When in Rome

So how bout USA qualifying for the world cup!? #AllAmericanOutlaws

On another note, I was lucky enough to visit the city of Rome over the weekend and I was taken back by the sheer stature of the place. It had the hussle and bussle of New York with  history that was bar none. After another traditional Italian meal, our group split up so for the majority of the day there were four of us, Tyler, Johanna, Chandler, and myself. We saw the grand sites, the ones you read about in the history books or see pictures of on TV. We saw amazing works by Mucheal Angelo and imagined the brutal fights of the gladiators while in the Colusseum. Yet, nothing was as breathtaking as the Vatican. From the miniscule detail lining every wall of the interior, to the grand size of the building, to the twisting staircase that opened up to the most spectacular views of Rome, the Vatican stole my heart.

I had the joy of running into Mary Johnson while in Rome as well. Although a short visit, it's always pleasant to meet up with good friends.

Thank you to all of the friends and family who help to make this possible.

With love,

Rhett

Bus2Alps: Prague and Munich

At the beginning of the weekend I was skeptical. I hardly knew anything about the places I had signed up to travel and I knew next to nothing about the travel agency, Bus2Alps, that I was using. When I arrived at the bus station, I came across a large group of predominantly well-dressed, Greek Life study abroad students being herded by leaders in neon blue bro tanks. I thought, "This is either going to be a blast, or I'm going to be so annoyed with everyone by the end of this trip". After a 12 hour bus ride and a few sleep deprived days together, I can say that this past weekend was truly remarkable.

It seems that at every turn I meet someone that I get along with in an instant. On this trip I had the opportunity to meet even more great friends that I hope to continue to connect with here in Florence. From Arizona to North Carolina to even Guatemala, everyone came together and meshed well.

Prague looks like something out of a fairytale. Each building has such rich history within its architecture. Our tour guide was bar none with his antics and inappropriate description of poeple and places. By far the most entertaining tour of the trip thus far. We saw amazing buildings, visited the Lennon Wall, ate at wonderful pubs with authentic Czech food, and learned about Prague's intertwined history with World War 2.

After two outstanding days and fun-filled nights in Prague, we bused down to Munich for the afternoon. There, we took a group bike tour around the city as well as ate at the second largest beer garden in the world. The scenerio was every fraternity man's dream.

I can't even complain about the bus ride home. I was able to sit with the leaders of the group and they all turned out to be articulate, well-balanced, Dutch-Brothers-looking, kind of people. We watched movies, gave awkward foot massages, and tended to not sleep most of the way even though we were all running on about 3 hours.

Rome's next weekend, let's see how it stacks up.

With love,

Rhett

Destination Prague

In case you were curious, I now consider myself an acclaimed chef. To cut down on the crazy living costs of Florence, a group of us have taken to cooking one or two meals a day and I'll have you know that our meals are the talk of the study abroad group. 

Then, last night a group of us caught a 12 hour bus ride and this morning arrived in Prague. Our guide was hilarious and told us all about the history of the city. From the influence of world war II, to the persistent flooding of the city, it has been by far the most interesting area yet. This city is beautiful and tonight we get to visit the local pubs.

Below is a picture of one of the most famous landmarks in Prague. This clock, hundreds of years old, tells the hour of the day as well as the seasons and the exact day if year. I have one more day in the city before I leave for Munich and visit the famous wall.

With love,

Rhett

First Classes

The "study" part of study abroad has finally come into play with the beggining of this week. I have class Monday through Thursday, from 9am to about 2pm. That's an ideal schedule if I've ever heard of one... Besides the getting up early part, but that's why Europeans invented the afternoon nap. My first class was "Photographing Florence" which is what you see in the picture below. My friend was kind enough to let me borrow her camera and the instructor taught Mr how to use everything manually which is actually super neat to be able to understand. The annoying part is that he has this thick English accent so I have to put up with all of the girls consistly talking about how dreamy he is.

Classes or not however, we attended the USA viewing party which began at midnight our time. USA chants could be heard from the streets as Clint hit the back of the net a minute into the game. Cheers ran all the way until 2:30 in the morning which might explain why I was so tired for class today.

Also, I just bought my ticket to visit Prague and Munich this weekend. Everyone I've talked to says Prague is like a fairytale in real life so I couldn't resist.

With love,

Rhett

The World Cup

Needless to say, Europe is the place to be if you want to be involved in all things soccer. Last night, Italy played at midnight our time which meant it was going to be a late night, and it was. We chanted with the local fans and watched the game right up until the end. We all cheered them on to a 2-1 victory over England. We can only hope that USA has a strong showing tomorrow night. Regardless of the fact that there is class the next morning, you best believe we will be representing the red, white, and blue with true patriotism. It's so much fun to get swept up by the fanfare present in the city.

My first class is at 9:30am tomorrow morning. I need to be up bright and early to get ready for my course in "Photographing Florence". Perhaps it wasn't my best decision to sign up for a photography class when I had no intentions of actually bringing a camera. Hopefully my phone will suffice, or I'll have to swindle someone else out of their camera with my tremendous skills of persuasion.

I'm sure there will be many pictures and stories to come. Thank you for all of those who are keeping up on the adventure and giving me encouragement along the way. Happy Father's Day to everyone back home.

With love,

Rhett

Florence and Sienna

My first few days in the city have been a blast. The country is amazing and the people I'm sharing the experience with only serve to enhance the adventure. The girls definitely outnumber the guys in our group. Roughly a 5 to 1 ratio. It's a curse but somebody's got to do it. It's also intresting because 3 out of the 4 guys belong to fraternities and the fourth is from Australia. In fact, it's a very Greek-life-heavy group. We've been able to bond over ridiculous stories of our past school experiences and there hasn't been a night yet that less than 20 of us have gone out. 

Yesterday we took a class trip to see Sienna and visit the city. It was beautiful and we spent the day touring amazing churches and eating gelato. The attached picture is one of many buildings adorned with incredible artwork and history. Today I explored Florence with a couple of the guys just to get a better feel for the town. We traveled to a man made beach and a lookout point to view the city. It was breathtaking.

Also, to cut costs, we've cooked at least once a day. It's very similar to cooking in the fraternity in the sense that we have to use random utensils to try and concoct a meal. It's very dissimilar to the fraternity in the sense that the food generally is fresh and flaverful. It's been nothing but fun and friends so far.

With love,

Rhett

The Arrival

I've now had the opportunity to spend a full day in Florence as well as meet the majority of my study abroad classmates.
These people are awesome. Their home towns stretch all across the United States from Washington to Texas, Ohio to New York. There is even a pair of sisters from Columbia. We all went out last night for a night on the town. Our new friend, Tyler, turned 21 last night so of course we had to celebrate. A group of about 20 of us brought the American spirit to Florence night life.

We went through orientation yesterday and found where are classes and campuses were located in the town. I'm getting ready to do more orientation today to prepare for our specific studies. The school and faculty all seem very helpful. They even set us up with a travel agency that informed us of nemerous trips across the country that just sound out of this world.

My first full day has been wonderful and I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings.

With love,

Rhett

Landed: Marilyn and the Knife

A ten hour flight to Amsterdam. A two hour flight to Florence. I'm here now in the middle of the city.

The flight was hilarious however. I sat next to a wonderful lady named Marilyn who told me all of the things I should do while I was over seas. Then, with a little help from my flight attendant friend Cindy, we convinced everyone it was my 21st birthday so I could have drinks on the plane trip. She even gave me some brownies from first class.

Things got interesting when I landed in Amsterdam though. Without my knowing, somehow there was a pocket knife stowed away in my carry on. I got a warning, they through the knife away, and I was happy it didn't escalate further. I connected with my friend Meghan and we rode the rest of the way together.

I'm a block away from campus in my apartment. I have a roommate from Denmark and a roommate from Indonesia. The lack of air conditioning is gonna be tough though considering it nearly 100 degrees here.

With love,

Rhett

Last Goodbyes

I've arrived at the Portland airport with Paul Bluhm's voice stuck in the back of my mind saying, "Rhett, you have to take a picture of the carpet. It's just, what you do..." So I did. These Portland kids are rubbing off on me too much.

The morning was wonderful. My dad and I revisited the normal routine with breakfast at Sherry's and an exchange of good conversation. I normally don't have any trouble saying good bye, but this week has been a little bit different with friends and family. The fact that I can't just come home whenever I'd like changes things and makes parting ways a little more difficult.

Throughout the past few days, friends have gone out of their way to wish me safe travels and tell me they love me. A wonderful end to a not so wonderful week, but God sends angels at just the right time doesn't he.

I leave in 2 hours for an 11 hour flight to Amsterdam, then catch another flight to Italy. I'll arrive early afternoon their time, which is middle of the night here in the states. This still all seems surreal but I can't wait to embark on this journey.

With love,

Rhett

Final Preparation

Everything is becoming very real very fast. Friends are saying their final goodbyes before I leave for Europe in 2 days. I'm beginning to realize that never living in Thurston again is becoming a reality. Despite my best intentions, I'm growing up.

I've also made the decision to only bring one back pack with me to Italy. You may think this is crazy to spend 2+ months overseas with only one bag but when classes are finished and I want to travel to Paris and Spain and I can't be lugging around a suitcase the whole time. Looks like I'll be buying some new clothes over there.

I MC and DJ our spring philanthropy tomorrow and when that is over I head to Portland to catch a plane the following morning.

Thank you to everyone that has made this a possibility.

Love,

Rhett

Beginning the Journey

Hello friends and family!

As most of you know, I leave here very soon to study abroad in Florence, Italy for the majority of the summer. I'm hoping to catalog my experience in this blog to share it with you all as well as document memories for me to look back on. I'm new to this whole blogging thing so your patience with me is appreciated. Thanks for all of the encouragement and support. I can't tell you how excited I am to embark on this journey.

Love,

Rhett