quando a roma

una studentessa sta studiando a roma

[quandoaroma]

anche sotto la pioggia, è bellissima

[quandoaroma]

l'alba prima nella mia finestra

[quandoaroma]

il terzo giorno

i found myself running through the city this morning on a scavenger hunt with some of the other students, ci chiamiamo ‘i quelli veloci’, ‘the fast ones’, and we won the free pizza dinner! (like i haven’t had enough pizza by now...). we walked around close to the school with a tour guide, who took the time to show us everything we’d need to know about bus stations, where to get just about everything at the ‘alimentari’, where, i’ll add, i started to form a warm relationship with one of the shop workers who himself is headed to times square, new york soon, and where to get some of the better pizza in rome. we split into groups to make tiramisu, which was slightly, though not much, different from how i make it at home. we taste them tomorrow. i presented mine for our group, saying ‘un po’ nel italiano: ‘l’abbiamo fatto con i cuori’. after sitting in a meeting about my homestay, i headed home for a quiet yet filling dinner with mary: homemade bruschetta and ‘l’insalata del mare’, breaded ‘tilapia’ fish and zucchini with bacon and breadcrumbs. shower and a sleepy bit of blogging, and i slept through the night. this was starting to become wonderfully comfortable.

[quandoaroma]

il secondo giorno

after a lengthy early-morning orientation, a few friends and i, one old and one new, ventured to find the essentials, as i talked them through some of the shops and markets. before i came, i really didn’t think that i knew that much italian, but being here comforts me: makes me feel a bit more confident in my abilities to get through conversations in a language other than my own. after traipsing to the residence where most of the other students live, seeing their close quarters, i really took a larger appreciation towards where i live with mary. i brought them by to meet mary, she seemed pleased. they oogled at my room and i was eager to show them my extremely european windows: opening the shutters and accidentally letting all the heat out with it. back to the building, struggles over phone service and wifi, and we were headed out to see something new: one of the most famous piazzas, piazza del popolo. complete with a fountain surrounded by water-spewing lions, the square was anything but plain. the architecture skewed my eyes upwards, incredible. there were three churches, we found each and wandered inside. though not religious, i felt humbled and somewhat holy whilst inside. we passed a ‘museo di leonardo da vinci’, a place i’d like to return to by myself sometime in the future. the caravaggio, very famous, was bustling with people, and i looked forward to returning to the churches in the daylight to see the art while the light poured through the windows. i had to leave earlier than i had wanted in order to go home to see mary for dinner, but it was nonetheless delectable: pesto shells, thinly sliced meat with bacon and seasoned with sage, sicilian oranges with oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. i turned in early, and actually slept through the night, thankfully. my second day felt more like home.

[quandoaroma]

il primo giorno

after not much sleep the night before, an anxious night flight with little sleep, and a few tears along the way, i have arrived in rome. i made, what i would consider, to be a warm first impression with the program coordinator, gianni. a taxi ride full of suitcases and other students brought me to the place i’d been excited to see: my new home with mary. a quick buzz and ‘ciao, sarah! alla terza piano!’ opened the double wooden doors to a small lobby with a green running carpet down the middle. a small lift of sorts, complete with and iron framed door accompanied by two wooden french doors, showed with just the push of a button, my two suitcases and i were transported to the third floor. an open door, open arms, two kisses and two warm faces, i knew that i had found a beautiful home for the next four months. my room is more than i could’ve imagined: a double bed, space for all my clothes, a window with lace curtains overlooking a smaller piazza. the piano in the corner of the room made it feel full of life. i took the time to unpack, ate a small meal of rice soup and yogurt, and laid down for ‘un pisolino’. mary took the time to walk me to campus, showing me different routes and small shops. all of the buildings, antiques and relics, had charm of their own. welcome orientation brought me around all of the other students, and the walk home wasn’t as scary as i would’ve thought. i wish i could’ve slept the first night, and, remembering london, i did everything that i could not to spiral into a panic attack. this is an entirely new place, incredible nonetheless, but it still is change. good change.

[quandoaroma]

il primo tramonto nella mia finestra