Ciao Bella!

Benvenuto a Roma! Welcome to the eternal city! I have been here just over two weeks and it already feels like I've lived here for months... What was once an overwhelming, bustling place has now become a rather cosy and comforting home. Rome is such a wonderful mixture of odd contradictions. It is both a big city, and a small town... It has one foot in the present, one foot in the past and is filled with vespas, priests, and yes, creepy italian men. Sometimes this experience seems surreal and I find myself asking "am I really living in ITALY!" "Veramente si", says the little voice in my head (which is quickly learning italian) and I realize how lucky I am. People say that studying abroad is a life-changing experience and I'm beginning to see why...

Let me start, though, at the beginning: 

1/14/09

Flying over the snow-capped mountains, I could hardly contain my excitement as I made my way over the alps to the Italian peninsula. One thing the American traveller will notice is that when you fly over Europe, the countryside looks quite different from the air. While American farms (and cities for that matter) are constructed on a strict grid, European property lines meander and form distinct interesting shapes, like puzzle pieces surrounding quaint little towns. In Munich, where I made my connection, the fog was thick and cast a gloomy but dignified gray around the city. I almost missed my flight for the airport was rather confusing, but I finally made my Lufthansa connection and was on my way. One thing I noticed as I listened to the conversations around me was that German is actually a rather pretty language. American films make it sound rather gutteral and harsh, when its actually a very fluid and soft language. Sitting next to two German men, I saw that the front page of their newspaper contained pictures of a recent football match and a topless woman in an advertisement- that's when I have to remind myself: "Erin, this is Europe. Nudity is normal". That's right, normale. 

The minute the plane cleared the alps all you could see were luscious, green, plentiful fields surrounding warm-colored towns and red-tile roofs. So different from the foggy, gray Germany, Italy has this warm, vibrant feel to it that manifests its self in the food, culture, fashion, and language of this small but beautiful country. Upon arrival, Accent put me in a cab towards my new home at the Residence Candia and on the ride I tried to practice by newly acquired phrases with the driver. Needless to say, your phrase books only get you so far and I had a rather tough time understanding him! I just nodded and said "si, va bene", as if I was absorbing everything he said, when truthfully I didn't have a clue. When we got a block away, I instantly recognized the church at the end of the block from the google maps I had seen. And, of course, you know you've officially arrived in Rome when the taxi cab driver asks you for your phone number so we can "mangiare una pizza qualche volta". Haha... 

I pulled by bags up to the window and was greeted by an elderly woman who in broken English told me where my room was. I crammed my two suitcases into this tiny little elevator and arrived at apartment 212. I walked in, the lights were off, and no one was home. When I walked into the triple that was to be my room, I saw signs that someone was unpacking. I knew at least one person had arrived and I was anxious to meet her! I dropped off my bags, send mom and dad and e-mail letting them  know I made it, then set out to explore my new neighborhood! I was so fascinated by the people, the noise, and the new language surrounding me! When I found the Vatican Wall, I followed it all the way to the Piazza di San Pietro and was floored by its magnificent beauty. It was then I realized the magnitude of my stay and how fortunate I was be living in, not just visiting, such an amazing place! 

I wandered back through the little street with gelato places, coffee bars, and "saldi" signs and got a little bit lost in the Prati neighborhood... It gave me a great chance to practice my italian though as I asked this nice old man where I could find "La Via Candia, 135B" and he fladly pointed me home. Once I got there, I started to unpack and find a place fo reverything in our tiny, little room. As I was unpacking, an adorable little Asian girl from UCSB walked in and introduced herself to me. "Hi, I'm Nicoe! Finally someone else is here!". We talked about ourselves a bit and she told me her boyfriend Brett was also in the program and I met him a bit later. We kept waiting for the rest of our roommates to arrive and eery time we heard a knock on the door, we thought it was one of them, but it was usually just Brett or his roommates. 

I finished unpacking and stayed up as late as I could, but at around 6:00, I was so tired, I just had to go to sleep. I woke up in Los Angeles and went to bed in Rome. To put it mildly, It had been quite an long day!

1/15/09

The next morning, I woke up very early, took a shower, figured out tried out the hairdryer and curler situation, and then went to find the nearest supermarket. The store around the corner called "Tuodi" has now become our favorite place because the food is so cheap and the quality is wonderful! We think groceries must be government subsidized here because there so inexpensive! This has prompted a lot of home-made meals and one of my goals for the program is to learn how to cook! My roommate Nicole is a great little chef and is teaching me all her secrets! Everything you get from "Tuodi", and Italy in general, is so fresh and delicious, putting the ingredients together almost always makes a great meal. In fact, almost everyone is impressed with the quality of our home-cooked meals and we often invite other Candia students over for dinner. I was also shocked to discover that wine is cheaper than water! No really, it's true. And its good wine too! I know I'm getting so spoiled with the food and wine here. I'll probably never be able to eat "american-italian" food again!

I bought my first legal bottle of wine, some yogurts (which are much thicker and not overly sweetened like they are in the states), and other essentials for the house. When I got back, I put away the groceries and a new face poked her head out from the front single. "Hi, I'm Arpy! Nice to meet you"! Arpy would become one of my best friends on the program and I seriously LOVE having her as a roommate! She explained how she got in while I was asleep and was still waiting for her luggage to arrive (unfortunately, we later found out this was because half the contents were being stolen). She's also from LA and is a senior at UC Irvine. We got to know each other a bit and soon thereafter, our final two roommates Jenna and Cynthia arrived from a long delay in London. Jenna is an absolute sweetheart from Santa Cruz who's originally from Vermont, and has lots of family in Sicily. She's just a really chill person and believes life is random, so you might as well go with the flow. Her Italian is really good and she helps me out with grammar all the time! Cynthia is from UC Berkely and is an Art History major there. I love going to museums with her because she's my little pocket-encyclopedia- telling me the significance of each painting and why everything we see is so monumental! We get to be nerdy together! Yay!

After they got situated, it was almost time to leave for orientation, so we all gathered our touristy, laminated maps, money-belts, umbrellas, and thick coats to head out towards school. We walk by the Vatican every day on our way to school but the first time we passed it, we stopped and took pictures of course! The walk has become so habitual, I started to take it for granted but every now and then I stop myself and remember to smell the roses. We have a gorgeous walk to school. 

Once we cross the tiber, we find ourselves amidst narrow, cobblestone streets in an older part of Rome. Our school is located in such a quintessential part of the city, just blocks from the Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It's on the third story of building that was built in the 1600's, originally built as a bank in the Piazza dell'Orologio. The best part is the Leonardo DaVinci school of language is right across the hall, where Elizabeth Gilbert studied in Eat, Pray, Love. 

So we arrived at the study center and took a quick tour. Its a beautiful school with a library, student center, computer lab, and rather nice classrooms. We were split into 4 groups and given a tour of the surrounding area, after which we filed into the "Teatro Orologio" for the initial presentation. 

The ACCENT director is named Stephen and I swear to god, he looks just like Tim Gunn in Project Runway! I was just waiting for him to purse his lips and say "this worries me" or "carry on", but instead, he proceeded to tell us all about the program and culture of Rome. Figures... 

We learned about transportation, the optional excursions, staying safe, study center hours, and general information about programs and services. They also gave us tips about blending in and avoiding pick-pockets. Somehow I don't think a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned California girl is really going to fit in here, but at least I won't wear flip flops or spaghetti straps. That's a start, right?

1/16/09

The next day we all headed back to the little theater in the Piazza dell'Orologio for our academic orientation where we met Julia, the director of the UC Center Rome. Unfortunately, this program is known for its academic rigor and we're going to have a lot of work this quarter. I'll just have to find a way to balance work with sightseeing, or try to do them both at once... Maybe reading in the Villa Borghese with some gelato? Sounds Nice. 

Julia's dog is named Mimi and follows her absolutely everywhere! In some ways they even resemble one another... I have a theory that they might actually be the same person, just manifested in different ways... Whatever the case, Mimi is always walking into our classes and all the students go crazy over her, petting her and competing for her attention. That dog's got a good life! 

After the meeting, we all had to take our Italian practice test which I, being a total nerd, studied for the night before. I was determined to make it into the advanced beginner class, no matter how hard I had to work. The Italian teacher that came in to read our comprehension section was named Nadia and she would turn out to be my teacher for the practicum. Later that night, we got the results and I was so upset to learn I had been placed in absolute beginner, despite all that studying! When I heard our neighbors were going out to Monte Testacio later that night, I figured I needed a chance to let off some steam!

We ended up taking the subway to the Pyramid station, but failed to get directions to the actual club from said location. That's what happens when you're traveling with a group of people, everyone thinks someone else has taken responsibility, so nothing gets done. Needless to say, we didn't end up finding the clubs despite lots of walking, but at least we learned which streets not to take and figured out the subway system. 

On our way back, we decided to try and find an irish pub we'd heard about near the Campo di Fiori, but again, got hopelessly lost once we got off the metro. We tried asking people for directions, but it was getting us nowhere. Finally we heard this noise in the distance and Kathy thought it was music, so we followed it assuming it would lead us to some sort of discolteca. As we got closer, I realized it wasn't music we were hearing- it was water! We turned the corner and lo and behold, there stood the Trevi Fountain! It was the most beautiful fountain I've ever seen and it looked even more stunning at night with all the lights and hardly any people. It was just breathtaking... Quite possibly the most immaculate and monumental piece of art I'd ever seen. We gathered our spare change right then and there, made our separate wishes, and tossed our coins into the fountain. Now, it is certain I will return to Rome... 

1/17/09

The next day we woke up bright and early for our guided tour of the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. We met professor Corrado at the Colosseum stop and she is one of the cutest history teachers I've ever met! She gets so excited about all the little things, but I guess that's easy to do when you live in an ancient city! We started at the form and saw the remains of the pagan temples, the house of the Vestal Virgins, and even the spot where Julius Ceasar himself was cremated! The colosseum was also spectacular and a true testament to the architecture and ingenuity of the Romans. Did you know they used to flood the colosseum and have naval battles there? True story! 

1/18/09

So after giving it some thought, I decide to write an e-mail to Julia requesting to be placed in a higher level of italian. I explain to her I'm able to communicate rather well with the italians I've encountered and am not an absolute beginner. Much to my surprise, she says she'd be happy to move me up a level and thinks since I took the initiative to ask, I'll do well and have the drive to succeed. I guess that old proverb is right, "ask and you shall receive"! 

1/19/09

Today was my first day of the Italian practicum and I totally loved my class! Nadia is so cool and I absolutely love her teaching style! She lets us play lots of games but also gives us enough grammar and structure to go along with it, its a good mix. Its not too difficult, but I feel adequately challenged and I'll be able to learn quicker in this class. Va bene, e mi piace molto. 

Later that night, we had our welcome dinner where Tim Gunn, excuse me, Stephen welcomed us and we had a great multi-course meal. I learned that when pasta is cooked to perfection, they call it "al dente" and that unlike American meals, salad is served after the meal to aid with digestion. I also tried REAL tiramisu for the first time and it blew me away! Its official, I'll never be able to eat Italian food in America, ever again. Haha... 

We also got to meet our awesome Italian landlord, Gianni Valdroni! He told us there would be a "little, super-big-party" to welcome us the following night. He invited some italian friends and, alas, I met my first creepy italian named Luca. I don't know if it was his completely shaved chest exposed through his open shirt or the fact that he was wearing more designer clothes than I was, but something about him was just a little too intense. I got text-messages from him for the next week asking if I'd go out with him... Futher, for every blonde in the room, there were at least 3 italian men surrounding them! Oh these Italians! 

1/20/09

Today was a historic day for America. At 12:00 Eastern Standard Time, Barack Obama was officially inaugurated as the new president of the United States. The whole study center buzzed with excitement, and after running some errands, my roommates and I all huddled around the TV to watch the only english channel we get, international CNN. I thought the ceremony was well done, but what I found more interesting were the displays of patriotism around the room. The very fact that we were all glued to the TV instead of out exploring some historic monument was evidence enough of our American pride. We were united in our feelings of slight homesickness but we also shared a sense of comeradery in a foreign country. It was a special opportunity to engage in the national pride we tend to downplay on the streets and it made us feel closer to home in some way. It was a special moment in America's history and how interesting it was to watch it from other side of the world.

1/21/09

I have spent the better part of this week searching for decent boots since, unlike california, it actually rains here! I nearly destroyed my suede boots on the way to our first orientation and my feet were soaked for the longest time. Its time to get serious Erin, you're not in Kansas anymore. Like many cities in europe, there are many street vendors selling boots all over the place and though they might not be the best quality, at least you can run them into the ground, let the cobblestones have their way with them, and then invest in another pair of 10 euro boots. My roommates and I have been window shopping this whole week and are getting a feel for the stores. While the Via Condotti is a bit out of our price range, the Via Del Corso has some great stores, including the legendary Zara where I eventually plan on doing a lot of shopping! Rome has government-mandated sales right now so every single store is having "i saldi"! Its basically a shopper's paradise and when Lindsay gets here, she's gonna go nuts! I bought a great red coat for only 20 euro and that's the main investment I've made so far... I'm sorry museums and monuments, we'll eventually get to you. City-wide sales only last for so long!

1/22/09

Here's a riddle: How many people can you fit into an 8-person-van? If you think the answer's obviously 8, you couldn't be more wrong! Here in Italy, things are a bit more flexible. How flexible you ask? Try cramming 21 people into an 8 person van! Add that to the fact that they drive like complete maniacs, and you've adequately described our journey to play soccer with our loveable old landlord, Gianni Valdroni! We had the most amazing time playing soccer but the ride over was a little ridiculous! Personally, I was sandwiched in the trunk with 2 other people and everyone else was crammed up to the roof! We plan on doing this every Wednesday, and I can't wait 'till the next partita di calcio! 

1/23/09

After a week of getting lost in the city, I finally found where the discoltecas have been hiding. The area south of Trastevere is called Monte Testaccio and, ironically enough, is right next to the Pyramid station where we got lost the night we stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain. All the clubs in Monte Testaccio don't even open until midnight and stay open 'till 5:00am and are filled with crazy italians and techno music! I went with about 10 of my classmates and we stopped at an "American Bar" beforehand and then proceeded to go to a club called "Coyote". It was a loud, raging party and they actually played a lot of techno-remixed American music, which is typical of many european countries. The funniest thing happened when my roommate Arpy, who has a steady boyfriend back in America, was trying to talk to an Italian she met. She pulled me aside and asked me to translate between them, and the conversation went as follows: 

Italian Guy: Tell her she's beautiful

Me: Arpy, he thinks you're beautiful

Arpy: Grazie

Italian Guy: How do you say, I'm interested? 

Me: Arpy, he says he's interested in you... 

Arpy: What?!

Me: Sorry, she has a boyfriend

Italian Guy: No, it isn't true! Non e vero! 

Me: Seriously, she has a boyfriend... Don't even try.

Italian Guy: Tell her I'm interested

Me: Again, She has a boyfriend... Basta!

Italian Guy: aleberopnfiaeneigneagpadgn... (something I don't understand)

Me: What? 

Italian Guy: alberopnfieaognaienogai... 

Me: Scuzami?

Italian Guy: (sighs...) OBAMA!

Arpy & I: OBAMA!

(we all laugh)

Italian Guy: How do you say, I'm interested?

(sigh)

I think that pretty much says it all... 

1/24/09

The next day we got an exclusive tour of the Vatican Gardens thanks to our landlord Gianni, who has a special connection there. We jokingly say "He's got a cousin for everything!" but I'm starting to believe its true! We were given 3 hours to explore and we saw some of the most beautiful sculptures, fountains, and flowers I've ever seen. By far the most amazing thing was the "spina di cristo" which is the actual plant with thorns that christ wore to his crucifixion. I also loved the water fountain with the mythical Sirens and the beautiful view of St. Peters basilica. 

At midnight, it was officially my roommate Cynthia's birthday so we all went back to Monte Testaccio to celebrate! Along the way, we ran into these awesome Spanish students from Barcelona who were looking to party it up as well so we asked them to come with us! I normally speak spanish very well, but I had been studying so much Italian, I ended up making a total fool of myself and mixing up the languages! They seemed to understand enough of what I was saying, and all together, we went to a club called "Spice" that night. The dance floor was raging, there was a really cool strobe light inside, and we had an absolute blast. I ran into a bit of trouble later that night though as I fell down some slippery stairs and twisted my ankle a bit... Although I had to ice my leg the next day, it was all totally worth it!

1/26/09

I got my first test back today and got a 95%! Considering I've never taken Italian before, I was really proud of myself and am going to try to keep it up. Flashcards are the main way I've been studying but I'm starting to run out and the average pack costs at least 5 euros here! I e-mailed my dad and asked him to pack as many flashcards as he can carry, and my roommates said they'd gladly pay him for them because they're desperate as well... haha... 

1/28/09 

I think I made an Italian friend today. We had a tandem exchange in class where interns from the Sapiensa University came to converse with us. What ensued was a strange mixture of italian and english but we managed to communicate somehow! I spoke mostly with Illario about movies and music. He's a really nice guy who said he'd show me around San Lorenso, the student neighborhood surrounding the Sapiensa. I'm really looking to branch out and try to make Italian friends, for our program is such an island- I go to an American university taught in english and I live with fellow Americans. If I'm to have any hope of speaking decent italian before I leave, I have to make Italian friends. Period. 

I also had the strangest "LA" moment in Rome today! We went to the cultural aperitivo hosted by our school and on our way home, we ran into Tom Cruise! We saw the Valkyrie premire on the street outside the Vatican and Tom was there talking to people and signing autographs. My friend Allen even got to talk to him and told him we were studying abroad, to which he replied, "Oh wow, you're going to have an amazing time"! From what I've experienced so far, I think he might be right!

1/30/09

In our oral exam today, I told Nadia I had plans to meet up with Illario and his friend in San Lorenso. She couldn't have been happier! She kept saying how important it is for us to branch out and she was happy I was making the effort to make italian friends. At 8:00, Illario and his friend Santino met Arpy and I at the Termine station and we walked quite a ways to a nice resturant in the piazza. We talked about cultural differences, American and Italian perspectives, they taught us some curse words, and we just had a really fun time. Santino said he'd love to take us to a movie sometime, I just told him it has to be an Italian movie, because one doesn't come to rome to watch an American movie dubbed in Italian- that's just plain wrong. He agreed and said we'd have a night of purely italian culture and told me to invite my roommates to come along. Perfetto! 

1/31/09

There's a beautiful little town half an hour outside Rome that locals visit when they need to escape the city. Its called Frascati and that's where Jenna, Arpy, and I all went to visit today. I had the most incredible time and fell in love with this quaint, enchanting village. That morning, we slept late and had a nice leisurely brunch leaving the apartment at around 12:30 to catch the 2:00 train out of the city. When we arrived, the town was rather quiet and in the middle of the siesta. There were various children dressed up as gladiators and princesses walking around the Piazza, but other than that, the town was rather deserted. 

We bought some pizza and proceeded to explore a path through what seemed to be a park of some sort. We saw signs for a church at the top of the hill and since the majority of the town was still asleep, we decided to go have a look. 

It was a long walk to the top, and even though the clouds threatened to rain, we kept on climbing. Once we reached the summit, we turned and saw a tunnel of trees with a statue of Mary a top the stairs. It was so beautiful, it was more than worth the hike it took to get there. We walked up to the statue and through the gates to the actual church on the hill. From there, you could see gorgeous views of the Lazio and the town of Frascati below. We kept on climbing and noticed signs for a 500-year-old villa they had turned into a hotel. It was a gorgeous building and the views were magnificent! We were able get coffee at the restaurant within the hotel and the bar man even gave us a mini-tour of the villa. We couldn't have found a better spot if we tried! 

As we made our way back down to the village, we noticed more hustle and bustle around the square as the piazza started to fill up with many children in costumes. They were tossing confetti at each other in a Carnevale celebration and since Jenna, Arpy, and I are such mature individuals, we decided to join the fight too! We started tossing confetti at one another, and when the kids realized what we were doing, they all ganged up on us! It was the most fun I've ever had and we took some of the most adorable pictures with those kids. One little girl named Sara was so precious and kept asking us "siete inglese?" which means, "are you English?". I told her we were from America and I think she might have understood. She also showed u she knew how to count to 10, at which point we applauded for her and taught her how to do a high-five! This other little boy dressed as Zoro attacked us with silly string and at the end of the day we had confetti and silly-string all over our hair and clothes! It was amazing!

After the epic confetti fight, we went to a pastry shop where Jenna and Arpy got some sweets and then Jenna and I found an exquisite gelateria! I had the best pistaccio gelato I've had yet! We finally ended up at a bar where we tried the famous Frascati white wine and had a light aperitivo. When we finished, the bar tender came up to me and said, "Excuse me, would you like some shorts?". "Shorts?" I said, "Why would I need shorts?". He kept repeating this until I put 2 and 2 together and realized he meant, would we like some "shots"! We thanked him for the offer but told him we had to leave to catch our train... After that amazing trip, I have a funny feeling we'll be back to take him up on his offer! Frascati was a wonderful town!