Time is flying by. We’re already talking about our final papers and exams in all my classes. I just want more time in Italy. It feels like I’ve only seen a small fraction of what Italy has to offer but I can try and be content for now. I’ve done a lot in my short time here in Europe. I’m ready to go back home soon.

Spring break was fantastic. I started it off with my roommate in Paris. It rained most of the time and we didn’t actually go into most of the museums because she had been before but we did see a lot and walk a lot. After a quick two days we caught our 8 am train to Amsterdam to meet three other friends. Amsterdam was wonderful. The mentality of the people and the food made the city one I’ll definitely be returning to. Windy was the worse the weather got and it was refreshing to have parks and side walks again. We did a lot of walking there as well because we couldn’t quite figure out the buses but walking everywhere has it’s advantages. We found a lot of cool places and ate a lot of good food, especially fries. Our last full day there we visited the van Gogh museum and the House of Bols, both of which were fantastic. Sadly, we did have to leave Amsterdam and one of friends and catch our plane to London to meet two other friends. London was not my favorite. The parks were very pleasant and the markets had a lot of excitement to offer but it being the final leg of our journey I was ready to be back in Florence. Plus our 15 bed hostel was disgusting and full of sweaty old men so there wasn’t really anything appealing keeping me around.

Since spring break everything seems to be moving really quickly. The semester is almost over and everyone can feel it. I visited Parma and Modena on a day trip and had a wonderful tasting of parmesans, prosciuttos and balsamic vinegars. My roommate’s brother then came to visit. He fits right into our group so we’ve been having a great time.

Paola – Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College