The first week in Rome was a blur, full of history! Unfortunately I probably only soaked in about half of the information the tour guides provided us with, maybe less...probably less. Luckily, I had Claudia (one of my lovely roommates) there to provide me with interesting little bits of information.
I've already purchased some of the BEST groceries of my life, including salami and mozzarella (it is incredible!...funny story about mozzarella by the way, which I will get to soon enough.)
Saturday was a fairly relaxing day for the girls, since we had a fun filled Sunday ahead of us (Sperlonga Beach.) We woke up, and went to the market, which had everything from linen pants, which I'm dying to own, towels, and fruits and veggies of course. I bought strawberries, peaches and oranges....I must say..the peaches definitely won. I've never had a peach like that in my life. Apparently here in Rome at the markets though you aren't allowed to touch any of the fruits, you need to have the person that owns the stand pick the fruit for you with a glove...hmm wish I had remembered that little bit of information. I of course grabbed my own..which didn't seem like much of an issue, although in Sperlonga I received dirty looks. I should really remember these cultural differences lol. Italians are much more cleanly here...which I'm not complaining about. Although by the end of the day my feet are covered in dirt, and I neeeed to shower. Which we all know is not common for a girl like me (I probably shower on average 3-4 times a week...hehe.)
I've already found some of my favorite restaurants in my neighborhood! One includes a dish that the waiter brings out to you in a block of parmesan cheese!!! I seriously cannot get over that meal. They scrap the warm pasta right out of the cheese, which gives you lots of parmesan, which I LOVE.
Dad and I also went to a wonderful restaurant around the block, which I forced my roommates to come eat again with me...which was adorable because the waitress didn't speak any english, so she had some friends from off the street read out the whole menu to us in english!
On a side note, the neighborhood I live in is VERY italian, with very few people speaking any english. So communicating is less than simple...which is fun. It ends up in smiles and laughter, most of the time. Catherine has already found herself a cute boy that gives her her daily expresso (nothing more than just some smiles and a very difficult language barrier they try to cross HAHA)
Hmmm, I also experienced the trevi fountain at night, getting lost OF COURSE, and then treating myself to gelato everytime I get lost...which I think is pretty fair...I mean if I'm going to get lost in a foreign city that doesn't speak much english, and has a delicious dessert that I can never get sick of, I might as well grab some for a 1.50 euro whenever I feel down for getting lost, right? Ok, at least that's my logical excuse for why I've had gelato everyday since I've been here. Usually I crave chocolate gelato with caramel gelato, or strawberry. The pistachio is pretty good, which surprises me...I'm not one for pistachio flavors...the fruit flavors are VERY strong, which is pretty refreshing after walking the cobblestone streets of Rome for endless hours. hehe
Sunday was an unforgettable day! My roommates and I all seem to play different roles in our household. We have the adventurous ones, Tori and Liat, who live very much like the Italians. They have such a carefree attitude of whatever happens, happens. While Catherine and I tend to be the worry worts, and are always second guessing any situation we are in that could be considered less than safe (well mainly just getting lost...but when is getting lost in a foreign country ever safe? Don't worry mother...we always make it home!). The two of us are also very motherly to the other roommates. Liat asked me if it was a southern thing. haha. who knows? While Claudia is very headstrong, and full of goofy information that always makes me laugh, and Savannah is another little history nut, that I'm pretty sure lives in a different world...which is awesome. She also is very sneaky, I'm constantly wondering where Savannah is whenever we are out roaming the city, and she's usually taking pictures lol.
Okay I definitely went off track with my sunday story...We woke up early, and made our way to the bus stop to meet our group for the Sperlonga beach day! We had to be at the Piazza at 7:30, and of COURSE our bus wasn't running that early...so I'm freaking out. We call a cab, and luckily we made it just on time. With time to spare so Catherine could get her daily coffee fix hehe. The drive was beautiful, but I had a hard time staying awake, that is until I saw the italian mountainside! I stayed awake just so I could stay off into the early morning with the mountains in the distance...it was magical. We get to sperlonga, and it slightly reminds me of Greece (not that I've been to Greece, but the pictures..kinda like in the sisterhood of the traveling pants...yes i just said that). It was such a tiny town, with little curvy back alley ways, with buildings full of color and personality that blocked out the sun from the alley ways. I had salami and mozzarella for lunch from a little deli in the town (I've been living off that and pasta lol).
The beach was beautiful, with only the occasional topless woman! haha. It was a family beach definitely, full of kids and grandparents and parents...the water was the perfect temperature to jump in after you tanned for an hour or so :] , I took a nap on the beach, which I desperately needed haha. and then I walked around, saw some Nigerian venders, which reminded me of when I lived in Nigeria of course. They are always putting their artwork in our faces trying to get us to buy them...it's rather distracting when you are trying to enjoy the beautiful sperlonga beach!
I of course had gelato while I was there, and it was definitely one of my favorites...(strawberry, yum)
School started monday, which is a whole other story haha.
My professors are all very italian, and I love that about them. I love it when they are struggling to find the appropriate english translation of an italian word during a lecture. It just reminds me of where I am for some reason. Classes are great. I love all of them so far, and I'm honestly having a hard time deciding which class I need to drop! I'm signed up for 18 hours, and that's just too much! I need to find time to enjoy the roman life, and surrounding cities :] I'm taking health psychology, evil philosophers, renaissance rome, macroeconomics, and digital photography...each one is full of personality and so much to tell.
My roommates and I have also been trying to plan cheap trips to Greece, Morocco, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, and I think that's it lol. I can never remember...goodness.
Okay it's nap time...I have class at 5:15!
-Ciao,
Kate
Well you have definitely added a personal flair to your posts. :)
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Savannah World is pretty cool... you should visit sometime!
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