#smick chick

[becomingbelles]

Winter Wonderland

My break this year was equal parts relaxing and exhausting. This fall semester, when I was studying in Rome, I felt guilty whenever I wanted to sleep in on a weekend, read a book, or curl up in my bed and have a movie night. There was just so much to do and see, and I wanted to have no regrets when I boarded the plane to return to America. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip. It was amazing and wonderful, and I am truly so blessed to have had the opportunity to study in Rome. Upon my arrival back to the United States, I started catching up on sleep, relaxing, and spending time with my family. I had family parties with my entire Mom's side of the family and my Dad's side of the family. On Christmas Eve, I was able to go to a neighbor's Christmas party, a friend's party, and then midnight mass! I am absolutely positive that I was the annoying person who returns from studying abroad and that is all they can talk about! In my defense, people asked a lot of questions though!

(Me, my Mom, and my sister Mary on Christmas Eve, obviously eating all the chocolate)

Then, my dad took my little brother and I to Massanutten Ski Resort in western Virginia, and we stayed with my Aunt June, Uncle Kevin, and my cousins Maggie and Will. It was so wonderful to see my relatives and to spend time with my adorable, awesome cousins. We basically had one, huge sleepover, all seven of us in a little condo apartment. On the first night, William's birthday, we went to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner, see picture below. 

Then, to burn off all of the fried rice and veggies we ate, my cousin Maggie and I went ice skating, while my cousin Will, my brother Brian, my Dad, and my Aunt June played racquetball. 

The next two days, we all strapped on our ski boots (or in Brian's case, snowboard boots) and hit the slopes! At first, it was rough going down the baby hills, but soon enough, my little cousins were flying down intermediate slopes. I only face planted once, which required a medic to dig me out of the snow. All in all, it was a wonderful time, full of gorgeous scenery, fake snow, and hot cocoa! 

Today, I am heading to downtown Philadelphia to spend the day and night with my older cousin (who I really think more of as a big sister). Then, tomorrow, I board an overnight train to take me to.....wait for it....SOUTH BEND! That's right - I will be back on my beautiful home campus for a whole five days. I cannot wait to see all my friends, roam around the campus, and see my extended South Bend family (AKA my best friend's family, who all live in the Bend). Then, next Monday, I leave for the 2014 March for Life with the ND/SMC/HCC crew. I will return to Philadelphia on January 22nd, and a few short days later, on January 26th, I fly off to Ireland for Part 2 of my study abroad adventure. Like I said earlier, I am so blessed. I cannot wait to share theses experiences with you, and my next blog will be posted from Ireland!

- Deirdre O'Leary, '16

[becomingbelles]

I cannot believe it has only been a week since I boarded a plane to come to Rome.  Exactly seven days ago at this precise time (1pm here in Rome, 7am in South Bend), my dad was packing up the car to take me to the airport.  Life has been a whirlwind of the amazing and the incredible since then, and all I can say is thank you thank you THANK YOU Saint Mary's College for giving me this opportunity.  

First of all, the new hotel we are in this year, Albergo del Sole, or, Hotel of the Sun (which is just adorable) is absolutely beautiful.  My two roommates and I have a private bathroom (rare in some European hotels) and a first floor view overlooking cobblestoned streets filled with quaint restaurants and shops.  We literally can sit at our window for hours just people watching and listening to the gorgeous Italian flowing from people's mouths.  The girls on this trip, 34 of us this semester, are all intelligent and outgoing, and we all have become very close.  At least eight or ten of us go out to dinner together every night, and yes, the food is to die for, even the cheap food that fits our student budget.  

In addition to all the walks my friends and I take on our own, the school takes us on fantastic trips nearly every week all over Italy.  This past Saturday, we toured the Roman Forum, which was the epicenter of ancient Rome, and the Colosseum.  Both were breathtakingly beautiful, and our guides, who are Saint Mary's Archaeology and Art History professors made us all very excited to learn with their contagious enthusiasm.  I can hardly wait for our "fall break" trip to five cities in southern Italy!

One thing unique to Italy, or maybe Europe in general, is that during the day the city is filled with adorable cafes that serve espresso and toasted paninis.  Imagine my shock when come Friday night, all of these little spots became full-fledged bars.  Our street went from adorable to party in just a few hours.  In addition, in no other city will you see such magnificent architecture while on your way to a bar or restaurant!  

Of course, my friends and I went to the Irish locale, Scholars, to watch the Notre Dame game.  It was not an easy game to watch, but meeting multiple foreigners in the bar made the experience worthwhile.  One screen would feature an American game, and the next, a European 'futbol' match.  That is one of my favorite aspects of Italy - it is a collaboration of so many different people, tourists and natives alike.  I have met so many fascinating and friendly people in the past week that I can't even keep them all straight.  

Obviously, my advice is STUDY ABROAD, STUDY ABROAD, STUDY ABROAD!  One week into the trip, and my life is already changed forever.  Now, I have to get back to reading about ancient Greeks and Romans.  Ciao!

- Deirdre O. '16

[becomingbelles]

Now that it is officially less than 48 hours until I leave for Rome, I am allowed to blast Les Miserables' 'One Day More', right?  I am taking a break amid packing, packing, and more packing to write this blog post.  Why did I wait until the very last second to pack? Besides being a fierce procrastinator, I spent the entire weekend at Saint Mary's, away from home and happily unable to pack.  Thursday afternoon, my dad and I began the harrowing 12 hour drive out to South Bend.  We took the scenic route (AKA we got lost), and arrived at SMC around 3am.  My best friends were there to greet me, and of course we were all too excited to go to sleep right away.  Friday, I met my dad for lunch on Eddy Street, walked around both Saint Mary's and Notre Dame's campuses, and caught up with my girls.  My best friend Gloria is a server at Hacienda, and we all went to visit her at work and, of course, eat as much Mexican food as we could.  Saturday morning dawned a beautiful, perfect tailgating day.  We headed over to the infamous tailgating bus, complete with a rooftop deck.  It travels to every home and away game.  My friends and I ate too much food and took way too many pictures - basically, it was a great day.  While the game had some great moments and Notre Dame put another victory under its belt, it wasn't a heart-stopping game like some of last year's were (Stanford, UPitt, USC).  After the game, we went to get pizza and just hungout for the rest of the night.  It was hard saying goodbye to my friends, knowing that I won't see tem for several months, but I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to go out and visit them one last time.  The amazing memories I made this weekend got me through the drive home.   

- Deirdre O. '16