Those pictures are a few that I have taken in the past two weeks.
Well classes are well underway now; yesterday we had our first Italian quiz! We are starting to use our Italian more in daily conversation. I know some basic phrases like, "how much is that," "where is..." "what is your name," and "where are you from." It is fun to try and communicate with the locals--but it can be very difficult. A lot of the cab drivers and store owners don't speak English.
The weather here is very spastic. When we leave to go to class in the morning it is usually around 50 degrees. Then it will start raining midday and sometimes go into the night. Yesterday it was miserable, the rain was so intense and our food and culture class had to walk outside for about two hours to go to an open air market. The area that we went to was very poor in early Rome, so they have a tradition of eating the intestines and organs of the animals because they cannot afford anything else. So at the market, we were able to see the insides of all these animals.. and a lot of dishes include them at restaurants in this area. It was disturbing to say the least. My choice to not eat meat was heightened at the market. However, we did find some amazing foccia bread and sugary Roman donut holes. They were so much better than any baked good that I have had in the states. And I would know best, working at Morningfields Bakery for two years.. But we did run into a problem at the market; Courtney, Alex, and I tried this unidentified cheese from a lady who didn't speak a word of English and two of the three of us got food poisoning. I was fine though, which is ironic considering that I used to have the weakest stomach. The other two are fine now, with some medicine in their stomachs and lots of rest.
Anyways, our walk home from the market was absolutely miserable. My boots were sopping wet and of course I didn't have an umbrella so my coat was soaked through. We walk so much living here that everyday when I get home my feet are absolutely killing me. I would not reccommend wearing flat boots on the cobblestone roads. So in an effort to ease the pain, Courtney and I decided to search for some cute gym shoes after class. With the downpour continuing we walked down Via del Corso, a major street in Rome, looking for the Foot Locker. On our way to finding our saving grace, we came across about 244432 cute stores that we had no idea existed! We live in a very nice area of town and have only seen expensive boutiques until yesterday. Down Via del Corso we walked into Habbana, Zara, Nike, Miss Sixty, Guess, Addidas, and many more. After about two hours of searching for Foot Locker and popping the newly discovered stores, we finally came across the Nike store. The women's gym shoes were bright purple high tops. We left immediately. The two of us ended up buying similar New Balance kicks, and I can say that they are like walking on clouds after spending the day wearing them today.
The strange fashion in Rome doesn't end at the bright purple high tops though. Today we saw a cluster of highschool girls wearing Timberlands. Yes, gigantic, tan Timberlands. Not to mention, they were emo skater girls.. like every teenager in Rome. No joke, all of the highschoolers wear skinny jeans, skater shoes/Timberlands, and try to be emo. It is very different than in America where that is simply a subculture. Something else that is very prevalent in Rome is graffiti. This is not as big in the area that I live in, near the Trevi Founatin and Spanish Steps, but in Trestevere about 20 minutes out of the main area, graffiti covers every wall. When I first saw Trestevere I though I was in Mexico. The buildings are yellow and pink and there are palm trees everywhere. It is not at all what you would picture as a beautiful area in Rome. The other students in our program all live in Trestevere though, so my roommates and I almost wish we were over near them. However, because we live alone we are getting accostomed to the Roman public transportation. Yesterday we took the metra, which is like our el in Chicago. I have never seen more people commuting in my life. The train is huge, and there are just hundreds of people waiting to board the underground train. What is interesting is that we were leaving for class around 9:30 and we saw so many people going to work and school. So, we're not quite sure when business hours/school hours are for people in Rome. Also when you take a bus or the tram (above ground train) you don't have to pay when you get on. You are supposed to have a bus card to show if someone asks you.. but it is really just based on the honor system. I find this ironic considering it is on public transportation that you are told to watch your purse and not trust anyone. I guess I'll just avoid bus 64.. that is what the gypies go on.
Well, I must go pack now. Tomorrow Courtney, Alex, and I venture off to London for our first trip! Our flight takes off at 4:30pm, which is 9:30am for all of you. I'm super excited and eager to have our first hostel experience. I will obviously update when I return back to Roma on Sunday morning. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and I can't wait to speak to people in Enlgish! Ciao!
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