A Fun List!

Ciao, ragazzi!

I am here in Rome and have been in this beautiful city for almost a week now. I have been doing a lot of walking, a lot of orientating, a lot of thinking before speaking and stumbling over my words, and a lot of discovering. So far, the adjustment hasn't been that rough. The time change has been hard--I think I may still be jet lagged--and the realization that I'm not at home and not in the US is strange, but I'm okay with that right now. People say this is called the honeymoon stage, where everything is new and exciting. Maybe this honeymoon will last for four months, we shall see. That's not to say that I am one-hundred percent content and sure of myself, but everything is going okay right now, I think.

I thought I would share with you a few things that I have discovered about Rome, life, and myself in the past few days. The list is quite long, but I've not been here before for this long nor with this amount of self-awareness, so a lot is new and interesting to me. Here goes:

A Fun Fact Sheet about Rome and My Time Here So Far

1. The paper here is bigger—12 inches tall instead of 11.5
2. There is very little grass, but a good amount of open space if you know where to look.
3. Public transportation is awesome! I should have been listening to Tim preach about this since freshman year…
4. Going places in a large group can be very annoying.
5. If you’ve never had aranchine, try them! They are rice balls. I had no idea these delightful things existed before I came to Roma, and they are delicious.
6. A strange combination—egg and salami in a sandwich. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
7. I am living with the Cirillo family here in Roma. There is a mom, a dad, and three little kids. The family is very friendly. I’m enjoying staying with them so far, and I am grateful for their patience (with my lack of Italian) and hospitality.
8. Presepe (Nativity scenes) in churches are very interesting to look at. However, the baby Jesus in the scene outside of St. Peter’s Basilica is a little bit frightening and the size of a four year old.
9. The city of Rome is beautiful—so many colors, endless types of architecture, elaborate fountains that pop out of nowhere, and stylish people.
10. Gelato is delicious. I’m sure most of you know this already, but it is delicious.
11. There are two different ways to say “I’m sorry.” (There are probably more, but these are the basic ones that are important to my life right now.) “Mi scusi” is said when you are at fault somehow (e.g. I’m sorry I’m late for class. Mi scusi.); “mi dispiace” is said when you are sorry something happened but it is not your fault (e.g. I’m sorry you don’t like peas, but I have never force-fed you peas, so it’s really not my fault. Mi dipiace.).
12. Cold weather seems to be defined as hovering around 40 or 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
13. There is no such site as the Spanish Steps. Yes, there are steps. Yes, there is a Piazza del Spagna. But, to the Italians, the massive staircase that leads down to the Piazza del Spagna is called La Scala. In no way are the steps Spanish.
14. Sometimes I say “Si” without really understanding…
15. Saldi! Saldi!! Saldi!!! (January is sale month in all of the stores!)
16. There are a hundred churches in Rome (probably more—I haven’t counted)! It’s so great to be able to go into a different one all the time to see different devotions and to strengthen my own.
17. When one is walking and outside most of the time, days without rain are optimal. Too bad only one in the six I’ve been here have been sunny. But on the up side, I’ve been getting to use my umbrella and raincoat!
18. Mi piace parlare in una lingua straniere perche’ e’ interessante e e’ piu’ dificile.
19. I am the tortoise—slow and steady wins the race, in my opinion. I’m not sure I like having all my classes just one day a week. It leads to a lot of emphasis on and cramming into each class. I think I’m better with a slow, constant pace with some wiggle room and review over a fast, sometimes unbalanced pace.
20. I may or may not have stepped on a statue built and designed by some famous clothes designer—whoops!! (You can ask Christina who the designer is, because I don’t remember).
21. Learning Italian only in Italian is hard, but it’s good because it assists you in thinking in the language and it lets you learn with people who you do not share another language with (except everyone in my class knows English except one women, though it’s not necessarily their first language). It is challenging in a good way.
22. Pannacolta has a very strange texture.
23. Apparently in Roma, you can park absolutely anywhere in any way that you fit into the space and it’s perfectly okay with everyone.
24. Watching TV in Italian is like watching TV with my father. My dad often mutes the sound during the commercials, and at night sometimes he falls asleep and therefore doesn’t un-mute it—I see the pictures and get to guess for myself what is going on!
25. I'm not sure if I am going to be able to find notecards here. I was going to pack some but left them out under the guise that I could simply buy some here and didn't need to extra weight in my bag. Bad idea. There are no flashcard-like notecards to be found! If you know where I could get some at a reasonable price, please let me know!

Well that's my list. It is what it is for right now. It will probably get longer but not on this post because its already long and 25 is a solid number to stop at, so here we are. Nothing too eloquent to say in this post and no remixes of songs. Sorry if I disappoint! Well, that's all for now, check back in a little while to see what enfolds!

:-)
Susan

An Introduction

This is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside-down. I'd like to take a minute--put down that phone!--I'll tell you how I'm becoming a princess of a town called Rome...

In Western Pennsylvania, born and raised, in the backyard I spent most of my days. Chillin' out, pax-in', relaxing, all cool, goin' to Loyola right after high school. Then a couple of guys who were up to some good accepted my application to study abroad. I'm gettin' on one little flight, sure I am scared, but I'm moving off to Rome via a ride through the air.

I'm waiting for the day and as it comes near, I'm praying my Rosary and packing fifty pounds of gear. If anything I can say this chance is rare, and I thought "Yeah, can't pass it, not even on a dare!"

I leaving for that city Jan. 7, arriving 8. And I'm tellin' the US, "Bye, home! See ya later!" I'll get to my kingdom--I'll finally be there! To sit on my throne as a Princess of Rome.

:-) Fresh Prince fans, anyone?

Okay, in actuality, I'm leaving my house in two and a half days to travel to Rome for four months! I'm seriously scared--that's not just a catchy song lyric. I am not packed; I am in need of sleep, seeing some people before I go, exchanging money, calling some people... Seriously, the list is a page long and only getting longer. I have so many questions that I want to ask, but I don't know who to ask or even how to articulate them. There are so many unknowns. But, I suppose that's part of the adventure. They say that not all who wander are lost and it's not the destination, it's the journey. Though cliches, I think both these statements have truth in them. Maybe I won't know where I am or what to do at every crossroads I come to while in Rome, but I'm embracing that. I like new situations, meeting new people, exploring new places, and learning about myself in the process. At least that's what I'm telling myself. I'm not sure if that's entirely true when I don't have a familiar, comforting place to return to, but I'm going to do my best.

There are a few things that I can't wait for: I'm excited to be living with an Italian family and really learning the Italian language and the culture of Rome. I'm excited to try new foods and see ancient ruins. I'm excited to learn in my classes about the place where I'm living and to learn in my living about the person I am.

As of right now, I don't have many definitive goals for this trip. I want to eat gelato, visit Assisi, go to the town that some of my ancestors came from to look around, walk to class as much as possible, and live as a Roman. Make some new friends, drink some wine, eat some cheese, maybe have a cappuccino (though, I'm not a fan of coffee). Study, serve, pray, live, love, be. Simple, really. That is my goal--Simplicity. And flexibility. Yes, a simplistic, flexible way of life. That is what I need to accomplish the most.

Honestly, I'm not the most eloquent person and I probably won't post as much as I should, but if you want to read about my journey, I would be honored to bring you along. All I ask for in return are your prayers (or good wishes if you'd rather). For a safe journey, for courage, for exciting adventures, for understanding, for patience, for memories both old and new. I will do my best to pray for you too. If you have any intentions, let me know: I'll light a candle and pray for you in at least one of the hundred churches I'm sure to visit. Also, I would love to hear from you as well! Keep me updated on your lives, too, please!

Well, that's all for now, I think.

A piu' tardi, i miei amici,

Susan