When In Rome

Good morning from Roma! I can’t quite believe that I am actually here – but it certainly is for real. The people are different, the cars are different, the language is different…but so far I love it. The differences are what is going to make this semester so special and appealing. As I have said before, I want to learn and grow as a person. I have a feeling that this was a good place to pick to do it!

I arrived yesterday at Leonardo DiVinci airport after a 2.5 hour flight from London Gatwick. My flight was ok, but my time in Gatwick was just miserable. I cried when I left Stacey and Kurt (and when I say cried, I should have actually said bawled, because that is essentially what Stacey and I did). I was right to think that I would want as much time with them as possible, because I am already in the process of trying to figure out when I can next go back and see them. …And, on another note, I have decided that nothing in the UK airports makes sense! When you drive into the airport, there are no signs telling you which terminal you should go to – and Kurt told me that not all flights run by the same airline are in the same general area. WHAT? The other thing that drove me up a wall was that they don’t assign gates to flights until 1/2 hour before the flight. Now, how stupid is that? I guess at this point it doesn’t much matter, but seriously, do they have to make everything counter intuitive?

Once I got to Leonardo DiVinci I waited FOREVER for my bags. I swear, they were as slow as molasses in July. By the time they came out on the conveyer belt, I believe that I had landed about 40 minutes beforehand. It was my first, and most likely not my last experience with the ‘laziness’ of the Italians. Yet, after finally getting them, finding the AUR people was not a problem at all. I was able to check in quite easily, and within 20 or so minutes I was in a van heading towards my apartment!

My apartment is gorgeous. Although we are not right around the corner from school, we lucked out. The university just bought the apartment and redid it, so it is all new and clean. There are currently 5 of us living here, but we have an extra bed, so we are assuming that in the next few days we will get a sixth roommate. Of the 5 of us that are here, 4 of us are from AU, and one girl is from GW. It is nice for all of us to have something in common – living in DC. And so far, we have been getting along brilliantly!

After unpacking the 5 of us went for a walk down our street so that we could check out what was within walking distance. We were able to find something to eat (because by this point in the afternoon we were all famished) and a small grocery store where we picked up some basics to have in the apartment. In those two stops I came to find that I need to have my Italian class start. Because I don’t really know anything, it is somewhat difficult for me to do anything besides saying please and thank you. But, I am sure that the language skills will come in time.

After resting at the apartment for a bit, the 5 of us ventured out to find dinner. Lucciano, a full time student who helped us all get into our apartment, suggested that we go down to an area of town called Travestare. We left a bit earlier than we had planned on eating so we were able to walk around and people watch. Oh, and what amazing people watching there is here! The 5 of us opted for a cute restaurant in the area that looked busy – we took that as a sign that it was good. I had a gnocchi dish with mussels in it – when I ordered it, all I knew was that it was the house special – but oh how happy I was when I saw what it was when they brought it out! During dinner we sat around and talked about the things that we should know about each other (i.e. allergies, pet peeves, etc), and talked about funny stories and Disney movies, and so many other topics. We all seem pretty easy going, so I am far from concerned about us not getting along.

After dinner we had our first taste of Italian gelato. YUM! I had a cone of chocolate and coffee…can’t you just taste it in your mouth?!? It was sooo good. We walked for a bit, then hopped back on the tram to head back to the apartment. When we got to our stop, 2 of the girls were able to get off, but the doors closed on 3 of us! At the moment it was not so funny, but about 5 minutes later it was hysterical. So, note to self, get off quickly, if not you will be stuck inside.

Back in the apartment we had a quick pow wow about rules and plans for the morning and chores, and all the normal stuff that needs to be talked about when roommates move in together.

I have a good feeling about this semester. It is going to be wild and fun and educational and everything else all at the same time.

Just as a note: I should have regular internet access in our apartment before the end of the week. So, get skype and let me know your name so we can chat online!

Much love from Roma!!!