Midmark..

It is so hard to believe that my time in Rome is already more than halfway over. I can't believe the pace at which this experience is moving. While I do feel a bit homesick, I truly could get used to living in this country. I have absolutely fallen in love with Italy. I am already planning my first trip back (if I can save up the funds, it will be at the end of this school year.)

The last week was absolutely jam packed. Now that teaching is into full gear, I hardly have time to sleep, let alone update the blog. My sincerest apologies for the lack of posts-I know how eager you all are to read about our Roman excursions and debauchery. Teaching is incredible. I am having the most wonderful experience. My cooperating teachers are both SO helpful and so knowledgeable. They are also very trusting and allowing me to do so much with the classes. I am getting observed this week, which is sort of a big deal, but I am feeling very confident in myself and my abilities. The students are so wonderful and so much fun. I know that I've definitely made the right choice in going into education. I plan on buying some Marymount International School gear this week. I hope that my trip back to Italy this summer will be during the school year so I'd still be able to visit my kids...

I was also able to meet up with Emily and some other TCNJ kids last week--they were beginning their study abroad experience in Italy. It was so nice to see them. I also felt like an expert, showing them around Rome and giving them some of the tips/tricks I've picked u in the short time I've been here. Right now, the plan is to go visit them in Florence this weekend... that should be fun!

I spent another weekend here in Rome with Alyssa and Nick (the others were traveling to Sienna, where I may be stopping this weekend en route home from Florence). We finally got to do some of the touristy things that we've been putting off--seeing the inside of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum for example. These were serious highlights of my trip so far. I highly suggest that anyone who plans to go to Rome take a tour (an actual tour with a guide, not an audio tour) of these two places. There is such a rich history behind this city. It is founded on wonderful myths and legends and seriously has one of the most fascinating historical foundations. I want to go for another tour (perhaps when my family comes...) just to hear the information again. I thought knowing a ton of information about TCNJ was impressive (as in for tours) but it completely pales in comparison to the knowledge these guides have about Rome and Italy. I bought a couple of books and am tearing through them voraciously... I can't get enough of the history of this place. I love it.

The last big touristy spot in Rome that I still need to venture to is the Vatican. I pass by St. Peters every single day on the way to school, but I haven't yet had the opportunity to explore. I can't wait to see what I can, there is clearly a whole sector of Rome I am missing out on by not having explored this section yet. I am certain that this will happen, hopefully very soon!
Everything is still going incredibly well, clearly. I think to myself every day about how hard it is going to be to leave... I should stop worrying so much about that though, there is still a lot of time to enjoy this truly magnificent place.

Here just a few pictures from the weekend... We had absolutely beautiful weather. It was definitely a pleasant surprise considering the weather called for rain.

Stories to Remember:
Accidentally becoming members of Molly's with Nick
Garbo. Goodfellas. Shari Vari.
Ending up in Testacchio.. more like Tesketchy-o
Annalisa at the American Bar
The delicious gelato by the Spanish steps
Any time Nick speaks Italian
My students. Especially the grade eights.
The middle school talent show last Friday...


Words of the Day:
small alley/street: vicolo/via/viale
hazelnut: nocciolo
I can: posso (from the verb potere-to be able to)

Trastevere

I love Trastevere. Last night, Nick and I wandered the streets of Rome for about 2.5 hours (the girls were either traveling or wanted to have an early night). We were not really looking for anything in particular, but sort of just walked around. It was a bit of a bar crawl, but we also stopped for pizza, gelato and pastries--found another incredible gelato joint--and we figured that we could eat all of this guilt-free because we were walking. We climbed to the highest point of Trastevere which has a stunning view of so much of Rome. I need to research what exactly this place was, but the piazza overlooked most of the city. It was beautiful. Behind us was a humongous fountain laced with beautiful statues (similar to the Fontana di Trevi). I'm hoping to go back to this spot during the day and see what more I can in the daylight. I also think the sun sets behind the city from this perspective, so I'd like to try and capture some pictures of that happening as well.
As we walked around Trastevere we encountered a ton of fun locals, different shops and hidden treasures (like the really cheap bar right around the corner from our apartment) We decided to leave the district and venture closer to the heart of Rome where we accidentally stumbled upong the Pantheon (no big deal) and Corso which is the shopping district. Neither of these places can hold a candle to Trast though, I am so glad we are living here. The city streets are frozen in amber light with lively piazzas, cobblestone alleys and timeless medieval infrastructures. Just simply walking around is an adventure as there is always some new food to try or new face to greet. The streets are lined overhead with decorative Christmas lights (sort of) and a ton of shrubbery which I can only imagine would be breathtaking when in full bloom. I hope I have the opportunity to come back in the Spring sometime very soon.
Today I plan on going for a run by the Tiber. It is a bit cold out, but probably feels like a sauna compared to the 2 degrees in NJ. Everything is still going wonderfully. Emily comes for her study abroad experience in Florence tonight, but she is actually staying in Rome for the first three days, so I am beyond excited to a. see her and b. show her around the city.
Time is flying by in Italy and I wish I could stay forever. But in just a few shorts weeks I'll be heading home to the states and will be able to more readily share this experience with everyone. Until then, arrivederci!

Funny stories to remember:
Trying to find the Roman Mcdonalds with Nick for about an hour. No luck.
Making friends with Paul at Garbo
Nick trying to speak Italian "you know you're speaking Spanish, right?"
Stepping on the cobblestone and splashing disgusting rain water up my entire leg
Walking nearly 5 miles home from school on Wednesday. Who knew public transportation shuts down on Roma game days!?
Somehow spending about ten minutes discussion glee with my 9th graders
Meeting the four NJ girls on the bus and pretending I spoke no English until the very last bus stop
Seeing Patrick and crew at least 3 times a week since meeting them (so many people who study abroad in Italy live in Trastevere and we keep randomly running into the same groups)
Getting Kebabs.

Words of the Day:
outside: fuori
so.. (colloquial sentence interjection/starter): allura
more: pui

'The dogs here are like the squirrels of America'

Once again it has been quite a while since I’ve updated the blog. With teaching now in full swing and the traveling I’ve done lately, it has been hard to keep this up to date. However, I am excited to finally sit down and be able to write another entry in which all you avid readers can read about (and see!) what I have been up to. I use the phrase avid readers facetiously, but I am very happy to hear when friends of mine-as well as their parents-are reading the blog.

We spent another Friday night out in Trastevere and once again had an unbelievable time After a long, yet very successful, first week of teaching most of us felt a strong urge to get out of the apartment and revisit the city. We went back to Carlo Menta, which is officially my favorite restaurant in Rome, for dinner. I was craving something that did not include marinara sauce so I ordered gnocchi with pesto and was so happy with that choice. The gnocchi was cooked to perfection and the pesto was seasoned perfectly. If only I could cook like the chefs in Italy (though I have to say I made an incredible pasta dinner last night!)

We explored the side streets a bit more and actually ran into a few teachers from one of our cooperating schools. They were so welcoming and very helpful, giving us tips for the travel weekend ahead. It was great to finally have a conversation with people outside of our group who speak fluent English (not that I’m complaining, I am starting to get pretty decent at conversational Italian—especially if you include pointing and awkward hand gestures as part of the conversation). Later on, part of the group went back to the apartment to rest up for the early day ahead, but Alyssa and I decided to stay out a bit longer. We became friends with a group of 6 natives who were so much fun. They were all about our age and so happy to meet Americans. Likewise, Alyssa and I were super thankful for their graciousness in hanging out with us. We are definitely going to try and coordinate another rendezvous with that group.

After a late night out it was difficult getting up in the morning, but I was too excited about the traveling ahead to actually mind. We left for the train station around 7:30am. Our first destination? Napoli. Getting to the station is a bit of a blur, but we made it with no problem and hopped on the 8:30 train with plenty of time to spare. We departed for Naples and had around two hours to sleep, catch up on work and play train games. I snuck a few pictures of the group sleeping; blackmail.

We arrived in Naples, the original birthplace of pizza, around 11:00. This was not our ultimate destination, but we did want to walk around the city a bit, so we stopped at a few vendors for pizza. We also grabbed some pastries—which were incredible—before having to leave. We found the smaller train system in no time and got a ticket (only about 3 euro!) down to Pompeii. Unfortunately, we had to stand during this 30 minute train ride, but it was a lot of fun to practice train surfing and play a few games. We all got a little separated once teaching started, so it was really nice to be (mostly) all together for the trip.

We arrived in Pompeii and began the search for our hotel. Surprisingly, this was the only time during the entire weekend trip that we did not immediately find our way. We took the wrong fork in the road for about 100 meters, but were soon helped by two friendly polizia who pointed us in the right direction. We made it to our hotel, Hotel Forum, and were immediately in awe of the beauty and gratuitousness of the concierge. They were so helpful at the front desk in terms of planning the rest of the trip, getting to and from places, and suggesting restaurants where we could eat. Definitely a top rate hotel and it was extremely cheap for the night.

We dropped out belongings off in the room and got ready to explore Pompeii. The excavation site stops allowing visitors in at 3:30 and is open only until 5:00. Being that it was already nearing 1:00 we knew we’d want to get in as soon as possible. Even after three hours we had hardly seen everything. What we did see, though, was astonishing. I’ve included just a few pictures, but even the really amazing ones cannot do this place justice. I remember reading about Pompeii as a child, but actually being able to see it was truly mind blowing. We were given a small handbook and map to help explain some of what we were looking at, but the whole place really seemed to speak for itself. In some ways, there was this constant sense of heaviness as we explore the site—knowing that the entire ancient city was destroyed so suddenly. I think I was most amazed by how similar their society was to ours. You would think that a group of peoples who lived so long ago would operate under a totally different system of life, yet so many things were easily recognizable and very much akin to what we have today. The best example of this I can give was in the ‘street’ system (not that they had cars) but they did number each of the homes just as we do today! There was also a house with a larger backyard and room for a fountain/pond in which the residents might have kept fish as pets. What a shame that such an advanced society was so suddenly annihilated (annihilated is one of my students’ vocabulary words for this unit!)

The left picture has our entire group (minus the few who stayed home for the weekend) with just some of the ruins and the streets I mentioned behind us, and a beautiful view of Vesuvius in the background. The picture on the right is one of the more famous artifacts of Pompeii. Essentially these are people frozen in time. It was hard to imagine and even more difficult to believe.

We were all famished after Pompeii, so we decided to walk to the nearest piazza for some grub. We encountered our first gypsy child who tried distracting some of the group with some ridiculous song and dance and a scarf. Fortunately, we are all looking out for each other and no one was pick pocketed or anything. It is really sad that such young children are sent to do these types of things. It is just a constant reminder of how lucky many of us are, in my opinion.

Dinner was at a steak house, quite the change of pace after all this pasta and pizza, and was delicious. It was a recommendation by our concierge. Despite being vegetarian, I found a delicious salad-inspired meal and was super satisfied. We also ordered two mini-bottles of wine and got the chance to have a taste test (by the way, wine really is cheaper than water in Italy). It was a really long day so we decided that we ought to get to bed relatively early…

But not until we had dessert. We stopped on the way home for some gelato and I got the two best flavors yet. Fragola and melone (strawberry and cantaloupe). This was the best gelato I’ve had so far (if I’ve previously said that in another post, I’ll have to go back and compare). It hit the spot. We went back to our beautiful hotel and went right to bed—I definitely got the best sleep of the trip that night.

We woke up early again on Sunday in preparation for more travel. The plan was to head down to Sorrento (where Persico’s hail from) for the day. We were treated to a delicious continental breakfast (much better than any continental breakfast back home) and left in search of the train station. We literally followed a stray dog all the way to the station. Thinking back, he was probably following us, but there was a cute puppy leading the way. It was another thirty minute train ride South. While we were on the train we kept catching quick glimpses of the shoreline and the sea. Needless to say, the anticipation to see Sorrento grew exponentially with each minute on the train. Once we arrived and felt the sunlight on our faces we knew we made the right decision in visiting this weekend. It was approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius) and felt like a beautiful Spring day. Additionally, we were by the Mediterranean Sea at one of the most beautiful ports in the world. I want to have my honeymoon in Sorrento. It was indescribably gorgeous. We walked (with all of our luggage) down this long and windy road toward the sea, making occasional stops for photo opportunities. If I could live anywhere in the world, I might have to choose the coast of Sorrento as my destination. The pictures below hardly capture how astonishing this place was.

We made it down to the sea and witnessed this adorable little Italian man catch some type of fish right off the coast. It was evident that that would be his dinner for the evening (how nice to be able to just go in your backyard and catch dinner…). We ventured further along the shoreline and I actually took my shoes off to put my feet in the water. It was cold, but not frigid. Had I a bathing suit in tow I might’ve considered jumping in (though it would have been quite chilly) Nevertheless, the water was crystal clear. We were on a dock in what must have been at least 10 feet of water (3 to 4 meters, I’d bet) and could literally see all the way to the bottom. I loved it and wish we never had to leave.

Unfortunately, we had a 2:30 train to catch back in Naples so we could not stay at the water’s edge for too long. We stopped for lunch and a bit of shopping on the walk back, but just as quickly as we’d arrived it was time to head home. The public transportation was operating in our favor this weekend. We caught a small train back to Naples just in time to catch our final train to Rome. Other than having to ask where the train actually was (in perfect Italian, might I add) we made it with time to spare. At least a few minutes time.

We made it back to the apartment and stopped at a small pizzeria around the corner for a quick dinner. I had a spinaci Stromboli, which was amazing and once again, cheap. We spent the night together recalling fun stories from the weekend and planning our big trip next month. It looks like we will be visiting London and Barcelona for a few days each. I’m very excited to be going, but I don’t want that day to come as it marks the end of my time in Rome! Nonetheless, this weekend really helped show me how easy it is to travel in Europe. I’m amazed by the amount we were able to see in just two short days and I am seriously looking forward to our next adventure!

Funny Stories of the weekend:

The gypsy child, her scarf, fake tears and our huddling/running away

The gypsy bus

Playing ‘mafia’ on the train

“The dogs here are like the squirrels of America”-Laney

That friendly stray dog leading the way back to the train station in Pompeii

The brothel in Pompeii

Alyssa waking me up in the middle of the night because of her swollen finger and ring (haha, it is off now, no worries)

The crazy lady on the train ride home offering candy from her endless purse-reminded me of my grandmother's bag that never ends!

Words of the Day:

I'm hungry: ho fame

search: cerca

may I?: posso

I finally feel like Mr. Persico

I finally started to feel like a real teacher today. I taught my very first full lesson to two separate sections of English. Granted, it was a lesson about something I feel totally comfortable talking about, myself, but it was still my first time in front of the class as the teacher. My cooperating teacher even left the room quite a few times and it was almost as if I had my very own classroom. It felt incredible. Right now I truly feel like teaching is definitely the right path for me. The students seemed so receptive to all of what I was saying and by the end of the class we had already established quite a fine rapport. They all wrote poems about themselves (based off of the poem I wrote and provided as a model) and I cannot wait to read them.

The students at Marymount International School lead such interesting lives. While many of them hail from the eternal city, many come from all over the world. I have students from Italy sitting right next to students from Jerusalem who are sitting right behind a boy from Hackensack, NJ. (I actually have the boy from Hackensack’s little brother in my drama class too… what a small world!) While I fully anticipate this whole experience to provide me with the opportunity to see what it means to be a teacher, I know that during the process I will also be obtaining such a great amount of culture and worldliness. One of my students today asked what languages I know and seemed shocked to learn that I am only fluent in English. I wish the American education system required fluency in multiple languages. Perhaps I will continue practicing my Italian even after returning home. It is interesting nonetheless to be able to compare various cultures from across the globe.

I am also helping one of my cooperating teachers direct the musical this semester. The show is called ‘The Boy Friend’ and we had our first set of auditions yesterday. I can already tell that in whatever school I end up teaching I will definitely be getting involved with the theater programs. I had so much fun even just sitting in on auditions—I can’t wait to be able to work with the students on the production.

I’ll be sure to keep blogging with updates of the school. It is nice to have this blog as an outlet of emotion where I can document how I am feeling during certain days or after certain lessons. I fully anticipate every lesson not going as smoothly as this morning’s, but it will be nice to look back on this post after a particularly faulty day and remember the feeling of euphoria right now.

It is hard to believe that we have been in Italy for over a week. In some ways it feels like way more than that, and in others it feels like a lot less. I was proud of my ability to communicate with the lunch workers at the school who speak no Italian today during lunch and am definitely becoming more acquainted with all the little streets in Trastevere. I have become a regular at the pastry shop Alyssa and I found the other day and will probably gain approximately 30 pounds at this rate. The cannolis and aragostina are like nothing I’ve had before—I’d be willing to skip lunch and dinner if it meant more room for them! I also ate a delicious arancini e melanzane suppli (or what looked/tasted like a suppli anyway) for dinner last night from one of the hidden gems of Trastevere. It was basically a fried rice ball with some type of cheese and a good amount of eggplant mixed in. For only 3.50euro I got that delicious meal as well as a slice of pizza—the best in Rome so far.

We also booked our first adventure out of Rome last night. Because the weather has been so beautiful and we are all a little stressed with the first week of teaching, we decided not to make our first trip a 3 day trek. We opted out of going to Venice for now, but instead decided to plan a trip to Pompeii, Capri and possibly Sorrento. I am so excited for this because my family is from Sorrento and I have heard such wonderful things about Capri, especially if it is as nice this weekend as project. I also can’t wait to learn/see all of the history behind Pompeii. I remember reading about Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius in those Eyewitness history books as a kid. Now the history will come to life! We will be staying in Rome again Friday night—to experience the wonderful night life of Roma again—and then catching an early train to Pompeii on Saturday. It is definitely going to be a fun weekend, I’ll be sure to blog all about it.

Funny stories of the day (or previous days):

Not knowing how to make two separate pages into one double sided copy

My computer not connecting to the school’s projector

The 6^th grader’s tableau performances

Car ride home with my cooperating teacher (she was nice enough to give me a lift to the best bus stop!)

Jokes about ‘the jersey shore’ in class

Sprinting across Ponte Girabaldi to try and catch the early 280 bus

"Mr. Persico, what languages do you speak?"

Words of the Day:

the check: il conto

take out: portare via

I would like/may I please have: vorrei

Roma Roma-ma-a

I can't believe it has been almost three days since updating. So much for every day, I guess. I'll have to try to be more vigilant with the updates--I should be able to get some blogging done during my prep periods at school. Warning: segue...

Marymount University is absolutely incredible. We saw the school facilities on Friday, but today was the first day we really got to see Marymount in action. We got a mini tour from our supervisor, who shared a bunch of Italian secrets with us (like how they are avidly against not wearing a jacket... oops). We also finally got to meet our cooperating teachers and the students. Both of my coops seem like incredible people. Gina is from England and has a charming little accent (I'll be teaching 6th and 8th grade drama with her) and Marsha might be even loopier than I am (and that's pretty difficult to top). Drama is going to be a lot of fun; it seems to be a bunch of ice breakers, physical and mental games and developing acting skills. Today we did an improvisational exercise which had me nearing tears with laughter. My students in regular English will be a bit more strenuous. Because they can all speak at least one other language, Italian, they have a habit of not using English as their primary method of communication. I'm already developing bartering plans for ways to get them to use only English in my classroom. Perhaps my students can teach me a 5 minute mini lesson in Italian each day to get their language fix (and help me as well) and then they can't use the language for the rest of the period. If they follow through, they can quiz me at the end to see what I remember from the lesson. Best of both worlds?

I am truly excited to start working at Marymount. They seem to run a really tight ship for each and every grade, but I can already see a beautiful rapport between teachers and students at this school. I can't wait to start developing my own relationship with these students, challenging them and learning a lot about myself/my teaching through the process.

We accomplished so many exciting things this weekend as well. We tried to do some of the touristy things, as it was our first weekend in Rome. We walked over to Rome's center to see the Colosseum again, which was just as stunning the second time around. Unfortunately, we missed the tour of the inside, but we will definitely be going back sometime soon. A group of us walked around near the Colosseum and discovered a number of absolutely beautiful churches in the area--most notably the Basilica Santa Francesca Romana, formerly known as the Church of Maria Nova (shown below). Each and every church has more history and gorgeous architecture than the last. In Maria Nove we were actually able to explore underneath the altar of the church and see the actual remains of Saint Francesca. Needless to say, there was a clear heavy presence upon entering the room underneath the altar.

After returning home, we made the executive decision to test out the bus system and go to the Trevi Fountain (Fontana de Trevi). Only a small group of us had the energy to go, but it was well worth the trip. First of all, the public transportation systems here are SO easily navigated. They're simple to use and incredibly convenient. We rode the bus right to Trevi and found a delicious little side street restaurant. It was here that I finally got my Melanzana all parmigiana (Eggplant Parmigiana) This may have been the best meal in Rome so far (even though I've probably said that at least one other time). I also split a tartufo with Dom for dessert and it was so delicious. We walked around a bit more, toward the sound of water, and were immediately in awe of our discovery. The Trevi Fountain is SO beautiful. I know my pictures will not capture the sheer magnitude of this monstrous piece of art, but I'll include one for good measure. As legend dictates, you are supposed to throw a coin over your right shoulder into the fountain in order to ensure a trip back to Rome, which all of us did. Guess I'll be back sometime!

The next day was a bit more restful. It was 62 degrees and sunny outside, so we were sure to spend as much time outdoors as possible. A group of us went for a 5 plus mile run along the river, which was so much fun, and then sat on our rooftop terrace while lesson planning and prepping for our first week teaching. Everything has been so wonderful so far and I'm so excited to see what else is in store this week! Here are some pictures:



Really nice picture of the Colosseum with the sun setting behind me. I can't wait to get inside and see more! Apparently ancient Romans used to flood the Colosseum and perform naval battles called naumachiae. I can't even imagine how intricate the inside must look. More pictures to come!


This was just one of the dozens of pictures I took in some of the churches around Rome. Note the elaborate ceiling-this picture does not do it justice at ALL. Even the chairs are beautiful, blue velvet seats and gold backs. Each of those archways on the left and right had beautiful paintings done by different artists which depict various biblical scenes.

This might not look like much, but it was the most incredible eggplant parmigiana I've ever had. It literally melted in my mouth as I ate it. Couple it with a glass of the House Red Wine and followed by a delicious tartufo... perfect meal.












Here is just a snippit of the Fontana de Trevi. I am sincerely hoping the right shoulder coin toss is not merely a superstition, but a way to guarantee my trip back to Roma. I'd go back every time just to throw in a coin if that were the case!










Funny stories of the weekend:
The crazy lady on the bus stop
Champagne/near mugging incident (don't worry, everything was fine!)
Missing the bus home from Trevi and chasing after it
Improv class with Ms. Ferrarin
The Eurydice suicide letters in 10 grade honors English

Words of the Day:
exit: uscita
image/picture: immagini
sit down: sedersi

Home sweet Rome

Yet another beautiful day in Rome. I'm losing track of which days I've provided a play by play for, so I guess it is time to stop recounting every little detail and start generalizing. Today was the first day that we were all able to go visit our schools and what an adventure that was! We woke up early (in order to simulate any more commute traffic we might encounter) and the 5 of us at Marymount met for our very first Marymount excursion. The bus system is so easy to navigate. We made it all the way to the school with very little difficulty.
Unfortunately, we arrived at the gate of Marymount and met a guard at the door (who was named Paolo, I asked in Italian!) who told us that Ms. Sweeney was not in and we wouldn't be allowed to meet with her. He said that we could wait for her outside the gate and as we waited a wonderful Irish nun came out and started chatting with us. She told us that we could follow her back into town, she was on her way to mass, and we could get a bite to eat at this little bar (the Italians refer to most eateries as "bars") down the road. We walked with her for 10 minutes or so and she gave us so much helpful information about Marymount and the students and Italy in general. She was seriously so sweet and he accent was incredible (she asked us if The College of New Jersey was 'Trenton of Old')
We stopped at the bar at I asked for a croissant--the staff laughed at me and said no croissant, it is called a cornetto--which was the most delicious pastry I've had.. ever. I will definitely be hitting up that bar on the way to school every day.
We walked back to Marymount and consequently ran into our nun friend who brought us inside and gave us a mini tour.

The.school.is.amazing.

Based on the website, I expected a beautiful facility, but nothing could have prepared me for what Marymount University really looked like in person. I felt like I was standing in some sort of magical resort. I can't imagine what Rome looks like in the Spring/Summer (it is winter here, yet still beyond beautiful). We stayed around Marymount for a while but then decided to head back to our apartment and make plans for the rest of the night.
The commute home was just as easy, it might be nice to take the bus for half the time and then run the rest of the way. There is something so liberating about running along the river.
I was hungry by the time we got back home so we decided to stop at this small eatery right around the corner. I tried two suppli which are absolutely wonderful (I think I need to start using new adjectives). Suppli is a fried rice ball with mozzarella in the center and some sort of pomodori (tomato) sauce laced throughout it. I could eat one for every meal, and they are only 1 euro. Amazing.
After devouring the cheesy goodness Alyssa, Nick and I decided to go for a run. We went south along the river and saw a whole new side of Rome. The sun was shining and there was a totally different feel to this part of the city. We'll have to go exploring there soon. On the way back we were able to run right along the water on a small bike/runner's path and with the sun setting behind us it was truly picturesque.
We're all going to try and hit up some of the Campo bars tonight and maybe find a club to dance at. I am very excited to see what the Rome nightlife has to offer and will certainly blog again tomorrow! In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Marymount and yesterday's festivities in Piazza Navona (which I will have to write about next time we visit!)

This was the playground right outside the main gate of the school. Though it is not technically owned by Marymount, you can still see the breathtaking view my fellow teachers and I will see
each and every morning while we walk up to meet Paolo!

















This was Piazza Navona. I'll write about the history of it all eventually, but here you can see the beautiful architecture that surrounded this awesome outdoor carnival with games, music, food and shops. There was a giant carousel in the center of it all and a whole bunch of statues throughout the plaza. The street vendors were selling various trinkets and toys (I bought this really funny secret noisemaker) and had a delicious eggplant (melanzana) and mozzarella panini

Funny stories to remember:
The two drunk men on the metrebus with their adorable little dog
Meeting our Irish nun/angel
Finding out Mandee is also from Hillsborough

Words of the Day
eggplant: melanzana
cornetto: croissant
mi piace: I like ...

The pictures as promised

A few of us made a pact last night to try and run as often as possible. All this delicious Italian food would certainly get the better of our waistlines if we didn't try to stay fit in some way (although we have done a great deal of walking so who knows?). Either way, we decided to go for our first run along the Tiber today at 10am. My sleep schedule, still somewhat off from the traveling, has given me some extra time this morning to finally post at least a few of the pictures I've been taking. I have been somewhat slacking on the pictures, but I figure we're here for two months, I will have time to physically document the trip later... right now I am trying to soak everything in mentally.






This is the beautiful view I'll have every single morning crossing the Tiber en route to the bus. The bridge I'm standing on is called Ponte Girabaldi. The island has a few statues on it which are hard to see in the picture, but I'm hoping to go further and investigate the history soon.










Here was our first view of the Colosseum. This was taken during twighlight hours, so the lights inside were just being turned on, but it wasn't yet dark enough to really get the full effect with the luminescence. It is absolutely mind blowing and unbelievable in person. One second you're in a pretty regular looking city and the next you look up and see beautiful and gargantuan ancient ruins. I can't wait to take a tour!












This was my dinner last night. Gnocchi "Carlo Menta." It tasted even better than it looks. We decided as a group that we will definitely be heading back to Carlo Menta, it was absolutely delicious, had a very friendly staff and was super inexpensive. This huge meal (which was filling) plus a bottle of wine only came out to 7 euro. Simply amazing.

Day Two

Rome is still incredible.

Today was a whirlwind. I am extremely tired so this entry will not be nearly as long as last night's, but we experienced SO much today. After waking up very late (jet lag.. gets me every time) we all decided to take a nice walk across the Tiber and into the heart of Rome. We walked through the streets a bit and found this AMAZING pizza place. My pizza, which had NO cheese and was folded in half, was probably the best I've ever encountered. I devoured that delicious doughy goodness like it was my last meal. Better yet it was only 3 euros! We walked around some more until we found this beautiful little market with fresh vegetables, cheap souvenirs and a bunch of other random goodies. I'm sure we will be heading back there (campo di fiuri?) for some outdoor shopping.

Unfortunately, Nick's luggage has been lost since arriving, so we decided to head to his apartment and see how he was doing. We found his street, Via De Scarpetta, and eventually his apartment. I think being here totally without any form of texting or cell phone communication has really helped all 10 of us appreciate the technological world we now live in. It must have been SO hard to coordinate plans back in the day. Fortunately, Nick romeo and julietted his head out the window and was able to let us into his apartment (which is beautiful by the way) and we all hung out for a bit. We then decided to explore a bit more and headed into what might be the most beautiful ancient structure in the world, the Colosseum.

As it turns out, the Colosseum (and all of the other beautiful historical landmarks) are literally just minutes away from Trastevere. I know where will be spending a great deal of tourist time! We didn't take any official tours or anything, but just being able to see the breathtaking sights was well worth it. We will take a guided tour at some point. As Dom put it, I felt like I was walking through a history book. Everything was just so picturesque and literally indescribable. As we walked around it started to get dark, so we decided to head back home. We encountered a few basilicas and tons of statues/fountains. There was a giant staircase that led to some church (we'll have to revisit so I can aquiesce the name) and on top was an stunning view of the Roman skyline. We could even see the Vatican, which was beautifully lit. I have a few pictures,I promise I'll post them tomorrow.

Rachel, the last of our roommates, was arriving at night, so we decided to head back toward the apartment to make sure she found her way. On the way home we stopped at the supermarket and had our first Italian shopping experience. It was incredible. It seems that most Europeans do not buy food from bulk in these stores (everything, everywhere, comes in such tiny portions!) but we had a lovely time trying to decipher what we needed, how much to get and where we could find such and such. Italians LOVE nutella, so I was sure to grab a container of it and decided, thanks to Sarah's suggestion, to buy some rice cakes as a vehicle to eat the spread. A delicious snack, might I say.

The market we went to was super affordable and a lot of fun. We had to pass through a clothing store and head underground to get to it, which was kind of strange, but the food was all well priced and so far delicious. Plus they serve wine, which is never a bad thing. We walked home and as we arrived found Rachel. Finally all eleven of us were safely in Italy, ready to go!

We went back to the streets of Trastevere for some dinner (at this point it was nearly 8:00pm, remember, Romans eat late!). The first restaurant we found was called Carlo Menta, which appears to be a Trasteverian favorite, so we decided to try it out. After some seating confusion (it is hard to seat 10 people in such tiny places!) the restaurant was more than happy to accommodate us. I had an absolutely amazing dish, gnocchi with clams and mussels. Everything was absolutely fantastic. I took a picture of my meal and will definitely share it with you, although I don't think the picture will do it justice. Our waiter was also great, very helpful and willing to deal with our lack of Italian (which is already improving!). We definitely had a great dinner, and will certainly head back to Carlo Menta again.

We stopped once again for gelato (big surprise?) and walked back to the apartment, where we decided to crack open some of the delicious wine we purchased earlier at the market. For 1.50euro I bought a lovely red wine which was absolutely delicious. It is hard to believe, but wine is actually cheaper than water here! We took advantage of the night off and got to know one another in the bigger apartment on the third floor. I really do love this group dynamic we've begun to create. It is going to be a wonderful 2 months with these people. Hard to believe that just a few days ago we were strangers and now we are united foreigners in a strange country. There is just so much to learn and so much to gain from this experience, it has already been mind blowing and we've only just begun!

Funny stories to remember:
Sprinting across what seemed like a highway to avoid traffic
The dog peeing in the upstairs clothing shop of the food store
The thumbs up/smile of the woman whose picture I interrupted
Everything Elena says/Dom trying to play card games!

Words of the Day:
me too/also: Anch'io/anche
I'm sorry: Mi dispiace
I like: Mi piace

Day One

This place is incredible.

We've only been in Rome for 12 hours and I am already falling in love with the city, the architecture, the people and the food. I can't believe this is home for two months.

Getting here was one of the easiest trips I've ever had. The four of us who traveled together (there is a grand total of 11 from school ) met up at the gate in Newark Airport. We all shared our goodbye stories, which certainly helped allay any of the lingering nervousness and anxiety; it was nice to know that we were all feeling it. Personally, I somehow must have blocked the mental apprehension, but I knew I was nervous because my honey nut cheerios that morning went down my throat like lead. Either way, we got the the airport and got to discussing the trip. What some of our expectations are, what we hope to do and see, what we hope to gain from our students and schools and the overall experience. Everyone seems to be on the same page that this is going to be a life changing opportunity, certainly unforgettable.

Our first flight left Newark and flew directly to Logan International Airport in Boston. It was a 38 minute flight. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I had the opportunity to listen to only two songs on my ipod ("L 'ultima Notte" and "Un Giorno Per Noi" both by Josh Groban) Notice the Italian theme! Before I knew it we were in Boston and walked what felt like 9 miles to our next gate. Our connection flight wasn't boarding for 2.5 hours so we decided to walk around a bit. I started reading my Teacher's Tackle Box book for class--the homework definitely distracted me from the ever enduring threat of anxiety. Time flew by in the airport and once again it was time to board. A few last minute phone calls and text messages and it was time to find our seats!

I arrived at my seat (20D) and was pleasantly surprised to be in the aisle! (I had an absolutely stunning view out the window on the first flight. I've never flown over New York before, I've always taken ground transportation, so that was a great sight to see!) As I approached my seat I noticed a younger looking girl in the chair next to mine. She was speaking Italian on the phone and I was happy to recognize a few words... not that I was eavesdropping. Just sort of a test run at the difficulties I may encounter with the language barrier.

After she hung up she kind of nudged me and pointed to her right, where there were TWO empty seats. We were in the middle aisle which contains four chairs. I assured her that I would not be offended if she moved across the seats for optimal stretching out ability to which she chuckled and responded in English. Alright, my first bi-lingual encounter! We exchanged pleasantries and got to talking a bit. Her name is Gabriela and it turns out she is from Hunterdon County, NJ and was born in a city which is literally minutes from my house. What a small world! Even better, she is living in Trastevere in semester. She works from John Cabot University, not as a teacher but for their housing department. We had a lot to talk about and I really hope to run into her while we are out on the town (she mentioned that the likelihood of this happening was very high)

The plane took off, the flight was smooth. We had not one but two fantastic (well, they were very edible, I'll say) meals and two in flight movies. I caught the tail end of The Social Network and then watched this wonderfully hilarious Italian comedy "Benvenuti al Sud" (Welcome to the South) I did my best to listen and use the subtitles when necessary.. unfortunately they were pretty necessary. I'll get there.

Other than a crying infant (who I felt very bad for, it must be scary to be on a plane for that long) the flight was one of the best I've been on. It did not feel like 8 hours, and I only slept for about 2 of them. We got off the plane and hopped on to a shuttle bus which took us to customs--no stamping though :( and to the baggage claim. Ritiro bagagli was one of my key phrases to remember for the airport and sure enough, there it was as we walked in!

We found our luggage (thought we lost Elena's for a little while) and met up with two more of our trip-mates, Dominique and Maria. They arrived slightly before us and were able to find our driver, who was great. All six of us took a van drive through Italian countryside from Fuimicino Airport right up to our beautiful cobblestone street, Via Della Luce. I will post pictures of the street and our apartments as soon as I can!

After a very brief tutorial of some of the amenities from Massimo our landlord (who is incredible, by the way) we decided to take Trastevere by storm and explore. Granted we--meaning the 8 of us who are here so far--walked only about two blocks, but we already started to get a feel for the culture here: cars and motocycles zooming by, a gelato shop on every corner and such breath taking architecture!

We stopped in a small panini restaurant on Viale Trastevere and I had some pizza bianca with what I believe was spinach (spinace?). Served with some fresh parmigiano... molto bene! We finished lunch and went back to the apartment to unpack and rest up--we were approaching the 24th hour of being awake. I was able to unpack my 62 pound (28 kg) suitcase and fit everything in my tiny room with little hassle, take a shower and have a nice nap before dinner.

We met up for dinner around 8:00pm, which is actually early for Italians. After walking around the streets of Trastevere a bit we found a delicious little restaurant hidden away from the heart of the city. It was called La Scaletta which I'm still working on finding out what it means. Either way the food was fantastic. I stuck with the Pizza Vegetariano and of course devoured the entire thing. We also split bottle of the house red wine which was delizioso and cheap! Only 5 euro for the whole bottle. Also, midway through the meal un uomo showed up with a guitar and serenaded us during dinner. He.was.hilarious. People just seem so lighthearted here and they enjoy joking around and being silly. I could definitely get used to this.

Our next stop was to 'Blue Ice' across the walkway for our first of many gelato experiences. Absolutely fantastico! Italians seem to have this odd obsession with Nutella, so I plan on trying the nutella gelato next, but tonight I stuck with good old fashion dark chocolate--definitely a great choice. We finished eating the gelato while walking around (I have to post pictures, the lighting and the buildings are beautiful). We were all wiped from the day's travels so we decided to call it an early night and have since been hanging out on the top floor just getting to know one another. The people here are really great and we already have a fun group dynamic. Maybe I'll create mini 'get to know you blogs' for each of my fellow global student teachers. Anyway, this was probably the longest blog I'll write while here, but I do not want to forget any moment of this wonderful day.

Funny stories to remember:
The lady sneezing 80,000 times on the plane
Not knowing how to operate the paper towel system in the public bathroom
First entering my broom clos... apartment (which I have since grown to love!)
Digging through the garbage to 'find my receipt' when in reality I was searching for the girls' room key
The guitar player/singer at La Scaletta
"Killing" the slug in Alyssa in Katie's room

Words of the Day:
Day: Giorno
left: sinestra
right: destra

24 hours!

In exactly 24 hours (and a few minutes) I'll be departing from Boston, en route to Fuimicino! It is almost hard to believe. I am beyond excited. There is so much to explore, so many new opportunities to be had. I honestly could not have asked for better timing with this experience--I'm ending my college class career and beginning my life as a teacher and get to really start off the journey with something spectacular.

I'll be sure to update this little blog as much as possible, documenting everything. The foods that I am trying, the people I'm meeting. What the school and my students are like and how teaching is going. The places I visit and the sights I see. I'll try to post pictures along the way and will definitely be sure to update often.

I'll probably blog once more before boarding the plane (there's a 3 hour layover before the big ride) but until then, wish me luck!

Words of the Day:
flight: volo
postcard: cartolina
excited: eccitato

Packing..

It really is getting down to the wire here. Tomorrow is my last full day in the states followed by a full day of travel and then I'll be overseas. It is hard to believe, and the reality of this 2 month excursion has not yet hit me. Nonetheless I am truly beginning to get excited. I've procrastinated packing for long enough so it is time to get started. Perhaps I can practice the Italian words for the various articles of clothing as I put each item in my suitcase.. le calze? check.

Words of the Day:
suitcase: la valigia
shoes: le scarpe
shirt: le camicia

Oh and ps-- felice anno nuovo!