Okay, so how about the stuff we did yesterday...it was a very full day. I started it off by having breakfast at the Caffeterià Emo, which is a little snack bar pretty much directly downstairs. (It's located on a street called Via Angelo Emo, hence the name.) I tried Italian espresso (which is what you get if you order caffè--just a warning in case you come sometime) and it was sooo good. Very strong, though, even for my taste. But it did solve my caffeine headache, even though it was only a couple of teaspoons. :) The people at the caffè are very nice, and when I asked them the names of things in Italian (cornetto = croissant) they were very helpful and seemed to think it was charming or something. I actually just feel like an ignoramus in moments like that, but I guess they don't get much contact with confused foreigners, so they think it's cute or something. So anyway, after breakfast and some wandering around the neighborhood, my roomies (Courtney, Claudia, Nancy, Molly) and I decided to be adventurous and try to find the university and the restaurant we would be eating at that night. It took us about 2 hours total to find John Cabot...but that included getting lost 4 times and stopping for gelatto around 1:00. It was fun though, and here are some of the things we will pass every day on the way to school:
St. Peter's Square
Vatican Museum
We actually walk right through the middle of Vatican City (Città di Vaticano) every day to get down to Trastevere, where the school is. (By the way, sorry I haven't posted any of my own pics yet. This internet cafe doesn't have the connections for me to do that.) Rome is incredibly hard to get around in, actually. We had detailed maps and directions, and five brains, and we still got lost several times, as I mentioned. Rome doesn't have the street numbers \ alphabetical names system. The streets just seem to be named random things, and they change names all the time. For instance, the street the school is on is named Via della Lungara, until about a block past the school, where it magically switches names to Via de la Scala. Same street! Plus, none of the streets are really all that straight, so they might curve you around until you're going in completely the wrong direction. I was wondering how the Romans themselves find anything if they've never been to a certain store before or something, but I think they probably just get lost and wander around a while, too. Or ask directions. A good map is essential to getting around, but you're still going to get lost a few times. It's fun though.
Okay, so eventually we found John Cabot. I am trying to upload a pic of the entrance, but it's not working. Oh well. Suffice it to say that, from the outside at least, it looks like a little hole in the wall. I haven't seen the inside, but yeah, not exactly an imposing or impressive entrance lol. But in Rome, who has room for that? Later we found the restaurant for the welcome dinner that evening (La Fraschetta), which is right in the heart of the fun, yet rather touristy Trastevere quarter. Then we just killed time until dinner...
Dinner was an event, let me tell you. In Italy, a dinner out with friends is an entire evening's activity. We were there for four hours. And it was wonderful! There were about 20 of us (only 18 students came with Study Abroad Italy this semester), and we had appetizers and pizza and dessert, with wine of course, and an extremely strong (50 proof) lemon alcoholic drink at the end that all the students decided tasted like Thera-flu. Only Paul, from Georgia, seemed to enjoy it. It was a great meal (seriously, the best pizza I have ever eaten. Period. It was pizza con funghi e prosciutto, that is, with mushrooms and ham. Not Canadian bacon, but really big, thinly shaved pieces of this interestingly spiced and cured ham. Multo bene.) and a great time for everyone to meet each other and relax. It helps a lot with the whole culture-shock thing, when we know each other and can talk about our experiences.
So...then we walked back, and that took, oh, 20 minutes or half an hour. Lol it's a lot easier when you know your way! Rome is surprisingly well lit at night, and I loved how everyone was still out at 11:00 and midnight. Not just weirdos and young people, but everyone, sitting at tables outside, smoking, talking really loud (there's no other way here in Italy). It makes sense, of course: take advantage of the cool hours! So the five of us didn't feel like we were in danger walking home at that hour, even though we did have a few Italian guys whistling at us and trying to get us to stop and talk with them. "Ciao! Hello!" Whatever, guys. They're not threatening, just amusing.
Okay, so I need to get going. We have orientations today, so we need to get walking! I love all of you and I will try to update as much as possible!
Buona giornatta!
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