Imballagio

Dopo parlavo con jill ho trovato che il ritmo circadiano non era importante perché già naturalmente durante le ore giuste per italia. Come già raccontavo mi sveglio presto come contadino alle cinque a roma nessuno si sveglia prima del dieci o l’undici ( sei ore dopo) . a roma dormano tarde alle tre, e qui io dormo alle ventuno ( sei ore da prima).

Ieri ho imballato tutto per il mio viaggio. Ero più organizzato di quanto avrei pensato. Ho metto le mie corde elettroniche in sacchettini di plastica individuale secondo il loro uso. Poi mettevo tutti i sacchettini in un sacco più grande che l’ho messo nel mio bagaglio a mano. Il processo era disorganizzato. I miei vestiti erano cosparsi per tutta camera di letto e quasi tutti non lavate. In primo piano dovevo lavare tutti e poi ho dovuto scegliere quali vestiti può portano secondo la misura del bagaglio. La mia mamma è imballatore esperto perché lei imballava più che avrei voluto in un bagaglio semplicemente. Soprattutto non era troppo difficile. Domani vola alle diciannove.

Anche jill mi suggerisce a comprare nuove scarpe, guardate!


After I talked to jill i found out that the circadian rhythm was unimportant because i was already on the right hours. I get up so early and go to sleep so early and they get up and stay up so late that we keep the same hours. I wake at 5 and sleep at 9 and they wake at 11 and sleep at 3 am. six hours different.

yesterday i packed everything for my trip. I was more organized than i thought i would be. i put all the cords in little plastic bags and the plastic bags in a bigger bag. and that bag in my carry-on. The process was completely disorganized. my clothes were strewn all over my bedroom and only half of them had been washed. so first i had to wash them then i had to figure out which ones i wanted. my mom is the expert packer she packed more than i could have wanted in the one bag i was allowed by alitalia. overall it wasn't too hard. tomorrow i fly at 7pm

jill suggested i get new shoes! check it out!

il ritmo circadiano

Remember when i told you that i had no idea what time it was, or where i was, or that i felt this whirlwind feeling? Now I admit that before I had exaggerated a bit, now I really have a whirlwind feeling. I started to change my circadian rhythm so that my body would be prepared for the change of time zone in advance of my trip.
My uncle suggested it. He travels a lot because he is an administrator in the hospitality industry. Maybe he was joking, but im crazy so I wanted to try it. I can’t really hurt and the most important thing is that this will help me sleep on the plane. The Idea is if I sleep and eat at the same hours as I would in Italy, my body will already feel adjusted when I arrive in Italy.
This is the hard part because if I plan on doing this I must stay up all night. If you don't know me like this I am a classic early riser. My routine is this: I get up early like a farmer between five and seven (never later if I didn’t drink the night before) and consequently I am already tired by nine or ten in the evening. The most difficult part is meals because a meal like breakfast would be at three in the morning in the United States.

Ricordi quando ti ho detto che non so che ora è, o dove sono, o che mi sento una sensazione “mulinello”? Adesso ammetto che ero esagerando, oggi mi sento proprio come mulinello. Ho cominciato a cambiare il mio ritmo circadiano in modo che il mio corpo può prepararsi per il cambiamento di fuso orario prima che viaggio.
Mio zio lo suggerisce. Lui viaggia spesso perché lui è un direttore nel settore alberghiero. Forse scherzava, ma sono pazzo e lo voglio provare. Non può farmi di male e l’ultima cosa d’importanza è che dormo in aereo che farò così. L’idea è che se dormo e mangio nella stessa ora che farei in Italia, il mio corpo si sentirà già regolata quando arriverò in Italia.
Questo è punto difficile perché se ho intenzione di fare questo devo stare svegli tutta la notte. Se non mi conosci così io sono classico, quello che diciamo in inglese, “early-bird” . la mia routine è così: mi sveglio presto come contadino fra cinque e sette (mai più tarde se non bevevo la notte precedente) e di conseguenza sono già stanco per ventuno ventidue alla notte. La parte più difficile sono le ore dei pasti perché un pasto come colazione farebbe tre di mattina agli stati uniti.
Sono stato sveglio dal mezzogiorno ieri e l’ora di andare a dormire in Italia è forse le otto o nove ore di più. Ora devo pacchetto in questo stato strano di mulinello.

twitters

I miss twitter.  Today it occurred to me that so many followers are missing out on my Roman experience because I haven't been tweeting!  It is just so hard to tweet without my blackberry.  So many good tweeting opportunities have been lost.  So upsetting.  I apologize to all my followers, it is just too hard to tweet after the fact.  I need to tweet on location or not at all.  :(

delicious dinner

We went out for dinner and drinks for one of my roommates 21st birthday.  The dinner was delicious, and so cheap!  My roommate and I shared two different kinds of pizza: one had zuccini flowers on it, and the other was pancetta and parmeson cheese.  So light and tasty, truly amazing Roman pizza.  We then went to a little bar in Travestevre.  It was a perfect night- there are so many great places right in my neighborhood, I want to explore them all!

Roommates!

Just parmeson cheese, tomato, and pancetta

4th floor

at the bar

This is where I live!

I've been here 3 weeks already and I still haven't posted about where I live!  The place is an old monastery so we have a courtyard and a church that is no longer in use.  My school has a whole building, so it is 3 floors and 60 students.  It is like a dorm but way better!

the living room back when it was clean

third floor terrace

courtyard and old church

view towards the river

I made a delicious snack (cheese, pesto, tomato)

I was missing my plants so I bought one an Italian one!

Toga Party

We had our first toga party last weekend.  It was so much fun to have everyone together and in togas!  And of course it was very relevant to our studies here.  We didn't have any safety pins so we used hair clips to hold our togas together.  I don't recommend it.  Just wanted to share some pics from the night!

Elevator

 After a night of dancing and walking to and from the club, my friend and I decided to take the elevator up to the fourth floor.  My feet were killing from my new heels, so it was the obvious choice.  Of course, the elevator gets stuck in between the third and fourth floor.  I start freaking out because it was around 3AM and no one knew we were in the elevator.  So we start screaming and pressing every button for about ten minutes.  Luckily the elevator had an alarm button, although I doubt the alarm was louder than our screams.  Finally a few people hear us and start talking to us through the door.  At one point I think people from the third floor were yelling up to us and my housemates on floor four were yelling down to us.  At this point it is just hilarious, so we start yelling out of boredom and not fear.  We are telling our housemates to slide a deck of cards in between the cracks and screaming about wanting food. 
We were in there for maybe 20 minutes when all the lights go out.  Of course we start screaming like crazy again.  It turns out that one of the guys in our house was messing with the wires of the elevator trying to get it to open.  Eventually he was successful, the elevator opened, and we were free. 
We got out to a houseful of people watching the incident.  They were very surprised that there were only two girls in the elevator, apparently all four floors could hear us yelling.  Good thing this whole building is students. 
The lessons learned: I shouldn't be so lazy, I shouldn't wear heels in Rome (that one is not going to change), and most importantly, Do Not Trust European Elevators.
The next day I walked up all four flights of stairs with four bags of groceries.

Déménager II

I had a feeling moving out was going to be a long day. I already had that whirlwind feeling leaving PA at midnight the night before, and considering I was already so tired and that at 8 the next morning I would be at U-haul of East Orange picking up a 10 foot truck, I knew that I would be feeling this way for the next couple days.
6:30 AM in Mount Laurel is 8:00 AM in East Orange. I guess this is something that little brother didn't understand because he stayed up late the night before and wasn't really aware of the time we were leaving. I didn't even really know he was coming because the day before mom was talking about coming and never mentioned him, but I guess she missed the 6:30AM memo as well.

After the obligatory trip to WaWa, coffee and sizzlies, we started north on the turnpike. We took the classic route that I don't really think me and my dad have taken since my freshmen year. After about 2 trips we are always trying to find new ways of going somewhere. We started taking 295 instead of the turnpike the full way there about the time I moved into my place and really haven’t taken that way since.
So there we were: 6:45AM around exit 6, in our boots, knit hats, driving to some unknown northern destination, finishing our sizzlies, drinking coffee, the sky is just starting to change colors. We start talking about how this is basically the scenario of a camping trip back when me and my brother were both in scouts. This is really the calm before the storm part of the trip because it’s shortly after this that I realize that I forgot my keys. This is another lesson of camping apparently left unlearned because I don't think I’ve ever been on a trip when I didn't forget something really important. Luckily I figured out that my roommate was home and that I would be going back anyway so we didn't have to turn around, but after that it’s hard to avoid the feeling that this was going to be a long day.

We pick up the U-Haul. I’ve lived in this area for a few years now but of course I don't really know how to get everywhere. I don't have a car so my knowledge of driving in North Jersey is limited to highways. Actually it’s limited to one highway, the Garden State Parkway. I pretty much spend 80% of my time driving on the route from Mount Laurel to Newark so I can tell you which exits are the closest to my place (none of them) or which time of day is the best to avoid traffic (from 2 AM to 3 AM other than that is a parking lot). So getting from U-Haul to my apartment requires GPS even if it’s only like 2 miles away. Even with all my knowledge of the Parkway me and my dad forgot that trucks can’t go on the Parkway and it wasn't until we he just merged onto the highway that I figured this out. We were caravanning and he was leading since he had the GPS so all I could do is hope for the best. Luckily everything turned out OK.

Here is where the real fun starts. I moved in on the hottest day of the year, in a huge rainstorm. I moved out on basically the coldest, when the whole block was piled up with snow. Here in New Jersey we don't really have the luxury of going to the Ice Bar since I could make cups of ice outside from all the snow piled up. Ivy Hill isn’t really noted for its spacious parking and unloading the U-Haul was hard enough the first time so moving out surrounded by piles of snow and icy roads and sidewalks forced us to walk carefully and block about 6 parking spots. Thanks to me for forgetting my keys the basement door became a one way so we had to walk around the building. This resulted in the Ivy Hill Relays as trips moving out furniture became a big circle: U-Haul, walk around the building, elevator to the ninth, grab some stuff, elevator down, basement door, back to the U-Haul, repeat. We really made good time though and because the 6A crew is taking my sofa it was really easy to pack up. This was supposed to be my dad’s last trip to 9N but in a last minute audible he left the vacuum so that I could clean thoroughly so he’ll be back on Friday. Moving stage one was complete ahead of schedule. We moved the wall unit, Bombay table, kitchen table, chairs, lounge chairs, bed, dresser, carpets, and a few other things out in about 2 hours with a team of 4. In spite of all our mistakes we realized one thing that we did make an improvement in from the moving in process. This time I opted for the $7 rental of a furniture dolly. Gamechanger. We took a break for lunch before beginning moving out part two. In order to do that we had to lock up the truck something that the two eagle scouts present had neglected to bring on this camping trip so I had to borrow a lock and rope to tie up the furniture in the truck from the 6A crew. Dad took us out to Hot Bagels Abroad, which is The Place in South Orange. I firmly believe it is the best place to get bagels on earth, even if they are real expensive. Little brother approved so I know I can’t be far off from being correct.

Moving part II was a lot easier. We thought ahead and talked about the route in order to avoid the Parkway, we had my cousin the pro mover who loves the opportunity to fit as much stuff as possible into the smallest places he can, and I had already made reservations so we were set. Not exactly.

My cousin and uncle met us back in Mount Laurel and we unloaded all the stuff that wouldn't fit in the house. We had to estimate how much would fit into storage and move as much out as possible without really knowing how big the space was. After that we headed down to Berlin, NJ for storage. Apparently Berlin, NJ is the storage capital of the world. I choose Berlin originally because I found online that they had the cheapest prices at the shortest distance.

I unknowingly gave my dad and uncle directions to Berlin Self Storage instead of Public Storage in Berlin. This was the last hang up of the day. I made reservations at Public Storage and they called me about 3 times last week to confirm. We get to Berlin Self Storage and figure out that this is the wrong place, they are a little more expensive but dad talks them down to about the same price. Then Walt “Pete” takes us to see the space. It looks fine (we really don't know what we are looking for) so we go back to the van. We the decide to measure the furniture, then we realize we need to measure the space ( we didn't purchase yet so Walt “Pete” has to take us back for trip number 2). Turns out that 5X5 really means 4’6’’ X 5 so we have to bump up to the 5X10 so we had to take trip number 3 out to storage to see that. Then Walt “Pete” and my dad start working out the rental agreement. I knew things were gonna be bad when Walt “Pete” asked my dad for his license first so that he could have time to record the number because he was aware that he “typed slow”. Then he printed the rental agreement but the price on it was wrong. Somehow Walt “Pete”, who has worked at that place every day for years, didn't know how to change it and told my dad to call his boss on Monday. This was no good. After teaching Walt how to use a computer we started to move in. We realized we needed a lock so we had to use the one that we borrowed from the 6A crew, but I’m getting a new one for them today. Moving in was easy and went off without a hitch except for the gate of the storage almost killing me because went up into the air when it opened like a drawbridge instead of just sliding sideways. After that we parted was and dropped off the U-Haul at yet another storage place in Berlin (this one was more expensive than both the others).

I grabbed my keys and had Little Brother take me to the train to head back to Newark. I realized I had forgot the rope half way there and somewhere between Newark Penn Station and Ivy Hill my keys disappeared. Who’s gonna blame me for that. I had no idea what time it was, what day it was, or where the heck I was after going all over the place for the past couple days. Hopefully my next post will be from Italy. See everyone in a week.

The Ice Bar

We went to The Ice Bar last night.  Literally, it's an ice bar.  We went inside and had to wear special coats.  And everything was made of ice.  Even the glasses.  At first it was really fun because it was an open bar and they had a lot of fancy cocktails to try.  All ice themed of course.  "the frozen sun" "arctic melt", etc.  Some of the drinks were good, but the best part was that they came in a glass of ice.  Everyone was biting of pieces of their glasses after a while.  So we were in there for about an hour when we started to get really cold.  First it was just my hands, and that was tolerable.  But then it was my feet, and I couldn't handle that.  Plus it was awkward trying to move in a small area with giant, heavy coats on.  But we paid to get in, and it was an open bar, so we wanted to get our moneys worth.  It became a game of how cold we were vs. how many drinks we wanted to try.  Soon the cold won, and we left long before closing.  It was fun, but pretty touristy.  The bartenders spoke perfect English and it was almost only students inside.  It was like being back in the States.  I really hate being cold, so I don't think I'll be going back to the ice bar anytime soon.

The Butcher

So, I really need to learn Italian.  My small knowledge of Italian is really compromising my ability to shop in Italy.  My roommate and I were at a covered market the other day, and we wanted to get some steak for dinner.  We went up to the butcher and read the name of the steak we wanted to him.  With the aid of pointing, this was easy enough.  But then we had to figure out how to tell him how much we wanted him to cut for us.  This was a series of odd hand motions and gesturing.  After a long and awkward period, we finally got a cut of steak.  And it was delicious, totally worth the trouble.
But yeah, my Italian skills need a lot of work.  Especially if I am going to start haggling for shoes.

Roman Cartography

I am taking this class called Roman Cartography.  It is going to be an awesome class.  It meets six hours a week, and the first three hours are a lecture, which is ok.  But the really great part is the second three hours.  It consists of a walk around the city.  The goal of the class is to learn about the development of Rome by traveling the original pathways throughout the city.  During the walks we stop and look at the buildings and learn about how to identify what time period it is from, who built it, and how it has changed throughout the years.  We also look at a lot of maps and find out how the city has grown over time.  I am learning so much already, but the best part of these walks is that I am getting to see all over the city.  I am learning my way around, and finding all the best places to shop, eat, go to galleries, everything.  I am seeing neighborhoods that I might not have found on my own!  It is so much fun, and hopefully this class will help my sense of direction!

New Jerseyans and Italians: Not so different

So Italians have a lot in common with us new Jerseyans.  First off, lets talk traffic.  Traffic is Rome is horrible.  Just like in Jersey, Italians don't believe in speed limits.  Also there is always traffic, and rush hour is insane.
Another similarity, Italy is very regional, and Italians make fun of the people who live in other parts of Italy.  My Italian teacher is always talking trash on those "people from Milan".  Reminds me of how we talk about North Jersey.
I thought of more similarities earlier, but I can't remember anymore. But the point is, we are more similar than we thought.

Villa d'este and Villa Adriana

Yesterday my school school went on a field trip to Villa d'este in Tivoli and Villa Adriana.  We were not super excited about the field trip because we had to wake up at 7 am and we were out late the night before celebrating the end of our first week of classes.  However, the trip was well worth the early wake up time.  We started the day at Villa Adriana, which was a villa that Hadrian built to live and rule his empire from.  It is on the outskirts of Rome, only a 30 minute drive away.  It is an enormous site, filled with the ruins from Hadrian's decadent place of residence.  There are many interesting things about this site, most is that only a small percentage of it is excavated yet.  We saw a model of the Villa as it once stood, but only a fraction of that is visible today.  Archiologists are constantly working to uncover more of this villa.  The villa is amazing for architecture students in terms of construction, material, and program.  I can't even describe the mass of structures that are still standing.  And the villa also includes an array of underground tunnels and passageways that no one really knows what they were used for.  There are also rooms that don't make any sense.  We literally don't know how Hadrian lived.  The most fascinating and most famous part of the villa was Hadrians island, or the Maritime theater.  This was an island that Hadrian designed to be his personal getaway.  He dug a moat around a small piece of land where he could go to be alone.  Apparently there used to be a drawbridge that he could pull up so no one could get to him in his private island-room.  It is really an amazing piece of architecture.

After Villa Adriana, we visited Villa d'este.  This villa is not at all like the ruins of Hadrian's villa.  Villa d'este reminded me of a mini Versallies.  It is brimming with fountains and gardens built into a hillside.  The villa is at the top of the hill and you must travel down several beautiful winding staircases in the garden to get to the bottom of the hill.  The site is very famous for its water organ, which plays music at certain hours.  I can't even describe the wonder of this place, it was truly a garden from a fairy tale.  I wish I could just get lost in the garden for days and days! 

Italian friend

Tonight the younger brother of my roommate's sister's boyfriend came over the house after dinner.  He is from Rome and is actually going to university at La Sapienza, the same school Jordan will be taking classes at.  It is really great to meet someone from Rome who can give us tips on the city and Italian culture.  We asked him so many questions about Italians and living in Rome.  Mostly we wanted to know about going out, the best places and the best prices.  He gave us some great tips and even offered to take us to pubs around his neighborhood.  He also talked a lot about growing up in Rome and the Italian way of life.  I can't wait to introduce him and Jordan, because I know Jordan will love talking to him about all the cultural stuff.  Plus they can talk in Italian!  I am thankful to learn more about Rome.  I don't know if I will stop feeling like a tourist anytime soon, but learning the local places and people is so exciting!

discotecha

Last night we went to a discotecha.  It was in a touristy area of the city, Campo di Fiori.  So I don't know if we got the full Italian discotecha experience.  But it was open past 2 and there was no cover charge.  So my roommates and I went a little after midnight.  There were about 20 of us, so you can imagine the difficulties that arose.  As soon as we got inside we all lost each other.  Luckily I was with two other girls and we were able to stick together.  Dancing was fun, but the drinks were way overpriced.  5 euro for a beer and 10 euro for a cocktail.  Then again, these are the same prices you would expect for find at a club in Manhattan, so I guess it is just what is to be expected.  We danced for a while, American music is incredibly popular, but it is not the usual top 40 songs we are used to.  The discotecha is also a great place to practice Italian.  I was able to meet some Italians and ask them their names (Come te chiami?) how old they were (Quanti anni hai?) and if they study or work (Studi or Lavori?).   I was also able to tell them that I study architecture (Io studio architectturra) and that I live in Travestevere (Vivio travesterve).  Needless to say, I was pretty pleased with my conversational skills.  I also got to practice saying "no" and "goodbye" to the Italian guy who wouldn't stop following us around.  Luckily we left the club sin Italian men, and were able to make it home.  Of course, we relied on the guys in our group to carry the keys, and we lost them, so my friend and I stood outside the apartment yelling for someone to come downstairs and let us in.  "Pantheon Institute, open the gate!"  We were rescued in a matter of minutes.  Overall, I'd say it was a successful first night out.

Gelato

I am trying not to make the afternoon and nightly gelato run a habit, but it is hard not too.  I just got back from having my second gelato today!  The gelato is so delicious, and there are so many flavors to try, that it is hard not to venture out for the perfectly portioned snack.  There is also a gelatoria on every corner, and they all have different flavors!  This adds to the temptation.  Today I tried pistactio and bacio on a cone, and then tonight I had pear and straccatoria (chocolate chip).  So delicious!  And it is a fun, cheap, group activity.  Of course we don't sit in the gelatoria, we just get a cup and walk around the streets with it.

As we were walking around tonight, another equally sized group of people heard us speaking English and started talking to us.  They were from London, and they were here doing a Beatles play.  No seriously, they were doing a play on the Beatles.  One of the guys started introducing his friends to me by their characters; "this is george, this is ringo".  I honestly thought they were joking, but they were actually on tour for this.  We talked with them for a while, a couple girls tried to get dates, and then we all eventually went home.  But they were a fun crowd.  Maybe we'll go to their play sometime!


Sto provando a evitare gelato ogni sera e notte come abitudine, ma è troppo difficile da evitare. Ho tornato subito dal mio secondo gelato da oggi. Gelato sono cosi deliziosi, e ci sono tanti sapori a provare che è difficile di non uscire per quello spuntino da proporzione perfetto. C’è gelateria per tutti angoli, e ognuno ha sapori diversi! Per questo la tentazione è troppa. Oggi ho provato pistacchio e bacio sul cono, stasera ho mangiato pera e straccatoria. Così delizioso. E’ divertente, economico, un’attività per gruppo. Certo non ci sediamo alla gelateria, invece mangiamo a piedi e ci passiamo le strade.

Passeggiavamo stasera, un altro gruppo numeroso come noi, sentivano noi parliamo inglese e cominciano a parlarci. Sono da Londra, sono qui per fare una dramma sul Beatles. Per vero, sono qui per fare una dramma sul Beatles. Uno dei ragazzi introdotta i suoi amici come i personaggi che si giocano, “si chiama George, si chiama ringo, e così” Pensavo che sia scherzando, ma sono in giro Europa così. Abbiamo chiacchierato un poco, alcune delle ragazze provano a fare appuntamenti, e dopo torniamo a casa. Erano un gruppo divertimento. Forse andiamo alla sua dramma!

Seriously, NEVER FLY ALTALIA!!!!

So my luggage got delivered today, and I was so happy to have it back!  Two guys came with me to pick it up at the office where it was delivered and they even brought it back home for me while I went to class!  I told them I owed them a drink haha.

When I went to open my luggage I noticed that my bag was nearly falling apart (this was a brand new suitcase) and my lock was gone, even though it was one of the security approved ones.  They had replaced my lock with some wire and an Altalia logo.  I opened my suitcase and I knew that someone had been inside it, as I had packed it neatly and it was now a mess inside.  The first thing I looked for was my perfume, because it had been wrapped in some clothing and I was afraid it may have broken.  It wasn't broken, it was gone.  Also a cable to my camera was stolen.  I hope nothing else is gone, but I can't remember everything that was in there.  I am very upset at the loss of my perfume- it was brand new, in the box. 

Mom is going to try and file a claim, but who knows how good that will do.  The lesson learned from first getting my visa and know this is that Italian authorities can do anything they want.  Pretty depressing.  Now I really need some Italian wine.


I miei bagagli sono consegnati oggi, e sono felice di averne. Due ragazzi andavano per riportarli dal luogo dov’era consegnati e anche portarli a casa per me quando andava a corso! L’ho detto che li ho dovuti un bicchiere!

Quando li aprivo, notavo che il mio bagaglio era quasi a pazzi (quella era un bagaglio tutto nuovo) e il mio blocco è mancato, anche se era quella di sicurezza approvata. Loro hanno cambiato il mio blocco con filo e la stampa di Alitalia. Aprivo il mio bagaglio e sapevo che qualcuno già era all’interno, l’ho smontato ordinatamente e adesso è stato tutto disordinato. La prima cosa che cercavo e il mio profumo, perché è stato avvolto sugli alcuni vestiti e avevo paura che lo avrebbe potuto rotto. Non è rotto, è rubato. Anche un filo per telecamera è rubato. Spero che nient’altro sia mancato, ma non posso ricordare tutto che messo qui. Sono sconvolto a causa della mancanza del mio profumo- era subito nuovo, nella scatola.

Mamma sta provando a presentare un reclamo, ma chissà che fa. La lezione imparava dal processo del visto e che autorità italiana può fare quello che si piace. Così deprimente. Adesso, bisogno un po’ di vino italiano.

Registering for Classes

Registering for classes here is not like registering for classes at Bennington.  I much prefer the process at Bennington, which is saying a lot considering Bennington's process incredibly stressful and tiring.  Here it is even worse.  I picked classes after I got accepted to the school, yet apparently these choices meant nothing.  We had to fill out another course preference sheet here.  At first I got really excited because the teachers presented all of their course offerings and I started considering courses that I has previously ruled out.  So I proceeded to try and choose my classes.  However, when I looked at the schedule I realized almost all of the classes I wanted to take overlapped.  Why would they schedule so many overlapping courses?  I have no idea.  The administration finally realized this problem and started sending around crazy emails switching around class meeting times.  This made it nearly impossible to choose a schedule because everyone was confused as to what time classes were actually meeting.  My Italian Rationalism class changed it's meeting time three times already! On top of all the class times changing, classes keep getting canceled due to lack of enrollment.  Then everyone complains, more people decide they want the class, and the class gets reinstated.  It is so frustrating.  I still don't know my schedule.  I got an email saying that the one class that I really wanted, Roman Cartography, might get reinstated.  If this happens my schedule will be perfect.  However, if I don't get that class back I will have to choose another course, probably Architecture Analysis.  I really hope I can get all my classes, and that the schedule doesn't change again!  The process just seems unnecessarily disorganized, but I am hearing that this is juts how study abroad is.  Hopefully the disorganization will fade as classes start and everyone gets settled in.

On a more positive note, my luggage has finally arrived at the school's office.  Two guys from my house are going to help me bring it back here (since the cobblestones pose a particular threat if I were to drag it here by myself).  I will finally have all my toiletries and clothes!

Ciao for now!

Déménager

I always knew it would be difficult to move out. It was difficult to move in and I had fewer clothes, less furniture and pretty much less of everything. I moved in during a rainstorm in august of 2009, and I’m moving out during a snowstorm. It snowed both moving out in Newark and this morning it started snowing here and Mount Laurel and we still have to move things from the car to the house. My dad came up and helped me last night. We made good time I think, loading up the whole care with things in about two hours.

The real hard part is yet to come. I have a whole apartment of furniture to move yet: couch wall unit, bed, to chairs, kitchen table, and bureau. There are three US weekends left and I still don't know where this stuff is going to go. I was going to measure all of it and relay this info back to the home base but dad and I forgot the tape measure on the way back to Hamilton. So now I have to see if I can find measurements somehow. Right now we are planning the move for two weeks from now. There really is no good time to move. The last weekend in the month is too late and too stressful since ill be leaving days later. Two weeks from now is my mom’s birthday which complicates things, and this coming weekend things just won’t be ready.

Physically moving out is going to be hard as well. I remember a conversation with all involved with the move in where we joked that the only way the couch is going to be moved out is in pieces, meaning chopped in half. This apartment has probably the worst design. The front door, which opens to a hallway on both sides of the threshold, doesn't even open all the way. The hallway is less than an inch shorter than the door so the door opens a lot, almost all the way but it comes just short, frustratingly similar to the Eagles today. On top of this the couch, if I remember right, is only a few inches taller than the door. Moving it in we tried every possible way we could to fit it through the door. It took like 20 minutes until we could find the right way to fit it in. if only I remember which way that was …

Living in Roma

Ciao to all!  It is my second day in Rome and I am just starting to settle in.  The past two days have been very hectic because we had a lot of orientation events.  The hardest part was actually getting to the events.  Of course my roommate and I instantly got separated from the rest of our housemates (not that they knew where they were going either) so we got lost.  I had my first lesson in asking Italians for directions.  Luckily we knew what piazza the building was in so we could easily ask "Donde Piazza del Collegio Romano?".  Of course, understanding Italian directions didn't work out.  Luckily Italians talk with their hands!  Eventually we knew we were close, so we went in to a hotel and asked the concierge "Parla Inglese?"  She gave us great directions, but we still arrived late to the meeting.   The rest of the day involved a lot of introductions, professors handing out syllabus, and more getting lost.  By the end of the day I had major blisters on my feet.  I have been so exhausted because of the jet lag, running around the city, and not eating enough.  Today was a calmer day, we only had a short orientation meeting to pick our classes, then we had the rest of the day off.  My roommate and I went grocery shopping.  My favorite foods are great prices here!  A box of pasta is .45 euro, a loaf of fresh bread, 1.00 euro, tomato sauce, 1.50, and olive oil for 3 euro.  It felt so good to buy some food, now my shelf in the kitchen isn't empty!  Tomorrow we will go to an open air market to shop for produce and meat.  I hope I will be able to find some farm fresh eggs too!  The eggs were a bit pricey at the grocery store. 
My apartment in Rome is really cool- It is more like a dorm than a traditional Roman apartment.  The building used to be a monastery, so it has a beautiful central courtyard, arched windows, and a lot of history.  My apartment is the whole fourth floor, so I live with 14 girls (2 per room) and 4 boys.  It actually feels a lot like home in Bennington, we have a large common room and a cute kitchen.  The whole building is students, but I only know a few people in the other apartments so far.  The location of my place is perfect, I have a view of the river from my room! Pictures will come as soon as I get my luggage!
More news soon, classes start tomorrow (which I am less than thrilled about, I just want to walk around here!)

Do not fly Alitalia!

The flight to Italy was long but not horrible until my layover in Amsterdam.  I flew US Airways for most of the way, and I was sitting next to two nice Dutch women who said they were glad I wasn't a "sick, fat man".  They were very interested in my trip to Rome and when I told them I was living in a Roman apartment with students, they said "How chic!".  Then I arrived in Amsterdam, bid farewall to new Dutch friends, and began the miles and miles walk to my terminal fro my flight to Italy.  The Amsterdam airport looks like Ikea, and includes an "airport library" and an actual deli.  I think people in Europe just hang out in airports for fun.  So I get on the Alitalia flight, and it was terrible.  Horrible plane, and incredibly shaky.  Luckily I was able to sleep most of the way.  I also made friends with other students going to different schools in and around Rome.  We exchanged facebooks so maybe we'll meet up someday.  So at baggage claim one of my bags arrived and the other one didn't.  I stood in line at customer service for maybe an hour.  During this time I chatted it up with an Italian woman who said that she loses at least one article of luggage every time she flies Alitalia.  I was glad to share my annoyance with another.  At customer service they informed me that my bag was still in Amsterdam and would be delivered to Rome  that evening.  So I left the airport.  Today I called the airline to see the status of my bag.  They said they had "no new information" and to call back tomorrow.  So my bag may be in Rome, it may still be in Amsterdam, who knows.  Meanwhile I have no shampoo, no facewash, no soap.  Also all my school supplies were in there, so I hope my architecture class on Monday doesn't require drafting.  I am pretty upset, plus there is only one outlet in my room which I am sharing with my roommate so I have only 7 minutes of battery life remaining on this computer.  I got to see a little of Rome today, and I will explore my neighborhood later tonight.  I will update with pictures as soon as possible, but my camera usb was in the lost luggage, so who knows.
Goodbye for now, wish me luck with Alitalia!

i giallorossi

Last year I picked up the Saints when I visited Jill in New Orleans during the playoffs. After celebrating a playoff win over the Cardinals on Bourbon Street I decided that I'm now also a Saints fan. I had good reason to do so: they rarely play the Eagles. Celebrating a playoff victory in a bar is something I have clearly never done in Philly anyway so really this was kind of its own thing.
Well today I've chosen my Serie A team: Roma. I've spent all morning watching their win over Catania and listening to it on Italian Radio. Considering I got really angry when the feed froze during each gol, and seeing the stadium made me realize that I'm going to live in this city for months and i'll probably see that stadium and i may even be able to go to a game. So Roma is my team now. forza roma! forza giallorossi!

i giallorossi

Mai stato un tifoso di uno squadro specifico di calcio. La mia famiglia non sono italiani nel senso culturale a dunque non si guarda il calcio, no si sono tifosi. Cominciavo a guardare il calcio quando ho scoperto che di domenica il cannale internazionale mostrava le partite più importanti della settimana che subita passava. Anche a questo punto non posso nominare tutti degli squadri del serie A. conosco forse due calciatori … Totti.
Sono bugiardo, conosco uno, ma lui è un giallorosso, e quello è l’unica cosa d’importanza per me. Ho subito guardato la partita fra Roma e Catania. Non mi chieste dove perché non era legale, ma non importante perché l’ho guardato. Il sito che usava non era buono. Infatti, ho mancato l’ultimo gol che permetteva Roma a vincere. Lo stream era rotto durante tutti i momenti più importante della partita ma l’ho seguito tutto del radio sportivo italiano. Adesso imparerò più della mia nuova squadra. Se ci sono soldi, vorrei andare a un partito allo stadio olimpico a Roma per guardare i miei giallorossi.

Walsh/Vatican

yesterday i left seton hall.
Maybe I'm the only one but I think there's a bit of similarity between St Peter's and Walsh. Right? Right? ... Probably Not

Caro Diario

In between transcribing an interview about theology and transhumanism I got distracted. This is pretty common in the line of work I do which involves a desk and a computer at all times. I was looking up movies set in Rome, specifically by Italian directors. I don't know that much about the city and compared to a lot of other things in Italian culture I know almost nothing about cinema.

One of the movies I noticed was one I had been meaning to watch for some time, Caro Diario by Nanni Moretti. Romani taught me about it in Italian Civ II. The class was organized into a study of Italian History from unification on. The final portion was about current cultures and themes in specific cities. She explained that Moretti is almost the Woody Allen of Italian Cinema.

Caro Diario starts in Vespa in Moretti’s favorite part of the city, Garbatella. I still don't know where I’m living but UniRomaTre is on the edge of the Garbatella near the Tevere. Garbatella is historically a working class neighborhood. Moretti says it was settled in the late 1920’s. Suburban, it looks like a blend of old, new, city, suburban, it is beyond the part of the city which dates back to ancient times, but it still has history by most standards, “Garibaldi fought here” they say in Diario.

This film has a lot of great elements which I find irresistible, the way Moretti says Jennifer Beals with an Italian accent, riding vespa, a part of Rome I will probably know well, the 90’s, world music, humor, the way Moretti interacts with people is like an Italian version of Seinfeld. He loves just looking at houses, there’s the facades, there’s a bridge he must cross twice a day. I mean for me this is more the relatable. He dances like a nut on his Vespa. If the first part of the movie is about anything it’s about regionalism. We know how I feel about that.

One question: does Jennifer Beals really speak Italian?
I must be "a little off center"

To Rome!

My flight is on Thursday, at 8:30pm.  It's a red eye to Amsterdam, so I'll arrive around 10am.  Then I have two hours at the airport before I transfer planes.  I arrive in Rome at 3:25pm.  Then it all starts. 

I'm feeling an annoying mix of emotions that change constantly.  I'm excited and nervous.  Yesterday I was thrilled when reading about the shops and restaurants in my new home, Rome's west bank, Trastevere.  Today I don't feel like getting off the couch.  I am dreading packing and traveling, but I can't wait to meet new people and get to know the city.

Mostly I just want to get there!  When I get to Rome all my "pre-departure anxiety" (as described in the online orientation) will disappear and I can start falling in love with Rome!  Maybe I'll even learn something in the next four months!

ai nuovi romani

Jillian and I are living in Rome for the next couple months.
We are going to different schools in different parts of the city.
This is going to be the closest we have been to each other for the longest sustained period of time since we were both in high school.
So we are going to do our best to keep a good record of things.
I imagine Jill will keep track of learning Italian and architecture throughout the city.

I'm going to probably do the same and just general thoughts on roman life.
I'm also using this blog as a way to practice Italian and French. Since i've heard that the Italian university system has much less writing than the American. So i'll do my best to do as many translations of these posts as I can.

I have no idea what Rome is like despite studying Italian for 6 years. I was there for 2 days in 2006. I only have slight memories of the city, most of which took place at the Vatican. (i dont remember that much of Rome but i could easily describe almost every second of my tour at st peters.)

Jill is living in the Trastevere. I dont know where ill be but my school in the Garbatella near the piramide.

Really Long Weekend

Were on break, so who cares. I intended to read all of an Italian translation of Pamuk's "Istanbul" and Jill intended to practice Italian everyday, but we got lazy. Jill leaves Thursday so shes out of time. I go back to Newark later today this is the end of me giving her lessons. This is what happens over break. You get back to Mt. La-La, you are tired from the semester, you want to meet up with all the people you haven't seen. Next thing you know your watching Modern Marvels: Cheese and reruns of American Pickers.

I think I gave her the tools she needs to "butter/ladder" her way to at least an understanding of the language so that she can tell when a shop is closed for calcio or a strike or something.

I'm in the mood to watch some Fellini today so maybe La Dolce Vita or La Strada can make up for like a week of not practicing.