Plans for the Summer

Hi, guys!

Today, I will tell you about my summer plans. I will learn about Roman history,do some Khan Academy to keep up on my math, and read Topolino. We will also go to South Bend, and along the way we will stop at Disneyland California and some national parks, such as Four Corners. Here is a picture of me and Mammina reading Topolino. It was awesome!

Me and Mammina reading Topolino.

Bye, guys!😉

Love,

Aidan

Graduation

Hi, guys!

Last week, on Wednesday, I had Graduation Day. It was awesome! We got a free breakfast, which was before we started school that day. It was really good. Now I will show you some pictures of my graduation.😃😃😃

 

Here I am reciting my speech.

Here I am at the breakfast, in my graduation clothing, wearing part of my Seersucker suit that my Dad got me for my birthday.

So, this summer I will have a list of chores and what I have to do, such as take out the trash, or brush my teeth. We will also go to Disneyland California. Goodbye, and happy summer!😉

Love,

Aidan

Dad-less weekend

Hiya, everybody!
I'm back, this time on my iPad! Since Friday, Dad has been in Binghamton for a conference, so I have been staying with Sabrina here in California, since she came to visit for Jan.-Aug. 2013. We have been having a lot of fun, especially since we went to the mall yesterday. We hung out with Cosana since she's leaving, which was awesome! We had lunch at an Asian restaurant called Steam, and it was very good.
Bye for now,
Aidan

Happy (late) New Year

Happy (late) New Year!!! I'm sorry that I never got to write, but I have been very busy with school. Today I got my report card, and I'm doing great, especially on math!! I need to work a bit on my writing, though. I will also start to write on my blog a bit more. I have been reading many books, so I have a high book-reading level (4.7 - 10.0). After school on Fridays, I take chess club. It's really fun! I am a super-good player, too!!! Also, I presented my science display board, and I got a 100%!!! Awesomesauce!!!

Science Camp

Look! A deer!

Another deer...

... and another...

 Sorry! I never got to write since last time. This last week I've been at science camp. It was AWESOME!!! Anyways, I decided to tell you a bit about it. I saw a few deer, and on Thursday I went on a long hike, and I saw an EPIC view. It's the last picture. Cool, isn't it?

... and another...

we left school on Tuesday, & on Wednesday we had a Night Hike, which was really cool. On Thursday, we went on the Epic Journey, which is when I saw that really cool view, and on Friday, we went back home.

... and another!!!

What a view!!!

The festival of Saints Peter and Paul, my last day in Rome

Rome's patron saints are Peter and Paul together, and on June 29 they stop everything and have a big party for them. Most Romans, Sabrina says, go to the beach or leave town, but those who don't either go to Saint Peter's and the Janiculum, Saint Paul outside the walls, or Saints Peter and Paul in EUR. They have fireworks and religious processions, and (this is my favorite) kiosks full of things to buy, like at a flea market. We relaxed most of the day, but went out in the morning to get the paper and some other things. At the newspaper kiosk, I got two "surprise bags" for kids, with toys and coloring books inside. One was Mickey Mouse, the other was Tom and Jerry. In one, there was this cool plastic balloon goop to make plastic bubbles with. In the evening we went out to Saint Paul's, Dad's favorite basilica in Rome, and saw the sights (including St. Paul's tomb), ate "porchetta" sandwiches for dinner, and watched the fireworks. I ended up getting a laser gun and a wrist watch from the kiosks. COOL! The fireworks were really neat. A great way to end my Roman vacation! Here are some pictures! I hope to be back online soon. Love, Aidan.

Playing with plastic bubbles!

See?! Aren't they cool?

Sabrina helps out. When the bubbles get a hole, you have to close it or it deflates.

The dome inside St. Paul's.

Pretty isn't it?

St. Paul.

St. Paul in front of the façade to his Basilica. It was a pretty sunset.

Me with Michele, Sabrina's cousin. We traded iPhones and favorite games as we waited for the fireworks! FUN!

"Check it out!"

Fireworks! yeah! the perfect end to my Roman vacation!

"Che belli! Grazie, Roma! Ciao!"

The Old Appian Way

Right now I'm in Matera, and it is a holiday, but on my way back to South Italy, to my Mom's place, I wrote this and the next post with my Dad (and now he is posting the pictures for me, a few days later).

On Tuesday, June 28, Sabrina and Dad took me to the see the old Appian Way in Rome. We started at the Church of Santa Maria in Palmis, aka the "Domine Quo Vadis?". It was really neat. There were the footprints of Jesus, who appeared to Saint Peter there. It was really hot!! So it was nice to spend some time in the small church. I didn't take pictures, but I got a few postcards. Then we went to the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus, across the street. It was really cold down there!! We were 12 meters under ground and saw the tombs of the first popes, and Christians from 1800 years ago. It was amazing!
Then we walked and walked and walked, all along the old Appian way. It is lined with tombs and monuments. Here is a link to a GoogleMap to show you how much we walked. In all it was about 7 km, or a little over 4 miles. WOW!! We saw all kinds of monuments and tombs along the way. Here are a few pictures of me taking a rest in front of the monuments.

Standing among the statues in the Caetani Castle, attached to the tomb of Caecilia Metella.

This is the castle (on the right) and the mausoleum (on the left), seen from the road.

Walking along the Appian Way.

There was a coffee shop at a certain point, and we had ice cream and water. You can see my chocolate goatee! :-) YUM!

This was a neat tomb. On the other side you can see inside.

I plopped down so hard on this bench that it just cracked and broke! HA! Just kidding! :-D

This is me on top of the "Tumuli degli Orazi e Curiazi," two mound tombs along the Appian way.

Climbing another of the mounds.

A picture of the Villa of the Quintilii from the top of one of the mound tombs.

I started collecting sticks and here I am yelling "All'attacco!" (ATTACK!)

After making our way back to downtown, in a series of adventures because of lack of taxis at dinner time, we decided to have Ethiopian food. It was my first time and I really liked it! That "ingera" is really filling! Here are some pictures of the three of us TIRED and HUNGRY, but HAPPY! :-)