ROME was actually built in 3 and a half days

24.1.11

I am here!!!!  Roma, Italia

I discovered during my journey here that I hate traveling alone and kind of traveling in general. Airplanes are lame. I am a very boring person alone and like myself a lot better with people. .I find ways to entertain myself, but still. The tear thing did happen and I ended up crying. Letters from home prompted that. I missed the pickup for my program the first time around when I got to Florence so I ended up sittin in the airport a little longer than expected, but it was okay. It is really funny brushing your teeth in an automatic sink.. and also on an airplane. .. just sayin. Annnd..Sky mall magazine says that the best gift is to help others help themselves.. and iii say, I would NOT appreciate it if I was given an electric nasal razor or cold sore remover as a gift. Rude. 

Met a roommate and a lot of people who I am trying to remember their names and doing pretty good. After 2 hours of orientation I had my first Italian espresso at a café near the hotel. It was so tiny and good.

 Then I met the rest of my roommates whom I absolutely love! They are so fun! We decided to go on an adventure and roommate date by taking a trip to the Trevi Fountain! We were approached by many men (gypsies haha) trying to give us flowers and had to be firm in turning them down. After throwing our American pennies in, we looked for a place to eat. We settled on That’s Amore. The waiters were extremely flirtatious and full of clever things to say. I ordered in Italian and got a pesto spaghetti. I remembered what my sister said about slurping the noodles instead of biting them so that there would be no broken noodles left on the plate and decided to try it. It worked!! J Accompanied with the House Wine, the meal was delicious.

After nonstop story-telling, getting to know my roommates so much better, and deep conversations about our goals while abroad, we walked a good while to the Spanish Steps. It is so amazing to actually see all these things in person. A man actually forced us to take flowers and shook all our hands. In our heads we were all thinking, what is he gonna steal..how do we give these back.. how do we not pay. He finally backed down and took his flowers back. It was not easy though and I think we might stop saying we are from America. Haha

 I couldn’t stop smiling the whole night! It is just so great being here!  I told my roommates I need to stop smiling and stop looking so excited about everything ‘cuz everyone will think I’m a tourist. All together, it was a wonderful night that I will never forget.

The next day (25.1.11) was soo long.. saw everything in Rome basically.. lots of walking..lots of tours with tour guides carrying luffa sticks.. lots of sitting on buses..

Had gelato for the first time.. you think you love gelato in America, ice cream is your favorite thing, and you think it can’t get any better- oh my gawd. Yes it CAN!!!  Hung out at the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps again and went to a restaurant where we got a lot of free stuff including dessert from our blonde Italian waiter. I have felt very safe wherever I go, especially at night. I think I like Rome better at night actually. Don’t worry, I stay cautious though and we didn’t go to an Irish pub (in Italy? Haha) with our waiter when he invited us.;)

25.1.11

I’ve seen nothing but these coats (^^^) on everyone!!! any size..just those bubble things!hahah

Today was our Vatican State day. I can’t even begin to describe how much art I saw..well everything is basically art..but ya.. there was so much!!!  I can’t believe how much meaning is behind every single aspect of every single art piece. It amazes me. All the stuff we call art today has got nothin on Renaissance art. Meticulous working artists are the real successors. Michelangelo had his neck stuck backwards because he looked up the whole 4 years he was painting the Sistine chapel. Now that is dedication. Something else interesting is that Michelangelo hated women. That’s why all his paintings of women show them as old, ugly, fat, muscular, or being farsighted or nearsighted while reading. The optical illusions in some of the art are really cool too. For example the Sistine chapel, which looks like a dome, and a tapestry, which shows the Resurrection of Jesus. As you walked past it, Jesus faced towards you and followed you the whole way. The Sistine chapel is just the greatest thing. All I wanted to do for the rest of the day was lie down in the middle and stare. I definitely snuck some video and pictures. Yay.

Hung out at Fountain Di Trevi once again tonight (3^rd night in a row. haha) and walked all over in the rain. Piazza Novenna is where we ended which has a beautiful fountain portraying  4 continents.. don’t ask me which ones. It was so cool walking in the rain because everything reflected on the ground. The mixture of water and lights and cobblestones is just really cool. It’s also my favorite thing ever to have water fall in water so I really liked it when it was raining into the Trevi fountain. I tasted a mini canole tonight.