Today marks the very first day of my Roman adventure. The overwhelming beauty of the place I will spend the next four months has been something that I have only been able to imagine, have been imagining for what seems like an eternity. To be able to see, smell, and taste the original artifact is, quite literally, many dreams come true. I have been hesitant to really bask in the excitement of studying abroad because the preparation to get here was brutal at times. During the preceding months, I was working through a much different experience. I wasn’t focused on what would be, I was focused on what wouldn’t be. I watched as my friends made plans I would love to be a part of, and knew that I wouldn’t be there. I knew I’d be missing a semester of a team that has taken so much of my time and energy, willingly given because Mock Trial was something I loved to do. They prepared for half a season, of which I was incapable of participating. The month long series of goodbyes was easily the worst part of preparing, though trying to get one checked bag under 50 pounds was a challenge in itself and comes in a close second.

But now I am smack in the middle of the “Would Be” (and obviously over the angsty part of studying abroad.) I almost almost succumbed to the temptation of a night in filled with The Princess Bride and sleep after endless hours of travel. At the last minute, the recruiter for the Rome campus (she’s lovely and her name is Jess) came and ate dinner with my table. She was extraordinarily excited about being back in one of her favorite cities and coaxed me out into downtown Rome with the promise of gelato and great views. I assure you, the gelato is as delightful as they say. We saw the Pantheon, Bernini’s Fountain of Four Rivers, and bought the promised gelato before my need to be back in my new bed decided it could no longer be ignored. A small group of us went to take the bus back to the John Felice Rome Center, and immediately got lost. One wrong bus, two patient Romans who generously gave the lost American students directions, and quite some time later, I finally made it back to campus.

8/30/12

Today, a couple of friends and I went back downtown. Pizza, wine and gelato were all involved, then, consulting one of two of our handy-dandy maps, we made it to Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain). It was stunning, especially at night. We took pictures, sat down and marveled at it, and promised to come back during the day. Fontana de Trevi is the highlight of my trip so far. It was such a special moment for me, because it finally hit me in full force that I am actually in Rome. The weight of leaving home, the weight of how influential this place and experience will be for me, everything came crashing down and it made me positively giddy. I already love it here.

What I don’t love? Getting lost for a second night, despite three maps (we were given another), and another several less enthusiastic Italians showing us the way. We did, however, make it home that night, which is all that really counts.
Attached are some of my favorite pictures from our trip so far. We have, for your viewing pleasure, me at Trevi Fountain, and the view of the Vatican from a bridge crossing the Tiber River at Piazza Cavour, which is how we eventually find our way back to school because it has our most used buses. (A little fun fact for future Romans.)

I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Italy since I was a kid so, although I’m definitely not fluent, I can get by fairly easily. However, some of my friends here have, for the first time, been dumped into a country where very few words make sense. And by very few, I mean the words “si” “grazie” “ciao” “bene” exclusively. We have plenty of time to add a word or two to the vocabulary but for now, it’s wonderfully entertaining to watch my friends get by with just that. For example, we went out to get pizza last night at a restaurant by the Pantheon and it became clear very quickly that our waiter was going to hear a lot of the “si grazie ciao bene”. However limited, you might be surprised at how far that gets you. In any case, he was a great sport about it and the owner, Mickey, came out and brought us free dessert and a couple bottles of wine. For reasons we will never know, Mickey also brought out a case of tomatoes so that we could smell them. Standard. From there we moved on to a small bar that I frequented last semester and we hung out there for the rest of the night. Including some makeshift karaoke. I have video evidence of that but we’ll save that for a later time.

Essentially, the first week here has been fabulous and this semester is obviously going to follow suit. Something magical happens when you have good company and good food of which I’m surrounded by both, so I’m not worried about keeping it up. For whatever reason I can’t get the picture uploader to work on this business so I’ll just double up next time. Until then ragazz’!

After many months and days of anxiously waiting and watching Italian movies, I am finally here in Roma!  If it sounds unreal to you, then you are not alone.  Even after being cramped on the plane for what seemed like days, with a chair pushed back all the way into my face, it wasn’t until I was actually standing on Roman soil that it hit me I was no longer in America.  Thankfully, I had chosen to take part in the group flight, as this is my first time in Europe and I would have surely been lost among swarms of tourists and customs officers.

The days since stepping off the plane are really quite a blur.  This is a result of severe jet lag, utter disbelief, and endless meetings.  The second we arrived at the Rome Center, we were whisked away to informational meetings and weighted down with mountains of paperwork.  While all this was necessary, I couldn’t help but just want to shower and sleep.  Then, when we were finally able to do so, my body was just too overworked and excited to relax and fall asleep.  Combine this feeling with the beginnings of a cold, and you’ve got yourself one poorly functioning person.

However, like any sensible person in Italy, I instantly found my temporary cure to exhaustion in espresso.  Sorry America, but your espresso tastes like water compared to the amazingly wonderful Italian espresso.  So, with un doppio caffe in my system, I was ready to tackle anything and everything Roman.  Good thing, too, since within the first few days we had a group dinner in the Monte Mario neighborhood (in which JFRC is located), spent a day touring the Colosseum and Forum, got washed away by rain while at a beach, and then jumped into the start of classes.

I still have yet to catch up on sleep (thanks to the screaming feral cats and there being so much to do in Rome), but thankfully my cold is subsiding and a steady routine of classes and exploration is starting to form.  One major piece of advice: do not get hooked on double espressos, or doppio caffe.  In theory, and reality, they are tasty and work wonders to keep you awake, but just know that it will be hard, dare I say excruciatingly difficult, to go back to regular coffee in America if you form this habit.  Today, I decided to go without any form of coffee and…well…I only made it until about lunchtime.  Thank goodness for our little coffee bar in the basement of the Rome Center!

Second piece of advice, actually more like information: just because you are in Rome, it doesn’t mean classes are easy or unimportant.  Since they have started, I already have quite a bit of reading and some future papers to keep in mind.  But, this weekend that will all be put on hold as the JFRC group heads to Tuscany and the region of Umbria.  Magnificent views, massive amounts of marvelous food, and many miles of walking await us!  One thing is for certain: Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!

Ciao per ora!

Elizabeth

These past two weeks or so have been busy busy busy! After spending an awesome night with Gina Maione in Roma before she headed back to the States, I endured a five hour train ride to Calabria, where I spent a few days with the Adamo family in Cosenza and the beach in Cittadella. Then, I spent a few days in the village where my Nonna was born and raised, Pedivigliano! I ALWAYS love visiting Pedivigliano, because I always end up feeling like some sort of celebrity when I’m there. Random people on the street always ask me my name and are overjoyed to know I am my Nonna’s grandson. This usually results in me going to their house to meet their family and hear tons of stories about my Nonna, her siblings, and their lives in Pedivigliano. After a few days of food, more food, even more food, and just an awesome experience of being engulfed in the history and undying presence of my ancestors, I headed up to Toscana! Once again, I endured one of the most horrible train rides of my life (in part due to the fact I ended up standing/sitting in the stairwell of the train for the whole time since I didn’t have a seat). After a tight connection to my next train, in which I had to run like a crazy through Stazione Termini in Roma, I made it the Chiusi-Chianciano in Toscana. Here, I spent a wonderful time with some truly phenomenal long time family friends, Earl and Estelle Hart. They were so generous in taking me all around and showing me the sights. More importantly, Earl and Estelle are just another example of how hospitable and caring people can be, for I had never even met them before, yet they treated me like family! Then, it was back to Roma, where I ate a pathetic dinner of Salami and Taralli in my hotel room by myself and moved into The John Felice Rome Center the 29th! Phew…that was a mouthful! Ever since, our days have been jam packed with orientation activities, learning (and usually forgetting) names of all the other students here, and getting oriented with Rome! More to come soon! Pace, Luca 🙂

Wow! It’s been such a crazy week. Since landing in Rome Wednesday morning we’ve been going going going, experiencing the campus, Rome, a bunch of sites, and just getting to know one another! Since arriving Wednesday the SLAs (think of them as RAs but different) have been encouraging us to get lost in the neighborhood and city and discover Roma for ourselves, which we have done!

I’ll tell you mostly about the area around campus for now, because we’ve already done too much for just one post!

Campus is located in Monte Mario, and our campus is surrounded by this cute little neighborhood with tabacchis, kinda like tiny convenient stores that sell a variety of little things like bus passes, cafes, shops, supermarkets, and tents selling everything from dresses to sunglasses to underwear (only in Rome?) It’s so tempting to buy it all up, but I’m trying to resist! And the wonderful thing about the tents, or any street vendor, is that you can barter down the price! I have my eye on a dress that I’m going to try to get down to 5 euros…wish me luck!

I have yet to have Gelato, which may jolt some of your taste buds and pick some of your brains. But truly the only time I have had any time to enjoy some gelato was on a Sunday evening and everything is closed…

After an amazing day swimming in the Mediterranean sea, regardless of the rainy beach day I came back with many memories.  One stood out to me in particular.

A shaggy dog who would not let me pet him, or anyone rather except his owner. However, in return he played soccer with us.  As we juggled the ball on the restaurant deck, the dog became ferocious and more then willing to attack that weird patterned round thing as big as him.

Anyway, we soon figured out that the little pup wanted to play and pass the ball back to us with his head.  The suspense began to build as the a crowd of just over 76 gathered to see a dog smaller then a ball pass back and forth.

Not to mention as I have embarked on this trip of a lifetime, I have tried more then enough new foods… and yes I mean new for those of you that know me that is a foreign turf, lets just say in four days in rome I have tried fried cauliflower, pasta with red sauce, pizza with a bitter cabbage, calimari, and bread with tomatoes.

My days consist of new piazzas, roman forum, colloseo, getting lost, asking locals for help in Italian, termini, takeaway pizzas, and peroni birra.

My nights consist of the tivere river (Tiber), DJ booths, free wine, meeting people from all over the world, and taking the lovely n6 bus back without paying a single cent and of course sleepless nights

But no need to worry I am confident that being stuck on central time zone will wear off within a few days, but until then I am signing off at 3:09ROMAN time

Stay Classy and Safe

Buonanotte,

Steven

It’s my fourth day here in Rome, and I am finally starting to feel comfortable with directions around our neighborhood and downtown. Two days ago I participated in a fantastic scavenger hunt that included taking pictures at Vatican City, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, several famous statues, and more–truly unbelievable sights. (Pictures to come) The neighborhood we are in at the JFRC is gorgeous, and so is downtown! I feel as though I could take a picture of every street I walk through. With orientation the past few days, I haven’t had much time yet for touring the city. That will change soon!  And picking up Italian hasn’t been too bad for the first few days- I like being able to speak a little bit, even if it comes out half-spanish! I also am really enjoying the exercise from walking everywhere, but comfortable shoes are definitely a must on any trip outside campus. I cannot get enough of all the pasta, pizza, and gelato here! Everything has been delicious thus far. Looking forward to meeting more fellow students, exploring new neighborhoods, and the upcoming start of classes.  I just know I’m going to love it here.

My first week has passed in Vietnam.  I have come to realize there is so much to share already, but so few words.  In sum, I will say that I am happy.  Part of this happiness comes from our roommates and I would like to dedicate this post to sharing a way in which I have been humbled by their presence here.

At the beginning of the week I asked my roommate, Oanh, why she liked the Loyola program.  She said, “I like the guest house, before I would share the same [size] room with many girls.”  At that moment, I thought that was an exceptional answer.  After all, I myself wouldn’t want to live with ‘several girls’ in one bedroom with one bathroom. Train wreck.  Any way, I ended the conversation there only to return to the subject today.  I had been thinking to myself the benefits of what Loyola students can gain from the program and I began to really wonder what the roommates ‘get’.  So tonight, while I sat in the study room folding paper wish stars with Neg, Oanh, and Anh, I asked in a similar phrase, “What do you get from the Loyola program…do you get paid?” Their answers surprised me.  Immediately they said, “funs time.”  They said they, referring to all of the Vietnamese roommates, got to be together and hang out as we were in the study room but on a regular bases.  If they didn’t live at the guesthouse their time together would be sparing.  They also said they liked being across the street from school so they wouldn’t miss classes.  “I used to wake up at 4:30 to go to school, sometimes I would feel like not going,” Neg explained.  For a girl that would feel isolated without being near to friends at school, I was ashamed that the first thing that came to my mind was money.

I don’t know the “agreement” Loyola has with the Vietnamese students, but their answers make the fine print unimportant.  I am humbled by the joy the roommates have by being together and their willingness to guide us.  Even I get tired of showing my sister around Chicago when she visits (sorry Samantha) because I have lived there for two years.  The Vietnamese students have been here longer, but enjoy showing us their favorite places to eat street food, talk with friends, or shop for bargains.  It has definitely been an eye opener to new ways of interacting socially.

Chao,

Stephanie

I have tried to upload a few photos but have had some technical errors.  Photos to come!

…and also extremely humid.  At least, it is here in the fabulous city of Roma!  After the ~32 hour day yesterday, which included two planes, three buses, and one misadventure getting lost downtown for a couple hours, I think it is safe to say that I am finally gathering my bearings in Italy.  Or at least, I’m less jet-lagged than I was yesterday, which is always good thing.

A few things I’ve learned over the past two days:

1) I like gelato.

2) Romans like their smart-cars and motor-bikes/vespas.

3) People like to stare at obviously lost tourists.

4) Gelato is good.

5) The bus system here confuses me.

6) Europeans use Monopoly money as currency.

7) I recommend un cono piccolo of caffe, creme, and cioccolato.

8 ) It’s probably a good idea to keep my camera handy when going anywhere, because there is a photo-op around every corner.

9) I like to create random lists of things that pop into my head at any random moment.

10) This is just to round out the list, I’ll be honest.

More posts to follow (and Coming Soon: With Pictures!), but I have lists to make and mothers to Skype, so ciao for now!

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus

I myself have never crossed the Atlantic ocean, the same was true for Christopher Columbus in 1492.

While sitting in the cold AC of the Philly International Airport I wonder what is truly out there on the other side of the pond. What will I see? How will I cope in a new land, a new country, a new continent, heck practically a new world! These are all questions that I have pondered while I wait for the boarding call at 5:45pm.  Once that call goes I will step through the gates of A16, onto my US Airways flight for over 8 hours, and when I land…

All these question will be answered, and recorded through memory, pictures, friends, and of course this blog.

That is all for now, now get out there, wherever that may be and bring a smile to a stranger!

Steven