Making Rome my home

Well, it's been about two and a half weeks since my first post. That's weird to me because on one hand it seems like I’m feeling more at home and I've been in Rome much longer than three weeks-- but on the other hand time is flying and I can't believe I'm starting in on the fourth week here! Since so much happens every day I should try to write more, not only to keep everyone that is interested updated, but for my own memory of the semester I lived in Rome. I have told a few people, it's hard to sit down and write about my life when I am so much more interested in just living it, having a new experience and creating a new memory. So, since it has been a few weeks and I don't want to write a novel, I will try to write about one week now and one shortly after this.

The night of my first blog we had what we refer to back in Ames as "family dinner" our first week. When we are at school the closest thing you have to family is who you live with and your friends, so when we all make dinner together was call it 'family dinner'! Here in Rome, we have the apartment farthest away from studio but it's such a great apartment we rarely mind. Just short of two blocks away from us is the apartment of the guys from my class. After wasting the day away together we decided to have a 'family dinner'. We all made the short trek to the 'supermercato' and loaded up on pasta, sauce, meat, bread and wine. Kyle and I witnessed a persistent, little old Italian women pester a sales man as he found a bottle opener for us and we headed back to our apartment. Chef Kyle was in charge of cooking while the rest of us moved ALL of our furniture on to the roof top terrace to seat us all. Yes, this includes all of our chairs, stools, table, desk and the red couch-- everything but the beds! So Kyle cooked in our "Sexy red and stone kitchen" with the doors wide open, we all laughed at the furniture on the terrace and each other . . . mostly me, I must admit. . . When dinner was ready we all sat down, taking note of the red, black and white that we set ourselves in (design students. . . ) with our wine and food as Rome provided the setting, the sun provided dusk as we laughed and talked to enjoy our 'family dinner'.

The next day one of the studio professors here took us on a walking tour around central Rome, mostly pointing out all the places that were a "must" and what to avoid. We wandered the old cobble stone streets of Rome, some dating back to the Renaissance. It’s something fantastic for a girl like me that’s stays mostly in the place I’m living to be in a place that is so ancient and rich with aesthetic interest. The history in every street is stunning. I always thought I wanted to live in a big city. I love all of the life buzzing around, the movement, the architecture, the night life, the food, the entertainment, but being here . . . I guess it’s got me feeling smaller city than I realized. I mean, I have come to appreciate the beauty of Iowa. Rome is a big city, full of big personalities. I’m sure the language barrier has a lot to do with the feeling of being out of place as well, however. Never the less, it is an incredible place to find yourself, and even if I miss Iowa hills and country I have Italian hills and country, and vineyards, sea shores, ancient ruins, historic plazas, charming ally restaurants, quaint allies with picturesque shutters and balconies . . . I love and miss home, but I am loving every moment I get to live in Rome.

So, on this walking tour, one of the places she took us has turned out to be among my favorite places to stop for a sandwich and cappuccino-- but I'm feeling addicted! It's called Bar Dell Cappuccino and they have the most DELICIOUS iced cappuccino I have ever tasted! I want two every day, heck I could drink two at a time! Anyone that has spent a fair amount of time with me knows I love coffee, and now I’m living where espresso was invented! It’s part of the culture here. After dinner your server always asks if you would like a cappuccino or espresso, then you linger as long as you would like until you ask them to bring you your check. This little caffé also has what is supposed to be one of the best pastrami sandwiches this side of Rome, and I believe them. A cute family runs the caffé; dad and his two daughters. They are really sweet and recognize all of us Iowa State students that come in frequently for our cappuccino fredo and pastrami! Our tour also stopped at The Pantheon (located only a few mins walking from my studio), Bernini's Elephant, the gelateria "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn was filmed, an art supply store, a good hotel for family and friends visiting, places to eat, places not to eat, some good shopping. It was a really enjoyable day. I was able to get closer with all of my roommates and introduced myself to some graphic design students when we were all walking around that day. Actually, we've been getting much closer, all of us design students. I wasn't good friends with really anyone in my class last year, but we only have each other here so we've been getting to hang out more and have great experiences together. Half of the Interior Design students are 3rd years and half are 4th. There has always been a divide between us from back in Iowa but we've all been laughing together in studio and sharing funny stories from here in Rome, weekend trips through Italy and back home. Before we got here we didn’t have any interaction with the graphic design students, so it's really cool to have friends in other majors of the College of Design. They have turned out to be some of my favorite people to hang out with here. As you can tell, our first week here was mostly spent learning where we are and getting to know the people we are here with.

That night after walking around with class all day the roomies and I decided to go see what Rome is like at night. Still fresh to the country, we didn’t go looking for night life so quickly, but made our way back to The Pantheon. It is not stretch for me to say it was one of the most romantic things I have ever experienced. I’m sure Italy has a lot left for me to uncover, but it was magical in that plaza. Soft, romantic lighting lines all of the allies and plazas. As you cut through back allies and discover restaurants hidden in nooks the square suddenly opens up in front of you, revealing the grandiose Pantheon. We come up from the back and hear a man playing “House of the Rising Sun” as he sits on the back wall and tried to charm pedestrians into adding to his guitar case. Stepping carefully on the uneven cobble stone, we slowly make our way to the front. This was a sight I won’t forget even in to old age. All kinds of people cluster in the romantically lit restaurants that lined the plaza, families laughing and couples dancing on the squares that server as a platform for a towering obelisk, a small brass band provides the soundtrack to the scene of friends, family and love. But of course, standing in front of the night playing out is the porch to The Pantheon. Thousands of years old are ten grand columns that gesture in a magnificent way to all gathered here. It’s after hours, so no entrance is possible, but we walk to the porch and turn out to the setting of The Pantheon at night. It was a breath taking experience . . . I’m still stunned I experienced it. This is my reality right now!

Il mio amore da Roma ♥

Ciao!

::Coming soon:: The ‘friend’ we didn’t want, a barefoot excursion to The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, first steps in the Mediterranean Sea, new Italian friends and Pisa!