So we have now been in Rome for six days. It has been a great experience so far. We are still trying to get used to everything. For one, the Italian people do most things much slower. When my roommates and I went to buy internet for our computers, it took about an hour to get everything set up. The process in the US would take about fifteen minutes. Another thing is walking on the streets. The people walk very leisurely. As Americans, we are used to walking at a fast pace and Italians enjoy walking at a slower pace and enjoying the company of others. Speaking of that, it is very intriguing to see Italian men walking arm in arm down the streets; that is surely something that is unheard of in America. Also, someone pulled my hair as I was walking into a store the other day! He also pulled the other girl's hair that I was with. I've been warned that the men are creepy, but this was just strange.

Last night my roommates and I went to get our first cup of gelato. It was obviously amazing. We also made our first trip to the Spanish Steps. There are 138 of the steps. At the top of the steps is a gorgeous church that we saw nuns praying in and at the bottom is a fountain and the beginning of the Michigan Ave. of Roma. Some of the stores we saw were Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Prada. We are definitely planning on going back dressed up as American heiresses so the Italians treat us as if we will make big purchases. The street itself was gorgeous and lit up beautifully. Today we visited Vatican City. We had a guided tour through the Vatican, which was awesome, but so long. I will post pictures soon. It was amazing to see all of the ancient artwork and especially the Sistine Chapel. When we left the Vatican, Courtney and Alex and I wanted to stop somewhere to eat. An older lady approached Courtney telling her about this restaurant and she ended up leading us down an alley to a hidden restaurant. We felt bad, so we stayed and ate at the restaurant-- however we were the only customers. The pasta was mediocre and there was nothing special about the place. When we received the bill there was a 9 euro fee for bread and service! No one in the restaurant spoke English and we were already irritated with the bad food so we just paid and left. That has been our only bad experience so far with food in Italy. Everything else has been great! We have been trying to eat dinner at home a lot though. We make mozzarella and tomato sandwhiches and buy fruit at a market right down the street. However, that meal could get old soon..

Well it is almost 9 o'clock here and we are going out to a club called Gilda tonight. I'm sure the nightlife in Roma will beat out Champaign by a longshot...