Bella Roma

Stepping off the airport into Rome I had no idea what I was in for. The flight over was long and I was running on about four hours of sleep in the last two days, but even with the sleep deprivation I don't think I had ever been so excited in my entire life. Once Maddie and I got our bags, we found our ISA (International Studies Abroad) advisors and met a few other students that had also arrived that day. They loaded us into the van with all our luggage, mine being one bag that weighed exactly 50 pounds and one back-pack (and yes I am very proud of my exactly 50 pound bag), and soon we were off! Now everyone I have ever talked to about Rome has told me to watch out for the crazy drivers. This I must disagree with. I do not think that Romans are crazy drivers, I think that they all have this secret communication with each other and everyone knows exactly what the next driver is going to do. It is insane how they can weave in and out of other cars and still notice the little old lady that is crossing the street at a pace a tad slower than a snail. The drive to our apartment was eye-opening to say the least.

My apartment is located just outside of 'downtown' Rome in a section called Trastevere. It kind of reminds me of where Grace's apartment was in Chicago except for that everyone speaks Italian. The apartment itself is very big, it has two bathrooms, three bedrooms, kitchen, living/dining room, and a big entry way. The only major differences from an American apartment to an Italian apartment is that there are no dryers (many Romans dry their clothes out on their balconies) and in the bathroom there is a bidet. There are six girls in my apartment, Brittany from Texas, Marissa from California, Leah from Wisconsin, Aly from Pennsylvania and then Maddie and I. They are all great girls and I am sure we will have many adventures to come.

On our first night in Rome ISA took us out to a Sicilian restaurant where I learned an important Italian lesson: there is more than one course served at dinner. When the waiters brought out the first plate everything looked and tasted amazing that everyone at our table ate it all. It wasn't until the second course was served that we realized we were in for a long night. At a usual Italian dinner there are two different dishes served (one dish can fill you up) and also a dessert to end with. Along with lots of wine, water, and Coca-Cola (Italians love their Coca-Cola) the only downfall with all of this is that there is never ice in the drinks :(

The next day we went on a bus tour of the heart of Rome, this is also where I fell in love with the city. We saw the Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and many more churches/fountains/historical sites. I am quite excited to start my Archeology of Rome class so I can learn all the history behind these things and know what I am looking at.

Throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain. 

gelato...yummy