Hey everyone,

I leave tomorrow...but not home like most of my fellow JYAer's....but to Italy. I fly into Rome tomorrow night, my first completely solo trip in another country...very scary. Of coarse everyone in my family is worried, if you know who they are, reasure them I'm going to be just fine. I can't wait to get there...the Forum, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Catacombs!!!

I'm happy that I finally broke the mold of my family...not to say the mold wasn't good to begin with....but it's a little different now. Before I started traveling there was no one in my family that would leave the country...we're too comfortable back home I guess. Hopefully I have started a trend amongst my brothers and father that will continue. I had this idea about the world while growing up that the world is just too big and that there's not enough time or money for me out there that will ever let me see anything other than my back yard. Living abroad for the second time has jus taken the world down in scale yet again. When I make it to China and Cape Town I'll probably feel as though I'm on one big playscape we call the world.

A little of background for you...you know that I'm a photography major...but I'm also an art history minor with my focus of studies on Greek and Roman Art...so you can imagine my excitement preparing for this trip. I'll check in with you from the road as soon as I hit a computer and I'll be sure to get some last minute pictures of Italy up for all of you.

Rog

Posted by Roger at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey Everyone,

We just had our Final Show here last night at the Burren College of Art. There was 28 students exhibiting work, food & wine, and a generous crowd that showed up. I displayed my new take on landscape with my bubbled images of Ireland countryside along side another artist and friend of mine in a gallery all our own. The Fahy's showed up as well as Bernadette Monks (the woman who cooked me the oysters in the last video...well not cooked....but served). It was a great turn out with many familiar and new faces to see and meet. Now that the show is over that means that the semester is on a countdown...7 days until departure...at least for everyone else. Everyone here will be leaving on the 16th of December while I will be spending the next two weeks doing some traveling...finally! I'm going to have the freedom to do whatever I want...I just have to choose a place to go...I'm thinking Italy for two weeks would be perfect, we'll see. Meanwhile I have to plan on finding a new place to live or at least keep my things while getting around and then anticipate the arrival of my father, girlfriend, twin brother, and friend of mine. I'm not as excited to leave this place as many of the other students...it's sad to leave such a beautiful place. Hopefully when my girlfriend gets here we will make it to all the places that I didn't have the time to get to during the semester...Belfast for one...

Meanwhile I have been just keeping to my work and really trying to get things in order for a departure in one way or another. I'll keep you posted, hopefully from Italy...

~Roger~

Posted by Roger at 06:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)