Week One

Plane Experiences
So… in the course of 2 days I had been on a plane for a whopping 17 hours (St. Louis → New York= 3hr, New York → Zurich= 13hr with 7 time zone changes, & Zurich → Rome= 1hr). Let me tell you, flying is not so fun when you have to sit in the very back of the plane. My best advice, be sure to get a seat either in first class or as far up as you can go. The bright side: you get to eat twice when you fly for “13” hours and the meals are somewhat decent when you go with a good company. Also, they serve free drinks. I didn’t go crazy but I had to try the wine. I must say it was gross. But all in all it wasn’t bad. I love flying but I have a huge fear of crashing so for me there were a lot of ups and downs to the experience. On my trip back I will be sure to take some kind of motion sickness helper thingy to keep me from feeling like crap.

Upon Arrival
The first thing that I saw when I got off the plane was this area where you have to get your visa and passport checked. The lines were massive but they moved quite fast. Nothing too bad there. And they lost one girls luggage but I was so happy (and thankful) that it was not me. You kind of have to expect that they will lose it so that if they do you don’t freak out. Can you imagine me in an airport in another country just finding out that I have no luggage and me stay calm? I think not. Anywho, when we got all of our stuff we were greeted by the Arcadia staff and I must tell you, they are very nice. It’s almost like having a family away from home minus all of the drama and screaming and crying and laughing and good home cooking. Ok, so maybe its like having a family away from home, just not our family. But they are very sweet and have been helpful thus far. Oh, I was also greeted by Nicole. She says “hi”, by the way.

My Apartment
Things here are a little smaller than back home, we don’t have a large kitchen or bathroom but our bedroom is pretty big. Nicole and I are sharing a bedroom and our other roommate, Megan, sleeps on a pull out bed in our living room. We are making sure that she takes care of that cause its crazy for her to be paying the same amount as us sleeping on a couch. We have a good location located on Via Giovanni Miani right off of Via Marco Polo and just up the street from a Chinese restaurant. Which brings me to my address. If you want to send me things you have to send it to my school at:
Via San Pantaleo, 66
00186 Roma
ITALY
I live close to a lot of major conveniences such as the American office, a supermarket, a bar, good restaurants, a bus stop, a metro link, and an open-air market. Very central.

The Food
Everything here tastes amazing! There is no other way to put it other than I was supposed to be born in Italy. We have tried so many new dishes and there has been very little that I have not enjoyed. I want to buy a cookbook here so that when I come home I can make some things for you all to try. You would love them all. They don’t have a real breakfasty kind of food but they do make things that mimic breakfast. Mostly, they just eat pastries and have a coffee, which is different than our coffee. Their coffee is a small shot of espresso and there is no milk in it, just straight espresso. I haven’t tried it yet but I will before the end of the trip. So far, my favorite breakfast dish is something called a krapfet alla ciocolata. It looks like a big fluffy doughnut with chocolate icing on top and chocolate hazelnut filling. It’s really good. The pasta’s amazing and so are the pizzas. Their sides are fun, lot of fried things, such as mashed potatoes, rice balls, and spinach balls.

The Men
I could not go without talking about the men here. Nicole and I were walking down the street to get to the Metro and there were three men breaking apart the sidewalk we a sledgehammer and a pickax. We thought to ourselves, “If we were in America they would be using a jackhammer and a bobcat.” This got us to thinking that in Italy they have something that I, and Frances Mayes, like to refer to as the descendants of the Greek and Roman Gods. In addition to this type of Italian, you have the Casanova. It is very hard for you to not be a Casanova in Italy. In accordance to what everyone told me prior to leaving, I have come to find that the men are very charming. They have a way with words and smiles that men in America should learn to master.

The People
I haven’t had the chance to meet too many people outside of the Arcadia program yet but the ones that I have met are really nice. Yesterday I went to the open-air market and had no idea how to get there so I stopped to ask for directions. The man that was trying to explain to me the way with the little English that he knew was about two inches from walking me to it just because he wanted to help. There is definitely a language barrier but they try hard and so do I. The people in the program have been really nice so far. I’m not sure how long that will last because it doesn’t usually last long with anyone. They are kids from all over the states. We have one guy from California and he reminds me of a mixture of Jesse and Brody from the Hills as far as looks go but he dresses like Jeff and Matt and his personality is of Jeff and maybe a little Brandon. He’s really chill. There is also a really crazy guy who is from a town outside of Denver and he is so loud but it’s nice knowing that I’m not the only one. He kind of reminds me of a male Lauren. There is a girl here that reminds me of Emily and she’s from Mizzou, really nice. And about 20 other people that are really cool, down to earth people. They all enjoy partying and that makes everything interesting.

The Sites
I never in my life would have thought that I would get off a subway to be greeted by the Coliseum. It’s extremely breath taking. I haven’t had the chance to go inside any of the building that I have been admiring for the last week but I have it all on my list of things to do when I’m not in class. So far I’ve just been adjusting and walking around trying to get grounded. It wont take me long to figure my way around and I’m excited to go on tours and find things and get lost. Getting lost has been one of the best things for me in terms of finding new places and having a better feel for where I am.


Un po’di vino
One the third night that we were here we went to this place called spirito di vino. It was this amazing restaurant and the chef happens to be a noble prize winner for something amazing. The building that the restaurant is in happens to be the oldest Jewish center for worship or something. I don’t know. But its really old. Older, actually, than the coliseum, I believe. It was amazing.

Tivoli
Our first trip was to a small town just to the East of Rome called Tivoli (google it). I’m sending the pictures I took home to my mom and she will have them if you are interested in seeing them. Also, if you are on facebook, I will be adding them in the near future. We went to a place called Villa d’Este. It was the villa of a man who was once Cardinal in the 16th Century. He ran for Pope and lost so his gift was a villa. It took 20 years to build it and its spectacular.


This was the city scape. Pretty amazing, I know.


This was one of the many fountains in the villa. There was gold paint used to detail some of the figures.


This is the view off of one of the balconies. To imagine that some 400 years ago there was a Cardinal that may have stood in that same spot admiring his view.

Shopping
Yesterday Nicole and I went to the open-air market and I have found the new love of my life. Every Sunday they open up a market and you can shop for hella cheap. It was fantastico. I got a new pair of shoes (which might be a smige too small so I’ll be pawning those off to one of you) and a new purse for just 13€. I know, really cheap. I will be going there every Sunday on a hunt for a silver bag and some black boots. Everyone wears boots here and I’m trying my hardest to fit in with the locals.

Classes
I only have class 4 days a week but the length of our classes are massive. We have Italian every day, Monday through Thursday, from 9am to 11am and our other classes follow right after that and they last for 3 hours. Most of my classes are on location so we go out into Rome and take pictures or tour the Vatican. It’s going to be stupendous.

Money
It’s crazy how going to another country puts your money intro perspective. When I was in Columbia $20 would last me about a week. Here that would last me maybe two days. Its very overwhelming. And they ask us to pay for so many things everyday. Today I have to pay 60€ just to have permission to stay in this country. Its crazy. I will make due like I always have but here I have to try a little harder and I definitely have to choose whether I want to eat at a restaurant or go to another city for the night. This is without a doubt teaching me to prioritize and better allocate my money.

Family
Being here certainly makes me think of my family. I miss you all so very much but, surprisingly enough, I am not homesick. I wish there was a way for you all to be here or at least come visit me. Italy is a place that has the power to take everything away and give it all back. It’s almost like being with Nana. You all know how she can hold you and make you feel like there are no worries in the world. Italy has that same power. I pray that you all make it here at least once.