After many months and days of anxiously waiting and watching Italian movies, I am finally here in Roma!\u00a0 If it sounds unreal to you, then you are not alone.\u00a0 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\u2019t until I was actually standing on Roman soil that it hit me I was no longer in America.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
The days since stepping off the plane are really quite a blur.\u00a0 This is a result of severe jet lag, utter disbelief, and endless meetings.\u00a0 The second we arrived at the Rome Center, we were whisked away to informational meetings and weighted down with mountains of paperwork.\u00a0 While all this was necessary, I couldn\u2019t help but just want to shower and sleep.\u00a0 Then, when we were finally able to do so, my body was just too overworked and excited to relax and fall asleep.\u00a0 Combine this feeling with the beginnings of a cold, and you\u2019ve got yourself one poorly functioning person.<\/p>\n
However, like any sensible person in Italy, I instantly found my temporary cure to exhaustion in espresso.\u00a0 Sorry America, but your espresso tastes like water compared to the amazingly wonderful Italian espresso.\u00a0 So, with un doppio caffe in my system, I was ready to tackle anything and everything Roman.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 One major piece of advice: do not get hooked on double espressos, or doppio caffe<\/em>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Today, I decided to go without any form of coffee and\u2026well\u2026I only made it until about lunchtime.\u00a0 Thank goodness for our little coffee bar in the basement of the Rome Center!<\/p>\n Second piece of advice, actually more like information: just because you are in Rome, it doesn\u2019t mean classes are easy or unimportant.\u00a0 Since they have started, I already have quite a bit of reading and some future papers to keep in mind.\u00a0 But, this weekend that will all be put on hold as the JFRC group heads to Tuscany and the region of Umbria.\u00a0 Magnificent views, massive amounts of marvelous food, and many miles of walking await us!\u00a0 One thing is for certain: Toto, we\u2019re not in Kansas anymore!<\/p>\n Ciao per ora!<\/p>\n Elizabeth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After many months and days of anxiously waiting and watching Italian movies, I am finally here in Roma!\u00a0 If it sounds unreal to you, then you are not alone.\u00a0 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\u2019t until … <\/p>\n