When in Rome: Do as the Romans Do

I know I have been talking about my trips and everything going on over here, but I figured this would be a great time to talk about the most important city of them all: Rome! There are so many different perceptions of this old quaint city, and let me tell you, they are NOTHING like what I thought. 

When I use to dream about living in la città di Roma I would always compare it to the movies. Drinking coffee while taking in the quiet Italian lifestyle was something I had always wanted to do. But if you think that’s going to happen in Rome, think again! Rome is actually a big, loud, eventful city. If there aren’t any protests, the packed trams, late buses, and many cafes lining the streets are more of an accurate depiction. 

Rome is obviously known for many famous landmarks, such as the Colosseum, the Forums, the ruins, the Vatican, and many more, but what people do not know is that that is only one small section of the city. Rome is split up into many different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is different depending on where you live. I was fortunate enough to live along Quattro Venti in the Trastevere neighborhood. My neighborhood is about a 20 minute walk to school and a 10 minute walk to public transportation. There are many different pizzerias, cafes, and fruit stands lining the streets. The locals in our area have been nothing but welcoming and nice. Whether it be Patrizio and Guiseppe at the coffee shop or Mohammad at the fruit stand, they have been more than happy to lend a helping hand. 

My apartment consists of two rooms, a bathroom, a living room, a washer, and a kitchen. It is quite roomy despite the many drying racks lining our hallways. That is one thing that I miss more than anything is a dryer! I am living with another girl from Central named Sarah, and then we live with two girls from Maryland named Kalkidan and Sapna. We have been more than fortunate because we all clicked instantly. Right across the street, there is another group of girls, mostly from Maryland, who we hang out with quite a bit. Other friends of ours come from different places such as California, Maryland, Germany, Egypt, Italy, France, England, and many more!

Being in class with people from all around the world is probably one of the coolest experiences ever. Everyone has such a different grasp on concepts that it’s interesting to hear how different people/cultures interact to different situations. For example, I am currently taking a documentary production workshop class. My teacher is from the Netherlands, and she worked for the Dutch Documentary network for many years. Learning about her filming technique and comparing it to my own can only benefit me in the future. 

It seriously saddens me to know that I have already been here for a month. Studying abroad has been the best decision I have ever made! People say that time flies when you’re having fun, and I couldn’t agree more. Ciao for now!

Happy Carnevale!

This week was a bit of a drag. Last weekend we were in Zurich, and it was only four days until we were off to our next weekend trip: Venezia! Halfway through the week though, I had to make my first trip to the doctors. I had gotten a pretty bad cold a few weeks ago, and it was not getting better. I was getting worried that the cough and cold I had was going to get worse and possibly turn into Bronchitis. After a week of work and feeling a bit under the weather, Friday hit and we were ready to go. 

Our day started by having to wake up around 5am to get ready. We then all took a cab to Roma Termini train station (that to our disbelief was surprisingly close to Piazza Venezia). We took our three hour train ride which we pretty much slept through. When arriving in Venice we were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. We grabbed some lunch, and then got lost finding our hotel. Now, Venice is definitely not the easiest place to navigate around, but after three days, we finally got the hang of it. After a day of wandering around shopping, trying new things, finding our dream masks, and grabbing some drinks it was time to call it night! 

The next day, we woke up extra early so we could make it to Murano. Murano is one of the islands off of Venice which is known for it's glass blowing factories. The weather on the second day was MISERABLE. It rained pretty much the whole day, and it was super cold. I understand that it was NOTHING close to how the weather is at home, but once you get use to Rome, it was cold. We toured a glass factory, wandered around Murano, and bought some souvenirs. Finally, we decided it was time to head back to the main land for some lunch and Carnevale festivities. After a delicious but expensive meal, my friends and I made our way back to the hotel to change and get ready for the night. We did not have a solid plan of what we were going to do, so we got our masks and headed out towards San Marco's Piazza. Luckily, we found a HUGE Carnevale dance celebration in Piazzale Rielto. It was one of the most exciting things I have ever seen, and I couldn't have been happier to be apart of it! 

After a long night of dancing and hanging with friends, waking up the next day to make our train was not the easiest. We made our way back to the train station, and now we're back in Rome for another four days until our weekend trip to Tuscano! 

 

Willkommen in Zürich

After almost a week of not writing I feel like it would be a great time to fill everyone in. Rome has been absolutely amazing. As another day passes I could not be more blessed for the opportunity of studying abroad. I've made some great friends and had some awesome experiences. The biggest things that have happened since writing last were probably my birthday and first weekend trip of the semester! 

First off, having your birthday abroad is such a crazy occurrence. I was a bit hesitant having my birthday away from home because I felt like no one would really want to celebrate. But I was wrong! My roommates surprised me with a cake and an unforgettable night out!  It started off with my roommates, neighbors, and I going to an Appertivo and ended with a night out on the town with some other friends. Turning 21 is a big deal in itself, but being able to turn 21 in Rome is something I will never forget!

After a long week of classes, two of my roommates and I headed to Zurich, Switzerland for a concert! Our weekend trip started off with an early morning wake up call of 5:30am. After taking the train to the airport we waited excitedly until our flight arrived. After an hour and half flight we finally know we are near our destination because of the breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps. 

Upon arriving in Switzerland, we had the hardest time understanding ANYTHING because of the language barrier. The positive thing is that everyone speaks English, but navigating our way through the city was a whole new obstacle! After checking into our hotel we headed downtown to grab dinner before our show. Now, we didn't know this before, but Switzerland is SO EXPENSIVE. An example: a drink at Starbucks was about 9 Franks, and a typical sized meal ranged between 50-70 Franks. And if you don't know one Frank is equivalent to about $1.12 American. After dinner we headed to the concert, and had one of the best nights so far!!! We got to listen to music and hang out with some of our favorite artists. It was definitely a great birthday gift! 

 

Day two we decided to just wander around, and see where the day takes us. Definitely should not have done that because it took us to the popular Swiss Chocolatier called Sprungli. Let's just say that we will be living on delectable sweets for the next few weeks! 

Tomorrow is our last day, and so far all we have planned is trying a traditional fondue lunch. After lunch, we are going to climb a mountain for a well-known and beautiful view of the city. Our flight leaves around 8pm which gives us one last day!  I couldn't have asked for a better first trip. Now time to get back to Rome until next weekend, Carnivale in Venice!!! 

A Nice Time to Check In

When moving to a new country, it definitely takes some getting use to. But under these circumstances, I think I have adjusted well. I finally can navigate around with knowledge of where I am actually going, and I know how to use the Tram/Bus systems! But then again, that's only in my area…Rome is HUGE! Classes have been going well, in fact, this weekend, I get to go to an international documentary film festival! Other than classes and crappy weather, I got a cold due to the constant changing weather and rain! :(

Aside from feeling off, my roommates and I have been booking all of our trips for the semester. We will be going to Zurich, Tuscany, Florence, Pompeii, Vesuvius, Sorrento, Capri , Assisi, Venice, Paris, Munich, Barcelona, and London! It's a bit of a blow for our bank accounts, but a $100 flight is always better than $1,000 dollar flight. My semester is booked, but I know that with all the excitement it will go by fast which is a scary thought.

Tonight, my roommates and I are going to take our friend Michelle to our favorite pizzeria in Trastevere! After, we decided it is finally time to check out the different bars, pubs, and gelaterias in the Trastevere area. I mean seriously, what is better than gelato for after dinner? NOTHING! Oh, and on an exciting note, my 21st birthday is Tuesday, so I am looking forward to that as well!

 It's a shorter blog this time because I feel like we haven't done as much because of the rainy weather. The locals say that it will clear up by the end of the month, so fingers crossed! And plus, once the trips start happening, I'll be sure to write more!

So Then What?

So after an eventful few first days in Rome you would think it's time to relax, but no! You guessed it, time for classes to start. Because of the long walk to school we had to wake up early, but The American University of Rome puts on trips to different places, so we left even earlier to ensure we got spots on the trips at the sign up. We signed up for a weekend trip to Tuscany, a weekend trip to the Amalfi Coast, and a day trip to Assisi. Also, we signed up for a cooking class with Italian Chef Andrea Consoli. 

My first class I attended was the Intro to Italian course, which makes sense because I'm studying in Italy. My teacher speaks absolutely NO english. It's strictly Italian, so that's interesting.. Also that day I am taking a TV/Film Industry class as well as a Consumer Behavior class. After a long exhausting day of classes, my roommate Sarah and I went to the Appertivo that our school was taking students to. An Appertivo is usually located at a bar, and it's more of a pre-dinner tradition. You buy a drink and you get unlimited appetizers that they offer. That was fun to experience and it was located in an area we were not familiar with. 

On Tuesday/Thursdays I am taking a Documentary class, which is going to be awesome because we will have to shoot a 7-15 minute documentary in the city as a final project. After a short day of classes, Sarah and I had to travel all the way downtown to Piazza Venezia in order to exchange our money. We decided since we were already there we would just shop around and get lunch. After a few hours of venturing downtown, we headed back, and I got ready for my cooking class. The cooking class was amazing! We made a four course meal within a few hours. Our meal consisted of homemade pasta (hand rolled noodles and all), chicken, potatoes, and homemade tiramisu. My first week has been a ton of fun, and to kick off to our first weekend, our school is putting a Welcome Back/Kickoff party tonight! 

Here's to new friends, memories, and experiences. Cheers!

Lost? AGAIN?

So I'm sure as you can tell, adjusting to a new country is not the easiest thing. Especially when you want to do EVERYTHING the first few days with jet lag. Well, I was fortunate enough because our school plans little events and day trips we can participate in so we do not have to go alone. The first weekend was mostly adjusting, which was nice because it got my neighbors and I a fun day down to Villa Corso, which is a very busy area leading to the Trevi Fountain. After seeing the Trevi Fountain, we got some Gelato and headed home, simplistic fun.

The next day was the free day trip to the Vatican. I thought that would be such an interesting day trip especially since the Pope was speaking. My friends and I woke up extra early to be sure we were at school in time to walk with everyone. We finally get there after waiting in line, and we all decided to start in the Vatican Museum. Me being into photography and all, I was taking pictures and walking around until I realized I lost my WHOLE group, roommates included. Now mind you, most of our phone situations are strictly wifi enabled only, so that was not an option. I frantically looked around and nothing; until finally I found a kid from our school. We looked together, but could not find anyone. So we decided to go see the Pope. Seeing the Pope was such an amazing experience. St. Peter's Square was jam packed with adoring fans. After we saw the Pope, the other kid decided he's going to go home (which is nice and all, but we lived nothing near close to each other). So I decided to go to our schools meeting spot about 2 hours early, because what else was I suppose to do?  After waiting for an hour, I found three others who were about to leave. We all walked home together, and that was that. Getting lost in Rome must be my specialty.

As scary as it was to have lost everyone, it really gave me some time to look out and really take in the beauty of the Vatican. I wouldn't have changed anything if I had to do it all over again!

First Night in Roma

After a long two days of travel,  Sarah and I finally reach our temporary home for the next four months. When landing, we walked the airport to reach our luggage, and then it started! The language barrier hit like a brick wall. After a bit of searching, some Resgrads from the American University of Rome walked up to us and realized we were students. They helped us and finally took us to our apartment which is located on Villa Pamphili. While in the car looking out the window, I realized there was a TON of graffiti. One of the many things that us Americans do not perceive when thinking about Rome.

When arriving at our apartment, a lovely local named Francesco showed us to our apartment. We quickly met our new roommates that were just chilling in the kitchen having breakfast. Kalkidan and Sapna are from the University of Maryland, and they could not be any more nice! As we were unpacking, we realized how tired we already were, so we figured the best way to beat jet leg is to drink coffee! Wandering around our place, we found the diamond in the rough! A little cafe on Quatro Venti called Quattrobichiari. While sitting in the unique cafe/wine lounge, the two owners could not have been more friendly or helpful. Because of their generosity, that is our daily cafe stop. They teach us Italian as well as recommending different restaurants and other things to do.

After we finished unpacking and sipped our coffee, our school was holding a "Rome Walk" which is used to help get the other students more familiar with the area. Unfortunately, the weather was not the best that day, so they had to cut the tour short. The Resgrads took a group of us to the Colosseum and then told us to find our way back, but if we needed help, then ask! After getting directions, it was time to get some dinner. So my roommates and I decided to explore and get some dinner, which we found the most delicious pizzeria on Trastevere!

After dinner, it was time to head back home, but let's be real…WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE TO GO!  So we started walking the way we thought. We walked and walked and walked until we knew we were really lost. We started asking the locals where to go, and no one had any idea, not even the police. We finally ended up on a cliff overlooking the city of Rome. Totally breathtaking! After four hours of wandering and putting our new knowledge of Roma together, we made it home!