The Pope, for example...

Yes, the title of this post is supposed to be hinting at something... People in Rome REALLY love the pope, and I love that they love him.  It is such a bizarre experience to be sitting in my media discussion, speaking English, and discussing the partisan issues surrounding FOX news only to have my professor launch into an explanation of the concept of gatekeeping, and suddenly chose the pope as his authority figure.  Outside of history classes, and the occasional discussion about Catholicism, the pope has never really had a place in my life.  But is wasn't just that one example, I am fairly certain all of my professors have used the Pope as an example more than once in class.  And I am just expected to know that there are more police officers on Wednesday mornings because that is when the Pope addresses the people.  I am also supposed to cease needing anything to get done between one and four pm, because that is nap time (duh, what was I thinking trying to get groceries at 2 yesterday?), and I am supposed to be able to ask for wine by my favorite valley when I go into a store. ... ?  I probably could have labeled this post, "Yup, I'm American!"  

The flip side to all of my cultural mishaps is that people are starting to actually think I'm Roman, before I open my mouth of course, and yesterday someone asked me for directions in Italian, and I ACTUALLY HELPED (... using large arm motions and possibly even jumping a couple times...) 

On a more serious note, I know that Rome, and southern Italy in general has a lot to teach me.  Italians value people, relaxation, and great food above all else.  Stopping your moped in the middle of the street to say hi to the cafe owner, while blocking four lanes of traffic is simply a part of life in this country, and I am continuously through off by it.  Being raised to constantly do my best in school, sports, activities, volunteering, and even to do the most for my friends, I never learned how to breath, and enjoy a slower lifestyle.  And no, that was not a dig at my parents, Eden Prairie, Madison, my teachers, coaches, or friends.  100 miles an hour is simply the speed at which most Americans move, and it's exhausting.  While I am nowhere close to fully adopting this slow-paced Italian way of life, I did keep the person behind me in line at the cafe waiting for a good three minutes today as I talked to the shop owner, which is an improvement!

Keeping on the theme of a slower-paced life, I went to Cinque Terre this weekend with my friend Olivia.  Cinque Terre are five tiny towns on the coast of Italy that you can hike between, and just explore the quaintness, ocean, and of course amazing churches!  Olivia and I had so much fun just wandering around these little towns, and getting about five days worth of stair excersizes in as we hiked up and down admiring the different views.  At one point we even climbed out onto rocks along the shore of the ocean, and of course a huge wave came and soaked me (Olivia wants it known that she stayed far enough back not to get sprayed.... I'm just more adventurous?) as I was admiring the view.  And yes, it was very VERY cold, but I dried off pretty quickly, and we where onto the next town.

In case you couldn't guess, I LOVE Italy, and I am enjoying every bit of it that I get to see in the short time that I'm here!

This is Venice

That's right friends, it has been raining here in Rome pretty much nonstop for the past 5 or so days, and the streets are basically a series of puddles with a couple cobble stones still visible here and there.  Today I was able to run outside because the sun came out for the first time in what seemed like years, and it was amazing!  But for the most part the rain has not been slowing down the adventures!  My school in Rome is about a two minute walk from the Tiber river, and with all the rain this past week it has risen somewhere around 15 feet, completely covering the bike path next to it, and threatening to carry what appears to be all the garbage in Rome down stream (it was pretty gross).

Since Switzerland I have been enjoying feeling much more at home in Rome, and a lot less like a travelor, which is really fun!  Having to catch up on homework, planning a couple other trips, and many different gelato runs pretty much filled my week.

On friday I was supposed to volunteer at a refuge center in Rome, but it was canceled due to the rain, meaning I did not need to wake up at 8 am on a friday when I didn't have class...  But this did give me a good two hours to read my bible, a book for fun, make coffee, and enjoy some me time before my roommates woke up.

The real adventure this week, however, began on Saturday.  A couple girls on my floor and I took a train about an hour away to a town called Orvieto.  Orvieto is a cute little town out in Italian wine country, built on top of a hill.  After we took the part train-part gondola contraption up the hill we spent a couple hours looking over the cliff, and wandering around the cute little town.  All the while it was raining, and we arrived in Orvieto during the afternoon nap time, meaning we where basically stuck out in the rain because all of the shop owners where sleeping...  Learning how to navigate train travel with a small group of people was definately an experience, and I am very grateful I did it with other people before I have to take a train to Flourence by myself in two weeks!

On sunday I woke up very excited for a long awaited day of sports!  With big plans to go to a Roma soccer game, and then an Irish pub to watch the Super Bowl, I chose to ignore the downpour and get ready for an exciting day!  The first 8 minutes of the Roma game was a ton of fun, the stadium wasn't that full, however we learned quickly that when people tell you Europeans take their soccer seriously, they where NOT exaggerating.  While I couldn't understand all of the cheers going on around me, the hand motions, and 20 plus security guards surrounding the one, tiny, visitor fan section helped me decipher that they where not saying nice things to the Parma fans.

Unfortunately the game was postponed 8 minutes in because the field was so flooded the ball wouldn't move... leaving my friends and I to navigate our trip home much earlier than expected.  We had forgotten to look up information on the bus that would get us home, and so after about an hour wandering around, asking people that did not speak english for help, and waiting for a bus that I am convinced was never going to come, we gave in and called a cab.  While our Roma game experience was not ideal, it's one of those days that helps put other travel problems in perspective, and it made the cheese burger, fries, and beer that we had at the pub for the Super Bowl taste even better!

This week was not quite as eventful as last, but it helped me feel much more like a local!  I have now been asked for directions (in over four languages) more times than I remember, and while I have only sucessfully helped once, I consider that a huge accomplishment.

The sweet life of the Swiss

This weekend I went on a trip to Switzerland, and it was the most amazing experience.  Outside of it being my first trip, I was able to miss Roma, which was a really cool experience.  On Sunday everyone in our group was saying "I'm ready to go home"  and we where referring to our apartments in ROME.  How cool is that?  It definitely helped me feel more adjusted to my life here in Italy, and it made my daily Cappuccino that much better this morning!

I was able to cross skiing in the Swiss alps off my bucket list on friday, and in addition to tons of fresh powder, there was not a single bad view on that mountain.  The hill wasn't crowded at all, so we were able to speed down the hill, hop on the chair lift without waiting in line (VERY lucky because none of us had brought winter jackets to wear) and enjoy the views while on the chairlift.  After a day of skiing we went to a bar inside a Tee Pee on top of the mountain, and drink some great Swiss beer while watching a group of french guys play an interesting drinking game that involved a barrel, nails, and a hollowed out hammer.  After an INCREDIBLE burger at an Irish pub that night, we walked around the town we were staying in and admired the mountains.

The next morning my roommate Jess and I impulsively signed up to go Canyon Jumping!  We then got on a bus, hiked about twenty minutes up the mountain to the edge of the canyon, and after waiting out turn in line and dancing to Timber three or four times I proceeded to confidently walk onto the platform, step right up to the edge, allow the guy to unattached me from the platform, and to the rope that swings through the canyon and..... FREAK OUT.  I told the guy I couldn't jump and he very sternly told me that if I did not jump on three he would push me on four.... One, Two, Three, and I jumped, and screamed and I free fell 85 meters into a canyon.  IT WAS AMAZING.  I swung through the canyon a couple times before being pulled to the side, and I'm fairly certain I didn't stop shaking for about 40 minutes, but I would do it again in a heartbeat :)  And yes, afterwards I got hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps in it because I decided I deserved a reward for jumping off a canyon, even if it was a bit forced...

We spent the rest of our time wandering around the town, and walking out to the lake to take in one of the most beautifully blue-green lakes I have ever seen.  One of the things that struck me most about Switzerland compared to Rome (other than the mountains) was how friendly everyone was.  I'm not sure if it was because we were in a small town, or that their economy was more dependent upon tourism, or if it was a culture thing but everyone on Interlaken was so nice to us, it was refreshing.  People in Rome are nice to us, but they never go over the top to make us feel welcome.  But in Interlaken everyone just seemed very happy, and everyone we met went above and beyond to make us feel at home.

Oh!  And we got chocolate, because it's Switzerland, you can't not get chocolate!

This weekend was such a fun adventure, and it has inspired me to start planning more trips, but for now I have a good amount of homework to do.  For some reason nobody ever mentions readings, presentations, and tests when they talk about study abroad, but it's the third week of school and my professors don't seem to care that I was skiing in the Swiss alps this weekend....

Wandering the Streets...

Having been in Rome for 11 days now, I am pretty much a pro at walking around my little neighborhood, ordering a cuppucino at the bar (coffee shop)  and stumbling upon buildings that are hundreds of years old, and more beautiful than one would ever expect an American building to be.  While there are a few things about America that I miss (grass, chipotle, traffic laws)  life in Italy is better than I imagined.  I just love the culture.  Most people in Italy are very friendly, and it is rare that you see someone in a hurry.  Walking past the same shop owner 7 or 8 times a day and saying "Ciao"  everytime is just the way life is in Rome, and I LOVE it.

I have gone exploring on my own a couple different times, with the intention of getting lost, and every time I have found different churches, buildings, and gelaterias that amaze me.  But yesturday I went exlporing with some people from my dorm, and we saw the pantheon (while it was raining in the hole in the dome which was SO cool) the Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican and the Sistine chaple.  It was quite a hike, we walked for almost six hours, but it was definitely worth the walk!  After a day of exploring, we went out to dinner around 9:30, in true Italian fashion, and we finished the night with some delicious house wine.

In addition to seeing more monuments and sculptures than I ever have before, I have gotten to spend copious amounts of time sitting in chapels and at cafes readin my bible, journaling, and reading books... FOR FUN (not school).  And while I am sure this is going to change soon, being that I do have real classes here in Rome (I am heading to the library as soon as I finish this post), for now I am trying to soak up as much of the slow paced, stress-free Italian lifestyle as possible.

I am heading to Switzerland next weekend, so I am sure my posts will be a little more exciting after that adventure!  Ciao!

Moving into my new City

So I have been in Italy for four days now, and it has probably been the most exhausting, exciting, and emotional four days of my life!  Upon arriving in Italy I was immediately through into orientation, where they tell you a lot of information, and point out so many different things that no matter how hard you try you will never remember what you saw, where it was, and definitely not what it is called.

However, between the overwhelming, and sometimes boring orientation sessions, I was able to explore the city a great deal as well.  There have been many delicious pasta meals, a few gelato runs, three cappuccinos and a few glasses of wine as well.  

One of my favorite things I have done so far was take a night walking tour of Rome, where I saw the main piatzas, fountains, and other monuments as well, however our tour guide chose to alter her language for the college crowd.  Instead of hearing about the beauty, artistic ability, or historical significance of many items I learned about which piatza is the "dopest" and the "second most dope"  and why the parthian is "super dope"  and how it took america centuries to beat the ancient Romans in building domes.  It was entertaining to say the least!

There have been a couple more cultural experiences, including showering with only a wand handle that  does not have anywhere to attach it to the wall above ankle level, meaning you get pretty cold while you shampoo your hair, getting lost walking home last night, and finding an awesome park with an ice rink by mistake, and getting lost in the airport because they start their floor numbers with the ground floor, and then the first floor is actually what Americans would consider the second floor.

Today has been a more chill day including finishing unpacking, the grocery store and I will probably put in a movie once I'm done with this post, but tomorrow morning I am going to mass at the Vatican, and I hope to explore more tomorrow before school starts on Monday and this all becomes a lot more real.

I miss my friends and family more than I anticipated, but I just have to look at this small batch of homesickness as something that will make me appreciate home and Madison more in the future!  

Ciao!

A Semester without Sweatpants

I am currently wearing my favorite pair of sweatpants, my black ones from Nordic skiing my Sophomore year of High School.  These sweatpants went with me to college my freshman year, and to Chicago with my this past summer, and for anyone who knows my well knows that I seriously LOVE these sweatpants.  But for this new adventure in my life, my sweatpants are staying here in the Prairie.  They are staying here because in Europe it is less socially acceptable to wear them in public; however, in the interest of full disclosure I am bring a pair or baggier yoga pants along.

Why does it matter that I am leaving these pants behind?  These pants symbolize my American college student, comfort first, overly stressed, and running late lifestyle.  I am leaving for ROME in two days, and I hope that over the course of the semester I will be able to meet people that are different from me and my friends from school.  I hope I will be stretched this semester, and that I will have a brand new adventure.  I want to experience people and cultures outside of what I have experienced up to this point.

 Everyone has been asking me what I am most excited for and what I am most nervous for, and I can honestly say that I do not know how to answer either question.  I've been saying that living in a new place is going to be the best part, but honestly I don't know what the best part is going to be, and in a way that is the best part.  The mystery is why this whole thing is so exciting, and why I am trying to avoid having any expectations.  As for the thing I am most nervous about... I could list about two hundred things I am nervous about, some of which are legitimate (pickpockets, getting lost, having new roommates...)  and some of them are way out of the realm of possibility.  I am trying as hard as I can to push those thoughts away, and to live by the phrase "Va Tutto Bene"  or "It's all good" in Italian.

Ciao!