay on that. My last final was in Microeconomics from 3 to 5:30 p.m. By that time I was tired of studying. My current grade in the class is a 100, but the final is worth 50% of my grade. I studied a little bit before the final. I blew through that final and finished in 30 minutes. I think I did something wrong, because I finished way too quickly. I was the first done and then I left. On the way back to my apartment I stopped for some gelato, because I really needed it by that point. My roommates and I were going to split a cab to the airport in the morning, because it was cheaper that way. Laura was going to pay on her card (she was out of euros and didn't want to take out more) and we would pay her back. I made the reservations, and for some reason the company wouldn't take her card, so I paid for it. It came out to 10 euros a person. Olivia paid me back in American dollars, while Janelle, Mike, and Laura paid me in euros.
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I spent all morning studying for my final today. My final was for my Art History class. It was supposed to be hard, because we had to be able to look at a manuscript and identify the name, the date it was produced, and the artist/writer. We also had to be able to look at different writing styles and identify the script and the time periods it was used it. Finally, we had to write an essay about a topic. We got our topics before hand so we could prepare for them, but we couldn't use our notes on the final. When I got to class, I did some last minute studying before the final started. I think I did okay with the manuscript pictures and scripts. I know I missed two of them for sure, but it was my fault. Professor Yawn warned the class that she would pull some images from the student presentations that we had to give, but I didn't believe that she would actually do it because it would be unfair to the class. Those students would have an advantage because they knew everything. Well, she pulled two presentation pictures, and I knew nothing about them because I didn't study the presentations. That sucks. For the essay, she gave us two topics to study for. She said that she would choose one of them for the final. One of the topics covered everything that we had studied throughout the year, so I thought for sure she would choose that one, so that is the one I focused on. The other topic address how to use science in manuscript studies, which we kind of talked about when we went to the Conservation place. I, along with the rest of the class, didn't focus on that topic because I was so sure that the other topic was going to be chosen. Then, when she announced it was time to start the essay, she had us pick a piece of folded up paper. That way half the class got one topic, and the other half got the other topic. I got really lucky, because I chose the topic I had studied and knew a lot about. I feel bad for the half of the class that got the other topic, because we had discussed it before the final started, and no one knew what to talk about for that topic. After the final was finally over, I walked back to the apartment to put my laptop up. Then I left to go to Vatican City. It wasn't that far of a walk, only about 25 minutes from my apartment, and I had no trouble finding it. Then again, all I had to do was follow the Tiber River. When I got to Vatican City, I had to stand in a long line to get into St. Peter's Basilica. The line stretched across the square. I though the line was so long because there was a lot of people in the basilica, but it was really Security holding everyone up. There were only 2 stations open, so that caused a huge delay. But I finally got inside.
I asked one of the guards where to get tickets to see the Pope tomorrow, and he said to leave the basilica, take a right, and you get the tickets from the guard there. So I tried to follow his instructions, but that meant leaving the secure area, which the tickets were supposed to be inside, according to the Internet. So I went back inside the basilica and asked a different guard. He said to exit the basilica and take a left, and there would be guards by a door, and that is where you get the tickets. I followed his instructions, and the guard at the door asked if I had a reservation. I said no, and I almost panicked because I didn't know I need a reservation. The guard left and returned with my two tickets, so I got very lucky.
I woke up and I felt terrible today. My stomach kept cramping really badly, but it was my last day of classes so I had to go. I went to Art History and sat through the presentations. Then I went back to the apartment to eat. I had lost my ID somewhere, so I couldn't eat at the Tiber Cafe because I wasn't going to pay 25 euros to replace it.
While I was at the apartment I worked for 2 hours trying to fix my group paper for International Business. The two Italian girls in my group did not know how to cite their sources, they also had grammar issues. I understand the grammar issues, because they are writing in another language, but the citing issues were killer. I had to keep going in and recite their sources. Also, one of the girls who did the economic stability of Nigeria didn't know what to write about. So she would just write one sentence stating the GDP or another economic statistic. The point of the paper is to analyze if this is a stable country. So I had to go in and look up a comparison statistic and look at the progress of that statistic over the last 10 years. So I was rushing at the last minute trying to get the paper put together. I could see Maggie also working on it in the Google Doc. It was a mess. I worked on it in the computer lab until class was starting, then I printed it and ran to class. I was late, but the teacher didn't notice. I hadn't even had time to upload my part of the PowerPoint. We got lucky that our group was chosen to go last. So I worked on my part of the PowerPoint while the other groups were presenting. Another girl in my group had never opened the PowerPoint and found out that she couldn't, so she couldn't upload her slides. So I let her use my Mac to do her slides while the other groups were presenting. We presented last and ran out of time, so I had to wrap us up quickly. During this whole time my stomach was spasming and it hurt, a lot. Then I went to Marketing, so I could get the review for the final. I decided I couldn't sit through Microeconomics, so I decided to skip that class. I am already making a 100 in it, so as lost as I make a 70 on the final I will still get an A. Before I left I stopped at the Front Office to ask about my ID, and someone had turned it in! Then I went back to the apartment to go to bed. I hope when I wake up my stomach won't hurt anymore. I worked all day on my paper for Art History. It is not due until the Friday of finals week, but that just gives me plenty of time to write it. I got most of my rough draft done for it. When I wasn't writing, I was planning out the rest of my days in Rome:
Thursday: school Friday: Tivoli Saturday: Tarquinia Sunday: Viterbo Monday: Bagnoregio Tuesday: Art History final and St. Peter's Basilica Wednesday: See the Pope and explore Rome Thursday: 3 finals Friday: Shopping on Via del Conto Saturday: Travel home! I arranged to meet with my International Business group to discuss our project and the presentation that are due tomorrow. We first agreed to meet at 6 p.m. but one of the girls forgot that she has a class at the time. How can you forget when you have a class, especially in the last weeks of school? So we moved it to 5 p.m., but another girl had a class that didn't end until 5:45 p.m. We still decided to meet at 5 p.m. at the Tiber cafe. I was going to be early, but I decided to stop for a gelato on the way. I was 5 minutes late and I was still the first one to arrive. A couple of people in the group hadn't uploaded their part to the Google Docs. We agreed that everyone would have their part uploaded by the end of the night, so Maggie and I would have time to go over it. I also gave one of the other girls pointers on how to make her part better. I have 2 presentations today, one in Art History and the other in Marketing. I got up early to work on my first one. It was close, but I had it ready by the time I got to school. When she asked for volunteers to go, I volunteered to go first. I just wanted to get it over with. I rushed through the presentation, because I had a lot to talk about in the short 10 minutes that we had to talk. Then the other 3 girls went. I thought that my presentation was the best. Two of the girls didn't really look like they knew what they were talking about. I got confused just listening to them talk in circles.
After Art History I went back to the apartment. Usually I don't, but today my International Business class was canceled because the professor had a personal problem had home (in England) and had to leave. So I enjoyed the time off, until I had to leave for Marketing. In Marketing I had my other group presentation about the Amazon Fire TV Stick. I think that it went off a lot better than our first presentation. We also knew the answers to the questions the professor asked us. After Marketing I had Microeconomics, and we just reviewed for the final. I got up and tried to take a shower this morning. Guess what? It didn't work. So we don't have hot water again, which means no shower for Cory. So I got out, submitted another ticket for them, and got ready for Art History class. In Art History we went over our project and assigned Thank You letters. We are writing thank you letters to all of the libraries we have visited, as well as to ICPAL and the authors of the 2 textbooks we have been using. Then I went to lunch, and found out that I only have 19,10 euros left on my account. Finally, it is almost gone. During my free time, I started to research Portugal. I figured out which cities I wanted to go to, and what I wanted to do in each city. Then I looked for hostels and booked them. Then it was time for International Business. We all worked on our group project, which I had already finished yesterday. Since I was already done, I worked on my blog and did some other things. Our professor has to return to England for some family issues and won't be in class on Tuesday, so no class for us! He will have a make up class on Friday to review for the final, so I might go or I might not. It depends on what I am doing that day. After International Business I had Marketing, where people were presenting their group projects. So I worked on my blog some more. Then I had Microeconomics. We started out with 7 students, including me. So he started reviewing past materials and I almost left. Then a whole group of people came in and we moved on to new material. Sadly, someone had fixed the clock, so we didn't get out early.
I got early this morning and took a shower, made breakfast, and left to meet up with my Art History class. I left my apartment almost an hour early so I would have plenty of time to walk over there. Then I saw the tram, and decided I would rather take that then walk. So I got to the meeting point about 40 minutes early. Since I had time, I decided to walk around a little bit. I started walking up Via Del Corso, but everything was closed. However, there was a little cafe open with a sign saying they sold hot chocolate. So I bought some. It was okay, but no where near as good as the one in Poland. Then I walked back to the Victor Emmanuele Monument to wait for everyone. Eventually other students started arriving. Of the 9 students in the class, only 5 of us showed up. We waited for the others a while, but no one else appeared, so we walked to the place. We were touring the Instituto Centrale per il Restauro e la Conservazione del Patrimonio Archivistico e Librario (ICPAL). ICPAL is the leading institute for the conservation and preservation of manuscripts. One of the girls in my class said that another student, Christina, was on her way but was running late. Professor Yawn told our guide, and she took us to a room to wait for Christina. We ended up waiting for about 10 minutes, and then continued on our tour. I was upset because one of the girls that didn't show up was the reason we didn't have this tour last Friday. This was the weekend I was supposed to go to Prague, but I didn't get to go because we rescheduled the event for today. The first place we went to was the place where they restore manuscripts. The workers were really nice, and wanted to show us everything. They only spoke Italian, so our professor kept translating it into English for us. The first manuscript they showed us was the Libro Rosso (the Red Book). This book has pages of all of the Italian coats of arms of the Italian nobility. A previous restorer had put an onion-skin-like paper on the images of the coats of arms, but it is acidic and it eating throughout the paper and destroying the images. So ICPAL has been tasked with removing the onion skin. The problem is that it is stuck to the page and cannot be removed, so they have chemists and other scientists working on how to remove it safely without destroying the manuscript. They are also restoring the book's binding, which is an original. They showed us how the book was bond and also showed us the damage that insects and bacteria have had on it. They had to take a sample of the bacteria to another lab in the complex to see if it is still active, or if it is dead. If it is still active, they will have to find a way to safely remove or kill it so it is not harmful to the page or to humans. They only spoke Italian, but I understood almost everything she was saying. She spoke slowly and clearly, and the words she used were similar enough to Spanish that I knew what she was saying. When I didn't know a word, she was usually pointing to something on the manuscript or binding, so I knew she was talking about that. I felt so proud of myself! They also showed us a way to flatten the manuscript without damaging it. They do this by putting the pages on a metal platform and putting magnets on top of it. They also showed us a small diary written by an Italian POW from WWI. They do not only work on manuscripts, but they also preserve recent materials as well. Modern works are harder to preserve, because they were not made to last. They were created to last for a couple of years, unlike manuscripts that last hundreds of years. Next they led us to another room that is working on cleaning a map on cloth. These workers were graduate students doing an internship. They were really prepared to receive us. They had pictures of how they removed the map from the wooden framing. They also discussed the methods that they were using in the cleaning of the cloth, because they don't want to damage the inked map. It was very interesting.
Next, we went upstairs to the Chemistry lab. The lady there spoke English, so Professor Yawn didn't have to translate. She showed us the work that she has been doing. Even in English, most of what she was saying went over my head. The bits I did understand was about the colors. One of the things she does is examine the different colored ink and plot it. When describing the colors of an image, they can't use subjective words because those are open to interpretation. So instead they use numbers based on the amount of red, yellow, and blue it has. She also bragged about the work she did with the Rossano Gospels. She was the one that verified that they used iron gall for dyeing the pages. She did this by buying some iron gall, and making up a batch of dye. Then she compared the results to the Rossano Gospels. When ICPAL presented its findings, a politician wanted an 'expert' to verify the work. When the 'expert' did it, they said it was another substance that dyed the pages, so she was very happy.
By the time we were finished with the chemistry lab it was about noon. Two of the girls had to leave. They happened to be the only other English speakers in the group. Everyone else knew Italian fluently except for me. Outside the chemistry lab was the digital department. They have been working on a project to put all of the notes and images that they have collected about all of the manuscripts they have worked with online for researchers to use. It is a huge project, and they still have over 4,000 files to do. The next place we went to was the Biology lab. Professor Yawn made sure she was close to me when we stopped, and then translated what the people were saying to me in a whisper, since I was the only one that didn't know Italian. Here, we learned about the different diseases and bacteria that attach itself to manuscripts. This department works at killing the bacteria without damaging the manuscript. They are also trying to develop a cost effective way to exterminate libraries without destroying the books. The last place we went to was the physicist lab. Here, they showed us how they find out the composition of paper. They have special light that takes a picture of it, which allows them to examine the paper under a high-powered microscope. From this, they can see what materials were used to make the paper. From this, they can find out the processes used to make a long time ago. They also make their own paper and test out chemicals on it, to see how it will react. We left ICPAL, which was sad. I really enjoyed this field trip. I was also really impressed with myself because I understood 50-60% of what everyone was saying while I was there. I understood more in the conservation department, but in the science departments I was lost. Probably because I hate science and don't even understand it in English. Professor Yawn walked us to Via Nazionale, and from there I knew how to get back to my apartment. I walked because I was hoping to find a mailbox for my postcard. Apparently I bought a special kind of stamp that can't be mailed from a regular mailbox. I looked for this special kind of mailbox, but I couldn't find one. I did find a gelato shop that sold cupcakes, so of course I had to buy one. The cake part was okay, but the icing was really good. When I got back to my apartment my roommate was mad at me. I didn't answer her texts or phone calls. She had called me 5 times and texted me 15. The power had gone out and she didn't know what to do. That meant the refrigerator was off, and destroyed all of our food stored there. Our other roommates had just left for Amsterdam when she discovered the power was off. Liv knew there was an emergency number to call, but didn't know what it was and couldn't go online to find out. She knew that I would have the number (which I did), but she couldn't get ahold of me. She finally found the number on the door, and they came over within 15 minutes. There was construction going on outside, and one of the workers had cut the power. We later found a note on our front door that we think was a notice saying the power was going to be cut off. But we can't read it because it is in Italian. But by the time I had returned the power was back on. I checked my food in the refrigerator . Luckily I didn't have much in there, but my milk had gone sour and my chicken (that I hadn't cooked yet) was bad. So I had to throw out both. Then Liv and I went to the store to re-purchase the things we had to throw out. My Art History class was canceled today because our teacher had a personal emergency. Yippee for me! Sad for my teacher. So I didn't have to go to class until 3 p.m. again. Not that I accomplished anything at my apartment, but I enjoyed the time off from class.
At 1 p.m., Naike came to the apartment to see how we were doing. She was supposed to come at 1:30, because that was when Janelle was coming back, but Alessio didn't tell Naike that. So Liv and I were still in our PJs. While we were waiting for Janelle, we all complained about John Cabot because none of us like our classes here. She also showed us that our oven is a gas oven, so you can light a fire at the bottom to help it cook better. Who knew? It does explain a lot, like how when we put food in the oven it doesn't cook all of the way. Finally Janelle came back, Naike asked a few more questions and left. I left around 2 p.m. so I would have enough time to copy the chapter that I need to read for Friday for Art History. Then I went to International Business, and Marketing. We continued with the case study in Marketing, so I spent half of the time working on my part of the group project. The highlight of my day was Microeconomics. When we got to class, he handed out a survey that we have to take. It pretty much just asked how he was as a teacher, and it is required by the school. He excused himself from the classroom while we did it, and then another student turned it into the office. She looked for him to tell him we were done, but he had disappeared. None of us knew where he went. After we had waited awhile 2 guys had a brilliant idea. They had one of the girls in the class act as a look-out, and then took down the wall clock and moved it forward by about 7 minutes. Then hung it back up and we were all sitting in our seats when the teacher finally came back in. Then he lectured to us the same thing he did last time when half the class was gone. I, of course, was there and got the first lecture. I played on my computer while he lectured, because I had already heard it all before. He ended up letting us out early, because he didn't realize that the clock was fast. Yippee! Another lazy day today. I had to get out of bed to go to Guarini to meet up with my International Business group for our project. My group was really disorganized. They wanted to talk about information they had found out, when I thought we were assigning tasks. So we ended up being there for quite a while. Then I started walking back to my apartment and realized that I didn't have my purse. My purse has my money, all my debit cards, and my passport. I ran back to the school and thank God it was still there and untouched. I had met Liv on the way to the school and she waited for me because she had forgotten her keys to the apartment. Then we walked back together.
I didn't have to get up early today because my Art History class was canceled due to the field trip on Friday. Yippee! That means that I didn't have to be at school until 3 p.m.! I took my time and lazed the day away until 3, then I went to International Business.
After International Business was Marketing. After Marketing my group met together and we separated tasks. I get to research the main distributors and the main promotional strategies of Amazon for the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Marketing was a complete waste of time because we had an in-depth discussion on a case study. The final exam consists of an essay and a case study, so we had a practice case study about a camera lens that you attach to your iPhone. It was ridiculous. We had an in-depth 30 minute discussion on why we should target the age group 25-35, instead of 18-25. My next class was Microeconomics, and half the class was missing. It was raining outside, so they decided not to come to class. He went ahead and taught us the lesson plan for the day. He better not repeat it next class for those that chose to skip or I will be pissed. For the first time, I didn't have to get up super early for Finance. Yippee! I still had to get up early though because I needed to do some last minute studying for my Art History test. For the test, we have to know all of the manuscript that we have talked about all semester, their names, when they were written, who wrote them, and an interesting fact for bonus points. We also have to know the different writing styles, and some definitions. In other words, a lot to study. We have to be able to recognize the manuscript from any picture that we have seen in class or in the book. I added to the PowerPoint I had already created from the first test. I then kept testing myself by looking at the picture, naming the manuscript, and reciting everything that I knew about it. Then I went to JCU and took the test. I think I knew most of the answers, so I think I got around an 80.
Then I had International Business. He gave back Project 3, and I got a B++. He couldn't give me an A now could he? I'm going to go talk to him Tuesday and ask what it would have taken to get an A. Maybe I will get lucky and he will change my grade. We also have a group project to do for Project 4. We have to choose an emerging economy and write up a report about it. We had a little bit of time to discuss it during class, and my group talked about doing Nigeria. After International Business I had Marketing and Microeconomics. Nothing exciting happened in either class. I have another group presentation to do for Marketing, so that is going to suck. Afterwards, I went back to the apartment and relaxed. Late last night a girl posted on the John Cabot Facebook page asking if anyone had a screwdriver for a Mac. Because of Bratislava, I have 2 mini screwdrivers, so I messaged her telling her that I had one she could use. We agreed to meet up today so that she could borrow it. I told her that I would be at the library around 2 p.m. So I go to the library, and message her on Facebook letting her know where I am and what I am wearing. Then I read my book while I wait. I have no classes today, so I was just at the library to give her the screwdriver. About 30 minutes later she messages me back saying that she had someone look at the laptop and she has to buy another one, so she doesn't need the screwdriver anymore. I was going to study for my Art History test tomorrow, but everything I need is on my Mac, so I just left.
Olivia had a package at the API office, but they were closing early today. I messaged them through Facebook for her asking if they would be there at 4:20, because her class ended at 4:15 p.m. They replied, saying they would close at 4:20. Liv was worried that she wouldn't make it in time. Since I wasn't meeting the screwdriver girl anymore, I decided to stop by the office and pick it up for her. Then I walked back to my apartment, were I stopped on the way to get gelato. While I was waiting at the library, I counted out my small change (all 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent) at the bottom of my purse until I had enough for gelato. I felt bad for the worker, because she had to recount my money. I was glad that I picked up the package for Liv, because she was having a really bad day. Her sister sent out a mass text for a prayer group for Mrs. Crenshaw (Liv's best friend's mom who is dying of cancer) because she has only 4 months to live. Liv got the text during class and started crying. She hadn't heard about the 4 months part. Then she called her dad crying. Her dad got mad at Allie (Liv's sister) and she got in trouble. So Allie called Liv and bitched her out so they had a fight. Liv decided to skip the rest of her classes for the day and return to the apartment. So I brightened her day a little bit by giving her the package, which had some clothes that she ordered. She had a really cute dress. For dinner, I didn't feel like making anything so Laura and I ordered hamburgers from T-Bone Steakhouse. They were okay, not as good as the ones in the U.S. We did order some really good dessert, though. Laura got the Apple Crumb, and I got the Oreo Pie. We split the desserts between us. I thought the Oreo Pie was the best, but they gave me such a small piece. Sad day! I got up early today so I could go to school early so I could drop Finance. I got to the school at about 8:05 a.m. The teacher wasn't in the classroom yet so I waited. She finally came in and I took the form up to her. She asked if I had enough hours to drop, and I told her I was taking 15 hours. Then she said that it is just too hard to take that many hours while studying abroad, and how study abroad students are always dropping down to 12 hours. I agreed with her just so she would sign it. I didn't say that she was the reason I was dropping her class, but a huge weight was lifted from me when I left the classroom. The Registrar's Office wasn't open yet, so I went to the library and read a book until 9 a.m. Then I turned the form into the Registrar's Office and I was free of Finance. Yippee!
Next I went to my Art History class. We met in the lobby because we were walking to Bibliotecca Vallicelliana. The walk was about 10-15 minutes away. We were the only ones in the library, which was good because they didn't have a private room for us. We looked at 2 Books of Hours and a Breviary. The Books of Hours were sooooo pretty. The detail and the designs were so detailed and intricate that I don't how people created them. After the library we walked back to campus. I had forgotten my purse back at the apartment, so I had lunch at the apartment today. Then I went back to school for International Business, Marketing, and Microeconomics. Nothing interesting happened in those classes. Then I came back to the apartment, finished my book and went to bed. I got up early and made breakfast, and worked on my Art History homework. When I was about to leave for Finance, it started pouring. JCU sent out a message saying school was open, but if you can't make it don't come. I decided I couldn't make it, so I skipped Finance class. I wasn't going to walk 10 minutes in the pouring rain. I later found out that she didn't take attendance, but she talked about the major project we have due.
When the rain let up, I hurried to class for Art History. Half the class didn't show. The same happened in my classes for International Business, Marketing, and Microeconomics. In Microeconomics he decided not to teach us anything new, because he would just have to repeat it the next class. So he decided to review the material we have already gone over. I do nothing in that class besides doodle. Another guy left and I followed him out. There is no reason for me to waste an hour and a half on material I already know. I'm really glad I did, because around the time I would have usually gotten out of that class, it started raining. I went back to my apartment and went to bed early. There is a Facebook group for JCU study abroad students, and people are always posting about sharing a cab. Since I am leaving early for Budapest tomorrow, I asked if anyone wanted to share a cab. A girl responded whose plane is leaving about 15 minutes before mine. So now we are going to meet at the taxi stand and share a cab to Ciampino Airport. I got up at 5:30 am to take a shower and finish my homework for class. I had just enough time to finish my homework and run to Finance. We got our finance test back, and I failed it. I studied more for that test than I have ever studied in my life. I talked to the rest of my study group, and they got around the same grade that I did. I think it says something about the teacher when everyone fails the test. I emailed my advisor to ask if there was a way that I could drop the class, so I hope he responds soon.
After Finance I had Art History, and we discussed Books of Hours. Then I had lunch and finished up my International Business case study. Then I had International Business, Marketing, and Microeconomics. We got our Microeconomics test back and I got a 113 out of 120. On the way bad to my apartment I stopped and bought some comfort food, gelato. At the apartment I heated up some frozen lasagna that I have had in the freezer for a while. Today is judgement day, the day of my test for Finance. I got up at 5 a.m. to start studying. Janelle and Laura left early today to go to Corfu, Greece, so I heard them leave. I also had to read the textbook for my art history class, so I used it as a break from studying Finance. It finally turned 8 a.m., so I went off to take my test. It went as badly as I expected. The teacher says she will give you a formula sheet, and most of the formulas she gives you are not on the test. She expects us to have all of the formulas memorized, which is a problem when there are about 20 formulas over the 2 chapters. And then one of the questions was something she had briefly talked about in class on Tuesday for about 5 minutes. I know I at least got somewhere between a 50-90. This class sucks!
After the stress of Finance, I went to my Art History class. We talked about different religious books, and I was completely out of my element because they were all catholic religious books. We also talked about Catholic religious holidays, like the different saints' days, which I also know nothing about. In other words, I didn't have much to contribute to the discussion. After class I went to the JCU cafeteria. It was all decorated for Halloween. The food was Halloween themed, and it looked good. Looked being the operative word, because it tasted horrible. I took a couple of bites and ending up throwing it away. I hate when the cafeteria people try to be creative, because it always tastes bad. Then I went back to my apartment to do laundry so I have clothes to pack for my trip to Warsaw tomorrow. Then I went back to the Guarini Campus to print out my plane ticket for Warsaw and some other information that I would need. I had my trip all planned out, so that I wouldn't have any issues. Then I went to International Business, Marketing, and Microeconomics. Then I went back to my lonely apartment, ate dinner, and went to bed. I spent almost all day today studying for my Finance test tomorrow. It is going to suck. I also finally started to work on my photo album book of my trip, but for some reason Mixbook is not allowing me to copy from Word into Mixbook, so I am not able to put in my descriptions. Maybe if I actually updated my computer instead keep hitting the Remind Me Later button it would work. Something to think about.
Around 6p.m. I went to the Guarini Campus to meet my study group for Finance. We studied for about 3 hours and then called it quits. On the way back to our apartments we stopped and bought some gelato, because we really needed it. Then I went to my apartment and went to bed. I got up at around 6 a.m. to get ready for my classes. I said goodbye to Olivia, because she had also gotten up so she could go to the airport to catch a flight home. Her best friend's mom has cancer, so she is going home for a week to support her. After she left I got up and did my homework for Art History, then I went to my daily round of classes. My professor of Finance was going to review for the test at 6-7:30. The only problem is that is when my Microeconomics class is. I thought about skipping Microeconomics, but I decided not to. I knew Ryan and Amanda were going, so I was just going to get the information from them afterwards. After class I went back to my apartment and went to bed.
I also decided not to travel again today. I just laid in my apartment all day relaxing and doing homework. Around 2 p.m. I left and went to the Guarini campus for a group study session for Finance. It was Amanda, Ryan, and I. We studied for about 2 hours and then left. So I pretty much did nothing all day.
After all of the strikes this weekend, I just decided to stay at my apartment and relax for a day. I really enjoyed myself, and gave myself a break from all of this crazy traveling. Olivia has been having a bad week. She found out that her best friend's mom has cancer again, and will be undergoing surgery. She is like a second mom to Olivia. Olivia's dad is paying for her to fly back to the U.S. be with her friend and her mom. So she is going to leave on Tuesday, and come back next Monday. Olivia is also getting sick and has been coughing a lot. We were talking and she was saying that she had no food because she just came back from Munich and she doesn't want to buy anything because she doesn't want it to go bad while she is gone. I decided to make her French Toast so that she could feel better. While I was making it, Laura came in. She has been having boyfriend troubles with her boyfriend back in the U.S. and was also having a bad morning, so I made her some as well. I made the French Toast, Olivia made some tea, and we all talked for a couple of hours. We talked about troubles back home and future travel plans. I am traveling to Warsaw, Poland this weekend. Next weekend I am planning on going to Budapest. Laura also really wanted to go to Budapest but she didn't have anyone to go with, so we are going to travel together. So I finally have a travel buddy for one weekend, that should make everyone back home happy. After Budapest I am traveling to Florence with API. I was researching Florence and I found that it has an escape room. In an escape room you are locked in for 1 hour and you have to solve the clues to find the key and escape. I have wanted to try this since I came to Europe, but none of them allow only 1 person, I had to be in a group of 2-6 people. Laura thought that it sounded awesome, so she is willing to do it with me while we are all in Florence. We will ask our other roommate Janelle and her boyfriend Mike, and then some other people in API if they want to join. So I am really excited about that! After Florence I have a weekend off because of my Art History make up day, so I will probably travel to Tivoli and Ostia Antica, which are close to Rome. The week after that is Thanksgiving and I will be going to Romania. Then it is the weekend before finals so I won't be traveling, and then we go home. So sad :(. I have bought my plane ticket to Warsaw and booked my room in a hostel, so that is all ready. I also looked up free tours. There is a company that offers free tours and they are a lot of fun. The tour guide has to be really good because they work off of tips. They have 4 tours going on in Warsaw, so I am going to attend them all. They have tours of Old Warsaw, Communist Warsaw, Jewish Warsaw, and Alternative Warsaw. Now all I have to look up is things to do in Warsaw that are not covered by the tours, and plan my route. At 2 I walked to the Guarini Campus and met some people in Finance group for a study session. We worked through a couple of problems, and then I left to go back to the apartment. It was only 5pm, and it was already starting to get dark. Olivia noticed that the time went back an hour today. It freaked her out originally because she looked at the clock, and then looked a couple of minutes later and she had lost an hour. I met Olivia at the apartment and we went to the store together. She bought some chicken so she has something to eat for today and tomorrow, and I bought the last ingredients that I needed for my meat sauce. My recipe for meat sauce is the most complicated recipe that I have attempted so far. It took me 2 hours to make. I had to chop up an onion, and cook it with some ground meat. Then I had to chop up a green pepper (which I have never done before, I had to google how to do it) and add it to the pan with stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, rosemary, thyme, and some other seasonings. Then I had to let it simmer for an hour and half, occasionally stirring it. When it was almost done I had to cook the pasta. It is the best thing that I have made so far! I love it, but I probably won't make it often because it takes too long. I was able to finish a big chunk of my homework while it was simmering.
Today is the day of the big strike that is causing so many conflicts in my schedule. My Art History class and the API event were both postponed because of it. I stayed in my apartment most of the day because I didn't want to get hurt by an angry mob. I finally finished my family's travel book with the pictures they took while they were here. That took me almost all day to finish, so they had better like it.
Then I went to the Guarini Campus to scan my Finance textbook. I didn't want to sit at the library and read it, so I decided to scan the 3 chapters I needed and read them at my leisure at the apartment. The problem was that the scanner in the library wasn't working. I played with it for a while, then told the student assistant. She played with it, then called in another assistant. That one couldn't fix it either, and she recommended that I use the copier. The problem with using the copier is that I have to pay for it, and everyone knows I am too cheap for that. Finally I asked if I could restart the computer and see if that helped. It worked! So I copied the 3 chapters that I needed and left. I was going to go to the grocery store, but since I am planning on traveling tomorrow I thought it would be pointless. I went back to my apartment and started researching where I wanted to travel to. I looked at places farther from Rome that I could make a weekend of, and I looked at places that are Day Trips so I wouldn't have to pay for a hostel. I decided to do a day trip because it was cheaper, and I settled on the Ruins of Ostia Antica. So tomorrow I will go to the ruins and then come back to Rome. The ruins are close enough that I don't have to get up super early to catch the train, it is a part of Rome so I can take the metro. I got up just before 6:30 a.m. to get prepared for school. When I woke up, Olivia was still here. She had planned on leaving to catch her flight to Munich at 5 a.m. Her alarm was turned so low that she didn't hear it go off. Luckily she was already packed, so she grabbed her stuff and ran out the door. Her flight leaves at 8, and she might be able to make it.
I leisurely got ready and went to finance. Then I went to Art History. In Art History we talked about a make up day for the book restoration place. We were supposed to go on Friday, but it was canceled because of the strike. We were able to schedule a make up day for November 21. I was planning on going to Budapest that day, but luckily I hadn't already bought the tickets. After Art History, I went to lunch, then International Business, Marketing, and Microeconomics. In Microeconomics I had a test, so I hope I did well. I found out that the API event we have tomorrow has been postponed because of the strike. The place we were going was were everyone was striking, so API postponed it for safety reasons. Sadly, I had class today. I went to Finance and sat through it. Then I went to Art History and we went to the Corsiana Library. It was really pretty, but photos are not allowed. Usually in Art History we study Western European manuscripts, but we were studying Arabic manuscripts this time. The Corsiana library is one of the few libraries in Italy with Arabic manuscripts. We studied one from Morocco and one from Persia. They were both pretty, but very different than European manuscripts.
Then I went back to the apartment to get my stuff for class. We are not allowed to bring bags into the libraries, because they think we will steal their stuff. The maintenance guy from Your Place in Rome was back. They were replacing our sink. I grabbed my stuff and went to Tiber Campus for lunch. Then I went to the library at Guarini to read the textbook for my International Business class. While I was reading, I remembered that I hadn't finished the review for Microeconomics. I then remembered that it was on my bed at my apartment. So I had to go back to my apartment, get my review, and then come back to Guarini. Then I had International Business, and Marketing. In Marketing we just watched 2 more group presentations. Then I went to Microeconomics and we reviewed for the test on Thursday. I had class today, so I had to get up early. I had to take a shower and read my Art History textbook. While I was looking at the 8-minute question for the day, I realized that I was supposed to have turned in my topic for my manuscript essay on Tuesday. I hadn't even looked for which manuscript I was going to write about. I read the assigned chapter and took notes on it for the essay. Then I looked for a manuscript. I found one that I wanted to write about. It is "The Hours of Queen Elizabeth." The illustrations are beautiful. It was once the book of Queen Elizabeth of York, consort to Henry VII. It is also rumored to have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots. I emailed my selection to my teacher and then went to school. I had to return the Art History textbook to the library before my Finance class. I sat through Finance, and then went to my Art History class. At the end of class I talked to my professor about submitting it late, and she told me that no one in the class had submitted theirs yet. In other words, I am good.
We got off the bus and Mom, Kendall, and Aunt Carolyn bought another day ticket. I had already finished the transaction in ordering and paying for the train ticket at Termini and was just waiting for the tickets to print when one of the Indians came to "help" me. They "help" tourist in exchange for money. The ticket system is self explanatory and I don't need any help. All he did was hold open the slot while I took out the printed ticket. Then he expected me to pay him for his "help," which I didn't. If I don't have a problem, I don't need any help and I not going to pay for help that I don't need. We went over towards to subway to the Spanish Steps, which is close to Via del Corso. On the way there was a pillar with a mirror on it. Kendall was busy admiring herself in the mirror, and walked into the edge of the pillar.
While we were at the Spanish Steps, I gave Aunt Carolyn detailed directions on how to get back to the apartment. Mom and Kendall have no sense of direction, so Aunt Carolyn was the best bet to get them back. Then I took them to Via del Corso and left to get back to my class. I got back at around 2 p.m., so I had an hour before my class started. I went back to my apartment to pick up my stuff, and I remembered to grab the box of Twinkies for Microeconomics. Then I went to the school and printed the review for Microeconomics and some information for our trip to Naples tomorrow. The Microeconomics review was really long. I printed 2 to a page and it was still 11 pages for the first chapter, and there were 4 chapters. I sent them to the printer, but it wouldn't print. So I sent them to another printer, and they started to print. While I was there researching how to get to Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, and Capri a guy came and fixed the printer. So all the pages that I had accidentally printed, started to print. So now I have 2 copies of my review. I usually wouldn't mind having 2 copies, but we only get to print so many free pages at John Cabot. Once we hit the limit we have to start paying .07 euro cents per page, which I don't want to do. Then I went to International Business. He gave us back our case study, and I got another B on it. No matter what I do I can't seem to make an A on that. The last case study I also got a B and I started working on it a week in advance. This case study I did the day before, and I still got a B. I was apparently missing an example in one question to explain something, and wasn't descriptive enough in another question, but that is really hard to do when you have a word limit. I talked to other people in the class and they also got Bs.
After International Business I went to Marketing. We had one group presentation, and I thought they did really well. Of course, I wasn't really paying attention because I was working on my Microeconomics Review. The first chapter alone had over 100 questions to review. Luckily, we only had one presentation today. We also got back our grades on the mid-term, and I got a 87. Not bad, but not great. I should be able to bring it up on the final. We only had one presentation today, so we got to leave early. So I continued working on my review. I was able to finish 2 chapters, so I knew which questions to ask about. I went to Microeconomics, and sat through the lecture. I tried to show the teacher that I had brought Twinkies at the beginning of class, but he was deep in his laptop and didn't here me. So I waited. After the lecture, he let us ask questions about the test from the review. When I asked my question, I held up the box of Twinkies. He got really excited because he had never seen them before, they don't sell Twinkies in Italy. He took the box and talked about how the whole class would eat them later. I had actually intended to give him 1 and keep the other 9 for myself, but I couldn't say that after his announcement. He answered my review questions, and then he gave out the Twinkies. There were 10 Twinkies and 19 people. So everyone split a Twinkie, and the professor took the whole one. A lot of people thanked me for sharing. Since it might have been the first time for some of them to eat them, I guess it was okay that they ate my food. I went back to my apartment and packed an overnight bag for the Amalfi Coast. I also grabbed all of the souvenirs that I had collected so far. Mom is going to take them home for me, so I can collect more. Then I lugged all the stuff to their apartment. They did not have as nice a day as me. They only went to a few shops and got really lost on the way back because they missed their bus stop. They didn't know exactly where it was, so they didn't hit the Request Stop button. If no one hits the button and no one is at the stop, the bus driver will keep going. So they wondered around Rome, lost. They didn't know where their apartment was because they were using the new map. They also didn't have the address, so they couldn't ask for directions. Somehow they stumbled onto to it. By that time they were too tired to go to the grocery store, so they just had left-overs. I looked up train tickets from Rome to Naples (Napoli in Italian). There was a train leaving at 7:30 a.m. and one at 8:45 a.m. I wanted to be on the 7:30 train, but no one liked my idea. We decided to shoot for the 7:30 train, but be prepared to accept the 8:45 train.
I had to stop at my apartment to get some things for school, so I sent Mom and Kendall on ahead to go to their apartment. Then I went to school for my International Business class. When I got to class, I rushed through reading the case study and did the assignment. Then I went to my Marketing class. I had a presentation over United Airlines Economy class. Our group presented first. I don't think our presentation was that great. I was the last one to present in my group, so I was waiting my turn. Then I noticed that no on was speaking and realized it was my turn, so I jumped in to present. I forgot that it was my turn. Oops! After Marketing I sat through my Microeconomics class. When I got there I realized that I had forgotten my box of Twinkies. Since my professor has never had a Twinkie, I was going to give him one. I thought about going back to my apartment, but I decided to wait for Thursday. It was good that I didn't skip class because I found out that next week we have a test, so the review days are Thursday and next Tuesday.
Then I went to my family's apartment and we, meaning me, cooked dinner. I made my lemon sauté chicken. As a side we had left-over pasta from Sunday's lunch. Everyone liked it, but it was a little too lemony. For dessert we had gelato. Then Kendall and I went back to my apartment. Kendall wanted to go out dancing with my roommates. I had forgotten that Janelle's birthday is tomorrow. I introduced them and stayed awake until they left around 10:30 p.m. Then I went to bed. |
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June 2022
AuthorThese are details from my adventures around the world. |