Tex-Mex, Farewell Parties, and Lots of laughs

Keeping up with the mindset of cramming everything into our last few weeks in Bologna, Niraj and I have been very busy eating, socializing, job hunting, and studying.

Last week we decided to have a Tex-Mex night and in order to enjoy the Velveeta and Rotel that my parents so kindly brought back from the States. We invited 7 people over (including another fellow Texan!) for cheese queso, guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, margaritas, and chicken fajitas. It was so delicious and we had many, many laughs and a terrific night. And as luck would have it, we unintentionally scheduled it on Cinco de Mayo! All in all a fabulous night with great friends.

The next night was also truly spectacular but completely different. One of the students in the program decided to host an extravagant cocktail party for all the students, faculty, and staff. He is living in one of the top 5-Star hotels in Bologna this year, and he rented out a floor and an outdoor patio in the hotel where he held a fabulous party. He personally greeted everybody as they arrived up the stairs, hired a band, provided catered snacks and an open bar, and hired a personal photographer and a magician to wander all night. The vast majority of students and faculty came out, and we all had a fantastic night! It was all so tasteful, elegant, and classy, and it was fun seeing everybody all dressed up and enjoying a relaxing night under the stars. Here are a couple of our favorite pictures:

The Girls

Niraj and Edmond, our gracious host

Niraj and I enjoying the evening

When we left the party we encountered one of the most random but most amusing things we have seen thus far in Bologna. Apparently there was some sort of car show going on, so on our way home from the cocktail party we were able to watch classic roadsters drive past us! The main streets were closed down, people were waving little flags from the sidewalks to cheer on the teams, and cars (each with a driver and passenger in matching coveralls and colored caps) drove by at a steady rate. Keep in mind, this was around 12:30AM! I'm not quite sure what was going on, but as car buffs Niraj and I both got a kick out of watching old Alfa Romero's and other Italian classics drive by.

As you can tell, these last few days are proving to be truly terrific. I am enjoying many lunch and dinner outings with friends I have made these past 9 months and stuffing myself with as much tortelloni, ragu, parmesan, prosciutto, vino, and gelato that I can manage before Thursday. It's fantastic, and still so hard to believe my countdown to departure is now less than 4 days! We are both, however, definitely getting excited to begin our next adventure and see where we end up after Bologna...