January 24, 2009- Day 12- Exploring Alone

My first week of classes has officially ended. Thursday concluded my first taste of my study abroad ventures. For my Italian Design class (the one I want to drop and still waiting to hear approval for), we went to Castle San Angelo which is a giant brick castle smack in the middle of the city, sort of in between the school and the residence. It's beautiful, but we didn't learn anything about it because we were there for a show. It was a display with the theme of "Made In Italy" where various famous Italian brands were represented. The history of the brands and their products were explained, and we got to see some cool advertisements and posters from back in the 1920's, 1950's etc. Barilla, Alessi, Vespa, Martini & Rossi, Bennetton, Buitoni, Perugina, Ducati and Peroni were some of the more popular brands we looked at. We learned that many of them used famous artists to create their ad campaigns like Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol!! Very cool. It got a bit boring after a while but I guess if I'm stuck in this class it won't be all that terrible.

After class was over at 6:30 pm (UGHH!) I walked home with Abbey (one of Mia's roomates) and I stopped by their apartment for dinner, wine, and chatting. Then Mia and I went out for gelatto at a place called Old Bridge right near the Vatican walls where they charged a mere 1.30 Euro for a cup of gelatto of up to 3 flavors! I had Nutella, coconut, and crema (which they called French Vanilla and I called cake batter flavor). It was amazzzzzing! I'll be going back there often...it's only one metro stop from where we live, so probably about a 15 minute walk. Then we planned on going out for the evening with other Temple kids but by the time they got back to us it was already 11 pm and I had temporarily fallen asleep on Mia's couch! So I headed home and stayed in for the night, quietly went into a peaceful sleep until I was very scarily and rudely awakened by my drunk roommates and my EXTRA drunk neighbors screaming so loudly I thought they were in my bedroom. They had come home from a pub crawl near the Spanish Steps. No further explanation needed.

One of the pieces of advice given to us at orientation was to explore the city of Rome alone once in a while; rent a bike, take a walk, wander around, etc. So I decided to attempt to do my first digital photography assignment which is to go to an interesting place, take a photo, walk 11 steps, take a photo, walk 11 steps...until we reach 20 photos. I decided to go to Trastevere to try to do the assignment. I called a friend I made in the class but she wasn't around. So I explored on my own. I took a bus, not knowing which stop was Trastevere, and asked the woman next to me for help. I guess I said a word or two in Spanish hoping it would sound similar to Italian, and she asked if I spoke Spanish...."YES," I said...she was the first person I met that could speak Spanish and I got very excited. We carried on a conversation, she showed me things in her newspaper like a story about Obama whom she praised, and someone being decapitated at Virginia Tech, and I asked her about the Jewish quarter in Trastevere using Judea while she used Ebreo (Hebrew) and it all got a little confusing. She got off the bus with me to show me where to go, walked me to Santa Maria in Trastevere, a large, famous church which I had gone to see with my mom when we came here, and told me that I kind of looked like a tourist and to be careful because there were often a lot of drunk or homeless men in the area. She said she lived close by and didn't have a husband or children or any family, and was only in Italy for 5 years to work (from Peru), so she was going to stay with me while I took photos. I wasn't sure how long I would stay so I told her it was OK for her to go. She shook my hand kindly and I wished her well. I love Italians! They have been nothing but kind to me! I took a few photos in the area but it was getting dark and difficult to use my manual exposure for the purpose of the assignment. I took some regular pictures (not for homework use), ducked into a tourist shop and looked around, and it began to rain. I wandered over the bridge to the Jewish quarter, hungry and starting to get very wet. I saw a sign for McDonalds and not having had meat, or any American food thus far, and being fed up with sandwiches, pizza, and pasta every day, I decided it was my job to find that McDonalds and have a disgusting hamburger which I don't even order at home! After about 15-20 minutes of strolling, exploring, and REALLLLLY liking the area, I found it. I had a Coke, amazing fries, and a bacon cheeseburger. It hit the spot. I contemplating taking the bus across the street that would take me close to home, but I opened up my "Rome For You" book and HAD to have the chocolate and ricotta torte they so excitedly talked about. I knew the street couldn't be far away...and it wasn't. After asking a few people where to go, I finally made it to Via del Portico d'Ottavia, right in the heart of the Jewish quarter near the huge Jewish synagogue. The streets were small, winding, full of cobblestones, and so picturesque. I was in heaven. It was so European it could have been in a movie, or Disney World. Upon reaching the street I was looking for, there was an enclosed area of ruins, a tall wall with columns, and some other old looking things that had a railed path you could walk down. It was amazing, and right in the middle of everything! There was nothing to read about it so I'm not sure what it was exactly so I'll have to look it up online. I took some photos, and then went to find my bakery. I stopped into 2 different ones which didn't have the torte, walked some more to see closed stores, took photos of Jewish things and kosher signs, and then went back to one bakery I had stopped in. It was a cozy, cute little place that smelled like a fresh bakery and pastry shop in one. I think I gained 5 pounds breathing in the air. I got myself a slice of apple strudel with raisins and walnuts, and a famous Italian hot chocolate with fresh panna (cream). Both were to die for. The chocolate was so rich I couldn't even finish it. But it sure tasted amazing! It only cost 6 Euro for both...pretty sweet deal!

After my little adventure, I headed home and went out with my roommates and some friends for Alyssa's birthday. We went to Testaccio, a location known for young people, fun atmospheres, and fun clubs and bars. We got convinced to go into a trendy club, Joia (for free), that was having a Moet & Chandon promotional party, but the drinks were 15 Euro each, and after waiting an hour and a half for free champagne we figured out the guy who led us there was a moocher and just stole people's bottles off their tables. And apparently, a club is no fun if you're not "fucked up." So we went to another bar down the street called Coyote which was a bit more fun, and everyone was happy because they could afford a drink. This is why college life bugs me. It seems the only way to have a fun night is to be trashed, annoying, loud, and unable to see or stand straight. Not my kind of fun. Some random guy at the bar bought me a drink, a pina colada made with ice, not blended, and he had no idea what it was. He continued to talk to me, play with my jewelry and basically creeped me out. We all danced a bit, but most of the men were old and sketchy, and Ashley and I escaped outside to chat and avoid molestation. Finally, the others decided to leave when one of our friends was too drunk to walk or stand alone. We got home safe and sound, and I went to bed around 4 AM.

Tonight, I'm going back to Mia's apartment for a birthday party for Abbey. I might end up going to sleep early tonight since tomorrow is the "wall walk" with some famous guy from the history channel. We'll see if I can be awake and at our meeting spot by 8:30...doubtful.