La Città Bella

Okay, okay. I've been a slacker in the writing department. Does that surprise anyone? haha. Lots to write, so grab a snack and take a seat.

Roma Day 0: Well, waiting in the airport was definitely not fun. The anxiety just kept growing exponentially...I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack or throw up. And when they called my boarding zone, I almost threw up my heart. I've never had a problem with flying, heck, I fly several times a year. But, when I'm flying across the ocean, that's a whole different story. Luckily, I had a great book to read and fell asleep within a few hours and didn't wake up until we were flying over the Alps (a great view, I might add).

Roma Day 1: At the airport, we met Amy, the study abroad director. From there, we took a bus to our apartments located in the region Trastevere. Tras meaning over and Tevere, the name of the river...so over the river. The apartment I am in is absolutely beautiful...definitely more basic compared to American standards, but it's quite nice. The view we have from the windows is absolutely exquisite.

View from apartment

After settling into our apartments, we went to dinner at a local restaurant with the director of the school, Davide. Holy cow, the meals are huge here! There are 5 courses at least, and each serving is gigantic. I don't know how the people stay so thin! Being a good little girl, I just had salad (I think I need a round of applause...hahahaha) since I'm pretty much intolerant to all the food in Italy.

With stomachs full, all of us were too exhausted to explore anymore. I went back to the apartment to return emails, talk to my family, etc. However, upon doing so, I fried the adapter to my computer...now I have to wait to get a new one. :/

Roma Day 2: At 9 am, the group met Francesco, one of our professors. We took a walking tour of Trastevere just to get familiar with the area. I had my first Italian pizza at Dar Poeta, one of the best pizzerias in Rome as well as my first official Italian gelato. Mamma mia, delicioso!

View from the top of one of the seven "collinas" of Roma

After our walking tour, we took a bus/walking tour of center Rome. We were able to see the Pantheon, Vatican, Capitol, Victorio Emmanuale II memorial, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Fountain of Four Rivers, and the Trevi Fountain. There were several other places...I just don't remember all the names...

Vittorio Emmanuale II Memorial

Spanish Steps

Pantheon

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

Roma Day 3: Francesco took us to the school today. The walk over is about 30 minutes, a typical Italian commute. We go through several piazzas including Piazza Navona. The school itself is housed in Palazzo Taverna, a 13th century Italian palace. It is exquisite!!! The walls have beautiful frescoes and the studios are set up perfectly. I am so grateful to be working in such an inspiring place!

Piazza Navona

Roma Day 4: Saturday I decided to try and find the church, that way if I got lost, I would have time to figure out the correct way. And, of course, being me, I got lost. I ended up wandering around for an hour before I decided to go back to the apartment and relook up the directions on google maps. With the correct set of directions, I was able to successfully locate the church. It was an hour and a half walk to church, and an hour and a half walk back. Luckily, the walk was quite enjoyable and I stumbled upon a beautiful park full of ancient statues and a beatiful villa.

Ancient Statue

Roma Day 5: So today I woke up at 6:30 this morning (you guys didn't know it was possible, did you? hahaha) to go to church. I took the hour and a half walk...luckily it was fairly cool out. Although, I did get a few weird looks as I walked through the park in a dress. Once I got to church, the first person to greet me spoke English and pointed me to Relief Society where both the President and Second Counselor spoke English. I didn't even get to try...maybe that's for the better. I received several ciao's and buongiorno's. The second counselor, Harim, went ahead and sat next to me during Relief Society and Sunday School to translate. Then, in Sacrament Meeting, one of the elders who spoke English and saw my blonde hair from the back, came running over with a translation head set. It was such a weird feeling having everyone translate for me. Although, I could pick up the gist of what people were saying. The ward is fairly small...probably about 60-80 people...and I'm pretty sure I'm the only YSA there. Harim had me over for lunch. Then she took me to one of the hills that overlooks all of Rome so I could see everything. Absolutely stunning!!!!!!! After that, she decided to take me to the train station because after she found out how far I walked, she wouldn't allow me to walk anymore. And since I wasn't familiar with the train, she offered to come along with me. And man, am I glad she came. I would've gotten lost instantly. So, now she wants me to ride the train to the station nearest her house and then she will give me a ride to church from there. Definitely beats the walk. She would also like to take me places while I am here...she knows of a good pasticceria/gelateria that she wants to take me to.

Church Building

Roma Day 6, 7, 8, 9: Orientation week at school. We have also been taking tours in the morning of different areas of Rome. I've been able to see several churches, ancient ruins, etc. etc. etc. There is so much history here. I am so grateful that so many things have been restored so we can see them today. During orientation, we've been given lectures on the different regions of Italy: the food, traditions, etc. I am quite excited to go and see these places for myself. One night, one of my roommates and I decided to go to the top of the hill next to our apartment to see Rome at night with all the lights. It was incredible. Absolutely breathtaking to see all the monuments and churches and fountains lit up. Then on the way back down, we found a path that seriously looked straight out of a fairytale book. There are so many treasures in the nooks and crannys!

A local fountain at night

Now, I have been here for over a week and I am greatly enjoying my time here. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in such a magnificent place and be surrounded by so much history. My Italian is coming back quite quickly, a huge relief. When I speak Italian, people will respond in Italian instead of English, so that must be good. haha. Yeah, I'm starting to miss my friends and family and the comforts of home, but this will be an unforgettable learning experience for me. I can't wait for the adventures that lie ahead.