thursday night was pretty much one of the best/worst thanksgivings ive ever had. it was the worst because i missed my family so so much and wished i could be with them but it was also the best because i got to be an adult and plan my own thanksgiving for the first time and have my friends at my house for it and just really enjoy this ridiculous american holiday in italy with my american friends. jessie and i prepared most of everything (with help from collin, emily, and gretchen) and it was kind of a ridiculous ridiculous fiasco. not only did we start early with wine and sangria, but we were also rockin out to christmas music the entire time.

this is the beginning to thanksgiving...thursday morning, my last day of being a teenage (mutant ninja turtle) and so jesse and i decided to deck ourselves out in stickers that christina sent and then hand them out to our friends at school, too. that's me and jesse on thursday morning before leaving for school.


then we went through a whole day of school and i ventured into trastevere to find a place that sold gravy (though they didn't) and then came back and started our thanksgiving festivities. step 1 was pumpkin pie. after putting it in the oven we continued to celebrate with all kinds of random activities. first, here are the girls watching true life as jesse peels potatoes (in our newly washed and DRIED clothes).


then we were burning water and doing all kinds of maneuvering on our tiny little stove and somehow managed to set a pot holder on fire. here we are, a bit distraught, with our burnt pot holder.


and there me, jesse and collin taking a little break just for a pretty picture.


and then another short break for emily, collin, and me to show our asian pride. in case you dont remember, in assisi, emily decided to let the two asians know that this little ghetto trekky symbol meant asian pride.


and here's jesse with her pie straight out of the oven. can you say SO DELICIOUS?!


and here's the tuesday night crew. every tuesday, after our obnoxious film class, collin and emily join me and jesse in apartment 5 of corso trieste 142 to have dinner and watch 90s teeny bopper movies. i love these girls <3


and theres emily and collin rockin out in the kitchen.


while putting the potatoes in to huge pots of boiling water, we splattered water in all different directions. there's jesse with her burnt stomach. see, the water splashed all over our feet and the walls and somehow managed to hit her on her stomach on burn her. luckily, i had some aloe vera lotion to soothe that monster.


and here me and jesse with our silly faces. we had so so so so much fun doing up thanksgiving our way.


and here are the five of us who shared thanksgiving together.


collin also brought me the most magnificent fruit birthday cake from my favorite pasticceria, marinari. it's like the most amazing place ever and she picked the most wondrous fruit tart that was so so so good. for some reason i only have a picture of me and jesse with it, not with collin.


after our immense meal, collin and emily assumed the digestion position on our cold cold floors. i would imagine it helped considering the ridiculous amounts of food that we ate.


and here are the four of us with more funny faces. i think we took like 10 pictures before it was properly centered and had all 4 of us.


and so danielle was supposed to arrive in rome around 730 but missed her flight, so she caught the next one. my friends and i, after our wondrous meal, all headed out to termini to get her. now, given the time she was getting into rome, my 1201 was either going to be spent on the bus or walking to the bus stop, so we grabbed some bubbly and popped it along the way. first, here's emily and collin walking with us to the bus stop.


and this is my 1201! the very first minute of my birthday where i was no longer a teenager and now just a plain mutant ninja turtle. i found it fitting that i spent the turn of my birthday while walking the same route i walk to school. nonetheless, so so much fun. there we are popping the bubbly on the street.


and there's collin participating in her own biathlon - the two events being running and climbing.


and there we all are at the bus stop. notice how my roommate is caressing my leg.


and there's me and jesse water skiing on the bus. no wonder all the italians hate us americans.


and so we get to termini to pick up danielle and finally find her and have the reunion of a lifetime. danielle is one of 3 best friends from tufts and i havent seen her since august when i went to boston. so there's me and danielle.


we quickly run back to the nomentana neighborhood so danielle can have some thanksgiving dinner and then we can pack it up for dublin. i've already returned from dublin at the point where i wrote this entry, but the next entry will how the wonder of dublin and all the fun we had <3