Nutella, Bananas, and Shutters

We moved into our apartment yesterday.  It is so adorable.  And we have a kitchen.
We woke up and I made Nutella and banana sandwiches with the aid of Amy and Yoyo.  We don't have a toaster so we used the oven and crossed our fingers.  My goodness.  They were fantastic.
My first few days here, I was unimpressed by the food and the city was not anything like I had expected.  But yesterday we found a tiny little pizza shop (where the serve to-go!) right after we moved into the apartment.  Suddenly everything became amazing.  I think the lack of sleep and general frustration with airlines and baggage had me in a bit of a bad mood.  But all it took was some good pizza.  Haha, go figure.
We had four hours of class an an hour orientation yesterday, as well.  The rooms were incredibly hot because of the lack of airconditioning in Italy.  But class wasn't too bad and when we were done everyone ran over to the market to get food.  Today is a holiday so we had to make sure to stock up.
That night, we went down to the river.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Rome at night is definitely an amazing experience.  We had some dinner at a pub and I was surprised it actually had good Italian food. We ended up walking around for most of the evening, just experiencing what the Romans do before a holiday.  There was a lot of crazy people out but the city lights were absolutely breathtaking.
I came back to the apartment to rest and then ended up going out again with Mike and Chase.  We ran into Yoyo and Albert after we had lost them a few hours before.  Albert went back so the four of us wandered around once again.  We took pictures and marveled at just about everything.  I think the flash from the cameras really bugged this one Italian kid.  He walked over towards us and started talking.  Then he got disgusted and kind of walked away and some girls came to see what happened.  It was all a little sketch but Mike and Chase were there to protect Yoyo and me.. I think.  Hahaha.
Oh and I didn't know where to put this, so this looks like a good place.  I LOVE THE SHUTTERS IN ITALY.  They are FREAKING amazing.  They make the room completely black no matter what time of the day it is.  I just do not understand why this brilliance has not made it to the U.S.  It is my goal to share this with the world.
Well today is a Roman Holiday.  They celebrate St. Peter and St. Paul and the entire city shuts down.  Tonight is a big potluck at one of the guy's apartments and then fireworks.  Should be a good night.
Looks like I can get in a couple hours of homework before making some spaghetti for the dinner. :]

Hotel Shampoo

Well my baggage never made it out onto that cool convertor belt. I sat there for almost two more hours just waiting and watching. When I finally realized that I was falling asleep on the floor of FCO I knew it was time to go. I had tried to call the people from ISA and my parents with no success. So I decided to go file the claim for lost baggage and grabbed a taxi to the hotel. I was so exhausted and frustrated that the sketchy ride in the taxi was actually peaceful. When I walked into the hotel, I was startled by Amy and Yoyo who were in the lobby. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see their faces and get hugs. That night was ok, we had a group dinner and, finally, got one of the best nights of sleep in my entire life. That bag with toothpaste came in very, very handy.
My bags finally arrived at the hotel (2 days later). You can ask Amy, I was jumping around the room screaming I was so happy! I no longer have to live off hotel items, airline toothpaste, some (REALLY AWESOME) clothes I bought in Rome, and Amy’s face soap. (I LOVE YOU CASSON.)
Being in Rome is so different from the States. There was some culture shock at first as well as the language barrier. I have really been trying to use Italian and have pulled it off better than I thought I could. I have been able to communicate with native Italians only looking slightly silly with my awful pronunciation and English-Italian dictionary in hand.
These couple days we have visited a few churches and historical sites. The most impressive stop for me was the Trevi Fountain. That thing was so beautiful. The Colosseum was breathtaking, Pantheon an architectural marvel and all the churches are amazing, as well. Tomorrow we move into our apartments and get free wi-fi. I’m stoked.
I should probably go study now… ☺ <3
[Post written on Sunday, picture is of the side of The Colosseum]

Baggage Claim and Barney

I'd swear I've gone mad.
Who would doubt it?  48 hours, 4 hours of sleep plus a couple of naps, 13 hours in the air, 9 hours waiting in the airport.  But seriously, there is this guy at baggage claim.. whistling the Barney song.  That's why I think I've gone mad.
Flight 1 to Frankfurt was very long but not too bad.  I realized it would be the longest flight I have ever taken, that I would be alone and with no one to hold my hand during takeoff and landing (<3 mom).  But Someone above has a compassionate sense of humor.  A woman holding her 11 month old was sitting next to me.  They were Romanian but she could speak some broken English.  The baby, Anna Marie, was fascinated with my shiny ring and dark purple nailpolish.  So someone was holding my hand-- at least a couple of fingers-- when we took off.
We were able to rearrange seats on the plane so that the woman could sit with her husband and two other children.  The airline, Lufthansa, graciously thanked me with an adorable little bag filled with toothpaste and socks and such.  I had no idea that I'd be so grateful for that bag later.
The second flight to Rome was blessedly shorter (11 hours vs 1.5 hours) and I sat with a Nor Cal brother and sister who had a chocolate lab.  They were petty legit people and we had good conversation.
I am writing this at baggage claim, no internet and no way to get ahold of ISA.  Fingers crossed, my bags come soon.
I've already said blogging is for narcissists.  I have recently discovered that it is also cathartic.
(Written at the Rome airport Friday, approximately 3:00 PM.  The picture above was taken in Frankfurt, Germany.)