Ostia Beach & Bar Lillo

Yesterday (Sunday) I impulsively took a trip to the beach with a few of the girls from my program. Ostia Beach is only a 40 minute metro ride from Rome. It was cheap to get there because Rome has a metro line that goes straight to the beach. We rented chairs at a private beach club for 10 Euro because the public beach isn't as clean. I'm one of those people who feels at home by the water (ocean or lake), therefore I was thrilled to be by the ocean all day yesterday. I noticed some differences from New Jersey beaches: the sand was darker, the waves were tiny, it was very windy, and men walked up and down the beach trying to sell people hats, sunglasses, and jewelry (much like every city of Italy I have been to). I spent a long time standing by the water, trying to dare myself to go in, but the wind made everything feel too cold. Instead, I just appreciated the beauty of the area and felt amazingly relaxed by the sound of the waves. Cait and I got hungry and went to the beach club for food and for the very first time so far on my trip, the staff didn't speak a word of English to us! We struggled a little bit, but successfully ordered chicken sandwiches. My afternoon at Ostia Beach was lovely and I look forward to going back on another day. Here is a picture of Cait and I by the ocean:

I have already written about the cafe right down the street from my apartment, but today I ventured there again and had another excellent experience. I ordered a cappuccino and the server asked me, "What about a croissant?" It was nice that he remembered what I ordered the other times I was there! I sat down at a table for a few hours and worked on my readings for class, enjoying the noisy atmosphere of Italians out to lunch. In America, I would find it hard to concentrate with loud conversation nearby, but since I can't understand very much Italian, it was actually a good environment for concentration. I love watching Italians interact with each other. One customer, I am guessing he eats there regularly, walked into the kitchen when his plate was empty to give it to the dish washer. It's a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere that makes me feel at home.

I spent most of the afternoon working on assignments for class and cooking a little bit of food. We finally moved on to modern day Italy for our readings, and I am enjoying learning about what Italy is like today (expanding on my own observations).

It's strange not being home on Memorial Day, but I have been thinking of the veterans and those currently serving our country. I extend my deepest gratitude to all of them, from Italy.

A Busy Week of School Work

After returning from a week of travel this past Monday, stress set in. In the past few days, I had a paper, project, assignment, logs, and many readings due. It was the busiest week of work I have had yet, and I am glad it's over!

Looking back on the past few weeks, I actually have learned a lot in my classes. Friday marked the end of my 'History of the Italian Families' class; during which I studied the lives of Ancient Roman families, Medieval Florentine families, and Jewish families of Rome. I read three books on these topics and found the Jewish families of Rome section the most interesting. Before exploring the Jewish Ghetto on Thursday's field trip, my class took part in a mock trial of Giovanni and Lusana's marriage on Wednesday, part of the unit on medieval Florence. For the Jewish Families section, I read part of the book Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Families Under Fascism, by Alexander Stille. I would highly recommend it! The assigned section for class was about a family living in Rome during World War II in the Jewish Ghetto, which is the neighborhood I walk through everyday on my way to class at the Pantheon Institute. My professor pointed out the location of the family's store discussed in the book, which is now a hair salon. After reading, I was thrilled at the chance to experience the same setting of the book. My class went to the Synagogue and Jewish Museum of the Ghetto. Our tour guide was excellent, taking us through two of the synagogues while reinforcing and adding to what we had already learned about in our reading. The museum attached to the building is also a great resource for learning about the history Judaism in Italy.

On Friday, my family presentation was due. My group presented on the Frescobaldi family and our wonderful experience on the restaurant. I am glad we chose that family because it made for a very enjoyable presentation. Once my family presentation was over with yesterday, I breathed a sigh of relief for making it through the week.

My professor leaves this week and will be replaced by the second professor in the program. I am excited to move on to the next two classes, Italian Relationships and Early Childhood in Italy, because I am not much of a history person :)

I probably could have traveled somewhere this weekend, but I wanted to get ahead on school work. It's been nice so far having a relaxing weekend in Rome! Yesterday afternoon a few of us explored for a few hours and found some good shopping and about 5 different gelato places we are dying to try. It's a terrible thing how delicious gelato is. Really. It is. This morning I woke up early (I still can't sleep in, ever.) and went to the cafe right by the apartment for breakfast. I had a caffe latte and a yummy pastry. The staff are friendly and were happy to learn that I am a student at the Pantheon Institute. Then, I headed to the grocery store and could barely carry home what I bought. I like trying new things, but I have mostly been buying the same groceries because eating familiar foods in the apartment encourages me to eat unfamiliar foods when I go out to eat. Also, I can't read most of the labels in the grocery store so it's a little hard to even know what I am buying sometimes...!

I am off to do some more homework and continue a relaxing weekend at Home (in Rome? Home? Crazy to say that!) Ciao!

Cinque Terre National Park- Part 3 of 3

From Florence I boarded a train to La Spezia, a town close to the Cinque Terre. Emily, Lane, Lee and I stayed at a hostel in Riomaggiore. I wasn't sure what to expect but the staff were actually very friendly and we had lovely roommates staying in the same apartment all weekend.

The main road of the town is steep, leading into the mountains one way and into the ocean the other. Riomaggiore is the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre that make up the national park. Continuing north, the remaining four towns are: Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Each town is connected by many hiking paths and also the train.

Friday afternoon we spent most of our time figuring out our transportation back to Rome on Monday, which became complicated because we had to travel back to La Spezia to buy the tickets for Rome. We had dinner at a restaurant in Riomaggiore. Lane and I ordered the same pasta dish; we were really hungry at the point, but dinner wasn't exactly what we expected. The pasta was basically three small pancake-shaped pasta, one with pesto, one with bolognese sauce, and one with olive oil and cheese. I enjoyed the meal but I was still really hungry afterwards! We found one of the only gelato places in town (which gives you an idea of how small the towns are) and had the best gelato I've had in Italy so far. It was inexpensive and tasted creamier than others I have had. I went to bed shortly after that ready for a day of exploring the national park on Saturday.

Saturday morning we bought a cinque card, which admitted us to all of the hiking trails and trains between the towns for the day. We started off on a stunning path between Riomaggiore and Manarola, a short walk known as Lover's Lane. The path was right along the coast overlooking the ocean the entire time. The views were breathtaking. We passed a small cafe on the path and I had to have a cappuccino to savor the scenery I was surrounded. In Manarola we had the option of hiking a detour path to Corniglia that we were told was 2.5 hours long. We decided to skip that one for the sake of time and because it was raining at this point. Right outside of Manarola I took my THON around the world picture which I was really excited to do! We took the train to Corniglia after exploring Manarola for a bit and then set out on a long walk to the town. Corniglia felt more intimate than the other towns, especially when I read a sign that said the population is 250 people! We found a pizza shop for lunch and had delicious freshly made pizza for lunch. One of my goals for the trip was to try many foods special to this region of Italy (the pasta dish the night before failed a little bit) so Emily and I ordered the Corniglia pizza not knowing what would be on it. It turned out to have sweet onions and tuna. It was definitely an interesting flavor but the pizza was so yummy that I ate it happily anyway. Then we explored the town more (the weather was still pretty rainy) and had gelato at a shop recommended by Rick Steves. This gelato was also fantastic! I has cinnamon and coffee favors and enjoyed every bite. We left Corniglia worried about it raining for the rest of the day and not being able to hike at all. The trail between Corniglia and Vernazza was closed so our last hope was the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso.

When we got off the train in Vernazza and walked around town. The evidence of disaster appeared everywhere. In October 2011, Vernazza was flooded and the entire town was submerged in 4 meters of mud. Most of the storefronts were closed and all of the buildings had marks of mud very high up. I kept seeing photographs of the mud and really couldn't believe that I was standing in the same place that less than a year ago was devastated by natural disaster. I walked into what I thought was a store and chatted with a woman who told me about save 5- a charity effort to bring Vernazza back to life with the rest of the Cinque Terre. She told me that the charity was started by an American student studying abroad in Florence, which was inspiring to hear.

The weather was slowly clearing up and we decided to chance the trail to Monterosso. At the beginning of the trail, I caught sight of Vernazza from above and understood how this town flooded so drastically. It literally is situated almost entirely in the water, whereas the others are a little more inland. The beginning of the hike was nonstop incline with stairs for about 30 minutes. The sun was finally shining and it made everything more enjoyable. The views along the trail were unbelievably stunning. I could see the entire coast line and we often were walking on narrow paths that looked right down over a cliff into the ocean. The hike was about 1 hour and 45 minutes and one of the best memories of my trip. At the end of the trail there were stairs on a decline, which were scary because the steps were narrow and there wasn't much to hold on to. I'm also not the most balanced of people so I kept imagining myself wiping out but luckily I made it through the entire hike on my two feet.

The very end of the trail offered gorgeous views of Monterosso, the fifth town that is most resort like and the largest. There was a long stretch of beach visible. Once in town we realized some kind of festival was occurring, and it turned out to be a lemon festival! All throughout the town booths were set up selling different lemon products, including lemonade, limencello, lemon desserts, limencello candy, and more. We wandered around the town and ended up in a cafe drinking lemon ice with limoncello. The owner was very friendly and let us try a lemon pastry which was delicious. We checked the train schedule and decided to spend another hour in the town before heading back to Riomaggiore. We found the beach entrance and sat down by the water until we left for the train. The beach was partly sandy but mostly medium sized pebbles. I enjoyed sitting and taking everything in, once again blown away by the views of the ocean and coast. At this point I was reminded again of how fortunate I am to have parents who could send me on this trip and allow me the opportunity to experience such beauty. They're the best parents I could ever ask for and I thought about them a lot that day because I know Cinque Terre is a place they have to visit one day. When you read this, thanks again Mom and Dad!

Beautiful Florence- Part 2 of 3

The next two posts are going to be long...but I want to be thorough because the past week was spectacular!

The hotel we stayed at in Florence had a very strange smell. The other girls didn't notice a smell so we were thinking it was just the drain in our room or something. It wasn't too bad, but it did make all of our clothes smell afterwards. It was part of the experience of staying in a low cost hotel! Wednesday afternoon shortly after arriving we had a walking tour. Our guide took us through Basilica del Carmine and then through many parts of the city. The basilica was beautiful but our tour guide was perhaps a little too enthusiastic in her explanations of the artwork. I'm not sure if she thought we were art students but it was still enjoyable because she was so enthusiastic about it. Her tour through the city was fun because we saw many of the main sites of Florence in a short period of time. I think the Duomo is overwhelmingly beautiful and loved passing it so many times during our time in Florence. After our walking tour ended, Emily, Lane, Lee and I prepared for a night at the Frescobaldi restaurant and wine bar. We are doing a project on influential Italian families in history and we chose the Frescobaldi family based on the recommendation of our TA.

Our experience at the restaurant was exceptional. The restaurant is highly recommended by American guide books of Italy, and three of the couples we chatted with throughout dinner were American. The service was slow but the manager explained his chef was overwhelmed and sent over a plate of bread with patte. We ordered a bottle of wine for the four of us, made at one of the many frescobaldi vineyards. The restaurant was pricey, especially for a college student's budget, so we only ordered one course. I had homemade linguine with truffle sauce and savored every bite by eating it extra slowly. We told our waiter that we were at the restaurant for a class project and soon after the owner sat down at our table and asked, "What can I tell you about the Frescobaldi restaurant?" We told him, "Everything!" He began a long tale of a family that has been present in Florence for nearly 1000 years. His story was passionate and intertwined with a respect for a family that has produced such a successful business. The owner, though not a member of the family, has close ties with them: he opened the Frescobaldi restaurant a decade ago when the family recognized the need to pair their wine with excellent food. Since then they have expanded throughout Italy and even have a restaurant in Miami, Florida. He was so kind to us and spent what felt like hours sharing stories. The Frescobaldi family owns thousands of acres and many vineyards throughout Italy and are in the top 5 of wine producers on the country. We enjoyed our wine, but I was most impressed by the owner's willingness to educate us. We spent about 3.5 hours at the restaurant, chatting not only with the owner but also with couples eager to hear about our project. Our meal ended with fabulous homemade desserts and a steep bill, but the four of us didn't care about the prices, we were too impressed by the atmosphere and dining experience offered at the restaurant.

The next morning was another favorite memory of my trip to Florence. Our group visited the school for the innocent, a preschool in Florence with about 100 students ages 3-5. A teacher met us at the entrance and our Pantheon Institute guide translated the teacher's Italian as she told us about the education provided at the school. She explained that every classroom integrates all age ranges and learning ability. Some activities are age-based but the classroom relies on the different-aged children learning from each other. We walked though all 4 classrooms and each time we entered the teacher in that room would instruct the children to say some form of hello. We then sat outside as the teacher told us about the annual project completed by the students. This year the school encouraged their students to appreciate art collectors, so the students visited several art museums in Florence and recreated the work with their own style. She passed around examples of their recreations and they were adorable!

We then watched as some of the 5 year olds learned about bubbles. The school is fortunate to have ample space outdoors for the children to play; space in both Italy and the urban environment is limited. The teacher explained they make good use of this space by allowing the children to play outside many times during the day. Shortly after the teacher brought a group of 5 year olds over to play with us. First we showed them the hokey pokey and then played London bridge. They were very shy at first but most of them warmed up to us in just a few minutes. After our games the children showed us one of their games which was basically red light green light but they shouted, "Stella!" Next we tried to teach them tag but it turned in to a chasing game. We were sad to have to say goodbye. My morning at the Florence preschool allowed me to draw comparisons between Italian early education and American early education, such as the integrative classrooms and emphasis on outside play. Also important in the Florence preschool is art curriculum, as the teacher explained, the children live in a prominent city of renowned artistic work that must be appreciated.

After our morning at the school, Emily, Lane, Lee and I ventured to the leather market. I had a blast buying presents for family and friends and even found a leather bag for myself. Many of the Italians we encountered in Florence were very welcoming to Americans. Later that afternoon we went to the Academia to see the David. I saw this in high school as part of a guided tour and we were on our own for this museum and I'm not sure which I liked better. Either way the David is an incredible sight to see. The four of us went out to dinner at a restaurant across the street from our hotel and I ordered my first salad so far on my trip! They messed our order and it took at least 30 minutes to get our new salads while Lane and Emily had to eat their pasta before it got cold. In a way, slow service is part of going out to eat in Italy because taking an extra long meal time means you are enjoying yourself. We were a dinner pretty late, so I went to bed shortly after getting back to the hotel. The next morning we went to a museum of a Florentine tower house. This tied in nicely with the information given by our guide on our walking tour the first day in Florence. We learned about how medieval families lived in Florence. The museum was the end of our organized field trip for class. The 14 girls in the program were eventually all going to Cinque Terre for the weekend but we didn't all travel together. Half of us left Florence on Friday morning and headed for one of the most beautiful places in the world- Cinque Terre (5 Lands).

Venice In 24 Hours- Part 1 of 3

Tuesday morning we were off to the metro bright and early to make our trenitalia train to Venice. Termini train station in Rome has the level of chaos of the main Philadelphia train stations during rush hours. The train ride was long, about 4 hours, but it was exciting to take the train across so much of the country. We had with us a member of the staff from the Pantheon institute who made our travels much easier because she's a resident of Italy.

I went to Venice in high school and enjoyed it more then than I did on this trip. We were only there for about 24 hours and didn't make the best use of that time to see the entire city. My professor took us through the Doge's Palace in St. Mark's Square, which brought back memories of AP Euro in high school. We also stumbled upon the University of Venice and strolled through their campus, which was beautiful. A lot of us wandered around the city in the afternoon and evening, taking in the uniqueness of a city situated on water. Venice has beautiful glassware that makes for perfect window shopping. My favorite part of Venice is the countless bridges connecting the complicated streets of the city. They make for beautiful photos. I did a double take in front of a hotel and realized it was the hotel I stayed at in high school! Being in the cities I visited in High School this time around brings back memories I haven't thought about in years. I think that two trips to Venice is enough for one person for a long time.

We were told that checkout time was 730am Wednesday morning so my roommates and I woke up extra early, checked out, and then had nothing to do for 3 hours because it was pouring. It turned out that our professor forgot to tell us that check out time was actually 3 hours later and she had the chance to sleep in while we didn't! Though frustrating, we actually had fun in the cafe we spent all morning in waiting until our train to Florence departed. I am now a regular purchaser of cappuccinos and growing to like them very much.  However, I still think that steamed milk tastes like soap when it's foamy on top of a drink! Probably the best part about drinking a cappuccino is the style in which they are served; in a small cup on a saucer with a spoon on top of a bar. I have noticed that many Italians drink their morning cappuccinos standing at the bar only for a few minutes. This replaces America's coffee that is served in to-go cups, which i have rarely ever seen in Italy. I think this reflects the slower-paced lifestyle of Italians. I enjoy it, but it's definitely an adjustment!

After a rainy morning in Venice I was headed to Florence, which I will write about in another post soon!!

To Venice, Florence, and Cinque Terre

Yesterday afternoon, Emily, Emily (we have two Emilys) and I wandered around the city looking for the Trevi Fountain. We didn't plan an exact route, so it took a while to find, but it was magical when we sort of stumbled upon it! The crowds were insane; we only stayed for a few minutes, took a few pictures, and then left. Here are a few of my pictures:

                                                                  Emily, Emily, and I

This morning we had class in the Pantheon Institutes's classrooms for the first time. Last week we had class informally where ever our field trip was each day. I definitely loved being in an actual classroom, it was much easier to focus! Emily and I left early for class to stop by a cappuccino stand. I am quickly becoming addicted to Italian espresso drinks, I have now tried four different cappuccino in the Trastevere neighborhood! After class we headed to Diocletian's Baths. This was the first time I used pubic transportation in Rome and it was pretty easy. We have been reading a lot about the Roman baths, so I was excited to see the area, but these baths are actually now a church. The church, Basilico Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, was very beautiful and recognized the history of the Roman baths in a gallery about them. When the group was finished at the church, some of us rode the Metro to the Circo Massimo stop, which is about a 20 minute walk from our apartment.

Emily and I were really hungry by the time our class and field trip were over. We found a small restaurant near the apartment and ordered pizza, croissants, and cappuccinos. The prices were very reasonable (less than 5 euro for all of that) and the staff were pleasant and friendly! The restaurant is also one of the discount partners with Pantheon Institute, so we even saved a little bit by eating there. The atmosphere was enjoyable and I definitely plan on going back there frequently.

I have been busy all afternoon packing and thinking about the week ahead of me! Tomorrow morning, we leave on the train for Venice. Our group will spend one night in Venice and then take the train to Florence. I look forward to returning to Florence because I loved it so much on my trip in high school. We will spend two nights there and then finish our class field trip on Friday. Nearly everyone (about 15 girls) has booked hostels in Cinque Terre for the weekend. Cinque Terre is the name for five small towns along the coast of Italy that are connected by a hiking trail in a National Park. I could not be more excited to see the beauty of this region. Emily, Lane, Lee and I are spending three nights in a hostel and plan on exploring as much of the five towns that we can.

I won't have my computer for the next week, but perhaps I can update from my phone. I am ecstatic about experiencing more of Italy in the next seven days!

Running in Roma

It's starting to feel more and more like home here. I successfully used an Italian washing machine (almost 90 minutes for one load of wash through the washing machine)! I hand-washed most of my clothes because the washing machine is so small. It has been a lazy Saturday here, which is what most of my Saturdays are like at home too.

I finally went on my first run (really, I jog...but who likes the word jog? Sounds too much like the 90's) and it was amazing! There is a paved bike path along the Tiber River that I walk over every time I cross a bridge, so we knew where to head but we weren't sure of more than that. Emily, Thea, and I walked down the stairs to the path and ran to the end of it; a few miles from here is a completely different Roma. The historical beauty of the city was absent when we went out that far, but I still enjoyed every moment. It is just hot enough out to make you uncomfortable, but not so hot that I couldn't stand running in the heat. I'm very happy I finally went on that first run because now I know exactly where to go always. Working out while I am here is definitely not a big concern, but there are two reasons I think it will work to my benefit. First, I want to blend my lifestyle from home with the Italian lifestyle in order to have the best experience. Second, I will not feel so bad about eating endless gelato or cannoli. Ha!

The past two days have been wonderful. Yesterday morning we had class at the Forum and explored the scenic views from the top of the Capitol building. We had to pick up information packets for our trip next week to Florence and Venice at the Pantheon Institute in the afternoon; once we did that, some of us went to the grocery store and replenished the food we keep going through so quickly. By the end of the afternoon, I had walked all around the city in different directions! Emily, Lane, Lee, the other Emily and I went out to dinner in a restaurant Trastevere (our neighborhood). Our waiter was this precious old man who made the mediocre food worth the time at the restaurant. I'm excited for the night when we find truly excellent Italian food, because that hasn't happened yet. After dinner, most of the group went out together. Italian night life is amazing! It was lively, loud, chaotic, and fun. Our group of about 10 girls had a fun night together.

Tonight, we are attempting to make chicken parm without bread crumbs because they were nowhere to be found in the grocery store. Our efforts to communicate what bread crumbs are miserably failed. It was pretty funny. Yesterday, we made my Mom's version of caprese salad for lunch! Everyone loved it Mom :) I even took a picture. I have to write my child observation logs, read more, and write a paper by the end of the weekend. I guess I should go get started on that! Ciao!

To the Colosseo!

Today tested our ability to navigate the complicated streets of Rome using a map. It's difficult to visualize the layout of the city because it contains so many winding roads and alleyways. Our class was meeting at the Colosseum (in Italian, "Colosseo") at 8:30am. Emily, Lane, Lee and I left the apartment at 7:45 with a map in hand and little idea of how to get to where we needed to be. Fortunately, with a well-labeled map, it was easy! The four of us made it on time without problems. One of the best resources I have on this trip (besides a map) is the teaching assistant for the courses, Amanda. She lives in our apartment with us and both lends a hand and encourages our independence. It's nice to know that we can go to her for advice, but also that she wants us to mostly figure things out for ourselves. Developing that sense of independence will allow me to make the best of this experience. Successfully navigating places is the most tangible way to feel independent, like this morning.

Lane, Emily and I also went to the grocery store last night on our own to buy needed ingredients for our dinner. I have been moderately struggling without my routine morning coffee. I stared blankly in front of the espresso and coffee section of the aisle in the market, unable to read any of the directions or understand what products I was looking at. I could just buy a cup of something each day, but I know that would get expensive and be the easiest solution. I wanted to try something on my own! I finally decided on an instant (the horror! I know!) mocha cappuccino. It's actually not half bad, but I will savor my first authentic cup of Italian cappuccino dearly.

I am still overwhelmed with what I am seeing here in Rome every day. Though I did see many of the major monuments of Rome on my trip in high school, I enjoy the independence of exploring these pieces of history on my own. After a short tour of the Colosseum by our professor and a few hours of class in a nearby park, Emily, Lane, Lee and I bought sandwiches and wandered around the city. We passed some incredible sights, which I hope to go back to soon with more knowledge of their history. As we crossed the bridge over the Tiber River, the calamity of the atmosphere subdued. Our neighborhood is much quieter than what we explore across the river. I appreciate this little escape from the chaos!

I am looking forward to this weekend to have a break from class so that I can spend an entire day exploring the city. Also, we leave for Venice and Florence on Tuesday! That trip is with the program, but many of us are traveling to Cinque Terre for the weekend after we are finished in Florence.

Here are some pictures from today:

                                     Lee, Lane, Me, and Emily in the Colosseum

                    Me, Emily, Lee, Lane, Cait, Raquel, and Thea in front of the Colosseum

                                      Lee, Lane, and I on a bridge over the Tiber River

Morning at the market

This morning our class went to the open-air market in the Testaccio neighborhood. The market sort of reminded me of the farmers' market on Locust Lane in State College. We shopped around for fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, bakery items, poultry, fish, flowers, and more. My first purchase was a pint of strawberries (in Italian, "fragola") for 1,50 euros. Emily, Lane, Lee and I decided to sautee vegetables over pasta for dinner, so we bought red peppers, asparagus, and zucchini. The purpose of our trip the the market was to buy ingredients to make caprese salad back at the apartment. Since the four of us already bought these ingredients on the first grocery trip, we just purchased other goods at the market. We walked back to the apartment and stopped at a bakery along the way, where Emily and I shared a croissant. After a complicated process of 16 people trying to use one European-sized kitchen, we finally could enjoy caprese salad, which consists of sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. A variation of this dish is a summer staple in my house; though familiar, I still enjoyed every bite.

After lunch, we held class in the apartment for a while. Class was over by 1pm but I got right to work on my readings. We discovered a porch/balcony area outside the apartment that overlooks the garden, so I sat outside reading in the intense sunshine. I started to get burnt within a few minutes and put on sunscreen soon after that. I have had too many threats of sun-poisoning to risk that at the beginning of this trip. The last few hours that I spent reading were peaceful, pretty, and full of sunshine. I'm glad we found such a wonderful spot to relax right outside the apartment!

I haven't been taking enough pictures, but tomorrow we head to the Colosseum where I am sure I will snap plenty. It's hard to stop and take a picture when I want to focus on remembering how to get everywhere! I'm off to getting more homework out of the way so I can enjoy tonight. Ciao!

A Drowsy Arrival

Ciao! My flight from Philadelphia to Rome was delightful. Well, that's a stretch. However, I am a huge fan of personal televisions, a four-person row occupied by only two people, and direct flights across the world. I flew overnight and arrived at 9am Rome time on Monday morning. I only slept for an hour on the plane, which left me completely exhausted all day Monday. We arrived to our student housing facility, called the Santa Maria in Cappella. The facility borders the Tiber River and contains the oldest privately owned garden in Rome. Elderly people share the facility with students of the Pantheon Institute and wander the garden during the day.  A little weird, but also charming!  Here are pictures of the view of the Tiber (from our room) and the view of the garden (from a different bedroom in the apartment):

After a yummy lunch at the apartment provided by our professor, Dr. Cheek, we walked to our classroom building. Our classroom is steps away from the entrance to the Pantheon. How can that be real? I don't really know, but I will never take for granted walking past that beautiful piece of history every day. We took a delusional walk to the grocery store. Emily, Lane, Lee and I bought groceries together. It was difficult to function properly with 1 hour of sleep in 36 hours, but we managed to make it out of the market with the necessities. We wandered back to the apartment and I fell asleep at 5pm and woke up at 7am this morning. I'm glad I slept for that long because I feel 100% better today.

There are fifteen girls (fourteen students and our teaching assistant) living in one 'apartment' at the Santa Maria in Cappella. We basically live on the third floor of one of the housing complexes, with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, and a common room. It's plenty of space and we have everything we need, including many tour books on our book shelves! I'm sharing one of the bedrooms with Emily, my friend from school.

This morning was our orientation at the Pantheon Institute. The president of the school gave an excellent welcome speech that reminded us of the importance of this journey. He told us to consider the nature of perception and appreciate the distinctions of an unfamiliar culture. It was the perfect speech to start off the rest of the morning. We then met at our classroom and received syllabi for the 3 courses of the program (Italian Relationships, Early Childhood in Italy, and Historical Roots of the Italian Family). I have a lot of work ahead of me, nine credits in six weeks is intense! I will be writing papers, leading discussions, doing projects, posting blogs, keeping a journal, and reading many books and articles for class. I won't let myself think of my homework as a burden, though, because when else in my Penn State education will I be able to take a field trip to the Forum after a morning of learning about Italian commerce? Never. That's the most exciting aspect of this trip; I will learn about Italian culture as I experience it on a daily basis! Once our syllabi were reviewed, we had a lunch break, a brief introduction to our resources at the Pantheon Institute, and then headed back to the apartment.

I would love to write more, but I have a lot of reading to accomplish. I will post again when I feel I have stories to share, which I am sure will be soon enough! Next week, we head to Venice and Florence. Emily, Lane, Lee and I bought tickets for the Uffizi in Florence, which I remember was one of the best parts of my trip to Florence in high school. I'm so excited!

Off to Roma

My cousins bought this wonderful cannoli cake for me a few days ago. This thoughtful gesture made the trip feel like it is actually happening! And now I am about to leave for the airport. I am so excited! Next post will be from ITALY! Ciao!