When In Rome...

My flight to Rome from Copenhagen left at 9:45 AM on Wednesday morning, which meant I needed to be at the airport by 7:45 AM. Maria's mom normally drives by the airport on her way to work, so she picked me up at Maria's apartment and helped me check in for my flight. I had no problems at the airport; I've just learned that airports = lots of waiting! But patience will be something I need to gain in Italy anyways! My flight arrived earlier than scheduled- we were supposed to land at 12:20 PM, but we landed right at noon. I had to wait a little longer for my luggage, but I was lucky again- no lost luggage! Alex from California is a graduate student at AUR and he was the first person to greet me at the Rome airport. I made several friends with other students, including Megan and Tyler. After waiting for more students to arrive, we hopped in a van to our apartments.

I was the only person in my van to be dropped off at the apartment. All the other girls were living together in an apartment closer to school. I made sure my keys worked and was greeted by four of my roommates, who went through Towson's study abroad program to come to Rome- but more about the girls later. After spending some time unpacking, I went to the campus of AUR with my roommates. They were having a walking tour of Rome, so we would get to see some of the sights. I was trying to take in the streets of the city as we rode the bus to the university. I hoped that I would remember how to get to school and back on my own.

The walking tour of Rome was another great opportunity to meet other students and see the city. Only a block away from the university is a breathtaking view of the ancient city. Then, we walked down to the medieval neighborhood of Trestevere to the Piazza of Santa Maria. Finally, something familiar- the church of St. Marys in Trestevere is one of the oldest in the city, and the Pope even comes to say Mass there every so often. All the piazzas in Rome are so beautiful, filled with lots of people, with at least one water fountain. There was an organic gelateria near the piazza- I had blueberry and white chocolate gelato as my first taste of gelato in Italy. It was so delicious. There are lots of pizza places and other restaurants in Trestevere. We also walked past several ruins, by what is left of Caesar's Palace and the Roman Forum, and we ended at the Colosseum at night. It is a beautiful sight to see when it's all lit up at night!

On Thursday, we hopped on a bus again and caught the tram to go grocery shopping. I really hope I get the hang of this transportation system- it's a little bit harder to learn than the Metro in DC. We had somewhat of a difficulty finding the grocery store called SMA. But we also found a UPIM next to the grocery store. At UPIM, we could find clothes and shampoo in the same store- Shawn, a student from RMU who studied in Rome in the spring semester, told me it was like a mini-Ikea. I found some slippers to wear around the apartment, both as a courtesy to my neighbor and to keep my feet from getting dirty. After unpacking our groceries, I went back to the university to fill out my paperwork for my permit to stay and got my Italian cell phone. I still needed to find an adapter for the electrical outlet and a hairdryer. Thursday night we went to the opening of a bar called Anime in Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona has lots of fountains and was one of the filming locations for the movie Angels and Demons, starring Tom Hanks! I also know that the "Steeler Bar" in Rome is near the Piazza Navona, so I'm sure I'll be in that area again. I went to the bar with 3 of my other roommates, and it was lots of fun! It was an American bar, so I was able to order in English and many American students were there.