Ten Quirks of Living Here

Every day here is an adventure, some days more than others. I've learned a few things along the way that have helped me deal with the "oddities" of living in Rome.

1. If you are lost and don't know which direction you're facing according to a map, panicking does absolutely nothing. It's easier to just go one block in a direction and see what the next street is in order to figure out which way to go. 

2. Trying to find a building (like an inconspicuous grocery store) solely by recognizing buildings/restaurants/streets is NEVER a good idea. 

3. You're at less of a risk to get water in the entire bathroom if you turn sideways to use the weird shower-handle (I think this may just be in our apartment) 

4. The bidet is an excellent place to wash your feet after walking around all day ( A girl who is half Italian/ half American told me this little tip- it works wonderfully!) You could call it a piede  for foot instead of a bidet 

5. Opening the windows during the day is great but you can hear the entire city partying if you leave it open at night.  ( the solid wooden shutters are also a great way to get an extra hour or two of sleep)  

6. Doing laundry in the states is fun in comparison to how it is here. It took me three hours to do a small load of whites and two days for everything to dry. Dryers are not common exist here, and if they do exist they are super expensive

7. Buying fresh fruits and veggies locally is much better than from the grocery store. For 3 zucchini, carrots, a handful of snap peas, 3 bulbs of garlic, and 3 peppers it only cost me 6 euro! 

8. Staying extremely busy during the day is perfect because it allows for relaxation at night (and feeling less guilty when you're falling asleep and everyone is just getting ready to go out) 

9. Attempting to order or ask in Italian is much better than just talking to someone in English. Even though my pronunciation is horrendous (multiple times I have asked something in Italian and I have gotten English in response), I think the Italians here appreciate that I try. When I really cannot communicate,  I say my best Mi dispiace, Io non parlo Italiano. Parla inglese? (I'm sorry, I do not speak Italian. Do you speak English? By the time I reach the fourth word they usually nod or roll their eyes a little for my terrible lack of Italian accent. I try to roll my r's and sound Italian but to no avail. 

10.  I will never be able to master the whole I'm dying-of-heat-but-I-still-look-wonderful look. I feel like I am being baked by the sun every day, yet there are so many Italians who are wearing jeans or teetering along the cobblestone streets in six inch heels. I don't know how they do it. I am also amazed by the lack of exercise that goes on here. (no one goes running here except for the American students that I've seen) There is pizza and pasta and gelato galore, yet these people are stick thin! I think it's the cigarettes and miles of walking. Either that or it's Rome's best kept secret. 

I'm off to tour The Vatican and see the Sistine Chapel! So exciting! More to post later. 

All About the Pictures

The pictures here are a little out of order but I wanted to make sure I had them documented somewhere!  More captions to come.

First grocery shopping trip a few days after I got here

Meringue!

Ceiling of the Pantheon- They mixed in volcanic ash for the ceiling so it would be lighter as it reached the top!   The little squares are a part of a method of architecture called coffering which helps to better distribute the weight on the ceiling. 

Temple dedicated to Hadrian 

Galleria Alberto Sordi 

Views from Gianicolo hill 

Views from Gianicolo hill 

Views from Gianicolo hill 

My roommate and I's first homemade meal! (Definitely not to be repeated- the pasta "sauce" was way too strong and we also completely made it up) 

A man was taking bambinos on pony rides around the Gianicolo Hill area. If it hadn't been creepy I totally would have taken a picture of the little kids- they were adorable. 

St. Peter's Basilica from Gianicolo Hill 

Catching Up

 I have really been slacking with giving up -to -date descriptions of where I have explored in the past couple of days.  The days go by so quickly here. Yesterday morning I took a tour through JCU and ventured to some of the main sites. I had seen several of them before/on other tours but it was great to be able to hear different facts about each one. The best part was that I was FINALLY able to see inside of the Pantheon. It was only a two hour walk but I was tired because my friend Sarah and I had walked around for almost 8 hours nonstop on Saturday. I'm definitely going to have to get used to the walking, or at least less learn to complain less. The views are beautiful and I'm in a beautiful city so even when I get lost it's not so bad. After about a two hour tour around Rome I went out for delicious (and really inexpensive- 2 Euro!) pizza in Trastevere at a restaruant caller Carlomenta. For anyone going to Rome this is the perfect place to go if you're looking for inexpensive and delicious Italian food.
It started to rain once we got back from the tour so I used the time to finally have a chance to relax in the apartment. I try to stay out of my residence hall as much as possible because I feel bad not using the time to find something new around Rome and it's much easier to not think about being homesick or anything of that sort.
After a few hours of relaxing, my roommate Michelle and I decided to venture to Gianicolo Hill. This is supposed to have the best Panoramic views of the city, and even though yesterday was overcast and rainy, the views were spectacular. I felt like I had  escaped the urban feeling of most of Rome. There are a ton of trees lining the sidewalk up to the hill  and there is also a park and a garden to walk through. We decided to take the back way to get there because we couldn't tell if the main road had sidewalks or not. (Most of the sidewalks here are super narrow so you almost get clipped by a car/moped anyways). The hill we climbed by the University of Spain was monstrous, but once we turned a few streets it was completely worth it. I really hope to go back when I want to go somewhere relatively quiet. (There really isn't anywhere outside that is completely quiet except for the area outside of my residence hall at midnight). Michelle and I started to get hungry once we were leaving so we decided to try to find the grocery store that our orientation leaders had showed us on our "Navigation 101" tour the day before.
We both had no idea what street the grocery store was on, only the general direction of where we thought it may be. For the next thirty minutes we wandered around Travestere, making turns where we thought we recognized a building or a restaurant. This wasn't so bad until we realized a half hour later at a fork in the road that we still weren't sure where we were going. We decided to sit down and look at a map in the hopes of trying to figure out where we were and whether or not to continue guessing or just give up. While we were sitting down, another girl from JCU who we had met before saw us and asked if we were looking for the grocery store too! She had been looking for it on her own and at least knew which street it was on. After about 10 more minutes of walking we found it- only to see that the grocery store looked like it had been ransacked. Some shelves were completely empty- we learned our lesson to not go to the store on a Sunday evening since all of the Italians seem to go then as well.
Much of grocery shopping here is a matter of guessing what the packaging says and what section of the store it is in. The first time I went to a grocery store I just picked up items based upon the pictures... the fabric softener smelled rancid. After picking up a few basic items, we decided to go back to the apartment to try to cook ourselves some dinner. Let's just say dinner was filling, but I don't think we will be cooking the same "recipe" again. By recipe, I mean we took what we could find in our fridge to create some sort of sauce for the pasta. We ended up combining olive oil, white wine, tomatoes and peppers. The wine was really strong and rich with the olive oil, but it tasted good with our balsamic vinegar and olive oil salad. The best part of the meal was crostini with slice tomatoes and melted mozzarella. It was so yummy! Overall, not a bad meal for our first time cooking in our extremely tiny kitchen.
After dinner I went to plan  a trip to Santorini  with two of my friends. As of September 14, I'm off to the Greek islands! I'm really excited because I've never been there before and it will be something completely different.

I promise to post photos of the past few days ASAP!
My attempt take a "Panoramic view" of the Pantheon, minus the front:

The Trevi Fountain was super crowded so I'm going to try to go back and make my wish when there are less people there. 

Orientation: Also Known as Sweat Fest 2012

Rome is beautiful, but it is also excessively hot. Even the locals leave to escape the heat; the city comes back to life after September 5.  The Piazza Trilussa which is right in between my two campuses is apparently a popular spot at night, so I'm interested to see what that will be like. 

Two nights ago was my first experience eating at a restaurant in Rome. Granted, it was a little tourist-y and the menu had an English side, but I tried to order in Italian despite the fact that the waiter had already spoken to us in English and that I said to the waiter "I want to order in Italian".. in English. 

(Today's fun fact: I was told that having straight teeth  is a tell-tale sign that you are an American). 

Unfortunately I have not had gelato or coffee but I am hoping to have both tomorrow.  I am still a little hesitant to "go off the beaten track" in the city to find the hidden and unique shops. On the bright side, today me and my other friend from UW wandered around and ended up by the Colosseum. I wish I had my guide book with me so I could have found out more about that particular area of the city. We ended up seeing the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, which is a adorned with several bronze sculptures. 

Later in the day we were given a tour of our campuses, which was extremely confusing and way too fast-paced. I am excited by the Guarini campus though because it has at least three terraces that overlook parts of the city and are relatively quiet. 

I think my favorite part of being in Rome so far was the walking tour/ multiple course meal  with Andy Steves, who is Rick Steves' son. He just graduated college two years ago and created a touring company specifically for study abroad students. It is very easy to become captivated by his quick wit and extensive knowledge of traveling. My favorite places were the Piazza Navona (which has an amazingly ornate fountain, called Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, or the fountain of the four rivers. The rivers represented were the four rivers that were the main rivers that were known at the time it was created: the Ganges, the Plate, the Danube, and the Nile). 
Dinner was SO GOOD. Even though the restaurant, Miscellanea, was definitely Americanized, the food was delicious (pasta with a spicy red sauce and a pizza with a hint of lemon) and it was great to be able to meet more people who are studying abroad at JCU for the semester. I was even able to try Fragolino, or "sexy wine" for dessert. I think it tastes like sparkling grape juice. 

I think most people here came to study abroad in Rome because they are adventurous, but I think I will become adventurous because I am studying abroad in Rome. At least I hope.

The Tiber or Tevere River. This is the view as I cross the Ponte Sisto Bridge, which is right by one of JCU's campuses

This area of Trastevere was once part of a pier; the restaurant used to be where everyone was able to pick up their food,. It has stayed a restaurant ever since. 

A part of an ancient fire station in Trastevere. 

Walking through Trastevere

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere

A store in Piazza Santa Maria-how cool is this door frame?

Where Julius Caesar was assassinated - it's right outside of  the Roman Forum
(Fun fact: this doubles as a cat sanctuary) 

National Monument to Victor Emanuele II, completed in 1935.  I didn't know this until researching, but apparently it destroyed a large portion of the historic Capitoline hill and a medieval neighborhood during its construction. As a result, many natives to Rome hate the structure. The one good part about this building is that you can see it from almost anywhere in the city. It's my "north star" because if I am here, I know how to get back.

Four Rivers Fountain or Fountana dei Quattro Fiumi. The four river gods represent each of the great rivers in continents known during the mid 1600s: The Ganges in Asia, The Danube in Europe, Rio de la Plata in America and Nile in Egypt. The top of the fountain is an Egyptian obelisk. 

The river god of the Nile: the head is symbolically covered because at this time no one knew the source of the Nile's water. (this one's my favorite)

 Sant'Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona.  The side on the left was created during the Renaissance era and the side on the right was created during the Baroque era. 

 A fresco in the church Sant'Agnese in Agone  in Piazza Navona

Where I went to dinner on Andy Steves' tour. Verdict: Really good food, Americanized  restaurant (There were flags of several colleges and an American flag on the walls)

Campo de' Fiori: The cloaked statue in the center of the square is Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake in 1600 for heresy. 

Jewish ghetto! (I got a little too excited when I saw this... apparently in this area "pizza" is actually a cookie and you have to say "pizza pizza" if you actually want pizza. I'm coming back here pronto)

Crossing the Tiber to go back to Trastevere. How pretty is this view?

 The building to the left is one of my campuses, the Guarini campus.  (I need to research what this arch used to be a part of)

Next mission: find a detailed tour of the Colosseum. I don't want to go inside without a tour- there's too much I want to learn.






More to come later- Ciao! (Apparently "ciao" is a very informal way to say goodbye and inappropriate to use with anyone other than friends/family. The people here use it in their shops/restaurants when you leave though. I have to practice my "buongiorno" and "arrivederci." 

A priest, no sleep, and a full day in Roma

I cannot believe I am in ROME. I keep saying it but it just hasn't clicked yet. I think I was still in shock even after we boarded the plane. Of all the people on the plane, I was seated next to a priest (who was very nice and was going to Rome to study for his doctorate). I commend anyone who can have a successful night's sleep on an airplane- I think I contorted myself every way possible and still never really fell asleep for more than a few hours. It didn't help that the flight attendants had a fort set up in front of me which they used to speak loudly while I was trying to sleep.   

Once we were off the flight was a bit of a different story. Me and two other girls who I knew before we left were able to get through immigration and customs (which was actually just walking out a door and nothing else) spent a good five to ten minutes trying to find the elevator.  Once we got off the elevator, it was about a ten minute walk through the airport to the Hilton, where we were meeting John Cabot University ambassadors. My arms have never had such a good workout- I kept thinking how I could have dealt with only a backpack for four months in order to avoid such pain (later I decided that I was just being dramatic and truly needed fifty pounds of clothes). 

After getting a just lovely picture of myself fresh- off –the- plane for my id, I signed some forms and we waited for our shuttle to JCU. I ended up in a shuttle with my friend Sarah and two other girls from UW! There's a lot more people here from UW than I thought there would be, though I only know two of them. The car ride was 45 minutes of us discussing what we wanted to do and how none of us knew much Italian. Although the scenery was different, the driver had the same exact mindset as a New York taxi driver. The roads kept getting smaller, but that man kept driving faster. I was never more relieved to get out of a car. 

Although I have been to Rome once before, I was expecting the city to be a lot louder and more urban than it actually is. Our apartment complex is off the main road   so it is much quieter than I had expected. The buildings itself are beautiful- they open to a cobblestone courtyard and the staircases are marble! Despite the few quirks of odd internet and a tiny elevator (thank goodness I am on the second floor) it is a wonderful location. I am also thankful that I have a surprisingly spacious apartment with only one other roommate. I met one girl earlier in the day who has eight other roommates. I do not know how I would have been able to function living with so many people.

I walked with a few other people to the nearby campus, which is only about ten minutes away. The walk is right on the Tiber river, which is significantly cleaner than the Delaware.  The food at the cafeteria is all right- I’m a little worried about my lack of Italian for eating in the city, but I’m sure that will change once I get to know my way around the neighborhood. After meeting my leader for orientation (who is going to be great I can already tell) I relaxed the rest of the night in my apartment. I think everyone here was exhausted so it was pretty quiet, but I did see a few people already preparing themselves to go out. I  do not know how they did it because I could barely move after unpacking my clothes for two hours. 

A small taste of what life is like so far: 

My bedroom (my bed is the one on the right) 

View from our window.. an abandoned house?

Living room 

Kitchen

Walking around the neighborhood

I’m craving a good coffee and any type of nourishment but I’m not even sure where the nearest café is located. I think I will have to explore today. Crossing my fingers for a good place to eat and not getting lost but I think that’s at least part of the adventure.