The final days are upon us

NOooooo...we are spending our final week in Rome together writing a 7-10 page paper! The past few days have consisted of very late night work sessions, gelato runs and a lot break out dance parties in the computer lab. The pressure of writing a long paper in a foreign country can do a lot to American students.

Aside from the late nights and early mornings we have enjoyed more meetings with professionals and professors of agriculture in Italy, art history, labor unions, and even the European Commission and the Parliament. The program has such great connections with prominent people in the country and through it we are able to meet with people and potentially get jobs or internships through them. The knowledge I have gained throughout my travels in Rome has stunned me! I came to Rome with the thoughts that it was going to be a big, dirty city with too many people and too many confusing transportation lines and though the latter two are quite accurate, the first two have been altered.

Upon reading the METRO during my ride on the METRO, I came across an article that actually said that Rome is one of the greenest cities in Europe in terms of green space. I am still on a hunt to justify this statement and plan on visiting Villa Borghese, which is filled with gardens and a museum that is said to have the most green space...the city is not necessarily dirty but I guess with the heat and the non-air conditioned public spaces comes sweaty people and the trash seems to shine more as the sun reflects off of it...it really depends on where you are because the closer you are to the tourist attractions, the more clean the area seems to be. Oh the politics of it...

The city is huge. Maybe not as big and complex as New York, but it is a pretty big city that with time one can memorize a lot of the hot spots and having only been here for three weeks I am already getting used to the public transportation stops and I can recognize the sites and some streets, but at first it seems to all hit you at once and can be overwhelming. There are people everywhere. No matter what time or where in the city. Everywhere. From all over the world and all with different intentions in mind. Each person has a story and it is quite amazing. I just sit and watch people pass by and try and guess 1. where they're from 2. who they're traveling with and for what reason 3. what they're planning on doing for the day and 4. just how much fun they're having in Rome. It's quite amusing and passes the time when sitting on 45 degree Celsius buses and on the crowded-germy METRO or even just while taking "una pausa" by a piazza. There is a huge difference with people watching in Philadelphia and in Rome because here there are so many more interesting people and people come from ALL over the world.

The nights have gotten longer and hotter and actually more fun because we have been spending more time talking and procrastinating with our work. It's just what Rome does and what it will continue to do until we hand in our final papers and give our final presentations. We're delaying our thoughts of actually leaving and we already established that tears will be shed and numbers exchanged. It's inevitable. Each of us has a life to continue after this journey we shared and it's pretty amazing that each one of us has come from different places with different outlooks on life and with different paths to follow in life.

One of the most life-changing things I have read this whole trip is THE ALCHEMIST. It's funny because I was making a list of all the books I wanted to read when I return home and on the list included THE ALCHEMIST. I walked into the bathroom one day and there it was on top of the windowsill. Someone from the program had received the book as a gift for the trip and I ended up borrowing it to read. I started on the beach on Saturday and finished the book on Tuesday. I just kept reading it: whenever I rode the METRO, in between classes and every night before bed and as I read, I kept notes on the beautiful sayings in the book. The book spoke about one's Personal Legend and love and truly touched my soul. I couldn't have read a better book at this point in my life. It has given me the confidence and motivation to move forward in life and it has helped quell the fears that have been holding me back. I am ready to take on the next step in my life and this is exactly what I wanted out of this trip.

This experience. This book. This time to myself has been one of the best things I could have given myself. I still have some time left here in Rome and here in Italy in general, so I am ready to continue on this path to discovering myself and refining what it is that I want to do though this will keep changing as time passes and as things around me change.

Just know...food is involved. ;)

OH yea...new word of the week= gelatare-v. to get gelato.
conjugations= gelato, gelati, gelata, gelatiamo, gelate, gelatano

more to come...the saga continues.

Un Buon Weekend

This past weekend I took two of my friends Lucy and Peter a.k.a Lucia and Pietro from la programma to visit Longano- where my family is from in Italy. We took a nice early train Saturday morning (after a late night out in Rome) to get to the train station where my grandfather or "Nonno" was waiting for us. It was so exciting to bring different people to the town because it is my second home and a place where I go to escape the stresses of life.

Longano is a town of only about 800 people that lies 700 m above sea level in in the mountains of Molise. The history traces back to the 13th century and medieval structures still stand today atop the mountains. Those that live in Longano spend their time sitting in the piazza, hanging out in one of the three bars in town and cooking and eating meals together with their families- among other things. The town is not somewhere you go if you want to do touristy things or go places. It is a true vacation spot with the perfect environment for true European living: eating, walking, sleeping, spending time with friends and family, relaxing some more and enjoying the good life. One can get spoiled for staying too long, but it is well worth the visit especially in the summer when it is most active with festivals.

Our weekend was the typical restful experience that each of us needed after weeks of hustle and bustle in Rome. We started off by breathing in the fresh mountain air and cleansing our lungs of the Roman pollutants. Lucky us that we made it into Isernia, the bigger town near Longano, just in time for the weekly Saturday mercato. We wandered around the market and Lucia bought a dress and Pietro bought a pair of shoes. It was a very hot day in the city, but I knew once we got to Longano that altitude would change, as well as the temperature. We met Nonno at a gas station after having bought some food for the weekend at the most popular supermarket in the area- Conad and were off to get some pranzo.

For some reason two of the restaurants we stopped at were closed because of a matrimonio that was taking place Saturday, but the third place was definitely the winner. We sat inside this beautiful round room with windows all around overlooking a lake and mountains in the distance. I was so impressed and the location operated as a agriturismo and place to have weddings and parties. Gorgeous! We took pictures after our amazing lunch. I ordered frutti di mare that included squid, shrimp and more and for my main dish I ordered seafood risotto. It was all so tasty but a bit rushed and the waitress barely paid attention to us because of the wedding that was going on in the next room. We discovered that everything went full circle because the previous places we tried to eat at were closed for a wedding and the wedding at the restaurant was for those same two people- pretty funny.

The time had come for us to drive up the mountains to get to Longano and I was so pumped to show Lucia and Pietro around! I told them stories about the land as we made our way up and we had a great time driving past mountains and breathtaking landscapes. Once we got to the top and Nonno parked his car we got to the house and left within 10 minutes to go for a hike.

I took a second to realize I was back home and I took in all that was around me and in the meantime realized that years can pass and things still remain the same, but its me that changes more and more every time I visit. It's a pretty crazy thing that happens every time I go to Longano. I get sucked in to all its beauty and the wonders of the mountains and just how isolated it is.

Our two hour hike was quite worth it as we found bones and seashells and various other things native to the land. It was great to wander off path a bit and discover places I've never been. It's funny how I open others' minds up to the town, but they also help open me up to new things as well. We took pictures galore and got a great workout climbing up and down the hills. It was time to take a nice long nap so we headed inside and slept for a good two hours.

The rest of the weekend was spent in the house munching on homecooked food and local favorites like fried potatoes and peppers and pasta and general dishes. We also sat and talked to nonno and he told us about 50 stories in two days. Things went really great and Lucia and Pietro got a whole tour of the town in the short time we were there. The best part of all I think is when we were at the top of the mountain and we could look out to see the star-filled sky. We could see constellations and so many stars twinkling- I have never seen this many stars before! It was a perfect way to end the weekend in a town that has so much history, but also so much potential for a thriving future.

Playing Catch-up

So I haven't written in a bit of time because I have been on the move non-stop since I parked myself in la residenza in Rome. There have been days where I don't even use the Internet, which really a bad thing because everyone needs a break. I am on my way to catching up and I have confidence that it'll happen slowly but surely. To make it easier for me and you I will break some things down in categories...

TRANSPORTATION:
The past two weeks have been filled with rides in and out of the city on both the Metro and the bus. At this point we have sweat off the equivalent of our body weights and continue to do so just with sitting in our rooms. The humidity varies, but it is mostly high and unbearable. The worst part about it is getting on the Metro and the bus and having to squish in between other sweaty people and rubbing body parts with complete strangers. We make it through in one piece most of the time but it is not pleasant.

The only way we can get into the city for class, for shopping, for fun is if we take the hour long transportation adventure, so we deal. Each of us complains just about every minute and by the time we get back to la residenza we fight for the showers and don't go near each other until we're washed up.

ACADEMICS:
The discussions we have been attending are absolutely incredible. Each professor that speaks to our group has a way of engaging us in a way that includes each of our interest and each of our backgrounds both culturally and academically. We have two classes a day- one starting early in the morning and one starting right before dinner around 4:30/5. Each is two hours long. Each is right before a meal, which makes it hard to concentrate. There have been times where one or two of us start to doze off and totally zone out of the whole Italian speaking thing. It's not an easy thing to do. My Italian will definitely improve after this month though, so that's what I'm looking forward to.

We have met many important people thus far including US Embassy people, political advisers, media affiliates, Roman history experts, etc. The list goes on and it will continue to grow through the end of July.

FOOD:
Let's talk about how great the food in the cafeteria is here because we are crazy obsessed with the choices and how consistent the deliciousness of it is! We look forward to our pranzo (lunch) and our dinner meals in la mensa (cafeteria) and make sure to always be on time. They know we're the Americans because somehow we end up getting to the mensa 10 minutes before it even opens. Our stomachs need to be fed!

For me, they always serve a vegetable, salad, fruit and sometimes even rice and of course the usual pasta dish. There are always options and the little olive oil, vinegar and seasoning table helps the dishes come to life. We can add whatever seasoning we want and make our dishes personalized. For me, I usually blend together a carb, a salad and some fruit and mix it all together in one huge bowl and chow down until not even oil and vinegar is left at the bottom. Pretty amazing...don't worry the workout routine I have here keeps me fit and the food doesn't affect me I make sure to keep on top of it.

RECREATION:
Although we walk a lot and get our exercise that way, there are other ways we can work out and stay healthy to counteract our consumption of a lot of pasta and gelato. There is a fantastic gym in the basement of la residenza, however I like to call it the unofficial sauna because every time I work out in there regardless of the length of time- I sweat. I sweat as if I were sitting in a 120 degree sauna...as if I chose to sit in a boiling room with no ventilation and no relief whatsoever. The positive effects is that my pores are nice and clean and my body releases plenty of toxins while working out- it's a 50/50 experience.

The other students want me to start an exercise regime and teach an exercise class, so I said sure why not! We'll see if that works out...

The World Cup has been one of the main forms of entertainment for our group. We get together in one of the coolest rooms in the building to watch the games and sit with the other Italian and international students living here. It's fun to argue about teams with them and to cheer even if there's no reason. Now that it's getting toward the end, we have been taking our viewing parties outside the building. We watched the Holland and Uruguay game at a Piazza in the city with about 500+ people. It was so exciting! They had a huge screen with a stage and concession stands all around. We witnessed the Holland victory and celebrated with the fans after with a nice dance party in the middle of the piazza. It was priceless.

Other forms of recreation and fun available to us:

1. trips into the city
2. checking out the historical sites of Rome
3. taking a walk to get gelato
4. exploring the nightlife in Rome
5. enjoying the music and discoteca scene that Europe has to offer
6. taking trips to nearby beaches and hot spots near Rome

MUSIC
Speaking of music and the discoteca scene...

So far the top 5 hottest song of this summer are:

1. "Waka Waka"- Shakira
2. "Stereo Love"-Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina
3. "Alors On Danse"- Stromae
4. "We No Speak Americano"- Yolanda Be Cool and DCup
5. "Fight for this Love"- Cheryl Cole

PIctures from la programma

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