Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

We had a really fun Valentine's day in my house!  Jordan and I had just spent too much money in Milan, so we did Valentine's day at home with all my roommates!  We worked so hard to make a delicious dinner of pasta with chicken and artichoke hearts, salad with pear and walnuts, and tiramisu.  The tiramisu was especially hard to make because we didn't have an electric mixer so we had to break our arms whipping the egg whites.  But it was totally worth it.

Italian Shopping

As you all know, the shopping here is amazing.  Also I lucked out in that I arrived in Italy right in the midst of Sconti (discount) season.  Every store in Italy is filled with huge "Saldi" signs.  Saldi is easily my favorite word in Italian.  So I have bought some awesome stuff at great prices!  I haven't paid full price for anything yet! My roommates and I did all our shopping now because we know that when the sales end we won't be able to afford anything!!  Check out my amazing buys!

dress and skirt!

knee high black boots! They were the last pair in the store, my size! Originally 210 eur, I got them for 60! Unbelievable!

Dress, perfume, boots!

Milan

Jordan and I went to Milan this weekend- it was so amazing!  Milan is such a modern city, different than Rome in architecture and culture.  Milan actually has a China town, Indian food, and a lot more public parks than Rome.  Jordan and I had a great time shopping, eating, and touring the town.  Here are some highlights!

A baroque palace

yummy lunch with prosciutto and pate and brie

grilled octopus

they actually have brunch in Milan

Duomo, the center of town

Milan purchases

so many designers!

Best dinner ever!  Argentina steak and risotto- They didn't even ask me how I wanted my steak, they just knew-RARE!

Jordan's Posts

Apparently Jordan is only blogging in Italian.  This is odd, since I am pretty sure he is the only one reading this blog who knows Italian.  I just wanted to apologize for all the readers who are really curious as to what Jordan is doing, but can't read his posts.  At least he puts pictures up for you guys.
Luckily, all you readers have me, so you wont be too far out of the loop.

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.

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!

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!)