"She had always been fond of history, and in Rome was history in the stones of the street and the atoms of the sunshine." -Henry James
For months now, I have dreamed of it, saved for it, maybe even shed a tear over it. But finally... I can say CIAO, ROMA! I will be making myself at home in Rome, Italy for five weeks studying with MSU CAAD.
Standing in front of St. Peter's Basilica
Jet lagged and nervous, we landed this past Monday to start our adventure. Luckily we were picked up at the airport (cue guy in all black holding a folded sheet of copy paper) and escorted to a bus. The relief that flooded our minds didn't last long when he whipped over on the side of the road, told us to grab our bags, and promptly left. We looked at each other as if asking, "What now?"
Do you know Italian??? We sure don't.
After a terrifying seven minutes of complete panic, a lovely woman, who was fluent in Italian, paraded us down the busy street to our apartment building. Visualize 14 exhausted, American students lugging a months worth of supplies in rolling boxes down the busy, uneven pavement of Rome.
Finally, we arrived parched, starving, and ready for a nap. We all met up for our neighborhood walking tour after a small rest.
This was the moment it finally hit that I was here.
The next day we were introduced to our new school. It is located in the Palazzo Orsini in the heart of the Campo Marzio area of Rome. We are nestled in the middle of HISTORY.
We stopped for a lunch break around noon and were eager to order in Italian. Our area is full of sweet clothing store, cafes, gelato shops, and bookstores. We walked a little and found pizza! Simple enough, right?
We quickly learned that the language barrier was a little more of a challenge than we initially thought. But all is well! We got our pizza and proceeded with our day.
Pizza in front of Castel Sant'Angelo by the Tiber River.
Overall, my first week has been full of beauty, adventure, and friendship... I am forever grateful for the hard work and sacrifices my family and friends have made to get me here. I would have never been able to make this dream happen without them. Thank you for loving me.
Special Shoutouts::
Michelle and Bill- you work tirelessly to make my dreams work
Anna Dickson- you didn't think I was crazy
AG and Claire- you thought I was crazy
Breanna Rochelle- you went above and beyond when you could have been a bystander
Gwen- you are my family