It was the week before spring break and MC, Faulkner's older sister, was studying abroad in Rome. She was studying over there for her entire second semester, so the parents of Faulkner thought it would be nice to make a trip over there to visit and explore Rome. Faulkner and her parents flew from Charlotte, NC to Newark, NJ on March 29th where they had a 5 hour layover before boarding the next flight. When they landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport after a 9 hour flight, it was 7 in the morning the next day. The Faulkners spent that day checking into the hotel, meeting up with the eldest Faulkner child, and walking around the city. During their trip, Faulkner and her family saw Castel Sant'Angelo, went to the new Pope's first Easter Mass at The Vatican, saw St. Peter's Basilica, The Sistine Chapel, The Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and ate plenty of Italian food. The European lifestyle is much different compared to the American lifestyle in many different ways from taking a siesta during the day, to eating late at night and taking 2 or 3 hours to eat at dinner.
"I never thought of Italy as a place I've wanted to go, but I became so attached and have wanted to go back ever since. It was truly a vacation to remember." This experience changed the younger Faulkner and she now has hopes of returning to her new found home away from home.
