So I know it’s been forever, but here it goes.
So I haven’t blogged in forever. I really haven’t done much of anything that I would normally do in forever. I.E. sleep, watch TV, waste God knows how much time doing mindless things on the internet, and napping. I guess living in a foreign country really does throw a wrench into your usual schedule.
I’ve done so much and seen so many places since my last update so I’m going to divide this post into a few different sections - only way I know how to make sense of it all.
Observations/things I love about ROMA thus far:
1) Apperitivo, i.e. a “happy hour” of sorts where you pay anywhere between 5-8 Euro for one drink and all the yummy appetizer foods you can eat. I’m talking anything from little salmon sandwiches to risotto to Italian quiche. It is one of me favorite things ever and I really want to bring it back to the U.S. So to all my GW friends, expect Apperitivo parties in the Spring….
2) Prosecco. It is a kind of sparkling wine/champagne and is absolutely delicious. I’m not sure if you can get it in the U.S. but I am sincerely hoping so because I don’t know how I’ll live without it….
3) I’ve done pretty well at assimilating thus far but one thing that had taken me a while to get used to is the way Italians buy things at caffes. Picture this: You walk into a coffee shop, order your drink, the drink comes and what is your next move? You might say, I pay for it, grab my beverage, and run to class. However, in Italy - it doesn’t work that way. You get your drink and there is no “to-go” coffee….or receipt really. You kind of just get your coffee, drink it at the bar, and chill. It is always such a habit for me to want to pay for it before I drink it because that is how it goes, you pay first…always. But not in Italy. In fact, even the bus system here is oddly structured in that similar fashion. People are “suppose’ to use bus passes that they pay for in advance but the driver doesn’t check when you get on and so a lot of people just ride the bus for free. I guess it really is an American thing to be so preoccupied with paying for everything up front.
4) It is hot. Still too hot. I recently was talking to a friend who mentioned breaking her Northface and I couldn’t fathom someone wearing a Northface. It is October and yet it feels like July. I really, really miss Fall.
5) I got homesick. Really, really homesick and this was a total surprise. When I pictured coming to Italy, I never really pictured being homesick. I mean sure I assumed I’d miss home from time to time and my family and friends but not as much as I actually have. I didn’t realize how hard it hits you or at least I never thought I’d be the kind of person who would be so affected by it, but I was. I have such a new found respect for people doing a year abroad. I couldn’t imagine being away for that long. It really is the little things I find myself missing the most and all of those little things start to pile up until you kinda just want to throw in the towel. Communicating is so hard when you are 6 hours ahead and without the kind of technology you might be accustomed to. That’s right Droid, I miss you, and your ability to always keep me in the loop. Not to say that I’m not having an amazing time, because I am. Ten years from now I know I will look back on this experience and be be so grateful for taking the chance. But it is to say that America truly is an awesome country filled with A/C, dryers, phones that actually work, large beds, and great beef and for that I will always be loyal to her.
6) Everything has a history. American cities are so new in comparison to Rome. I literally cannot walk down the street without passing some monument or statue that has some amazing story behind it. On my walk to school everyday I pass an area called Gianicolo, which by the way has the most SPECTACULAR view of Rome. I have tried so many times to take photos here but none of them seem to capture how beautiful it really is so I just gave up. Gianicolo was also the site of a very bloody battle during Italy’s unification period and thus, everyday at 12pm, a cannon is fired at the site. When I first heard it, I thought a bomb dropped somewhere and literally was frozen until I realized no one else around me seem to be concerned. Then I learned about the battle. I learned that all the statues in that same spot I pass by everyday were busts of men who had died in that battle and that the daily cannon is simply a reminder of their sacrifice. Amazing, really amazing.
7) My schedule here is pretty nuts. I’m literally up and at school form 8AM-6PM most days. I miss being able to just come back to my apartment in DC and chill out for a bit between classes and do homework, etc. Instead I always feel like there isn’t enough time in a day because I am coming back from classes at 7PM, cooking dinner, doing laundry, and by the time homework comes along it is already 10PM and I’m exhausted/haven’t really done anything to just relax for myself. It is definitely a huge adjustment.
8) Getting to say I watched Amanda Knox win her appeal while in Italy - epic win.
9) I miss baseball. A lot. No one here understands it.
10) I am on a no gelato until at least November rule. It’s not that I have eaten a ton of it but I’m not about to gain a single ounce on this trip. In fact, with all the walking and cooking for myself I’ve been doing - I’m aiming for a loss, not a gain. That’s right coffee and nutella flavored gelato, it’s been hard, but I’ll be strong.
11) Feeling like there is SO MUCH in Rome that I still haven’t seen it. Balancing travel with domestic exploring and homework and life is one of the hardest things to do. I also feel like I have double major in “travel agency” from booking all these trips. It is super stressful and I can’t wait to actually just do nothing at home for a change. I know I’m going to need a good break after this semester is over.
AMALFI COAST, SORRENTO, CAPRI:
I visited all of these wonderful places three weeks ago and man is it beautiful. My mom always told me how much she loved it here when she lived in Italy and I can totally see why. In my head I was already planning a trip back to Sorrento after being there for a few hours. Quiet and quaint, not super touristy like Capri, and just a super relaxing and peaceful place. Capri, while beautiful, is also a tourist trip. Three hour waits to see the Blue Grotto and high price tags make it something that you should see while you are there but you also should expect to be taken for a ride. I got to go on a boat tour of all the different grottos and smaller islands near Capri and it was lovely. Amalfi and a lot of Mediterranean beaches in general are pretty rocky and don’t have sand. It’s different….but I’m definitely a sand girl. Sperlunga (near Naples), for me, was the best beach I have been to thus far. It was also ironically, the cheapest and closest to Rome - go figure.
FLORENCE:
So I got to visit Florence two weeks ago. Of course we went to Space Club. You may know it from various episodes of the Jersey Shore. It was awesome. I met these American soldiers who were based in Florence but were being shipped out to Afghanistan the next day. They had this huge VIP table and invited me up - of course I said yes….it would be rude not to…hahaha, but in all seriousness - it was awesome. Florence overall was a really cool city. We go to see the Duomo and being that Florence is famous for their leather, I picked up some good souvenirs as well. I also couldn’t help but notice that Florence is far more American then Rome. A lot of people in the streets were not speaking Italian….and the fact that I walked into a caffe and was able to order pancakes (even though they were probably the worst pancakes I ever had) was really indicative of the fact that Florence is filled with study abroad students and ex-pats and so the city is just more catered to Americans then Rome.
CROATIA:
Last but certainly not least - I was in Croatia last weekend. That’s right, Croatia. I would have never thought I would get the chance to go when I thought about the different places I’d visit over the semester but I am super glad I did. I mostly stayed in Split which is about 200 KM from Dubrovnik. The weather was sublime. Warm but not humid at all and the water was literally crystal clear. We spent our days at the beach, I even went cliff jumping into the ocean - which was incredible! One day we took a boat out and visited some of the smaller islands on the Dalmatian Coast like Brac. They were all so beautiful. I also had one of the best meals! The seafood in Croatia is some of the best so I just had to dig in. We ate calamari, but unlike in the U.S. where it is all fried, in Croatia they just grill it lightly and put on a little lemon juice. It was SO good and so much healthier. I reallly enjoyed it. I also had risotto with shrimp and again - sooo good. I also loved the exchange rate in Croatia. Since they aren’t apart of the European Union, they applied for membership but the EU is holding out since they believe Croatia is hiding wanted international criminals in their country, Croatia uses the Kuna and not the Euro. 1 Euro = 7 Kuna or 1 USD = 5.5 Kuna, needless to say I for ONCE didn’t felt like I was getting screwed over when I spent money…it was nice.
So - I know that was super long but I guess I had a ton to catch up on. I’m going to try to be a little more regular with updating but it gets tough.
Coming soon:
Chocolate Fest in Perugia
Fall Break: Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona
Ciao, Ciao.
We went to Sperlonga today. About 110 KM South of Rome.
I don’t think I have ever seen anything more beautiful in my life. It truly was the most peaceful place. No tourists. Almost everyone around us spoke Italian. The clearest water and softest sand of any beach I’ve ever been to. In fact the water was so beautiful that even a Florida girl like myself dove in and and went under. It was truly to die for.
I sincerely hope that I can make it back here some day. Until then I guess I’ll just have to use the plethora of pictures and videos I have of this place to remind me of just how beautiful it really is.
20th birthday in Roma!
My wonderful roommates made me a delicious cake along with a delicious dinner and we had a great time enjoying that before meeting up with other friends from our program and heading to Testaccio. It’s a district that in ancient times used to be a main source of trade through the Tiber River. Nowadays, it is home to over 20 discos (clubs) that are built on the side of a mountain.
It was awesome. I really had a great time thanks to the hospitality of the great girls that I live with and all the awesome people I’m studying with. Makes ringing in a birthday thousands of miles away from home much better then one would ever expect.
Two today alone. Pretty happy about that, although the most recent encounter was a little embarrassing. I was riding the bus back to my apartment when a girl around my age asked if I was from Rome in Italian. I was fairly confident I understood what she meant as I had my first day of Intensive Italian today but instead of just telling her in Italian that I was from America and studying in Rome, I sheepishly said no capisco and that alone answered her question about whether or not I was from Roma. Hopefully my Italian classes will give me a little more confidence and I can start actually feeling like I speak Italian without sounding silly. Truthfully, learning to speak and improving my cooking are two of my major goals for my time abroad. I’ve been cooking my own dinners here a lot and signed up for a cooking class tomorrow so hopefully by the time I’m back in the States come December I’ll be able to speak and cook! I really like my Italian class and got my books for my other subjects today! The bookstore is near the Spanish Steps and close to one of my favorite neighborhoods - Piazza Navona. I can’t wait for classes to start as nerdy as that sounds. Two of my courses are actually with Italian students from Roma Tre so I’m looking forward to that opportunity to meet other students from Roma. One of the Italian Student Companions with the IES program named Roberto told us that sometimes you’ll make a list of things to do: 1) Go to the Trevi 2) do laundry 3) stop the post office, etc. etc. and if you’re lucky you’ll be able to do one of those things in Roma. This is mainly due to the fact that people truly move at their own pace in Roma. Busses come when they want to, mail gets delivered at some point, and generally efficiency isn’t at the highest degree here. But surprisingly today I did a ton. I had my academic advising appointment so now my course schedule is set. Picked up all my books. And my favorite part of the day, found what my roommate refers to as the Trifecta: the best pizza place, the best gelato, and a great bar all next to each other in Piazza Navona. I had coffee and tiramisu gelato coated in this chocolate that hardened on top of the gelato - it was fabulous! I have to learn how to eat faster though because my gelato eating always gets messy and melts all over the place =/ Tomorrow I have another session of Intensive Italian and a cooking class! Can’t wait! Ciao, ciao!
Mistaken for a Roman count: 3
Ciao Bella
Observations about Roma thus far:
It is true, the pizza is incredible assuming you know where to go. There are definitely more touristy places that taste as if you could be in a hole in the wall pizza place back in the District.
But my roommates and I went to a place called Ivo in Trastevere, a Roman neighborhood that is a 10 minute bus ride from our place in Monteverde.
We intended on ordering water but funny thing about Italy, the wine is cheaper then the water. How can you say no to that? So vino rosso it was.
We drank and chatted and then the pizza came….
Pizza funghi….amazing. Thin crust, great sauce, and the mushrooms were amazing. I ate the whole thing, go ahead and judge me if you want.
Yesterday we went to a lake/camp site about 45 minutes out of Roma. It was great. Absolutely beautiful weather and we got to go sailing! Video footage of that to come soon.
We also walked around the popular district Campo di Fiori. This district is pretty touristy, home to a lot of bars and restaurants and also houses three American bars where you easily find other Europeans and tons of study abroad kids and of course Italian men who are looking for American girls….but more on that later.
As we walked we literally just stumbled upon the Pantheon. That’s the great thing about living in Roma, history is everywhere and you never know when you will hit something amazing.
I cooked my first meal here in Roma last night! It was pretty fun and of course all the ingredients bought from the supermarket here are just so amazing.
After dinner and vino bianco, I went out to Campo di Fiori with a friend. We started at an American bar called “Drunked Ship.” It was packed with study abroad kids and a few Italians. I talked to some of the Italian students, had a drink, and decided to move on to something a little less GWU and a little more Roman. So on the advice of a new Italian friend we went to a disctoteca called Bloom.
I was inside for maybe 60 seconds when I already attracted some Italian guys. My friends and I were talking to them when one of my friends decided to go to the bar to grab a drink and my other friends simply disappeared. I was now alone on the dance floor….but it took 3 seconds for some guy to come up to me and try and start getting up in my space. He was relentless and grabbed my wrist when I tried to walk away so I pulled away and walked to the bar trying to find my friend….couldn’t find her and now had these 2 Italian guys following me around the club and grabbing onto me. Then a guy sitting at a table said in pretty good English to come sit down on the other side of the velvet rope so I did. I figured he was American but after a little conversation realized he wasn’t and when he asked me to “sit down and give him a dance” (broken English for lap dance), I peaced out of there pretty fast and at the same time finally found my friends and left for good.
It was interesting to me that the first thing people warned me about Roma was to look out for the guys because my first days here were pretty cat-call free. The only thing I really had to report was a guy giving me a thumbs up on the bus and that was hardly a situation…nothing like people were warning me about the instant they heard I was going to be living in Roma. But the discoteca surely showed a whole different side. Perhaps, similar to the U.S., it’s the environment. Bars are more casual and relaxed and clubs can get well…freaky. The Italian guys we talked to at the bar were genuinely interested in just talking about learning a little bit about America whereas the guys at the discoteca wanted to do everything but talk….good lesson to learn, glad I dodged a bullet as I’m not really interested in getting into anything like that.
On the other side of the coin, Roma is also a really romantic place. You can’t go anywhere without seeing young couples really going at it in the street. It makes me want to stroll the cobblestone streets sharing coffee gelato with a special someone too. It’s just infectious. In fact I personally have already witnessed two weddings take place in this city. Love is just everywhere in Roma…
Amore sempre <3
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