Update!

Whew! The last month has been absolutely crazy. I'm very sorry that I've been neglecting my blog for so long! Hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to catch all of you up on what I've been doing. Here is the quick rundown:

A week traveling with my class to Florence, Verona and Venice;
A week of "independent travel" with my friend Ernest to Barcelona, Granada, Cordoba, Tarifa and Madrid;
A week of having four wonderful friends and my sister visit me in Rome;
and finally, a week of settling back into classes and life in Rome.

It has been nice to be back in Rome and be able to re-establish a routine, however. Last night I was working in studio late. When I left, it was a cool, clear night. However, when I reached the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (a 4 minute walk), it began to pour rain! Then it suddenly began to hail, out of nowhere! At that point I was right next to the Pantheon so I ducked inside to stay a little bit dry. It was very neat to see the small while balls of hail come through the oculus of the Pantheon and bounce off the marble floor. Five minutes later, the hail stopped and the rain was reduced to a drizzle and I was able to continue the walk home to my apartment. Needless to say, when I walked in the door I was soaked!

I hope that everyone is doing well!