One month in...

Since we don't have classes on fridays, last friday, I decided to see a few parts of Rome that I've never seen before. I wanted to go to some non-touristy spots, just to say I got to see something that most people haven't seen. On top of Aventine hill, were some cool churches and schools. Down one of the roads, where the egyptian embassy was, there was this giant green door, with a keyhole to look through. Through the keyhole, was the most amazing view ever. You saw this green tree garden, almost like a tunnel, and at the end of the green-tree tunnel, was the vatican sitting in the background. Sure the vatican was on the other side of the city from where i was, but the trees were cut in a way that outlined the shape of the vatican. It was one of the coolest things i've seen yet. We then walked back down the street and saw some orange trees, which we had to pick, even though there was a sign that said 'stay off the lawn', so dave and i quickly jumped to grab one each from the trees.

So yesterday started off early, like mad early. I had gotten only like 2 hours of sleep, and what was even worse was that our train got delayed an hour and a half for no reason. So we were chillin at the train station for like the longest time. Went to a McDonald's, which was a bit crazy and sweet at the same time, cause they had the weirdest trash bin. It was like a robot. We finally boarded the train at like 840, and i passed out for the next 2 and a half hours till we got there. The day couldn't have been more perfect, well the weather that is; the air was much more crisp and fresh then Rome. We were trying to figure out what bus to take and we ended up missing the first bus, so we had to wait like 40 minutes, which sucked so we played cards until it came back. Got on the bus and rode it all the way up the mountain, which was super sick, just an amazing view really. So when i got to the top, we just kept walking up and up. Stopped at Basilica Papale di San Francesco and saw some tombs, then walked up even further and went into and olive oil shop, where we met the man, Francesco. He's lived in the states, been to 40 of them, and has two daughters that live in the states. He hooked us up with free samples of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, i was in shock when i tasted the samples. I was so hooked on all of this, i HAD to buy some bottles to bring back for my rents. He told us that most olive oils that we buy are mixed, because they aren't produced and bottled by the same person, which means the quality isn't the best. Also, the color of true olive oil changes because the color of the olives change each year. Then we went to go eat and i had a bomb lunch with ravioli and the best bruschetta ever. We then kept walking up and up, stopping at little parks and lookout spots to see over the valley. We then found a rock wall to chill on and rest, since the dogs were barking. We got real tired, real fast, but that didn't stop me from climbing up even further to the summit, where this ginormous castle stood. When i reached the top, i had the most picturesque view over the valley and village. I was definitely glad i made the trek out of the city, to take a break from a loud and busy place.

Culture shock

Things the italians are missing out on:

1. Dryers (I now know how valuable a dryer is. We have to hang all of our clothes, and most of the time, the clothes end up discoloring a bit)

2. Ketchup (They have something like it, but nothing beats Heinz)

3. Push-buttons at the cross walk (first of all, the traffic laws seem to be inexistent, but the you can't signal a light to change with a button)

4. Bagels (you can't go wrong with bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel)

5. Paper towels (all they use are dishtowels)

6. Butter (it has to exist, but no one has seen it yet)

7. Peanut Butter (Nutella is all there is, other than jams)

8. Cheddar cheese (the roommates and I tried to make cheese burgers, and has to use another kind of cheese)

9. Fast restaurant service (the italians love to take their time and allow their customers to have plenty of time between courses. we waited forever...)

10. Preservatives (going to the grocery, all you see is fresh food. You don't need to worry about extra preservatives or chemicals in food to make the food last longer)

Same game, new atmosphere

So yesterday, Dave, two of our roommates (mike and zach-man), and I went to Stadio Olympico to watch Roma vs. Palermo. On our way to the game, we had some trouble finding our way to the metro stop that would take us to the stadium, so we all pitched in to grab a taxi to not miss the game. After the taxi dropped us off, we sprinted to the stadium; the stadium lights lit up the Roman night sky from far away, and as we got closer the crowd got extremely louder. I was definitely pumped for this whole new experience in an entire new atmosphere, even though it was the same game. Running into the stadium, we were dodging italians just merely walking, as if the game didn't start for another hour or so. But not us Americans, we didn't want to miss one second of this epic match to be. Roma stands second in the Seria A table, while Palermo stands seventh. When we got to our seats we found ourselves bumped up next to the Roma fan's section, with a line of guardsmen in between them and us. The atmosphere was nothing I've experience before. I've been to an Arsenal vs. Chelsea match, but the fans are nearly not as crazy and out of control as the italians. Those italians know how to stir up the crowd and keep the stadium bumping with excitement. Roma ended up scoring four goals, with Palermo only scoring one because of a pk from a trip right inside the box. The chants and celebrations could not compare to an MLS match at all. MLS not only seems like a joke, but now I know it's a joke compared to these star-studded leagues in Europe. Us Americans need to step it up on all levels, when it comes to the game of soccer; from the fans to players and just the game itself. What an outrageous place to be to watch a football match.

first full week

"Sweet Caroline, bah bah bah..."
This week was quite more eventful than the last week for many reasons. First, everyone started their week of intensive italian for two hours a day, to try to expedite our understanding of the italian culture. Today, everyone took a quiz that determined which class they would be in for the rest of the semester. Second, on Tuesday's, an Irish bar called Scholar's hosts karaoke night, which of course my friends and I took advantage of. Dave Ferriero and I took the stage and sang 'Sweet Caroline' by Neil Diamond, which got the entire place going; definitely going to be a weekly occurrence. Third, today after my friends and I completed our quizzes, we made our way to the colosseum and walked around. As we were walking around, I spotted one of the more famous Ohio State athletes, A.J. Hawk, who played football and currently plays for the Green Bay Packers. No big deal. I wish I got a picture of him, but I didn't want to be too creepy, but I have a few witnesses. Lastly, this morning started with the entire city witnessing history, as we all watched snow cover the eternal city for six or so hours. The last time it snowed here was 1985, which is incredible because a majority of the people in the city were born after then. Well this weekend, I'll be experiencing my first big italian soccer match (AS Roma vs. Palermo), which I'll be posting about at the end of the weekend.

The kids playing soccer at the field near my apartment
Trevi Fountain
Jesuit world headquarters with flat ceilings

Adapting quickly

The past few days have been all about learning from this eternal city; from the monuments to interacting with the locals, I've found myself learning very quickly the way of life around here. The people are either very warming to Americans, especially the people in the central part of the city, or they keep to themselves, like the people in the zones outside of the central part. On friday, the IES team split up the students into roughly 6 groups of 20 or so students, to venture out into the historical city. My group went off into the most central east part of the city where the Pantheon, Spanish steps, and Trevi fountain are located. We learned many interesting facts about churches and historical landmarks that effected the story of Rome. For example, the world headquarter of the Jesuits, which is church, wanted to make this magnificent church with a gigantic dome on top, but the Pope told them they couldn't because he was building his own dome (st. peter's) that wasn't going to be as big as the Jesuits dome. So he told them to figure it out and deal with it because he wasn't going to be embarrassed by them. The Jesuits decided to be quite creative by painting the ceilings to convince everyone that they were arched (it's actually very convincing). The frescos are incredible, yet to mention that no one can tell that the ceilings are flat. After roaming the streets and making our way to the top of the Spanish steps, my group kept climbing higher over the city, in order to capture a gasping view over a city that has been here for thousands of years (still unfathomable). When the tour groups returned, we were released to head home. My friends (dave, mike, and zach) and i headed back to our flat in Monteverde (bout a ten minute bus ride from central rome). Then dave and i heard about a soccer field behind a church near by, so we stopped by and found three young italian boys (bout 10-12 yrs. old) kicking the ball around. It was so much fun to try to interact with italian people, especially when you can barely speak the language. I have found that it's more comfortable for the foreigner to interact with kids, because they don't judge you as much as an adult would. After an hour or so of kicking around, we left the field feeling more confident to interact with italians and more confident about our soccer skills....but not really. I really did feel that this new environment was becoming less foreign and more comfortable; seem to be adjusting quickly.

The view of St. Peter's down Via di Conciliazione
All of the cars just park any way they prefer; the way of parking is just so different and unheard of in the states
St. Angelo's Castle

Just a typical cobblestone covered side street east of the Tiber

First day

So being here in this amazing city is quite the culture shock. I spent the day with Dave Ferriero walking around the city looking for power adapters and computer chargers. We then did some of our own site seeing, looking for the IES center and walking through the narrow cobblestone streets eating real pizza. The time difference has been painful because I have been up since 9 am yesterday and haven't had much time to sleep. This day has been the opposite of a relaxing day for me. But I'm looking forward to what the next three and a half months will bring