Life in Rome

We've now been here for about four days. Some parts have been slow (and hot), and other days have flown by. Time just goes in a different way here. Italians like to take their time with everything. They walk slowly (nothing like Penn State where everyone is power-walking, with their head in the clouds) and enjoy their surroundings, and they like to sit and enjoy their food. Time is much more relative here. They don't really concern themselves with being on time. Its a lot to get used to, but they seem to live pretty full lives.

I'm getting more used to the dorm/apartment set up we have here. We also have a beautiful view, but we always hear the traffic at night. There's a festival along the river near our complex, and we hear the music at 1am. Italians seem to really enjoy 1970's and 1980's music, particularly Beach Boys and Madonna. They actually like a lot of our music. I've heard a lot of Coldplay too.
We're right along the Tiber River (Il Fiume Tevere), which is really beautiful, not to mention huge.

View from our room of our courtyard.

Naeemah and I look out over the courtyard in our dorm complex at Sant'Maria in Cappella. Its really gorgeous, and I'll probably sit out there when it's not so hot outside. Its been in the 90's basically the entire time we've been here, and its exhausting.

On Saturday, we went to the Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. Its really gorgeous, and I wish I could have seen it when it was fully intact. Most of the ruins are brick, but all of the walls were covered in marble, which I'm sure was fantastic to see. The Villa is almost 2,000 years old, and its amazing to imagine that people that long ago had occupied the spaces. Unfortunately, a lot of it is missing because a lot of the material was stolen over the years, but it truly is cool how much is still left.

Unfortunately, it was really hot the day we went, and there isn't too much shade there. I've never had so many bottles of water in such a small amount of time in my life. We were there from around 9am to 9pm. It was a really long day, and eventually we just sat at the cafe to cool off. Our tour guide/future professor, Allan Ceen, is pretty ridiculous, but he's really cool. He knows so much about all of this stuff. He even demonstrated to us how to use a Roman bathroom.

A really awesome space, especially with the light.

Maritime Theater, Hadrian's Island Retreat

The Canopus, with caryatids and long pool. Used for dining and relaxing.

 We had aperitivo for dinner. I'm quickly learning that Italians don't eat nearly as much as we do. Last night was the first time I've had meat since I've been here. Aperitivo was basically like small appetizers, and though they were good, they were pretty small. They do have some delicious sodas here though, and the Fanta here is amazing. Its less carbonated, and it tastes more like tangerine than orange. Its probably going to become an addiction of mine.

We met some of the people we'll be doing the Piranesi Prix de Rome competition with. We're working with the Landscape Architecture students and Italian and Romanian students. Some of them seem nice. I don't know who I'm working with yet, though.

Yesterday morning, we went to the Terme de Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla). It wasn't as hot, and pictures really don't do the place justice. They're huge, hundreds of feet high. They're thousands of years old, and you just have to imagine that the people who actually used the space had never seen a space that big before. It was probably amazing to them, and it probably seemed like the gods lived there or something.

We went to a cute cafe/pizzeria on our way back from the Baths. I had some Marguerita pizza, which is a hundred times better than it is in the States, not to mention it wasn't greasy (looks like I'm never going to be able to eat Canyon again... what a shame). It was delicious, and it wasn't all that expensive. The euro to dollar exchange rate is a bit painful, as one euro is worth almost $1.50.

Italian restaurants/cafes operate differently than in the United States. They give you a glass and a can, and you pour your drinks yourself. You also have to specify between "frizzante" and mineral water. The water "with gas" is not really that great tasting to me, basically tastes like seltzer water.

We also went to an Italian bar last night at the Campo di Fiori. It was quaint, and had tables outside facing the plaza. Its very unusual for Italians to each order their own drink (we are such alcoholics) or their own food at a bar. We didn't realize this until after we ordered, though. We did get free pasta, though. They came out with a huge pan and started handing it out to everyone. Rachel and I discovered a new beer - Peroni - which is Italian and tastes pretty good, basically like Yuengling.

I was homesick when I first got here, and I still miss everyone from home, of course. We're finally starting to get into the swing of things here, though, even though this competition seems pretty intense. Hopefully it will be fun working with the students from Italy and Romania. Some of our classes start this week too, and they all sound really interesting. Today, I should be seeing some of the tourist locations of Rome - Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. Pictures are sure to come.

Ciao for now. :)

View from Villa Adriana of surrounding Tivoli. Hard to see, but lots of housing built right into the mountains.

Arrival

We are finally in Rome, Italy as of 9:37am Rome time. The flight had its ups and downs, but overall it was pretty smooth. We had some pretty scary turbulence halfway through which isn't really my preference. Though it was amusing to find out that Italians apparently always clap when a plane lands.

The airport in Rome wasn't as scary as I assumed it would be. Most of the signs are in both English and Italian, and we actually all got our luggage and none was lost. On the way to our dorms, seeing Rome was not at all what I expected. The areas we've been in still remind me of an American city without all of the skyscrapers. Some parts are modern, yet some definitely show the history here. I did notice three Chinese restaurants and a Japanese restaurant on the way though - pretty typical for a city.

Our living quarters are nice. We have a view of a large courtyard and have a floor with seven rooms, with a shared bathroom, living space, and kitchen. I'll be satisfied once I completely unpack my room and find an adapter/converter for my laptop and camera.

We went to an Italian market (supermarket) today and got some basic food and toiletries. It was interesting seeing all of the food that Italians normally buy. Most of the toiletries were American... probably a good way to try to rip off tourists. Can't say I blame them. We bought large (1.5liter) bottles of water for 29 euro cents. Score. If only they had that in the States... though usually in the States tap water tastes a lot better.

It is hot here. I finally had adjusted to the temperatures at home and here, its over 90 degrees, 34 degrees Celsius. Most of the clothes I have are probably going to be uncomfortable... not to mention will make me look American.

Finally being here has calmed my nerves a bit, though I still need to adjust. Some things I still don't know how I feel about them. I'm sure we'll all adjust sooner or later.

Pictures in the next post.

Tomorrow?!

Ok so, I officially have way too much stuff. I seem to be a pro at stressing myself out too. I have two open suitcases, one a carry-on and one checked, sitting in my family room. I keep realizing I need more things that I would never even think of needing here, but no place to put them. Hopefully, everything will magically find itself a place eventually.

Honestly, right now, I'm a bit too anxious and nervous to be excited. I've never been on a flight longer than three hours, and I've never been to Europe either. It's going to take some serious adjusting. I'm sure I'll figure it out in time. I don't think I ever fully believed I'd actually be studying abroad until these past few days. After visiting State College for the weekend, I realized that I'd be leaving when everyone else was starting classes. It was great to see everyone, but it was a bittersweet feeling when I left.

It also feels strange still being home when mostly everyone is away at school. Usually I'd be with them. I know after tomorrow I won't have as much time to think about it, but it's still odd. I realized on Sunday how much I'm going to truly miss everyone in State College, especially Eric and everyone in studio who I would normally see everyday. We shall keep in contact through email, facebook, skype, and even awesome video chatting on Google+ if I can figure out how it works. Don't forget about me, please. I'll be back in December. I'll miss all of you so much.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with Clarissa, Rachel, and Kyle at the Philadelphia Airport to fly to Rome. It feels so weird. It always seemed like Rome was ages away, even when we were applying for our visas and setting up finances. I'll probably be leaving for the airport around 2pm, and will end up sitting there waiting forever. Better safe than sorry, I guess. However, that just gives me a few more hours tomorrow to obsess and wonder about what I should be packing. Wonderful. I'll be happy when I arrive in Rome and am basically settled into the dorms where we will be living.

In just a bit over 24 hours, we'll be embarking on a semester-long adventure. Hopefully, the adjusting process doesn't give me an ulcer. It will be in the 90s in Rome for a while, and to think, I was starting to enjoy the constant 70-80 degree weather here. Oh well. The next time I write here I will be in Rome, Italy for the next 3.5 months.

So Close

There are officially nine days until we are off to Rome. Its crazy. I have no idea where the summer went.

It still doesn't feel like I'll be in another country in a little over a week. We finally received our visas a few weeks ago. They're very official looking, and are even in Italian. Shame my passport picture is so awful looking. I realized I really need to start figuring out what to pack, and how I really won't be able to bring a lot with me. I think I have all of the supplies I need, and I need to tackle my clothes next.

 I have too much stuff.

Living in another country is going to be such a new experience, even in the airport. I'll be surrounded by Italian language and culture, not to mention I'll stick out like a sore thumb. I'll be tripling the amount of places I've seen in a mere four months. I have a train pass for France and Switzerland, and am considering one for Germany as well. I feel like once I get to visit all of these places that it will be hard to leave.

I went to the bookstore the other day and got tour books for Rome and Europe. They seem helpful and very overwhelming. Maybe they're useful, maybe not. I guess I'll find out. I've actually always wondered if what was published in those tour books was how it actually was. I even have an Italian phrase book, but I feel like I'll learn more Italian trying to navigate (probably more like stumble) through Rome.

I don't really have much more to say. I'm scared to death, and really have no idea what I need or what to pack. I'm excited too. I've never been overseas or to Europe before, so the new experiences will start the second I get off of the plane. I'll probably spend the ten hour flight reading as much as I can about Rome.

Nine more days until I am in a new world for four months of my life.