as I write this, I am on day 3 of my Roman adventure. I've seen the beautiful Trevi fountain which is 10x more spectacular in person (even with scaffolding on the lefthand side... sigh), the Spanish steps, the "wedding cake" also known as Il Vittoriano, and loads of beautiful and less beautiful Italian men, who are all convinced that Mackenzie is a model. they have also called her "sex symbol" and "okay." I have unabashedly embraced tourist life and am snapping lots of pics, which I hopefully can upload soon.
I've adjusted fairly quickly to life here. accommodations are pretty comfortable and I haven't had any appliances blow up yet. the only thing that took getting used to is the walking! we walk everywhere and we walk so much that my poor feet are already looking pretty worse for the wear (and this is coming from an ex-rower and ex-waitress). also, the mosquitoes are ravenous, if not large and angry. we've been using hydrocortisone like lotion.
there are lots of cool people on my program! there really are students from all over the US and it's been so fun sharing and comparing experiences at our schools. for the most part, we've been warmly accepted by all the locals. every once in awhile somebody will walk past and mutter "Americanos..." and shake their heads, but I think that already happens in the US anyway.
the nightlife here is unreal. bars and clubs are packed with Italians and foreigners alike, and places start filling up at 11:30-11:45. the first night we went out we went out at 10:30 and found ourselves the only people in the bar, which was great for getting the bartender's attention! we met a lot of exchange students from the US, some foreigners, and a lot of Italians. luckily dancing is pretty universal (so is the word for no). and it's not just bars where people hang out, groups will hang out in the squares in the middle of the city that blocks are arranged around which is so cool!! I like that a lot, wish we had it in the states. my closest equivalent I could think of is Pioneer Square in Seattle, but I guess that's only really a happening scene if you like pigeons and bums.
it's quite humid here still, but all the people from the east coast are loving the weather. the west coasters, especially ones with hair like mine, are not loving the humidity. but it's bearable. the only downside is the flash-flood style rain that comes down super hard and then stops just as you've found your rain coat.
this is the first time I've had 10 minutes to sit down and write! hopefully I'll have more time this week. classes start monday, I'm real excited about that! more later. leave a comment below and tell me what you want me to write about!
Sounds fun!! Miss you!
ReplyDeletexo Michi