Do as Romans Do!

Yay! I'm in Rome!! For the first time since being here I have a few minutes to actually recap all that I've done so far! So here I am, in the middle of Rome with the sun shining on my in the court yard on campus, enjoying the day and the beautiful weather!

The view from our window! Good morning Rome!

We left Paris Thursday morning to head to the airport for our 8:30 AM flight, but of course with my luck something was wrong with the plane and the flight was canceled (This really needs to stop being a habit of mine!) so all 75 of us were redirected onto different flights. Some people got a direct flight, some went all the way to London for a layover, but I was lucky enough to go to Barcelona for a short layover! It was beautiful; it was so nice seeing the sun even for just the hour that we were in the airport for! As we walked out to the plane (most terminals in Europe I've noticed you take a trolley to the plane then walk up steps to get on) all of us basked in the sun for the few minutes that we could. I already can't wait until Spring break!!

We arrived to Rome to meet Dominico, one of the staff members of the Rome campus; he is literally the stereo typical Italian man with his big smile, large gestures, loud voice, and pretty handsome if I do say so myself! We loaded up on the bus and arrived to campus around 8 PM, so it was a long day of traveling, but so worth it in the end! The campus is so much bigger here than in Paris. It's a maze just to get to my bedroom! There's kitchens for us to make dinner in (I'll be learning!) and a beautiful court yard!

Even after our long day of traveling I couldn't waste a my first night out in Rome! So one of my friends that is in Rome for the whole semester brought us out to a bar "The Drunken Ship" which is a well known bar for American students. We had some drinks and played a game of pong against some Italians! They weren't that good; it's definitely an American game! The rest of the group went to venture, and Joe (my semester friend) took me on my own tour of Rome!! At 2:30 in the morning we went to the Trevi Fountain.. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was! It was lit up with absolutely no one there, so we had the whole thing to ourselves so I was able to get up close and really admire the detail.  Then we went to the Spanish Steps, and once again had the whole thing to ourselves so I climbed all the way to the top to see Rome at it's finest! It was a perfect first night out in Rome!

The next morning we had orientation for a little bit so we learned a little bit more about the campus and what it's all about.We took a walking tour of the neighborhood where they showed us a good shopping area, grocery stores, and the best gelato around! I've already tried nutella, cherry, snickers (my favorite!), canoli, AND cake batter! After the tour we roamed around Rome (haha, get it?) and explored the area! The weather here is so different than Paris! It's such a nice change going from layering up in my winter jacket to just wearing my jean jacket with the sun on my skin! That night we went out to dinner for our first pasta meal! I got lasagna, mmmm! It was a perfect way to start my time in here. Later on we went back to the same area as the night before with a big group of us so we could all enjoy the city together!

Yum!! (It won't let me turn it around though!)

Saturday we went on another walking tour of some of the major sites near us. We went to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Fountain of the Four Seas, the Pantheon, Piaza de Popolo (where they were celebrating Carnevale! There was confetti all over and everyone was hold up "Free Hug" signs!), Piaza de Navona (where there were lots of street venders!). When we came back our friend made us penne a la vodka; it was so delicious! And so nice having someone cook for us! Instead of a crazy night we went out for a drink and then headed back to campus (with a stop of gelato of course!) and just hung out with some friends here!

Making my first wish in the Trevi Fountain!

At the top of the Spanish Steps!

Sunday morning we went to the Vatican! We went into Vatican Square but didn't go inside St. Peter's because the line was way too long being a Sunday! But I'll definitely be going back to see everything there! The rest of the day we went exploring, then attended mass on the campus church. I prefer the masses in Paris much more, but I'm glad to say I went.

Monday classes started! My first class was Italian! Thank goodness I'm taking that class because I have no idea how to communicate at all! I realize I had it easy in France understanding the little French that I did. In the morning I went to a cafe and tried ordering a frozen coffee, but had no idea how to say that. Luckily Dominico, who works at the school, was there and helped me out! I've been back and getting a little bit better each time. I promised the woman who gives me my pizza and rice balls (my new favorite find! Broccoli and sausage yum!) that I will get better with my Italian. Italian class was really fun. It can get frustrating, but the professor is from Italy and is really helpful. He speaks very little English while we are in class and most of the lecture is having conversations with him by figuring out how to reply by the context clues in his question. After class my friends Amy, Jill and I grabbed a salad down at a cafe on the corner (it was a nice break from carbs!) Then I had Moral Theology of the Marketplace. I can't say that I was overly impressed with the professor. He's originally from Connecticut and has lived here in Rome for twelve years working on getting his doctorate. But he already assigned us a term paper due Friday. Seeing that he knows this is our first week in Rome I find that totally unreasonable. But I'm going to be the first to present to get it out of the way so I have nothing to worry about when my mom and Ry get here!!

The past couple of days since then I have done a lot of exploring! Monday night Bren, Kimm, and I were on a walk for gelato and we heard opera music so we ran in the direction that lead us to Piaza de Popolo where the Carnevale celebration was taking place. There was an incredible horse show! There was a choreographed horse "dance" you could say where they all walked backwards and forwards and sideways in unison and linked their necks together. Then there were two men who were doing trips on the horses running in a circle around the ring, bouncing on and off and riding them upside down! Then my favorite was a man who rode TWO horses STANDING UP while going over jumps!! And not only did the horses go over jumps, but he also jumped over a bar at the same time and landed back on the horses! It was insane! I have a video of it! It completely made my night, I was so excited that we found that! That's the beauty of Rome, and Europe itself; you never know what you might come across!

   Tuesday after Italian we walked around again looking for masks for Mardi Gras! Our New York skills came in handy and I got mine from 19 euro to 9 euro! We went out last night for Mardi Gras and the last night of Carnevale, which is a big celebration in Venice but in the past three years has been celebrated in Rome as well. It was a great night, and we'll leave it at that!

Today I had Italian (I only have it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) but no Theology (I have that class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) so I went for a little walk to get a sandwich (eggplant and zucchini and cheese!) and ate out in the courtyard. Then I caught up on my sleep so I can write my paper tonight because we booked a trip to Florence and Venice!! Venice is my top city I want to see while being here in Italy, so I'm beyond excited! I planned it so I'm doing Florence and Venice this weekend, then will be here for the next two weekends (with my Mom and Ry!!!!) and then the last weekend going to Naples (to get my Eat,Pray,Love pizza!!) and Capri! I can't wait!! I really want to enjoy the country as a whole, so I'm making it a point to stay in Italy the next five weeks with just little trips so I can take it all in! I can't wait for Ryann and my mom to get here (one week from tomorrow!!) to explore with them, and to show them what I've seen so far! I can already tell these five weeks are going to fly by!