Hello again, from Italia! I'm happy to say we are adjusting very well, and are beginning to see that this city really is all that it is cracked up to be. We have had an extremely busy schedule these past two days so I haven't had much time for blogging, however I'm going to try squeeze in as many memorable details into this post as possible. Like I said, so much has already been experienced in the past 48 hours. On thursday morning we woke up early to meet all of the other students at the community park so we could all maneuver our way to the school campus together. Unfortunately for me, I discovered that it will take 30 minutes to arrive at campus from my apartment and because my classes start at 9am everyday I will have to force myself to become a morning person. Although I will be up early, I look forward to going to school simply because class is held in one of the most beautiful buildings I've been to in all my life. The U of A campus is in the Palazzo Taverna which is the former home of Roman senator Giordano Orsini (1341) and was also a point of reference in Dante's literary masterpiece "The Divine Comedy". Needless to say the place has a lot of antiquity, making it extremely appropriate for studying history. While at the Rome campus we were introduced to all of our professors who each gave a quick intro for their students, then we were served mozzarella and tomato sandwiches (followed by some tiramisu) for lunch. I got a good laugh out of the menu, because if it would have been in the U.S. we would have been given a brown bag full of Lays potato chips and Little Debbie Snack Cakes. Proceeding lunch we took a quick trip to see the Pantheon and some other historical sites around Rome, all of which were full of rubbernecked international excursionists. I learned some of the historical background to several piazzas and fountains but most importantly I snapped some good pictures. While at the Pantheon I experienced my first cup of gelato and to my surprise (and I'm sure yours' too) I hated it. Maybe it was the pistachio flavor, or just the texture, but frankly i'd prefer Braums soft-serve over a cup of gelato any day. Later that night, after trekking miles across uneven cobblestone, my roommates and I went to the local supermarket to buy groceries for dinner. It became really evident, really quickly that the main food groups in Italy are pasta, meat, wine, and cheese. Typical right? I went in with the intentions to buy peanut butter, tuna, and string cheese but in result found one item that was on my shopping list; canned tuna. So instead of the peanut butter and string cheese that i desired, i settled for a box of rigatoni, a jar of spaghetti sauce, and a variety of vegetables. My total was about 33 euro which i considered a bargain in hopes that my finds would last me two weeks. When we arrived at home we started to boil the pasta and brown the hamburger meat for our spaghetti. All was going great until we realized that our spaghetti sauce was merely a jar of smashed tomatoes. With not the slightest idea that our "spagetti sauce" would only be unflavored tomato juice, my roommates went out on a search for something to season our unfortunate meal. They returned an hour later with empty hands to a pot of over cooked noodles. Our first cooking experience in Italy could have been better, to say the least.
Friday morning we woke up with empty stomachs but had high hopes that today would be even better than the last. Bright and early we started our day at the Roman Forum. It was absolutely incredible, never before in my life have I seen something so beautiful and significant. The most fascinating part to see was the Palace. It gave me chills thinking that hundreds of years ago Caesar walked right where I stood. Though, in the midst of my awe, I could not help but feel an overwhelming sensation of disappointment. Contrary to popular belief, the Roman ruins are very poorly preserved. People everywhere sat, touch, and even smoked on the remains. I was shocked they are taking so little precautions to save this archeological site. Later on we moved to the Coliseum, which was just as poorly taken care of as the forum. I was humbled to have the opportunity to be in a place where so much history has taken place. I took quite a few pictures and they can now all be found on my Facebook page. That afternoon, after we got off our tourist kick, we walked back to Trastevere, warmed up left-overs for dinner, then got ready for the night. Friday was our first night out on the town, and we loved the atmosphere. Megan and I braved the streets by ourselves where we met many Americans students and welcoming Italians. In a nutshell, last night was unforgettable and I look forward to many more. So far Rome is treating me and my friends very well.
Buona notte,
Taylor.
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