Coffee

The coffee here is unreal. It is dark, strong and absolutely delicious. I usually get espresso because it is the cheapest however, when I do splurge for a cappuccino I never want it to end. The foamy creamy milk mixed with the perfect consistency of the coffee and is delicious. It is going to be hard coming back to the U.S and drinking what they consider “coffee”. I might have to invest in an espresso machine. 

Upcoming Trips

To keep everyone updated here are my travel plans and schedule thus far (what’s set in stone).

The 17^th to the 18^th of February my dad will be here (super exciting!).

The 5^th of March Jimmy is visiting (supersuper exciting!).

The 16^th of March we booked the cheapest flight we could to Shannon, Ireland. We are leaving at 10 p.m and will arrive in London where we will have to camp out until our next flight, which leaves at 7 a.m the next morning. Then we will fly to Shannon and take a bus to Galway. After that St. Patty’s day will be celebrated in style. My friends will all go their separate ways and I will meet up with Dad Mom and Joe for a seven-day adventure in Ireland. Then the day they leave I am flying to Barcelona to experience Spain! From Barca we will fly back to our home in Rome.

My friends and I decided that while we were here we wanted to do one trip that was not constant sightseeing but a relaxing, hang in the sun adventure. So we looked up the cheapest island flight and booked one to Malta on the 15^th of April. The pictures on Google look awesome (especially the blue grotto) so I am siked about that!

Then the 22 of April is my birthday and we have off until the 25^th because of Easter and some other Italian holiday. Elise and Vaughn are supposed to be coming down which should be a lot of fun.

So far that is the plan. I would like to get to Morocco, Turkey or Prague and Budapest but depending on prices these trips may or may not happen. Honestly there is so much to do and see in Rome that it doesn’t matter all that much if I stay or leave because this city is full of surprises, waiting to be discovered. 

Oranges

One of the main things that I have fallen in love with here are the oranges. They are unreal. The inside is red with orange speckles (really pretty) and they are so juicy, so tender, and so tasty. I eat at least three a day and savor the flavor. Somehow each one is better than the last, and they all vary in taste. Its almost like they have personalities! Mmm Mmm Mmm. I am actually eating one right now. Cin Cin!

St. Peter

Today I went on an extremely rare and coveted tour with my theology class to Vatican city. We went underneath the basilica to St. Peter’s tomb and then underneath that to what used to be ancient Rome before the time of Constantine.

The only individuals that are allowed to give this tour are priests and scholars of the Vatican, so you know that the facts a legit. The priest we had was really cool, and I kid you not he was an exact replica of Jimmy’s sister Patty’s boyfriend Matt. I could barley focus for a bit because they looked so much alike… Anyways he started out by reading a passage from John and then began the tour.

St. Peter died 30 years after Christ’s death. Nero crucified him but because he did not think he was worthy to die the way Christ did he asked to be crucified upside down. So they cut his feet off and crucified him upside down. He was buried in on the hill in a necropolis (city of the dead) next to what is now the Vatican in a poor man’s grave. Over time a Trophy monument was built.

The necropolis is was an area where the Romans built little mini houses in which they would bury their deceased family members. Some of them had artwork in them and family members would bring food and gifts to the house and leave it for the dead.

Skip ahead to the 300’s when there was a war going on in Rome. The winner of the war would determine who would become emperor. Constantine was losing BADLY; in fact his last hope was to pray. So he prayed as hard as he could for days. Finally his prayers were answered and in a dream he was told to paint the Cairo (which is the P with the X through it) and if he used this symbol he would win. So Constantine painted the Cairo on all of his warrior’s shields and went into the battle. He destroyed everyone and became emperor. Because of his religious experience with God Constantine not only legalized Christianity but he also made it the main religion of Rome. Since he did this he wanted to build a huge Church and he wanted to do it where St. Peter was buried. However, there was a problem, he couldn’t build on a hill. So he told the Romans to get all of their family members out of the necropolis and he chopped off all of the rooftops, and filled the hill with dirt. Then he began to build.

Skip ahead even further to 1939. Pope Pius XI is on his deathbed and if you are pope you have the privilege of getting to choose where you want to be buried so Pope Pius XI decided he wanted to be buried as close to St. Peter as he could (so next to the trophy monument). In order to do this they needed a tad bit more room to burry Pope Pius XI where he wanted they had to lower the floor. Upon attempting to lower the floor they hit something… the necropolis. They were in between changing popes so they had to wait until Pope Pius XII was elected until they began to start the excavation process. Now this was during WWII and Hitler loved art. Therefore the Vatican had to secretly undertake this project. They hired four archeologists that could only work at night, without any power tools. The used the dirt that they are collecting to create the Vatican gardens to avoid questions. The whole process took ten years to complete. While there were excavating … the Monsignor at the time was interested in all of the bones that were being dug up, whereas the excavators could care less. So he got permission from the pope to keep all of the bones and but him in a “bone room” ( a chapel next to the trophy monument). He would but the bones in boxes and pile them on the benches in the chapel. He died towards the end of excavation, leaving his bones to his assistants. When they finally got to St. Peter’s grave (a hard task because they had to do deep down under the trophy monument and all the way up into it) they found three piles of bones. They sent them to be tested and two were women’s bones and one was a man in his thirty’s. St. Peter died in this 60’s so it could not have been him.

At this point they hired a woman who have a master of languages to interpret the trophy monument to try and see if they could locate the bone of St. Peter. Long story short she found a little inscription in the wall that said here lies Peter. They then inspected it further and found a secret compartment, but it was empty. Low and behold this woman happens to run into one of the Monsignor’s assistants and he says he knows exactly the cubby she’s talking about and that Monsignor found bones there. So they find the box and send the bones inside to get tested.

The results came back and they were told that the man was in his mid 60’s. In addition to this there was a bone from every part of the man’s body (this was rare because all of the other skeletons were missing a lot of parts). All of the parts except for his feet, because they were cut off in order for him to be crucified upside-down!! And the body was wrapped in special purple and gold threaded cloth. Basically it had to have been his bones, right?! So exciting, and this was only just discovered in the 40’s!

Anyways hearing this story while literally walking through the original necropolis (the real floor and walls are still completely intact), underneath the Vatican, while listening to this Priest tell us the story was incredible. I had chills the entire time. The necropolis houses were awesome, some were simple but some were full of tombs and art (a lot of children died). He told the story of Mr. Catalini who saw that his neighbor was building a bigger house than his and he added a second floor. Because of this we found the necropolis! All of the others are a lot smaller but this guy wanted to do it up for his dead family members and built a two-story house. You can see tombstones, one said that the Guy who died was a beloved brother and always had a joke for everyone (so cool that we can translate that!). You can see that the tops of the houses have no roofs because Constantine cut them off. Finally you can see the trophy monument and the bones of St. Peter. I said a little prayer while I was in the room and tried to keep it together (I was in such shock, I have been hearing about this guy for my whole life and now I get proof that he’s real!). 

If you ever have the chance to go on this tour do it. Even if you are not religious. You get to go back in time and experience a different era and its really unique. You have to book the tour four months in advance so I suggest you plan well.

Sorry for writing this novel but I wanted to share the story because I loved it so much. I am attaching a picture and you will see two candels. One is centered and one is a little to the top right. The one on the top right is the spot where St. Peters bones are now. Really cool! Ps- sorry if there are typos I am typing really quickly because I have class at 12!

Pictures

I am finally blogging!

Ciao from Roma! I am sorry it took me so long to get this up and running but we do not have internet here (still dont) and so it is hard to blog. 

Rome

The city of Rome is absolutely stunning, unbelievable, and I still cannot believe the scenery. If you have never been here, you must make go before you die. I have never been more content to get lost; every corner holds a new adventure. Every church, no matter how small, is a treasure trove filled with art and architecture. There is so much to see. Seriously there is something for everyone. I have loved everything I have seen so far (and I have seen a lot). My friend Shane is studying here for the semester and he is an enthusiastic history major which is like having your own personal tour guide with jokes. It’s awesome. The ruins are in the middle of the city, just chillin. It’s crazy that those pieces of stone have been there for sooo long!

Roommates and apartment

I have five roomies. Maile, who I knew from Saint Joe’s. She is sociology and marketing major from right outside of Boston. Kaylin, an advertising and public relations major from Pittsburg/Williamsburg who goes to Michigan State. She is a huge Steelers fan so she is so excited about the superbowl! Julie is also an advertising major and is from Michigan and goes to Michigan State. Kelsey is a business major from Michigan who goes to Michigan State. Arianna is from California and is a communications major. They are all super fun and nice and cool and we are having a grand old time thus far.

Okay, our apartment is SPECTACULAR and I am not just saying this, no joke we got the best apartment that the university offers. Everyone that comes over leaves complaining that they got the shaft with their living accommodations. We live on Via della Pignia, which is a block away from the Cat ruins/Sanctuary, the Pantheon, The church of Gesu and the church of St. Ignatius. We also live right next to all of the cool bars and clubs. We live 15 to 20 min. away from campus (walking) and cross a gorgeous bridge to get to school everyday.

 There are three bedrooms (a single, a double, and a triple). I landed myself in a triple with Maile and Kaylin. It’s probably the size of my living room in Great Falls. Then we have a huge living room/dining with 15 to 18 foot ceilings. Guess what!? The ceiling is a hand painted, gorgeous, piece of art. Unbelievable. Then we have a little kitchen and a long hallway with a huge bookcase filled with books. We have a walking closet and a laundry room. Its pretty sweet!

Traffic

The traffic here is unreal. Not congestion wise, but its flow. Cars zip along at very high speeds with no regard to pedestrians, especially the mopeds which are not required to stop at red lights. Walking here is certainly an adjestment because you have to look both ways three times and take a step out and then check again. You also have to cross very quickly because the time to cross is short (despite the fact that Italians walk SO slowly.. they move like snails). Italians have no concept of time. There are bus schedules but everyone knows they are a joke because the buses are usually 30 min. behind. Today there was a bus strike so there weren’t any buses! The open their shops when the feel like it and take absurdly long lunch breaks. They are especially slow on Mondays, after a leisurely weekend.  This is one thing that I would never be able to adjust to (its one of the reasons why I tell my mom South Carolina is an adjustment).  

Love

I do not know if I would call it love…more like lusty passion but Italians here are NOT afraid to show affection. No matter what time of day or night couples eat each other’s faces off in very public places. It also does not matter what age the couple is, from 13 year olds to 75 year olds making out in public is an everyday norm. I still stare (I cant help it!) but eventually I think I will see it as a normal occurrence. At least they know how to keep the fire alive! Italian babies are the most adorable little things ever because they dress to the nines. 3-year-old girls are seen in little leather boots and funky tights with a little chic coat, hat and gloves just like their mothers and the boys wear little pea coats! So cute (I’ve tried taking pictures multiple times but my creeper status is not pro enough and I have not been able to snag a good enough one to post).

Classes

I am not taking the classes that I originally signed up for so here are my finalized classes:

Mystic Saints and Sinners- this class looks promising. It is a theology class that will focus on different individuals that have played a role in church history. It is partially on site meaning we will actually be going into the city to the churches or monuments we will be learning about the topic at hand. The teacher is French and very strict, seriously though she does not mess around. P.s- the class is all girls, which I thought to be interesting.

Political and Philosophical debates on Freedom, Equality, and Democracy- this is my favorite class thus far. The students in the class are literally from all over the country with tons of different accents. It will be a study and discussion of different types of government. Due to the different backgrounds I have already begun to see many different opinions and ways of thinking (don’t get me wrong we still have that one ignorant obnoxious American in the back of the class who in the process of defending capitalism offends the people in the classroom). The teacher is British, from London and has the cutest accent. He is very open-minded and loves listening to us talk therefore it is a very open and relaxed environment, perfect for awesome discussion.

The philosophy of Art and Beauty- I am going to be honest this class makes me physically uncomfortable. The teacher will literally ask you the most abstract questions and then call you out without giving you time to think, very on the spot, you better bullshit quick… and that’s exactly what comes out of everyone’s mouth most of the time. It’s pretty sweet learning about art in a philosophical context though. And the teacher’s accent is amusing. She is Italian and very… hippyesque in the way she talks (she likes to repeat the answer you give her in a drawn out way).

Genocide- This class is going to be interesting, the material is slightly dry but the ideas we are discussing are relatively new concepts to history and political science so there are a lot of new ideas to think about and analyze. I am a pioneer! The teacher is funny, the first class he gave us an article on how to drink coffee in Italy (VERY different from in the US).

Food and agriculture- This class is going to be everything I wanted! Hooray! It’s amusing because it’s a mix between a class I would love and a class my mom would love. Its half plant talk and half food talk. It will be interesting.

Language

So far I have been struggling with the language, which I did not think would happen. I have the hardest time when Maile and I go shopping because I do not know the shopping lingo. I am also used to people speaking to me in Italian at a much slower pace. I have made many friends with elderly Italian men (one was so pumped we were able to communicate we kissed me on the cheeks four times and squeeze hugged me until I couldn’t breathe). The Italian women tend to be a lot grouchier. The fashion here is unreal. Everyone dresses adorable everyday and the Italian men are so fancy! It’s so funny to see them carrying their wives shopping bags, and enthusiastically participating in their shopping adventures.

January is the sale month here. January and July are when everything is marked down, so I bought a killer pair of Italian leather boots for a great price!

Culture Shock

When I first got here I was really overwhelmed by everything and extremely scared. Everything was so new and different and being alone in a huge city seemed impossible. The first few days were definitely trying but I got over the hump and things started to look up and now I am trying to settle into a routine. I still have moments where I miss a comfort from home but I am getting better.

Things that I have had to get used to include: not being able to drink coffee past 10 a.m, not having really hot water to shower with (its lukewarm, I actually have to shave my legs on different days because I am to cold to do it all at once), the small everything (you name it, Italy’s is smaller than the U.S), weird American music in EVERY store, saying goodbye to anyone you are remotely close to and the strict recycling rules. We have three trash bins here and a recycling bin, the homeless people with puppies, oh and the PDA.  

Things that I in no way miss: High fructose corn syrup (the coke here has none!), fast food (even though Maile ate at mcd’s with Kelsey), a drinking age, processed food, typical rude American behavior, ugly sweatshirts and sweatpants aka slobs, my car (I love walking to wherever I need to go), trashy t.v (except Jersey shore is filming here in April… uhoh).

Nightlife

The nightlife here is not that much different than in the US. There is an American pub down the street where we can watch all major US sporting events and they have karaoke. I made friends with the little guy who cleans the tables there which is fun because he always makes point to have a conversation with me.  There is also a bar called the drunken ship which is wild. There is crazy music and beerpong and these huge pitchers of jungle juice. This is the traveler’s bar of Rome so you will always meet someone with a different background here. We also went to an ice bar. I guess there are only a limited few in the world. It was fun, but overrated. The whole this is made out of ice and you sit on fur and drink out of ice cups but it is so tiny and cold that you cant stay in there long. O and it’s a vodka bar so you can only order exotic vodka’s. Besides this we haven’t been to any crazy clubs or anything yet but I will keep everyone posted. Oh and unlike the US here there is nothing open past 12 for drunk food so one night we stumbled upon a little pizza place (its called very Italian pizza…) and we cannot get enough of it after we leave the bars. What a blessing.

We have met a couple groups of really cool people while we are out and continue to hang out with them, which is nice. There are a lot of kids from Notre Dame and Michigan State here. 

Anyways those are some random tidbits! enjoy