Life has been a bit of a whirlwind of late, between weekend travel, exams, papers, and an unsuccessful battle with the common cold. I suppose I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared for the “traveling” part of being a world traveler - the planes and trains, the cab rides, the sometimes frustrating public transportation, and the more-than-occasional wandering about a strange city. Don’t get me wrong, the last few weeks have been absolutely incredible! In the last month I’ve seen and done things I’d only envied other people of doing. I’ve seen the David in Florence, Mona and Picasso in Paris, Juliet in Verona. I’ve watched the sunset from the Eiffel Tower, celebrated Carnevale in Venice and took a gondola ride down the Grand Canal. I’ve climbed the Duomo in Florence, cheered with hundreds of screaming fans for Roma in the Stadio Olimpico, and strolled down the Champs-Elysees, all the while taking time to appreciate the smaller details, the charms and quirks of each foreign city.

The inevitable “but” in all of this is that with all the travel, with all the new places, people, and culture, I sometimes forget that it’s important to stay grounded, to remember why I’m here, and that normal day-to-day responsibilities don’t just disappear while abroad. So here’s my challenge to myself while here: to balance normal life with this magical, world-traveling one that I’ve been caught up in the last couple weeks, while at the same time absorbing and learning from my experiences (and finding time to blog about it all, REGULARLY).

Talk about multitasking.

(No)Snowpocalypse

We found out yesterday that class would be cancelled today after the first substantial snowfall in over 26 years hit Rome over the weekend. I had been debating whether or not to stay up for the Super Bowl (which, I’m disappointed to say didn’t include any commercials), but this discovery was the deal-breaker. After waking up at noon and lounging around in my pj’s for about an hour, I decided I should probably do something productive with my snow day. So, some friends and I put on the warmest clothes we’d brought (which isn’t saying much seeing as a snowstorm hadn’t really been in the cards this semester) and went out to lunch at a fabulous little restaurant just off the Piazza Navona. (Thank you again to Rick Steves - you haven’t failed us yet!) We then walked over to Piazza Navona to work on “perspective” drawings for our art class.

Cringing, but reminding ourselves it was the view we were paying for, we purchased some grossly overpriced coffee and desert at a cafe inside the piazza and sat and sketched until they kicked us out at closing time. (Most Italian restaurants close around mid-late afternoon and re-open around 7pm for dinner.)

(My unfinished “perspective” drawing - hopefully the professor understands!)

It was my (along with one of my best friend Mairead’s) night to cook dinner for the apartment, and we had planned to go shopping right before dinner. However, whether it’s because deliveries have been delayed because of the “extreme” weather, or Italians feel the need to prepare for the next doomsday, we found that grocery stores in Rome have almost been completely cleared out of everything. So after searching three grocery stores in the city for ingredients to make BBQ chicken pizza (our original plan), we finally gave up and moved to Plan B: good old-fashioned hamburgers and french fries. Crisis averted, we were able to feed 9 hungry roommates, but not before almost setting off the fire alarm. Needless to say, we’re still learning our way around the kitchen…

Today was wonderful - a day to sleep in, take in the city, and recuperate from a busy week. There was really no reason that class was cancelled today, seeing as almost all the snowed had melted yesterday and there wasn’t a cloud in sight last night or today.

But hey, you won’t find me complaining…

Ciao from Roma!

More than a week into my semester abroad and I’m finally writing my first post! I’ll be trying to convey most of my adventures here through pictures, but seeing as I’ve taken over 1,000 pictures since I arrived, I suppose a little explanation would be helpful.

So Rome.

How do I even begin?

The city itself is absolutely breathtaking. And in ways I had not expected. I love that on my way to the market or simply during “una passeggiata” around the city, I can turn the corner and BAM - there’s the Pantheon, or Piazza Navona, or the Trevi Fountain. Of course, just like any big city, it can be dirty, the citizens loud and angry, and the traffic stressful. But if you look a little closer, you realize that graffiti here is almost a work of art - much of the time painted with vibrant colors and visually pleasing designs.

And you come to learn that Italians speak loudly and with big, sometimes angry motions, not because they are fighting but simply because it’s how they communicate with one another. I have not found a way yet to explain the reason that Italians drive they way they do. Watching traffic is like watching the Italian version of a Nascar race down the streets of Rome, and crossing the street is really just a very dangerous game of Frogger.

While here I’ll be studying at John Cabot University with a mix of study abroad and degree-seeking students from around the world. Along with a required Italian class, I’m taking a modern Italian history class, “Evil Philosophers,” International Finance, and my favorite, “Rome Sketchbook.” Every Tuesday morning I get to go to “class” at different historical site around the city and just draw. BEST. CLASS. EVER. I also think I’m going to like being able to get a quick gelato in between classes, which I have only Monday through Wednesday (more time to travel!).

There are 30-some ND students in total this semester. Altogether a wonderful, crazy, fun group of people. Only 12 days in and we’re already taking Rome by storm! (Not to mention, we’re pretty good cooks!)

I can’t wait to see what the semester holds, and to start exploring Rome, Italy, and the rest of Europe… but for now, I’m just taking it all in, one day at a time. I’ll post more soon, including pictures of our first weekend trip to Pompeii and the coastal town of Salerno, but for now, Italian homework calls! A presto!

                                     


"My desire to travel to Rome started as a bit of a romantic notion, fueled by high school studies of Renaissance masters and Hollywood versions of a place home to women as beautiful as Sophia Lauren and men as charming as Roberto Benigni, as they sip on espressos in open air cafes." 

First line of my study abroad application essay. November 2010.

Well, my idea of Rome is slightly more realistic now, but as I look back at how I was feeling over a year ago, I can safely say that I am ten times more ecstatic to spend the upcoming semester in what I expect to be one of the most exciting  cities in the world. Along with being nervous about the flight, stressed about packing 4 months of my life into a 27 inch suitcase, and distressed about a semester away from many of my friends and ND, I’m just a big unstable bundle of nerves. It’ll be a miracle if I can get to sleep tonight.

A big shout out to my family for putting up with me as I’ve been preparing to leave. I can promise that the anxiety started way before I started folding clothes and making sure my liquids don’t exceed 3 oz. and all fit in one of those clear plastic quart baggies (Hear that TSA? I follow your rules and am NOT a terrorist… contrary to what you thought at the start of my last flight). Couldn’t have done it without them! Now I just have to pray that the travel gods smile upon my journey - I must broken a mirror or walked under a ladder somewhere along the way because I have quite possibly the worst luck in the world when it comes to traveling.

So, for the next four months, this blog will be primarily dedicated to the art, people, places, music, peculiarities, and most of all beauty of “la città eterna.” Arrivederci gli stati uniti. Ciao il resto del mondo!