One Rising Star

Well, well, well! My summer vacation in North America has come to an end. The short time I have spent here has been pretty sweet! In Michigan, I had the opportunity to catch up with family and friends, to celebrate the 4 th of July, to do a fun Zumba class outside and to hang-out around the lake; boating, tubing, skiing and wakeboarding. In Québec (Gatineau, Hull), I had the chance to visit with more family members. These pictures were not taken during my visit...just wanted to showcase my cousins! :) During my 2 weeks in Ontario, I got to meet with friends for breakfast, lunch or dinner, to cook, to shop, to go see car races, to experience Iftar with some old students, to work-out at the gym, to do some Zumba and to play soccer.  Of course, throughout all of this, I also got to spend time with my parents and brothers too! 24 days went by pretty quickly, but I leave once again so thankful for the amazing family and friends I have here.

When I woke up this morning, I knew I had to make the best of my time in Rome, considering I have less than 48 hours to spend here. My first tour of the day was one of Ancient Rome (Colosseum and Roman Forum). I was so excited to finally see the Colosseum, as it is my 5 th World Wonder (only 2 more to go: The Taj Mahal and The Great Wall of China)! It was amazing to see everything that had been preserved for many many years. With just under an hour to spare, I quickly had some pizza before my second tour of the day; the one of the Vatican (Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St-Peter’s Basilica). The Vatican truly took my breath away. The statues, the mosaics, the paintings, the architecture…Everything was really beautiful.        After walking back from the Vatican to my hotel, I felt the need to eat some pasta and some gelato before touring the city a little more on my own for the night. I took out a map and found the Trevi Fountain, the Sp