Sixth Day

It was a very cold day today. It was sunny, but the wind was extremely cold. That goodness I had my jacket!!!

Class started today and my teacher is the cutest thing in the whole entire world. She is a small Italian lady who has the cutest glasses. Class was amazing. Italian is so fun. She spoke completely in Italian, which was awesome. I can tell that I am going to learn a lot. It is shocking how similar it is to French. It actually seems a bit easier than French.

After met with Emanuele. We walked around the city. At first we wanted to go see the Manet exhibit, but we decided not to go. We were walking by Piazza Venezia and we saw Sarit, Amy and some other girls were walking around so we decided to go with them. We ended up at a church. I am not sure of the name of it, but it was beautiful inside. It is really amazing that Rome has so many wonderful churches that are painted with gold and have frescoes everywhere.

After we left the church, Emanuele and I went home on the bus. It was fun. I really like taking buses. You can go anywhere in this city! I love it!

Emanuele is a very nice guy. My roommates and all of my friends say that he likes me, but really. I don’t think so. I kind of don’t want him to like me. If he liked me, I think it would get too weird. It is better to keep things simple. He is very nice and always looks out for my friends and me. After we got back to my apartment we were talking about random things. The subject of stereotypes came up and he asked me what are some Italian stereotypes and I asked him about American stereotypes. He said that according to the stereotype, Americans are loud, fat, and stupid. I told him that the stereotype of Italians is that they are crazier than other Europeans, men are supposed to be hot, and they do not like to work because they go on strike every 5 minutes. After that he asked me what I thought of Italians now after being here for a couple days. I told him that they do not know how to form lines because when you go into a bar a store people never get in an orderly line where it is obvious which person came before other. He laughed. Also I told him that people are every aggressive here, more so than in Oxnard. I think it might be because this is a big city and you have to be a bit more aggressive. I told him that crossing the street was a bit scary at first, but not anymore. I told him the I am not used to crossing the street anytime because in the States you can get a ticket if you when when you are not supposed to. He could not believe this. “What?! That is crazy!” he said. He was in complete shock. He was in even more shock when I told him that the ticket could be $70. Hehe

Fifth day in rome!!

NOTHING IS OPEN!!! Today we left the house earlier than usual. We left around 11 and did some shopping. I bought a jacket for 39 euro. It is a very cute black coat. I love it. Niki says that it is perfect for me. (I trust her fashion sense!) After about 2pm NOTHING was open. And when I say nothing I mean NOTHING!!! Niente! We went back home and just hung out and relaxed again. After that we went to Residence Candia and hung out with some of our friends. We had a little party out of Sarit’s balcony. It was a lot of fun.

After the small gathering at Sarit’s place, Amy and Sairt cme back to our apartment and we had conversations about relationships and boys. It was fun and interesting. Amy fell asleep and woke up very confused and said something about “Red garbage cans for underwear.” ????? She is such a Poodle!!! Poor thing. Hehe

Fourth Day in Rome – Italian shopping is the best!

I went shopping because during the months of January and February there is SALDI! Which means SALES!!! I did not buy anything, but I am looking for a coat. Today we just stayed at home and were a bit lazy.

My roommates are the best. They are great companions. Niki is really sweet. She is from UCB and Nabihah is from UCI.

Dialogue of the day:
Niki “Non pudo.”
Crtistina “What?”
Niki “I don’t think that is Italian… I don’t even think that is Spanish.”

Third Day in Rome

Getting lost can be fun, but frustrating. After the academic orientation and Italian placement exam we had a free afternoon. We decided to see the Spanish steps and visit a park. At first we did not really know how to get there, but we had an idea of which direction with should go. So we just walked aimlessly until we found a main street and looked on the map. This technique seems to be our approach to most things. It is nice walking around Rome when you have not time constraints. The technique of aimless walking definitely created the phrase of the day: The River is not straight and it gives me problems – SARIT. It was interesting getting lost and finding ourselves again. We actually just happened upon the places that we wanted to go. We found a huge oblisque in a plaza, but there was no sign explaining its significance. The oblisque was covered as if they were restoring it or it was under construction.
After that we found a park that had a wonderful view of the city.

It was there that I realized that we were talking a bit loudly… an din English. (Not a good combination in a foreign country!) I told Sarit and Nabihah that we should quiet down because we did not want to stick out more than we already did. It is hard not to be loud here because everything is so exciting. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful.

We walked in the park for a bit and then we happened upon the Spanish Steps. It was full of people!

Down the street near the Spanish Steps is the most expensive shopping area that I have ever seen. This street puts South Coast to shame. It is has everything.

After walking down the street we got very lost. I was very cold and tired, but it was nice to walk around Rome at night. I really love living in a REAL city. Yes… I know Oxnard is a city, but … come on! It cannot compare! There is something happening here ALL of the time.

We finally found our way home after our little adventure of getting way lost. We then got ready for the party that our landlord was holding for us. This party was supposed to be an opportunity for all of the EAP students to meet Italians. Wow…. It was lame. Crazy lame! The party was supposed to start at 9pm. My friend and I got there at 9:30, but there was NO ONE THERE!!! It was pretty strange. So we went to a restaurant and I had pizza and beer while my friends took shots. At 10pm I had to leave the restaurant because I was meeting Emanuele. Can you believe that his mother made a cake for my friends and me? Not only that… but he also gave me a drink that his grandmother makes called Limoncello Cream. Emanuele calls this drink “super alcoholic”… but only super alcoholic. There is no noun that follows “super alcoholic.” It is kind of funny. Anyway… the cake was wrapped like a present. It was totally cute! The cake was amazing too. It had pineapple, kiwi, and peaches over a yellow cake which was soaked in limoncello (the same “super alcoholic”).

After we dropped those things off in my fridge, we met with my friend again and went to the party… which was STILL lame! There were more people there, but it just was not my scene. I don’t know. I guess my concept of fun is not the same as everyone else’s. The party was just way too… I don’t know. It was held in too small of a space and I could tell that the main objective of the evening was to get drunk and act retarded. It was not to actually get to know other Italians. I was disappointed.

After Emanuele’s friends (who are both very cute!) arrived at the party, everyone went to Campo di Fiori. Again… not my idea of fun. Let me tell you about Campo di Fiori. It is a piazza with many bars where stupid Americans go to get drunk and act like idiots. I was thoroughly annoyed at the many drunken “ugly Americans” walking around. Of course, some are just out to have a good time… and no… not all of the them are stupid, but I don’t know. Not my idea of fun.

To get to Campo di Fiori we had to take a car. Actually, we could have walked, but Emanuele had a car and decided to drive. Now driving in Rome is fun! It is not as crazy as the Philippines, but it is up there on the craziness level! All of these little cars going too fast through narrow streets. It is awesome. I know for a fact that I could NEVER drive there, but it was fun being a passenger.

The cold is like nothing that I have ever experienced and it is going to be cold like this for the next two weeks! Ahhh! É troppo freddo! Wow… Italian rocks!

Ciao

Second Day in Rome

The second day in Rome was amazing! After we had orientation at our school, which is located Vatican city, Sarit, Nabihah, Niki, Amy and I went to explore our surroundings. First we had lunch and then we had gelato. I had nutella gelato. It was very good, but abit too sweet for my taste. After that ee ended up going everywhere and seeing almost everything that I had ever wanted to see in Rome. It was landmark after landmark. It was amazing! We saw the Colosseo, Trajan’s column, the ancient forum, one of the first market places in Rome, and much more. It was seriously breathtaking. Each monument was a block away from one another. It was an art historian’s dream come true.














Emanuele met us at the Colosseo. After that he took us around the city and explained to me all of the significance of certain places. It was so informative. Then we stopped for coffee at this shop that Emanuele suggested. When I walked into the store, the smell of coffee, chocolate, and other goodies hit me. The coffee was one of the best cups of coffee I had ever had.

Things I learned about myself: I don’t complain if I am tired. I am so happy that I am not one of those people who complains and whines when they do not want to walk anymore. Whenever I feel too cold or too tired I think to myself that this discomfort is all temporary and my stay in Rome is temporary as well.

Things I learned about being a foreigner in Rome: Rome has this amazing ability to seduce its visitors with the Italian culture, the language, the food, and all of its beauty. I am really getting sucked in. It is not like any big city. It is clearly evident that the people who grow up in Rome really appreciate where they come from and know so much about their city.

After the sightseeing which lasted ALL DAY LONG and after Emanuele went home we were all very tired. We decided to head back to the apartment to relax. Then Sarit had the wonderful idea of having some wine on her balcony. That is when we decided to have an impromptu wine, cheese and bread party. So we went to Todis, the local supermarket, and picked up different bottles of wine so that we could find one that we liked. I have a theory that the wine with the writing only in Italian on the back of the bottle is better than the bottles that also have an English translation. I think this may be because the English bottles are catering to English speakers and young college kids trying to get drunk. Hehe which is so not me. The wine for this party was strictly for cultural/educational purposes hehe. There are pictures to prove this.




Hmm... here are more pictures of my apartment. It is so cute! I love it!





Phrase of the day: Make good choices- AMY from room 221

I think that is it for now. Ciao!

First Day in Rome

Warning… typos are my specialty. I just type and I don’t really spell check so if there are funny mistakes I’m sorry.

Okay, now that I have warned you about my mistakes, I can begin with my blog.

Wow. All I can say is wow. I cannot believe that I am here! It is a surreal experience. Even though that I have traveled all over the world, it still amazes me that anyone can get on a plane and fly to a completely different part of the world and get there in one piece.
After this one day of traveling I have realized many things about myself and about situations a foreigner faces.

(I have decided that I will try to provide a section of what I have learned about myself and what I have learned about being a foreigner in another country. Also I plan on providing random tips on various subjects. I plan to also have a section that talks about my day. This will be list of things that happened. One more thing I plan to have is an appreciation for wine meter…hehe )

About Myself
I love learning different languages! I think I would like to live here. I’m actually speaking Italian to people. Today I asked for “the same thing” in Italian when I ordered Nutella gelato. (I can say it really well, but I do not know how to spell it.) It was awesome! The man even understood me. My friends here say that I have a really good accent. I don’t know if it is true.

A good tip on how to speak Italian: Relish every syllable that you say! If you say everything in the most expressive way possible, Italian will come so easily.

About being a Foreigner
IT IS HARD~ (If you do not know the language, the culture, the customs, and cultural quirks.) I never realized what it was like to truly feel like an outsider. It is really scary. I think if I were here by myself I would have a tough time. Since there are many people in the program, I do not feel so intimidated, but I think when I am by myself I will not know what to say.

My day: Today I arrived in FCO and it was very cool and a bit cloudy. We took a taxi because a woman on the plane helped us get a good deal on a taxi. I packed the perfect amount of clothing because everything is so cute here that I want to buy it ALL! I found out that I live in the second housing option, which is called “Vaticano.” I live so close to the Vatican that it is utterly insane! Today I met Emanuele. He is a native to Rome who I met on skype. He is 20 years old and probably the most adorable thing in the world. He is very sweet and sincere. He helped me SO much because I had to run many errands (Make copies of documents, get a SIM card, find Nabihah a phone, get food for the next day at a supermarket). We ended up accomplishing almost everything, which is really awesome because in Italy there is NO one-stop shop. If you need something you have to go to a small shop that only does/carries that one thing. It is a bit inconvenient but it adds to the character of the city (and this city is bursting with character).
An example of what not to do when you do not know the language of a country you are visiting: Do not just giggle nervously when someone speaks to you in a language you do not know. For example, Nabihah, Emanuele and I went to a cell phone shop to get my SIM card. When we got inside there were too people who could not speak Italian and Emanuele was helping translate for them. He stepped outside with them to point out where they should go which left Nabihah and I in the shop alone with the merchant behind the counter. He started to speak to us in Italian and Nabihah and I both did not know what he was saying. Very slowly Nabihah said “Non PAY-lo Italian” and giggled. But even after our lame attempt, after we sounded SO not Italian, the man continued to talk at the same speed but loudly and in Italian. Nabihah and I did not know what to do. We both wished that we knew what to say, but we really didn’t so we smiled. Then, I was too shy to try and speak. Note: that statement is coming from a girl who has no shame. This shows how intimidating it is being a foreigner.

After we ran a few errands the rain was starting to get really bad so we went back to the apartment. Emanuele showed me a bunch of websites that he said would be important. One was for learning the public transportation system and the other was a university site. He also showed me his favorite Oasis site. Hehe (He loves him so Oasis).

After he showed me some useful sites, we had to turn in papers at the main residence. After that we went food shopping at Todis, which is a local discount super market. Emanuele helped us a lot there too. He told us many helpful things like what milk to buy, what cookies are his favorite, and which cheese is best of pasta and which is best for eating plain. He also said that if I want to know how to pick the best of any fruit of vegetable that I should ask an old woman. After I said okay he said, “But for this you will have to ask in Italian. Maybe later you can, but for now is ok.” He even helped me with bagging my food. Nicki, my other roommate, said that he was only helping bag my things because he likes me, but I do not think that true.

Later on that night we went to a complimentary dinner that EAP hosted for us. I had the best cheese pizza in the world.

Good tip about Italian pizza: Just because the crust of the pizza is burnt does not mean they kept it in the oven too long or that they made a mistake. The burnt edges are the best parts! Eat them and love them!

After dinner we all went to the apartment below and had some wine with people (don’t worry Mom… not too much hehe). It was fun, but I was so tired from the whole trip that I was falling asleep in my chair. The combination of the wine and the jet lag really helped me sleep through the night.

Well that is it for day one. I will write again soon. Ciao.

Phrase of the day: Non, is for children. – Nabihah tried to put something in the small part of the shopping cart where babies sit and Emanuele advised against it.


Sareet, Nabihah, and Me on the plane to NY.

Small gathering with wine that we had the first night in Rome.

It was snowing when we flew over NY!!!! It was awesome!

This is our kitchen in the apartment.

Me on the plane!

Sareet and Nabihah on the plane

Ciao Everyone!

Wow... I'm stressed out! I have so many things to do to before I leave and setting up this travel blog is one of them. This post is going to be very short because I still have to pack and do some last minute shopping. I am not used to writing about myself and this whole "blog thing" seems a bit weird to me. I caved in to the blog craze because I figured that this would be an easy way to tell people about my adventures in Rome and keep in touch with my peeps.

So I guess that's it for now. I'll post more later for sure!

Ciao!