It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN!

Dooo doo doo do. Do do do do dooo. Do do do doo. Do do doo do doo…                                     (the song...)

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially done with my finals.

I’d like to say that my exams were exhausting and nerve-racking and that I slaved over my books for days reading every single note, but let’s face it: it’s pass/fail.

My exams are taken, my bags are (almost) ready to explode, and my souvenirs are bought. Currently, there is a huge pile of discarded clothes, books, bags, shoes, and used notebooks at the end of the hall, all ready to be given away to Roman refugees. I imagine Iranian refugees will be pleased to wear worn-out Charlotte Rouse pumps while reading about the architectural structure of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. I myself donated a pair of socks and a pair of slightly ripped underwear. Don’t worry, Mom, I plan on throwing most of my other crappy underwear out as I go. The Blaneys don’t bring underwear home from trips. We prefer to scatter them out throughout the world. Why, I have left my panties from South Dakota to Boston to New York to Dublin and soon to be Rome!

In other news, I am SO excited that my grandpa will be here in less than 36 hours! Eugene Kolb is making the trek out here to my corner of the world and together, we’ll see monuments, churches, and some wine. Really, I’m very happy he’s coming! I have my tour guide act down pat.

It’s unbelievably weird to think that I won’t be living in Rome soon. My friends who are going home Thursday are in disbelief that they will be home for the weekend… Kate sent me an e-mail with “T minus 10 days” as the subject line and I legitimately thought it was a mistake. To think that I’ll be leaving this place is incomprehensible.

For example, today I went shopping down Via del Corso, a trendy area of Roma full of great stores. We bused down, passing the Vatican and going over the Tiber. To get to the stores we wanted, we happened to pass the Pantheon and were a few blocks from the Trevi. On one intersection, there’s St. Maria del Popolo on one end, the Spanish Steps on another, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument on the another, and the Tiber behind you. This is just a typical day, by the way. How can I go back to Wisconsin? I love Wisco and it’s my home, but I’m leaving a part of me behind, and I’m not talking about the ripped undies and socks.

Because I can’t leave my blog w/ the last words undies and socks, here’s a quote I found from my new favorite movie:

Joe Bradley: Tell you what. Why don't we do all those things, together? 
Princess Ann: But don't you have to work? 
Joe Bradley: Work? No. Today's gonna be a holiday.