The family we choose for ourselves

This weekend we celebrated Easter. The most important holiday in the Christian calendar. For me, as with all holidays, Easter means family. The whole family together. Yet I chose to stay here in Rome. To most people this would seem fitting simply for the religious significance. It makes perfect sense for a Catholic to spend Easter in the heart of the Roman Catholic world. This was not my logic. When I decided to stay here, I confess, I was thinking solely of the weather, how much fun I'm having and that I'm not due many more trips before going home for good. So I opted for Easter in Rome and visiting uni at the end of April instead. However, despite my fiscal logic and clear thinking about the big picture I'd be a massive liar if I said I wasn't homesick during Holy Week, at the thought of the upcoming family gathering (food, drink and general loving merriment)  which I was to miss out on.

All that being said I had a lovely weekend. With most people having succumbed to the call home for the holiday my flatmate, Rosa, and I were left to fend for ourselves and it just so happens that we had ourselves a lovely little weekend. Lucky for us that we were left with good friends and a positive attitude! We began with good intentions and bold resolutions. The two of us struck a bargain to sort the house out, she taking on the kitchen whilst I tackled the bathrooms (I admit, she had the harder job) as well as both of us doing huge amounts of laundry. What wonderful housewives we'll make one day!

Rosa vs. the Kitchen.

Next up was our long talked of trip to IKEA (here pronounced ee-kay-ah). I cannot begin to explain or justify why this was so exciting, but we were buzzing. We had McDonalds (where Rosa was suitably impressed by my ordering skills. They're the same words, but with whole new identities), tried out all the houses in the showroom, I finally got a new bedside lamp (having pulled the old one from its perch whilst sleeping... just before Christmas) and Rosa got a cuddly Broccoli, her new fidanzato, Brian Broccoli.

Easter itself included mass at my parish church here followed by breakfast. Coffee and Creme Eggs. An Easter classic. The moment of the day, however, was before breakfast when, upon opening the door on my return home from church, I got a whiff of the lamb already roasting for lunch. Lush!

A hearty Paschal breakfast.

We continued by watching numerous episode of 'Ally McBeal', officially re-named 'Single Female Lawyer' in our flat and then, finally tucking into our delicious lamb. It was a cracking feast, finished off perfectly (in my opinion) by drinkng wine out of actual wine glasses. Thank you IKEA! I then got a call on skype from my Dad... so I spoke to everyone! My nan, my aunts, my uncles, some of my cousins, the mother, the brother girlfriend. Gosh, it did remind me of how much I wanted to be there. Especially when I saw my cousin's little girl standing up all by herself. I didn't approve any mile stones occuring without me! It was lovely to talk to everyone though, and to know they haven't forgotten me and miss me too!

The feast.

That evening I was expecting the (very late) arrival of Will, my wonderful friend from uni, and so we happily relocated to The Yellow, a hostel near Termini (with a very good bar) to pass the time with ever more wine. When he finally got from the airport to the station we had an epic emotional reunion on the platform and a banterous evening at home.

Empty metro station... sit on the escalator- who's there to judge!?!

Easter Monday (Pasquetta) was my typical day of hosting, roaming Rome aimlessly, enjoying the sunshine and pointing out what things are. We had lots of fun. Being a uni friendship there was obviously wine with lunch, dinner then followed by a hilarious big night out. Being with Will did, in fact, give it an edge of the English night life and has got me rather excited for my trip to uni at the end of the month.

Will by the Colosseum

Me in the sunshine.

All in all, Easter was a fantastc weekend, even though it wasn't typical. I was glad to have such good friends with me to prove the saying 'Friends are the family we choose for ourselves'. I wasn't with my family, but I was at home and with people I love and at the end of the day, when all said and done, that's all you really need. So I'm a very lucky girl.

Hope you all had a happy Easter too!

p.s. Just to get the soundtrack of the long weekend- gosh, we now love Ally McBeal!