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!

And the countdown begins...

Six Days!

I started packing today. I got about as far as laying out all of my teacher's clothes: ties, pants, shirts, belts, shoes and calling it a day. Better than nothing I suppose. I'm afraid of overpacking, but I simply love getting dressed nicely for school. I'd hate to have to repeat an outfit within the first few weeks-yikes.

I have been practicing Italian all day. The lessons were all about food, how appropriate. These lessons will probably come in handy more than any other, I should review them again before bed.

I can't believe the trip commences in less than a week. I am starting to get anxious! There is still so much to do before leaving. I'm sure it will all get done, I just can't believe that in less than a week I will be living in Rome. I feel like once I am there I will never want to leave.

Words of the Day:
fragole: strawberry
cibo: food
senza: without

Buon Viaggio

Ciao!

In one week I will be embarking on a two month journey to the homeland, Italia. This is my first time going to Italy and the longest I will have ever been away from home. I've decided to create this blog for the exclusive purpose of documenting the trip. I hope to update it daily and include pictures, anecdotes, word(s) of the day, any other gem I come across.

I will be living in Trastevere, which is often considered "The Heart of Rome." From the research I've done before arriving, Trastevere seems to be a quaint little town with cobblestone streets and a very rustic Italian feel. It appears to be on the outskirts of touristy Rome, peppered with ancient churches and a charming atmosphere. The word Trastevere translates to 'across the Tiber.' Our apartment is located just a few blocks from the Tiber and a short walk over the Ponte Sisto bridge into more central Rome.

How am I so fortunate to be going on this journey? I am actually interning at an American school located in Rome. Though I don't yet know much about the school, I do know that it is called Marymount University and holds students from grades K-12. I will be teaching high school English to 9th and 10th graders as well as drama to 7th and 8th graders. This 'internship' is technically the first half of my student teaching experience. My college runs a program every year in which a few students are selected to teach at these schools abroad. Needless to say I am incredibly excited for this opportunity.

I'll be sure to post a few more times before actually leaving. There will be a lot to do in the next seven days, but I am completely positive the stress and anxiety will be worth it.

Words of the Day:
fiume: river
ponte: bridge
nuotare: to swim