A Rainy day in Rome

Good news, I got to sleep in this morning :) until eleven. after ten hours of heavenly sleep my roommates and I headed to a barbecue put on by the university. Free burgers, soda, chips, and E.L.Fudge cookies. Very American and very delicious. I then went to buy a converter that actually charges my computer (Mission accomplished), then Becca and I decided to explore Monte Verde, the neighborhood that our school is in. We explored countless shops, bars (coffee shops) and bakeries, just window shopping and pricing things for future reference. We traveled deep into the city, hoping to get lost, and lo and behold we ended up back on the street we lived on. We have essentially discovered a great loop for walking in the afternoon. We then explored our own neighborhood in more detail and found a Mcdonalds directly behind our apartment. We price checked and a combo is a little over seven euros, expensive, but it smelled pretty delicious. We also found we are only two blocks from the river that separates us from ancient Rome. It was a very rainy day, and we spent time in shops to stay dry. Rome is famous for its stray cats, so I'm collecting pictures for Ashes and Apollo. (Vincent Peichel's Cats) Here is the first of many. In addition to cats, the homeless are a force in Rome as well. Some are very old women that walk bent nearly in half with cans for money in their hand, others kneel completely prostrate taking up much of the sidewalk with their hands out for money, others however know how to make the best of their situation. Yesterday while walking in a large group an old man approached us ( not unusual everyone is selling something.) and used a toy mouse on a string with realistic squeaking noises to make a majority of the girls scream and jump in fear. He had the biggest smile on his face, I would probably scare young american girls for fun too if I was a homeless man. Back to today, after walking for a few hours Becca and I returned to the apartment and have been watching italian fashion tv and surfing the web, a quiet evening. We had blue box mac and cheese for supper, and will end the evening with a movie night.
P.S Johnathon do you remember the show Winx we used to watch before school sometimes? I think we talked about it just before I left. It's everywhere here, just a random thought I figured you might enjoy.

Wine, Rain and Developing Friendship

My first Friday in Roma has proven a busy one. The day started with a trip to the University for orientation. It was concise and informative; we were finished by twelve thirty. My roommates and the girls who live below us decided (spur of the moment, consequently no pictures) to go see the pantheon after grabbing a quick lunch. Becca (my roommate) and I ate out of the vending machine out of respect for our budgets. We took a bus into town and explored the Piazza Venezia. The architecture and view were breathtaking. We watched a change of guard in front of an eternal flame lit for italian soldiers who lost their lives in battle. A sign nearby said for their mothers and fathers. Dad if you were coming to visit this is something I would definitely take you to see. We continued on deeper into the city to a small non touched by tourist square where some of the group got sandwiches and continued on to the pantheon while Becca, Leah and I turned back towards home. In one of these small side streets a young italian man told me I had the most beautiful eyes, we had a short conversation, and he helped me with my italian a little. (very good is molto benne, not molto bueno) I picked up my cell phone today, and already have problems, something to attend to tomorrow. The wine in my system makes it impossible to worry :) Once home we went to a large grocery and stocked up for the next week. I bought clemintines, bread, cheese, butter, pear juice, a sliced meat (for sanwiches), milk, and tea bags to add to my apples peanut butter and mac and cheese. I acquired all this for 12 euros, which I feel is a pretty good price. Once home I had a sliced apple with peanut butter for dinner, balanced my check book, and figured out that my computer won't charge sufficiently with my converter (it works with my roommates which she bought here), and that my phone doesn't work (for now). My roommate and I decided to end this rainy friday at a restaraunt on our street. Sale and Peppe ( Salt and Pepper). We ordered an appetizer two glasses of wine and a dessert in Italian (barely :). The food was great as was the wine,and the company. We spent two and a half hours chatting and snacking/sipping. It was a perfect end to a long day, not to mention week.

Day Three: Pictures :)

On my third day in Roma I made my first trip in the city by myself, in order to pick up my luggage at the university. I now get to wear my tennis shoes, makeup, and eat peanut butter. :) My roommates and I took a bus to the arch of Constantine (emperor who brought Christianity to Rome) Where we met the rest of our group to take a tour of the Roman Forum (the ancient center of the city) and the Colosseum. The tours were long, but interesting and extremely picturesque. The sunny looking relic on the right is the temple in which the vestal virgins kept an eternal fire burning for the goddess of the hearth. If these young women broke their vow of virginity they were sentenced to death. Because their lives were religiously important their blood could not be spilled, so their capital punishment was live burial. Yikes. We also saw a temple built in honor of Caesar (after his death) The Palatine hill upon with Romulus founded Rome, as well as the senate that Caesar began building before his untimely death. We toured a temple (the temple of Romulus) built in honor of an emperors son who died in his childhood, as well as a church and ...other buildings whose significance I cannot remember :) enjoy the pictures. The first (primo) is a basilica (I can't remember whose) the second (secondo) picture is the temple of Romulus. The third (terzo) picture is of a church dedicated to the virgin mother. The fourth(quarto) is of a marble facade and all that is left of one of the ancient temples.

We then continued our to the Colosseum which was different than what I expected, it is simply the frame of the arena(arena in latin means sand, which is what the Colosseum floor was covered with) it once was and the floor in gone revealing the underground tunnels. After our tour of the Colosseum my friends and I went in search of food, in order to avoid the overpriced restaurants in the area we headed back to our neighborhood Trastevere (pronounced Tras-tay-ver-ay) went to a Gastronomia two doors down from our apartment. One of the woman working in the shop spoke english,which is much rarer than I was lead to believe. I ended up with a meat (pastrami or salami maybe) and cheese sandwich, and it was delicious. It's been a rainy afternoon so we have been cozy in the apartment watching Italian and British television. Ciao for now :)

I Can't Remeber Ever Being This Excited for Fresh Underwear

Good News Everybody! I got am email today saying that my luggage arrived at the university this afternoon, so I can pick it up tomorrow :) Awesome News. Last night was the first night sleeping in my apartment, and I slept like a rock. I was quite tired. My first shower in Rome was mountain water cold, un fun. Not cool at all. This morning I completed the first step towards my permit to stay, and decided to get a cell phone. It only costs twenty five dollars, and is a minimum plan of eighteen cents a month. Not a bad deal. We also received our student IDs and our course schedule. I am only enrolled in three of the five classes I signed up for, something I will have to fix next week. Luckily I'm still in my Arts Management class which is one I need for graduation.
Rebecca, Emily, and Leah (My Roommates) and I spend most of our time during the day together. We found a nice shopping district today, and ate at a restaurant across the street from our apartment. It's a good thing Emily speaks basic Italian (and well I might add) she ordered our meals for us :) Our waiter was also the host, cook, bartender, and valet, pretty hilarious. This afternoon we went to a bar (cafe) and got a hot chocolate. It was extremely thick, and I'm certain that if I had let it cool I would have had a cup of pudding, delicious all the same.
We then went on a bus tour of Rome, stopped at an excellent view of the city, where I was kissed by an old man. Fan-fricken-tastic. We also saw the Vatican, Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, the Aurelian Walls, and many other things I should know the names of. On the second part of the tour we were on foot, and stopped at the Trevi fountain, where I was kissed yet again by another man, younger this time. Just to clarify these were the kiss on each cheek greeting deal, not full on the mouth, but almost as awkward. No one else in the group was kissed by old men, just me. Back to the tour, we all tossed coins into the trevi, so I will definitely be back in Rome eventually :) We also saw The house of Lords as well as the Campo de Fiore, which is a big open market. On our walk we stopped for Gelato. I got amarena, which is amaretto, and cocoa, which is coconut. The coconut was ridiculously good, despite the cold. YUM! especially when it's free :D
My roommates and I are getting pretty good about finding our way around, and catching our buses. Exciting stuff. I'll hopefully Have pictures up tomorrow.

Last but not least, Happy Birthday Stu!!! I love you, all the way from Roma.

If God Wanted us to Fly He Would Pay for the Tickets

I definitely wish that statement were true, because plane tickets are expensive! Flying from KC to Washington to London to Rome was a bit of an exhausting experience, but I'm too excited to be tired. As well as spending short amounts of time in each of these cities I managed to see some pretty neat stuff. Flying into Washington we could see the Washington Memorial, and during my flight across the Atlantic I saw Dublin from 40,000 feet in the middle of the night. It was a simple sparkling ribbon of gold against the dark sky and surrounding country side.
I have arrived in Rome without my checked bag due to the fact that my connecting flights in Heathrow (London) were separated by a mere twenty five minutes. For this connection I was required to go through the long lines of security while I simply checked my passport for my four hour layover in Washington. I assume that my bag did not make it across the airport in time to make the flight.
The good news is that I made all my flights, and was served two breakfasts :) I had a hard time sleeping on the plane, but after a long day a think that sleeping the night through is not going to be a problem. British Airways gave me a complimentary pair of socks that were quite comfy, as well as window seats on all three flights (awesome)
Rome is cold and rainy today, but that didn't stop my roommates and I from doing a little exploring we managed to find a store that sold hangers and blow dryers. Our next trip will be in search of a grocery store.
My apartment is very nice and has more amenities than I could have hoped for. We have wireless internet, a microwave, a television with English channels, and two dining room tables. The keys to our apartment are very large and different from what you would expect in America, also we have no control over our thermostat, and so it is absolutely freezing in here right now.
I like to keep things simple so I requested a roommate with the same name as the one I had in the states. Just Kidding, but the girl I'm sharing a room with really is named Rebecca. Just a funny coincidence I suppose.
I'm excited for the rain to go away so that we can explore with more vigor and less umbrellas