Its been awhile. Here is a recap of the previous week!

Not much has happened in the last week.  I have planned a trip with some friends to travel to Stockholm, Sweden this upcoming weekend. We learned quickly that many European airports maybe named after a city, but can be a long drive from the actual city.  We are staying in a very nice hostel (supposedly).

I took my first trip to an open-air market on Saturday. There were so many types of pasta!!! Different  shapes, sizes and colors. I also saw an astonishing amount of different types of dried tomatoes.  Here are some other things I saw.

 Pasta, pasta, pasta!

Veggies

Later, we went to a restaurant near our apartment. I decided to blind order and get something I had never heard of which happened to be Tonnarelli with mushrooms, peas and ham in a cream sauce. I’ve never consumed something so delicious!

Antipasti: Fried Vegetables & Caprese 

We also explored our apartment building and were able to get to the terrace on the roof.

Sarah

After, we spontaneously took a trip to Trevi Fountain. With the spontaneity flowing, we got on a random bus. Little did we know it was going in the opposite direction from the fountain. We eventually asked a local for directions (Italian encounter #1). He told us where to get off and get on the metro. We did so and met two more men who explained to us how to get a ticket (encounter #2). After getting off the metro, we met three older gentlemen (encounter #3) who insisted on throwing one coin in the fountain to return to Rome, another to get married and one more to get divorced. They could have been from The Godfather. Down the road we met Victor, the Italian dog, and his owner (encounter #4). Next, we magically found the same gelateria that Donato took David and I to….of course this resulted in a gelato stop and more verbal directions (encounter #5). We then overheard an English speaking couple looking for the fountain and decided to ask (encounter #6). Finally, with the pointing from a police officer (encounter #7) we heard water and found the fountain. Shortly after we arrived it began to pour which removed all other visitors. We made our eighth and final encounter with two locals who helped us get home. If you come to Rome, go to Trevi Fountain at night. It is beautiful.  And again, learn the bus routes. And don't be afraid to make new friends.

Fontana di Trevi

Today, my first class got cancelled so I found a hidden terrace at our university, sat in the sun and did homework (perfectly clear sky, 57 degrees). I then attended one class and proceeded to my last class to find out it was cancelled as well. I finished my day with the best pizza I’ve ever had: zucchini and mozzarella. Rough day.

It was very sunny out.

World Traveler...In Training

Yesterday was a day I will never forget. Not because I was in Rome, but because I feel like I walked to Tahiti all by myself…

It all started when I decided to delay working on some homework with a classmate. If I would have agreed to do it on Friday I would have had a short three minute walk to campus. Instead I chose to do it on Saturday. Unfortunately it was raining and thus my Italian friend, Claudia, could not take her Vespa out. It was only after I agreed to meet her at her own coffee shop that I realized that it was located clear across the city of Rome. Reluctantly, with my Totes umbrella in hand and a map in my pocket, I began my first solo and longest trip thus far through Rome.

Although the hour walk was uneventful, once I arrived I realized walking uphill through the rain was worth it! Claudia and her family own and manage a restaurant called The Yellow Bar. In Italy bars are not like American bars. They are more comparable to what we know as a café or restaurant, although they still serve alcohol. The Yellow Bar was nicely decorated and had an older looking bar. I was also at home with American music I was familiar with that was playing. Claudia made me my first cappuccino which was delicious. Luckily, she also walked me two blocks to the bus station, showed me which bus to get on, when to get off and helped me get my ticket. I was back in ten minutes.

Moral of the story: Do not procrastinate….and learn the bus routes.

 Claudia and Luna (her daughter)

You can never have too much Nutella.

I successfully completed my first week of college in Italy. In light of this, Auriel, Sarah and I headed out for another walking adventure. Our goal was to find the Burger King across town. After getting slightly lost we found Burger King and learned there are not many differences between an Italian and American Burger King. They do not have mustard, but instead serve beer on tap. We finished our journey at a yogurt gelateria called D’Angolo’s. Since it had been rainy and cold, the shop had not had many visitors. Ergent, the owner, gave us our gelato and taste tests of all of the flavors free of charge because we kept him company. I am learning having a great study abroad experience is all about getting to know the locals. When we were leaving, I noticed tubs of Nutella that were 5 killograms large. I asked Gent where I could find a tub of Nutella that large. He informed me that only vendors could purchase them, but if I wanted he would pick one up for us next time. We unfortunately had to decline the offer as we knew we could not finish that much Nutella in a semester. I guess he saw the disappointment in my face and surprised us by handing me an empty tub!

Another exciting thing… I met Rick Steves’ son, Andy. For those who have not heard of Rick Steves, he is a big name in tourism and traveling. He has many television shows and has written many books on traveling. Andy has his own company targeted towards study abroad students that plans weekend traveling adventures. My roommates and I are thinking about going on one of his trips to the Swiss Alps.

I heard it is around -5 degrees around Chicago. It is pretty cold here too……45 degrees today. Stay warm!

Italian School

School has started and I already have homework. I guess I was a little too optimistic when I thought they would give us a week. Nothing too exciting has happened yet this week. My roommates and I frequent a restaurant called Le Fate. They have a student menu that consists of anitpasti, primo (first or in this case, the main dish), dessert and at least one (if you're lucky, possibly more) glass of wine all for the price of 10 euro (around $13-$14). The menu changes everyday, but if you order the student menu there are no options; you eat what is being served that day. We really like it there because it is family owned and the mother of the cook enjoys talking to the students (even though she only speaks Italian). 

I am working on my cooking abilities (they were non-existent when I arrived). I am also planning on taking a cooking class through the university. The instructor is the cook from Le Fate. Another place we enjoy going to is a gelateria (a small shop that sells gelato) that is behind our apartment. I would try other places, but I like their gelato too much to stray away. My favorite flavor thus far is Nutella, but I still have three months of tasting to do. Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread that is very popular in Europe, especially Italy. I have found that is used in many Italian desserts. If you haven't tried it, I recommend taking a trip to your nearest Walgreens and trying some on a slice of bread or with a banana. 

On Monday, David and I decided to surprise Donato at his station. I should correct myself too; Donato is a marshal for the Carabinieri, not a police officer. Supposedly, marshals do investigative work. Later, I accompanied David and Donato to a small pub. Donato wanted to show David how Italians watch soccer games. It was comparable to a typical pub except there was a lot more drinking and a lot more singing. 

Today, Sarah, Auriel and I are going on an adventure to get our books and to find a Burger King. We decided we wanted some American food.

Donato...the Italian police officer

Friday started with a required Orientation. Soon after I met up with my friend David who happens to attend Lewis with me back at home. We have already been good friends and coincidentally both chose to study abroad in Rome. David invited me to have coffee with his friend Donato who he met the night before at a bar. I was slightly hesitant after hearing about Italian men and different scams. I decided David could not go alone and I agreed. Ends up Donato is a police officer and possibly the most respectable Italian in the city! He took us around all day through the city and showed us many different attractions along with his favorite place to get gelato. It was really interesting to hear a local's opinion of different places in Rome. Eventually, Donato had to go to work and we went or separate ways. During our tour with him here are some things we saw: a priest on roller blades, the Spanish Steps, the Pathenon, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Trevi Fountain and so many other things!

On Saturday Auriel (my roommate) and I started our own walking adventure and soon met up with David again to continue it. David showed us his apartment. My roommates and I are finding that we have one of the best apartments. David has a very long commute (30 minute walk) and also has a much smaller apartment,  but also only has three roommates. He lives very close to the Vatican which is why we spent half of our afternoon there. It was amazing! There were so many great views, but unfortunately we did not see the Pope.

After walking through the Vatican, we made our way to the Castle Sant Angelo. We made our way to the top to view, in my opinion, the best views of Rome. If you have a Facebook account I put all of the pictures I took in an album.

Saturday night we met Donato for dinner at his favorite restaurant. Here, we ordered an antipasti sampler that had an assortment of foods I had never had before that were all delicious! Some of the things I remember were grilled eggplant, grilled red peppers, frittata, hot salami, salami, mozzarella balls, beans, bruschetta, olives, and some other type of meat (still unknown to me). We also had two bottles of the house wine. Tony, the owner of the shop, informed us that a 'house wine' is the owner's mixture of many different wines and thus is not a single type of wine. A little wine in Italy can go a long way too!

Sunday involved getting up at noon and walking to the Colosseum just to walk back because it was getting dark...a slight disappointment.

I'm working on posting pictures.... 

Good News...

I made it safely and on time!

Despite the blizzard, my two flights were neither cancelled or delayed. It took awhile, but I eventually checked in and I was shuttled to my apartment where I met the 5 other girls I will be living with; Ariel (my roommate), Sam, Sophie, Sarah, and Claire. Ariel is from Texas, Sophie and Sam California and.... I can't remember the rest. I should add that it is not just a rumor, but very true that Italians drive and park wherever they would like. Before I even arrived, a fuse had been blown by a hair straightener. We also have already had to get our lock replaced because a key broke inside of it. The apartment is large and cozy with lots of Ikea furniture. It is directly across the street from the Tiber River and once they take the scaffolding down, there will be a great view of the river.

The jet lag is setting in so...
I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all!
Kaitie

Packing Procrastination

Ciao!

If this is your first time reading do not worry, this is my first entry and you have not missed anything.

I am leaving to study abroad for the semester in three days and I am very excited! I will be studying at John Cabot University located in Rome. To give you a little information, JCU is home to roughly 900 students and all of the classes are taught in English (except language courses). Majority of the students are from the United States. I will be living in an apartment in Rome with other students who are attending JCU.

Since this is my first time writing and I am not there yet, I will make this brief (I need to start to think about packing as well). If you have any questions or would like to drop a note and say hi I would love to hear from you. My e-mail is karnold1012@gmail.com.

Kaitie