Some day we'll laugh about it

Someday we’ll laugh about getting lost our first night in Rome! Ciao family and friends. I have arrived safely in Rome. It was an uneventful trip and my bag made it too! Everyone was exhausted by the time we got on the bus to go to campus, so it was a quite ride. What I have seen so far of our neighborhood is apartment buildings with shops at the bottom. Our campus is tucked away down a long driveway. There is a beautiful courtyard in which I see myself spending much time. My room looks out onto said courtyard and it is beautiful to just stand in the large open window and look out. We got registered and had a brief orientation yesterday. Dinner was good, but I am excited to get out and eat at the restaurants.

My first night in Rome was an adventure. There is a woman here, Jessy, who used to live and do tour guides in Rome. She offered to take us if we were up for it. I thought, in my exhaustion, yes, going downtown my first night will be an adventure. We walked three minutes from campus to the 990 bus stop to Piazza Cavour and got off at the last stop near the Vatican. We walked across the river and saw the Vatican all lit up. It was magical, and I do not think that sight will ever be less romantic. We walked then to Piazza Navona, Rome’s most famous, in the shape of the old chariot race track. It wasn’t too crowded but all the restaurant’s outdoor patios were filled with people, their chairs turned toward the center of the piazza to watch the everyone walking by. There were independent vendors selling these silly helicopter light things. It was charming to watch the lit helicopters fly up into the night sky and float peacefully back down all around the piazza.

We walked a bit further to a gelateria where I got a cone of nutella, café, and chocolate (you had to choose three flavors). It was delicious. We took our gelato to the pantheon and sat on the steps of the fountain, admiring the architectural wonder. Then the adventure begins. Our exhaustion set in and most of us decided to go back. Jessy pointed us in the direction we needed and we got back to where the bus dropped us off, but since that was the last stop, we needed to find the first stop in the direction back to campus.

We walked around for maybe an hour. We walked by a movie theatre where many hip, young Italians were chatting out in front. We dodged parked scooters on the sidewalk. We walked past the same café three times. Finally we found our stop and got home around eleven thirty. I took a cold shower to cool off and passed out.

The sun shone in bright and beautiful through the wide open window and I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. The next few days are all about orientation to campus, to Rome and to each other. I am anxious to start classes and get into a routine. I have a few friend here, recognize a few more faces and look forward to meeting many new people in the next few weeks. Update next week after the first few days of classes! Ciao