we began orientation for classes on thursday, which was a bit overwhelming. i never really like to get an overview of every project for every class all at once. all in all, our classes seem fun and im excited to come up with amazing projects inspired by everything around me. we chose the "area" we get to "brand," and mine is campo de fiori. the people who also have that and i went to explore the area to learn more about it. campo de fiori is a rectangular piazza where capital punishment used to be held. in february 1600, the philosopher giordano bruno was burnt alive for his ideas on heliocentrism. i thought that was very interesting since i learned about him in my theatre class last semester. the surrounding streets are named for trades and even still include many shops that follow the street names. they include shops catering to tailoring, coffee, hats, keys, etc... after a demolition of a block of housing that enlarged the piazza, a vegetable and fish market was held every day. currently, the outdoor cafes are a popular meeting place for everyone and musicians are often found there. its a completely different environment based on the time of day youre there.
yesterday, about 13 of us daytripped to sperlonga beach. after getting up at 7 to take a 15 minute walk to the bus station, riding a 20 minute bus to termini train station, taking a 1 hour train ride to fondi-sperlonga train station, waiting an hour for a bus, and taking a 20 minute bus ride, we FINALLY got to the beach. it was beyond worth it though. sperlonga was like a miniature nice and absolutely gorgeous. we explored the city a little, which winded up and around a hill. it was crazy how far up these little side streets took us. we dreaded the journey back and wish we would have decided to stay the night, but after a lot of waiting and traveling, we made it back to our apartment safe.
some unique things we are learning to accustom ourselves to...
(and im not complaining at all - just sharing some interesting experiences)
1. siesta will be the death of us. stores close down from 1ish to 4ish and weve already wasted a lot of time walking to places only to find out oh yeahhh theyre closed til 4.
2. cooking for myself everyday is...an experience. food is not convenient here. there are no frozen dinners and food doesnt last nearly as long due to the fact that they dont use preservatives. i knew this in advance, but never realized that going to the grocery store every day would be normal. i need to gain the 8 pounds back that ive lost over the last 2 weeks, but i cooked myself my first whole meal tonight and it was really good! oh and it was a shock to see labels in italian - especially when we were trying to figure out which bottles were shampoo or conditioner or soap and mousse or hairspray or gel. labels are definitely not universal, kind of a duh moment.
3. europeans must like exact change a lot. having large bills (from taking lump sums of money out of atms) is an inconvenience. i guess a lot of these little stores dont carry enough money to always give change back. one of the girls we are traveling with didnt get change back even - they told her she only gave them a 10 euro bill after they put her 50 euro bill in their register. not sure how to fix this one though...
4. sustainability is enforced. i have yet to find ziploc bags and grocery stores charge you for using plastic bags for your groceries. you bag them yourselves. ive been trying to find a large canvas bag that i can use but no luck so far. there aren't dryers, everyone hangs their clothes to dry. faucets flowing with cold water are all over the place (as long as i carry a water bottle around its very nice to have cold free water) and bottled water can be up to 2.50 euros (3ish dollars for a 16 oz. bottle). the recycling system here is ridiculous - we have 4 trash bins each marked with labels that separate plastic, metal, food, non recyclable, organic material, etc. its quite frustrating to spend 10 minutes reading the labels to make sure youre doing it correctly, but police can fine us 250 euros for EACH bag that doesnt hold the correct material. (and they do go through them).
5. theres no air conditioning so our windows are open constantly. however, there are no screens. weve come accustomed to bugs/moths flying around and being woken up every morning by some nearby clock tower (the bells will go off for 10 minutes straight sometimes). we learned the hard way not to leave food or bread on the table when we found a pigeon in our apartment one day.
6. there are no targets or supermarkets like were used to in the states. its nice not to see those enormous buildings everywhere, but that makes it difficult to find items you want to buy. it also takes much more time since you have to go to multiple stores (that are very item specific) to find what you need. the "electronic" stores sell anything from blow dryers to cell phones, blenders, alarms and electric razors. weve seen art supplies stores, shoe stores, hat stores, and little hardware stores (that carry small drills, screwdrivers, etc - nothing like a lowes). we need a mirror but havent figured out where to buy one yet.
7. we have yet to really find public bathrooms. there was a fee at the majority of the ones we have come across.
8. rome is built around ruins, and many buildings are built in ruins. it's crazy to think were walking around cobblestone streets that have been there for.ev.er. also, the cobblestone is difficult to walk on, especially when you dont have the right shoes. i dont know how they (the many people we have seen on 5 inch heels) do it. also, we need to be very careful in streets and side alleys. the side alleys dont look like streets, but cars zip through them and drivers dont care when they come pretty close to hitting you.
9. everyone knows were tourists. we get honked at and some people automatically try to speak english when they see us. i didnt expect us to stick out THAT bad, but it's kind of creepy when someone approaches us speaking english. it is helpful when were at the grocery store or confused/lost though. weve encountered people who dont care about us at all, whether theyre bumping into us or (probably) making fun of us. weve seen people point and laugh at us or at our luggage. weve also come across people are completely over-willing to help, which i personally dont like. we were just walking home from the grocery store today when a lady approached us and asked where in the u.s. we were from. she wanted us to come to her house for dinner to meet other americans. she spoke english fairly well but it was kind of sketchy. basically, its hard to trust anyone after a couple of us have had bad experiences.
anyways, besides all of these interesting experiences, im absolutely loving rome and europe. all of our experiences will teach us many valuable lessons. the homesickness is subsiding for now. sometimes i dont want to go out and do things with the group but forcing myself to accompany them makes everything worth it. i love all ten of my roommates and hanging out with people that wouldnt normally choose to all hang out together. were all getting along and having a complete blast.
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