ciao roma

I've decided to make this blogging thing a Sunday activity, so fingers crossed, I'll be updating once a week.

Before I start going on and on and on about my oh so boring life in Italy, here's a video for your entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJNFoHuLno. They are not exaggerating, it's all true, especially one part that will be pointed out in Day 12.

Alora. Let's see, let's see. Ah, Day 10.

GIORNO 10: Woke up bright and early to meet two of my professors, Emilio and Fiona, at the train station. As part of orientation, all of us went to Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome. The place is HUGE! We spent several hours, and I think we only covered half of the area. It was amazing to see all the ruins, especially the mosaics and statues. They have a museum on the grounds that houses beautiful, beautiful, beautiful statues. The amount of talent and craftsmenship these people had...wow! I still find it absolutely amazing that these things have withstood the test of time, and I am so grateful they have been preserved for us to see today.

Standing on the remains of an ancient column

Ostia Antica

GIORNO 11: Woke up bright and early once again (for those of you who know me well, this is a rare occurance and should probably be documented so everyone will believe me) to be at the Post Office on the other side of town by 8am to send our Permesso Sogiornos. None of us looked very pretty after such a long day the day before. We were given numbers upon our arrival, so the earlier you got there, the better. My roommates and I got there ten till, and we managed to pull numbers 12, 13, and 14. Not too bad out of 40. One by one, we were called up to the desk. "Sign this, sign that, pay us money", etc. By the time I went through, we had been there for about an hour and a half. I felt so sorry for the people at the end of the line. Not a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. But, now I am officially allowed to stay in Italy for the next several months as well as travel throughout the European Union without problems. Yay!!

After a quick nap, my roommates and I headed out to Castel Sant'Angelo...well, kind of. Let me clarify...One of my roommates and I had planned the week before to visit Castel Sant'Angelo and the Vatican this day. My other roommate decided to tag along, so she could hit up a few stores on the way. Well, that's all we ended up doing. Store...store...store...store...store...store...I think we went to at least 20 stores. I just wanted to hit my head against the wall cause I really wanted to go to the castle. But, I did find some boots...that was my goal in Italy...bring back boots. hahahaha. Inbetween all the shopping, we went to the Pantheon (I think this is the 4th time now...). There's a McDonald's there that we were dying to eat at. Yes, dying. We needed some American food. So, there we are, in front of one of the most renowned Roman buildings, eating chicken nuggets. hahahaha. ai ai ai. Luckily, I brought my professional camera with me and was able to take a few more shots of the Pantheon. That's my plan with all my photos: take the digital on the first visit, take all the photos I want, and then go back again with the nice camera to take the artsy ones. Anywayyyy...we were going through more stores up by Piazza Venezia, and I couldn't take it anymore. I told my roommates that after they were done shopping to come find me at Piazza Venezia. So, I went by myself to take more pictures of the Vittorio Emanuelle monument. I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. During all this waiting, there was a wedding photoshoot that I got to watch. Pretty cool. Finally, I saw my roommates, who were freaking out cause they couldn't find me. Somehow Piazza Venezia didn't click.

Vittorio Emanuelle Monument

GIORNO 12: Day 12, Day 12. How I loathe thee, Day 12. The night before, I looked up an alternative route to church so 1, I didn't have to walk and 2, so I didn't have to have someone pick me up at the train station. Bus 125 would take me to another bus which would take me straight there. Well, Bus 125, I'm not very happy with you. Bus 125 is too nice of a name. From this point on, Bus 125 will be referred to as Bus of Evil. I made it a point to be at the stop, which is just around the corner, at 7:45, so I could make it to the next bus in time. As I start walking, there goes Bus of Evil...5 minutes early. Okay, not a big deal, another one will be there in 10 minutes. Half an hour later, Bus of Evil comes again. And what does it do? Drives right on by!!! Even though I'm standing right there!!!!!! Aghhhhh! At that point, I throw up my hands, "ZUT ALORS!!!" At this point, if I found another way to get to church, it would put me there way, way late. So, I went back home, fuming. I felt completely awful. Missing church is a big no-no in my book, and I needed to go and feel some relief. BUS OF EVIL: FRIENDSHIP REVOKED!!!!! Sooooooooooo not happy with you, Bus of Evil.

Alora. The rest of the day was filled with reading the scriptures, napping, and reading Undaunted. (A very good read, I might add.)

GIORNO 13: First day of schoooooooooool. LOVED IT! On Mondays, I have a 6 hour studio compromised of my fashion class and illustration class. Antonella, my professor, is great! All the professors here are everything I've hoped for and more. There's a difference between teachers who know about the subject, and the teachers who live, breathe, experience and love what they teach. They are so passionate about their fields and all are very successful. I'm most excited about my fashion/illustration class. I believe Antonella has the ability to push me to the next level, transform me into what I am going to be as a designer.

Us fashion girls are downright spoiled. haha. We have our own studio that's fully equipped with a CAD Lab where we each have our own computer as well as gigantic desks for each of us. I'll have to take pictures sometime. It's really neat. The architecture students are mighty jealous. Mwahaha. I chose the desk in front of the window that way I could have a lovely view, lots of sunshine, and warmth when the winter comes in.

During our break, my roommates and I went up the street for lunch. There I had my first Italian lasagna...and...well...honestly, I like my mom's a lot better. hahaha.

The half hour commute isn't as bad as I thought. It goes by really fast since we walk through some beautiful parts of the city. But at the end of the day, I am exhausted.

GIORNO 14: On Tuesdays, I have my Living in Rome class. I was fully expecting it to be a 3 hour lecture. But, as it turns out, we pretty much just go to museums, villas, etc. And the professor, Emilio, is hilarious. He knows his stuff and loves to share his knowledge in a fun and exciting way. This day, we went to the Museo Capitolini where we saw several ancient artifacts like statues, temple ruins, portraits, etc, etc. AMAZING!!! It's incredible to finally see the actual objects I've learned about in my art history classes. For example, the giant head of Constantine. Yep, that's there. And the statue of the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus (the symbol of Rome...quite an interesting story...look it up...do it.) Oh, and with the giant head of Constantine is his giant foot. No one can ever EVER say again that I have big feet. Just look at the size of that thing!

Constantine's big foot...Brittany's small feet

GIORNO 15: Wednesdays are by far my longest days. I go from 9am to 6pm. From 9-3, I have my fashion studio again. I'm already improving signifcantly in my drawing skills. Antonella has been able to point out the tiny things that are wrong in my drawings and already, I'm seeing a huge improvement. Before, my professors have looked at my work and thought it was good enough, didn't need any changing. It's so nice to have someone take me to the next level. Right now, since I've worked out the kinks, she's having me focus on doing fluid strokes instead of focusing on every little curve and angle. That way the figures will look more dynamic and will give them more movement. They are definitely starting to look more professional. And to think this was done, in what? two days? I can't wait to see how much improvement there will be after 4 months!

We are also working on trend boards for the fall/winter 2011/2012 seasons. Something I'm not used to, and trend forecasting has alsways been somewhat frightening to me...haha. But, I'm enjoying all the research. So far, Antonella likes my ideas and has approved them. Sigh of relief.

After fashion, I have Italian Design. It's very interesting. The professor is a little hard to understand and the class doesn't feel very structured (being me, that makes me sooooo uncomfortable), but I know I will learn a lot of cool things. We spent probably half and hour talking about the evolutionary design of Ferrari's. I was fully awake for that part. haha

GIORNO 16: Thursday I have Empires of the Mediterranean. VERY interesting, especially since I'm a history geek. I love it so much!! We started talking about the the rise and fall of the Venetian Empire.

By Thursday night, I was starting to feel homesick, Americasick. I'm just glad I have projects already assigned to keep my mind busy.

GIORNO 17: Homesickness worse. I ended up reading my book again and then did my homework. Too disoriented to do anything else. :/

GIORNO 18: After a sad Friday, I decided the best thing to do is get out there and do something instead of staying at home sulking. Waking up early (I know, right? It's a miracle!), I headed off to Castel Sant'Angelo by myself. I don't know why Castel Sant'Angelo means so much to me. But it gives me nostalgia. I think it's because I always used it in my papers and conversations in Italian class. Needless to say, actually being there, walking on the walls, climbing to the top, made me feel a whole lot better. Oh my gosh!!!!! The castle is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The view at to the top is absolutely splendid, breathtaking. You can see EVERYTHING. Words cannot describe it! I'm so glad I got enough courage to get out of bed. haha. And it was really nice to go by myself and not listen to everyone complain (they like to do that) about how boring it is. I could enjoy it for myself, really take in what I was seeing and experiencing, and take as many pictures as I wanted. I'm really happy with the pics I got from this trip. No one there to rush me, and I could go off wherever I wanted. Which I did. haha. Somehow I ended up at the edge of the Tiber River taking pictures. I was planning on going to the Vatican as well, but the line looked really long and it was getting really humid. I'll have to go some other time and maybe reserve a ticket online.

Castel Sant'Angelo

On the defensive wall

View from the terrace

Angelo

Fiume Tevere con Ponte Sant'Angelo

More river pics

GIORNO 19: Due to last week's dilemma with Bus of Evil, I checked, rechecked, and triple checked the new bus I was to take. I found one that is much more central and is a major line, so with fingers crossed, I set off for church. To get to the "fermata" (bus stop), I had to take the tram...my favorite. haha. When I got to the stop, I was soooo nervous. It was supposed to be there at 8:20. As 8:20 got closer and closer, I was starting to freak out a little. Then 8:20 came and went. I flipped out on the inside. What? How could this be? ajkhflaksjdralkdsjfhlasdkjh. So, I just prayed and prayed that the bus would come. After missing last week, I just had to go to church. I just had to. I needed to be there to feel the Spirit. I needed some refuge from the world. And, the great thing about the church is that no matter where you are in the world, no matter what language you speak, you have friends, you have people who care about you, and you have people who are there to support you. After all the homesickness I was having, I needed to feel that. 8:30 came, and guess what?!? Bus 190F pulled up!!!!!!! From here on, Bus 190F will be referred to as the BUS OF AWESOMENESS! Almost crying with gratitude, I rode the Bus of Awesomeness to church. Upon entering, guess what they asked me to do? People in my Philly branch are just going to laugh. "Brittany, can you play the piano for us?" Those were the greatest words anyone could've said to me. Playing the piano is my comfort, and being able to play there made it feel like home.

This Sunday, I tried to go without translators. I figure the best way to learn is to force myself to listen carefully instead of relying on others. I was able to understand about half. haha. But, I didn't need the words. I could feel that warm, fuzzy feeling, and I knew that what they were saying was true. It really was quite a remarkable experience.

Well, one of the adults figured out that I wasn't married...hahaha. For those of you who don't know, I'm wearing an engagement ring. hahaha. In our study abroad pre-departure packet, it talked about wearing a ring to ward off potential stalkers. How he figured it out, I haven't a clue. Maybe I don't look madly in love or something. So, he took me to the YSA class where I found out that after my complaining of being the only YSA, I was wrong. Boy, was I wrong. There are about 15 of them! And, to my advantage, one of them served his mission in Scotland, so he was able to talk with me. Although, I guess he was just visiting. I think. I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out next week. For the lesson, he asked if I wanted him to translate. Wellllllll...he was cute, so I was going to let my "no translator" rule slide this once. kkkkkkk. Just this once. And if he happens to be there next week, okay, maybe just twice. But that's it. No more.

Sacrament Meeting was great. No translator help this time, but again, I was able to understand about half. I think it will just take time to pick out the words...people talk so fast!!! Today, a woman who sat next to me, asked me a question. I think she was asking if this was my first week, to which I replied, no, two weeks ago. Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if she was asking where I was last week. haha. I have no idea. All I heard was "settimana." Before I could even think, I just blurted out "due settimane scorsa." Ooops. She didn't have a completely puzzled look on her face, so maybe I did get it right. Oh well. We can only learn through our mistakes.

Rode Bus of Awesomeness home, took a nap, and here I am, writing. Finally to the present! Oh wait! How could I forget? This has to be my proudest moment! The mark of a true Italian woman is that she can walk in stilettos on the cobblestone streets. When I first arrived, and saw the huge gaps between the stones and how eneven the streets were, there was nooooo way I would even try. But, today, I decided to just try and wear my heels (okay, they weren't stilettos, but close enough) as I walked to the tram and bus. It wasn't too far, so I didn't think "walking" shoes were necessary. Ladies and gentlemen, I, Brittany West, klutz of the century, walked in 4 inch heels on Roman cobblestone. And, on my transfer from the bus to the tram on my way home, I had to run to catch it. Not only did I walk in 4 inch heels on Roman cobblestone, I ran, yes, ran in 4 inch heels on Roman cobblestone. Do I feel accomplished? You bet!

This afternoon, it rained. I just stood by my window and watched, felt, heard, smelled the rain. It was beautiful. I think that has been my favorite part so far. Weird, I know. But to just sit there quietly, watching the rain come down on the cobblestone streets...it's quite a remarkable feeling.