After just one night to catch up with the 9 hour jet lag that was plaguing me, Rome was calling. Walking down the massively long stairway to the street was still as overwhelming as the night before. Once outside, the sunshine was something else -- January, and 58F (~15C)! The first thing I noticed was how busy the street was -- the same traffic I saw the night before was ever-present. The second thing I took note of was how fantastic everyone dressed. I was thrilled I brought my "nice" clothes and only one pair of sweatpants... The last thing I noticed were the narrow cobblestone alleyways, which were no match for the buses and mopeds that sped through, disregarding all obvious signs of perhaps slowing down a little or using caution. Memo to self: Italians are busy, beautiful, and bold.
Our walk to school is only one turn -- left when you get to the river. We all couldn't help but guess where all the alleys were leading and if we could take shortcuts. We finally got to campus for Orientation, and stood in the many lines that starting forming of anxious students: breakfast for croissants and cafe, pickup for our free cellphones, the photocopier for the unprepared people who forgot to read the 15 emails they sent us stating that we needed copies of our passports, visas etc, the computer lab to use the internet to email mom and dad, and many other lines I'm forgetting now. I lucked out. I was first in my most of the lines and didn't have time to get irritated. That was a definite plus.
We went out to dinner the first night, with the girls that live downstairs from me on the third floor. We ordered a bottle of Chianti, and marveled at how incredible real Italian food is. Our waiter spoke English, but I decided to kick off my lack of Italian understanding and attempt to learn how to order in Italian. "Vorrei una botellia di vino rossi, il Chianti Classico, per favore." I figured, when in doubt, wine can always help the rough accent and poor grammar, so at the bare minimum I should know how to order it...
For the next two days, my roommates and I made the trek to Orientation, listening to the talks about safety in Rome and looking both ways (...NO KIDDING!?), Italian men and how they are pretty much "safe stalkers" (whatever that means), the sites, the shopping, and all the rules about our housing arrangements. Once the agenda was finally ticked off, we finally got to explore Roma.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Intro to Roma: Travel Karma, Traffic, and Roommates
After a direct flight to Frankfurt from Vancouver and an easy connection on to Rome, I made it to the Eternal city with the best travel karma I had yet to experience in my years of travel. Both my 50lb bags arrived, I was greeted by a John Cabot representative, and the adventure of my last semester of college was up and running...
I was funneled to the JCU meeting place in the Hilton Airport hotel, and sat patiently for my housing shuttle to take me to my apartment. My shuttle was the last to come. I sat with five other study abroad students, all from the States, and was so ready to get this vacation...errr...semester going. Little did I know that I was barely going to make it alive to my apartment. The speed limits are clearly more like guidelines here in Rome - I quickly found that out. The lane markings are also just for effect. As hundreds of mopeds and SmartCars channelled their way past our van in any opening possible, I said a quick prayer to the Big Guy for their safety, and mine in the speeding wobbling van.
I finally made it to my apartment building at Viale di Trastevere 114, in the Trastevere neighbourhood to the west of the Tiber River, just south of the Vatican. In the dark, I couldn't see much. The hike up the four flights of stairs to my apartment was slightly overwhelming after a day of travel, but my roommates greeted me with huge smiles and a very loud welcome. It was sure to be a fun semester with my roommates all meeting me with glasses of wine in hand ready to share.
My five roommates -- Laura, Madison, Annie, Natalie, and Mary Anne -- are all very different. Laura, from Charlotte, NC is a double major in French and Photography at American University, and is addicted to her guidebook and her maps. Madison, from Michigan, is a Graphic Design major at Michigan State U. and plays softball on their D1 team. Natalie, from Michigan as well but originally from Macedonia, also goes to State, and is an English major that naps like it's her job. Mary Anne is from Hershey, PA and she studies at American with Laura. Her boyfriend is here studying at John Cabot too. Finally, Annie is from Ohio, and studies Sports Management and Marketing at Dayton College. Annie and I share a room together. We all get along great. "Family meal" has already been arranged for every Sunday, and we all plan on exploring the Eternal city together.
I was funneled to the JCU meeting place in the Hilton Airport hotel, and sat patiently for my housing shuttle to take me to my apartment. My shuttle was the last to come. I sat with five other study abroad students, all from the States, and was so ready to get this vacation...errr...semester going. Little did I know that I was barely going to make it alive to my apartment. The speed limits are clearly more like guidelines here in Rome - I quickly found that out. The lane markings are also just for effect. As hundreds of mopeds and SmartCars channelled their way past our van in any opening possible, I said a quick prayer to the Big Guy for their safety, and mine in the speeding wobbling van.
I finally made it to my apartment building at Viale di Trastevere 114, in the Trastevere neighbourhood to the west of the Tiber River, just south of the Vatican. In the dark, I couldn't see much. The hike up the four flights of stairs to my apartment was slightly overwhelming after a day of travel, but my roommates greeted me with huge smiles and a very loud welcome. It was sure to be a fun semester with my roommates all meeting me with glasses of wine in hand ready to share.
My five roommates -- Laura, Madison, Annie, Natalie, and Mary Anne -- are all very different. Laura, from Charlotte, NC is a double major in French and Photography at American University, and is addicted to her guidebook and her maps. Madison, from Michigan, is a Graphic Design major at Michigan State U. and plays softball on their D1 team. Natalie, from Michigan as well but originally from Macedonia, also goes to State, and is an English major that naps like it's her job. Mary Anne is from Hershey, PA and she studies at American with Laura. Her boyfriend is here studying at John Cabot too. Finally, Annie is from Ohio, and studies Sports Management and Marketing at Dayton College. Annie and I share a room together. We all get along great. "Family meal" has already been arranged for every Sunday, and we all plan on exploring the Eternal city together.
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