Day 11: the Halfway Mark

Wow. Has it really been a week and a half since I left? That means my journey is halfway over... And exams are rapidly approaching!    

Today we had our art history class at the Colosseum and the Church of San Clemente. At the Colosseum, we observed the transition between the classical world and the Christian world. Both the Arch of Comstantine and the Colosseum represent the classical, transitional period. I learned that the Colosseum was built on top of Nero's boating lake and that the Colosseum was named after a "colosseus" (large statue). From there we went to the Church of San Clemente. Originally it was senator Clemen's house, but he eventually opened his house to other Christians as a place of worship. We went down through the layers of time, exploring the 5th century church layer and the streets below. 

For politics, we took a tour at the Chamber of Deputies-- basically an equivalent of the House of Representatives. The tour was okay (mainly because we were all tired and our feet were hurting) but we sat in on a floor meeting, which was very special! Since it took us over half the class to explain our reservation, I'm not too concerned about our final-- we really haven't done much! 

As a side note, I am off to Pompeii and Capri tomorrow and may not have Internet. So if there aren't blog updates then, expect entries for those days when I get back! 

Ciao for now! 

Day 10

Today was a good day-- with a ton of exercise. Why was it more than the norm? Our art history class was in the city and we walked all around Rome for three hours!! (the heat was a great addition). Our goal for today was to recreate the route of the ancient Romans. We started on Tiber Island and proceeded to the Temple of Portunus, Monumental Gateway, and the Capitoline Hill. I preferred this class as opposed to the last class because we learned more about architecture and mythology-- my two favorite subjects of the ancient world.     B

After class, we had free time for the entire afternoon. My friends and I went to the university to pick up our weekly stipend and went to a local coffeeshop afterwards. I strayed away from the Italian food today and ordered a panino with chicken. I bet you didn't know that a sandwich is called a panino, NOT a panini!!! If you asked for a panini, you'd be getting more than one. Silly Americans!! After a quick lunch break, my friends and I went shopping for hours! Although I didn't buy anything, I looooove wandering the streets of Rome. 

Above is my newest discovery-- frozen coffee! It almost tastes like a slushy and/or ice cream. (It sounds gross but it's fabulous!) 

Tonight, we had a mandatory movie night. This movie was far better than the other one we watched and it was even humorous! When the movie ended, it started pouring (no surprise there!!!) Now, it has rained 5 times this week. Crazy, right? It's always fun standing on a tram with slippery floors. At least now I have my tram legs! 

 Ciao for now!

Day 9

Today was a fun day. Why? Because we had Italian. How's that fun? Because I know it all! It's crazy to think that we only have one more class before our final on Monday. Where is the time going?? We didn't do too much in class, however. We spent half the class analyzing the movie we watched last night!! During our quick class break, it was time for a much needed coffee break.... Crema di Caffè!!    

After class ended, we had the rest of the day/evening to ourselves! Some friends and I decided to go to the Villa Borghese. It was absolutely incredible!! My favorite works were by Caravaggio, since I did a research paper on him last year. I was blown away by the intricate ceilings, and even analyzed the works of art with my friends. Our art history teacher would have been proud.. Can't wait to tell him tomorrow! 

On the way back, we were very confused about how to get to our bus. So what do I do? Ask another cop. In Italian. They're so friendly! Once we finally reached the bus stop, we waited over 30 minutes for the bus to show up (Public transportation is not the quickest here). However, we did meet some American tourists-- man, was it nice to hear English again! I've been on Italian mode ever since I got here!! 

Ciao for now! 

Day 8: Back to Class

After a relaxing weekend, it was time to go to back to school for classes. In the morning, we had Italian where we learned about food and articles. Since we learned about food today, we went to the local market with our professor during class. We walked around for a while and some people bought fresh fruit. Yum!!     

During our politics field trip, our bus was super delayed due to a protest outside the Ministry of Education. I had never seen a protest before, so when I saw cops in bullet proof vests and helmets, I was pretty concerned. Luckily, the protest wasn't violent (to my knowledge) and we were on our way to class in the city. 

But our day wasn't over yet!!! When we returned to campus, we had to watch an Italian movie. Now, I've seen a lot of Italian movies but this one was rather odd (yet funny!!) The movie followed the life of a young boy, the people he met and the mistakes he had made. After the movie, it was all work when we got back to the apartments!! 

As a side note, don't be like me and end up like this while you're trying to study: 

They invented coffee and gelato for a reason!!  

Ahhh, now that I'm restocked on sugar, I can get down to business!!! 

Ciao for now! 

Day 7: the One Week Mark

Wow, have we really been here a week?! I feel like I've lived here awhile now. I already know my way around the city (better than I thought I would). 

Today was a very special day. Our group got to go see the pope! Although I'm not Catholic, this was a once in a lifetime experience and I didn't want to miss it! When we were waiting in line, it was evident just how happy the locals were. Everyone was cheering, chanting, and clapping. 

Once we got inside, I was at a loss of words. Seeing so many people gathered together for one occasion was extremely powerful. The paintings in the Vatican also blew me away. Rafael's painting caught my eye because of his extreme attention to detail and color use. Now, I understand why he was crowned the better painter, as opposed to Michelangelo. 

Here were all the people outside the Vatican-- luckily we were inside! 

A few hours later, during the thunderstorm, our apartment had a very unpleasant surprise-- a flooding sink. When we contacted several different people, nobody seemed to know what was going on, ugh! Now we have to deal with a sink that keeps gurgling up black water. What a day!! 

Ciao for now! 

Day 6

Today was a totally relaxing, much needed beach day!! About 10 of us took the train with other students studying at AUR and we all went to the beach together. It was really hot outside but the water was super cool and refreshing. My friends and I swam out a good way before we decided to sit on some rocks and dive off of them. After returning to shore, we took naps, had gelato and walked along the shore.

 (This entry is super short because I'm going to sleep really early tonight... I have to be ready by 4am for the Vatican tomorrow!) 

 Ciao for now!

Day 5

Today was the most relaxing day. Why? Because we didn't have classes! That meant we could do whatever we want, whenever we want and after a long week, it was exactly what we needed! In the morning, my friends and I took the tram to Campo De' Fuori, where we walked around. From there, we headed to the Spanish steps and surprisingly it wasn't crowded at all! We also went to the Trevi fountain, where we each threw a coin in and made a wish for good luck.

Our next stop was the Pantheon. I had never been inside before and I was blown away by the beautiful paintings and statues. Right outside, a representative for the Opera was selling tickets so we decided to purchase tickets for the July 16th opera! We will be going in the evening when we have free time-- I could not be any more excited. And of course, we HAD to fill our gelato craving when we noticed the gelatoria across the street! 

Since we didn't know how to get back to tram 8, I asked a policeman in Italian! (I've found that locals are more willing to help you if you communicate with them in their local language, no matter how good or poor your italian is!) He was super helpful and we finally found our very crowded tram. Generally,  the buses and trams look something like this (and we thought public transportation in LA is bad?!)

Ciao for now!