Rome: Day 1

Let me begin by saying that the day that I become rich is the day that I never fly coach again. I will continue to buy my clothing at Marshall's and buy store brand food, I will drive a car with good mileage and get my hair cut at the same place I have for twenty years, but I will not fly coach.

As you may have surmised from my opening, my flight was a rough one. Seated right next to the wing, it was difficult to cope with the noise of the jets right next to me. The guy in front of me pulled his seat way too far back and I myself tried to make a decent effort to not recline more than one notch or so, mainly because the girl who was sitting behind me is actually in the program, and I thought it best to not make uncomfortable the only person I knew for thousands and thousands of miles. When it was all said and done, I hadn't slept at all during the eight hour flight.

After finally navigating our way out of the airport, we met the rest of our program and boarded the bus into Rome. It's difficult to describe how I felt at the time, as exhaustion was nearly overpowering all my other emotions. The ride itself was very comfortable, and a welcome break from the confines of an airliner. During our short trip from the airport to the hotel, our program director, Michelle, did her best to point out as much as she could. The first thing that struck me was the architecture. Every building is cool. Every single one. The blending of contemporary buildings with ancient ones is seamless, and though some are in need of slight repair, they're all in all on par with the buildings in any American city.

Driving in, we passed a gas station. If I remember correctly, the price was fourteen euros or so a liter. That's roughly 20 dollars. So yeah, it could be way worse.

When we finally arrived at the hotel (Hotel Tiziano, located almost in the direct center of Rome), Michelle gave us a few minutes to put our stuff in our rooms before reporting back downstairs for a practical tour. As the lone guy in the program, I've got my own room. It's small by American standards, but it's got all I need and is nice and quiet at the end of the day. Also, it's got a little terrace, too.

The practical tour consisted of a short walk around the area of the hotel. Michelle made sure we knew where to find the closest ATM (bancomat), exchange office, pharmacy (farmacia) and tobacco store, which serve in Italy as a sort of general store. After the tour, we split off. I came back to the hotel and showered and changed, then another student and I went for a walk around the area. I had my first taste of gelato (think really really good ice cream, then think of ice cream that's even better than that and comes in all sorts of cool flavors) and found out how much Romans really love their public water displays. There are fountains everywhere, as well as these little water spout things that are sort of drinking fountains that just pour onto the ground and are going constantly. I refilled a bottle of water from it after I saw an Italian do it. It was surprisingly cold and acceptable tasting, and way more free than any other option.

We continued walking around and eventually just kind of tripped into the Pantheon. We walked around a corner and didn't have a full view of the building, but saw a bunch of people going in. After musing on what it could be, we decided to just walk in and find out ("Oh shit, it's the Pantheon"). The building itself is incredible, with a massive dome that has a hole at the top (there's no cover, so it actually rains through it inside the building when it rains outside and drains located on the floor allow the water to seep out), and the fact that Raphael (the turtle) is entombed there is pretty cool too. As a temple dedicated to pretty much all gods (the ancient Romans weren't ones to offend) the building also serves as a church, as well as a memorial to two of Italy's kings, Vittorio Emmanuelle II and Nick Colasanto.

We also came upon the ruins of Argentina, which are right up the street from the hotel. I really don't know any history behind the ruins (other than that Caesar got shanked nearby), but I DO know that the ruins now double as a shelter for stray cats, immunizing and fixing them, as well as putting them up for adoption. We counted ten or so cats from one spot before moving on, but there's plenty more.

After a while, the heat began to get to be too much for us, so we headed back to the hotel to relax until orientation and dinner. Despite my best efforts to stay awake in order to shake of jet lag as soon as possible, I ended up falling asleep on my tiny twin bed for about an hour, during which the closing ceremony in Beijing spurred strange and unpleasant dreams involving me running in the Olympics and not being any faster.

After accepting the bronze in an event with only two competitors, showering and reporting to the lobby, we headed out for the orientation meeting. It basically consisted of "Be safe, have fun, call us if you need help," as expected, but we got these cool keychain flashlights, so it was worth it. We then walked to a nearby pizzeria.

Pizza here is difficult to compare to pizza back in the States. Though I began eating it with a fork and knife, once the girl across from me started using her hands, I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, not breaking any social rules to eat the pizza the way I was used to (or at least that I wouldn't be the only one looking stupid). The ingredients were fresher by far, and the mozzarella was heaped on in gobs of cheesy, cheesy goodness. The sauce was perfect and the crust was the perfect medium between crunchy and soft. The biggest difference I noticed, however, was an apparent lack of grease. My fingertips weren't all grody by the end of the meal and I wasn't experiencing the usual sensation of needing to wash my mouthal area. It's almost a different food here.

After dinner, we stopped back at the hotel to drop stuff off and wash up. The eight of us then walked back out into the city and headed towards Campio de Fiori ("Field of Flowers") for an evening stroll, which is a common custom here in Italy. Campio de Fiori itself is a large square that serves as an open-air market during the mornings. At night, however, all the restaurants and bars bring out their tables and chairs and the area bristles with activity. It's not, as you might imagine, a seedy place either. Though the bars spill over into the square, the crowds are much tamer than in a typical American bar, and families walk the area safely and contently. The only disturbance came from one crowd that was watching a soccer game, and it manifested itself as nothing more than a cheer after a particularly good shot for a goal.

Upon returning to my room, sleep finally took me, and I passed out. I awoke the next day and had breakfast, then we departed for a walking tour and a bus tour.

The first part of the tour was filled with a bunch of stuff I've already described to you. Of note, however, was the Trevi Fountain. It tells the story of the Roman aqueduct, and is incredibly massive and ornate. Legend says that if you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you'll return to Rome some day. Local jokers say that two coins mean you'll get married, three mean you'll get divorced and four mean you'll get rid of your mother-in-law.



I'll continue on with my story later, as it's now 2 AM here. I've spent a very long night doing my best to make sure my fairer companions didn't do anything... er... rash, and I'm very tired.

Part two will include my solo trip through Rome, my fooding, and my experiences with the locals (ranging from very friendly and helpful to very, very sketchy).