First Week Overseas!!

(Cue epic music) I think I’LL TRY defYing Italy!!!

Welcome to my blog! Sorry it took a while to get up and running, between not having wi-fi the first few days, being on the Orientation schedule and not my own, and then figuring out classes etc. I just haven’t had time to sit. So I will catch y’all up now from the past week:

Left last Thursday from Newark, NJ and arrived on Friday afternoon at the hotel in Rome, Italy!! Very few problems getting here, just a looonngg layover in Lisbon - but not too bad overall J. First impressions of Rome: well…confusion cuz everything was in a different language, exhaustion from jetlag, homesickness (but that was going to happen anyway), nerves and general fear of getting lost, and yet a growing excitement about exploring despite all those things. Orientation with CUA/Loyola started literally the moment Kevin Oriani and I met the group at the hotel (Kevin: friend since middle school, classmate and study partner since taking up a Classics Major with me in the same college, AND he is boyfriend to my freshman year roommate…hi sophie!) We put our stuff down in the hotel and joined the group for the typical tour of the city where we saw lots of cool stuff, learned where shops are, and how to take a bus – do I remember any of it or how to get to such places? Absolutely not, but I knew it would take me a few weeks lol.

Second day of Orientation, we were released to get lunch for ourselves – which for all of us was the first time ordering food from native Ialian speakers without the help of our professors/program directors. Here’s how that went down - I was told that in Italy people pay first then get the food, so with confidence I walk up to the cashier and say “Vorrei un pizza piccola per favore.” He stares at me a second, then says in English, “Order the slice from over there first, get me the receipt, pay here, then pick it up there.” …so much for practicing. I’ve had about 6 similar experiences over the past few days.

After all the guided tours, powerpoint presentations, filling out of paperwork, meeting and getting to know all the new people living with me (LOVE them all), we were finally released to be on our own schedules Monday morning. That also was the beginning of classes. The rundown so far: Italian is super intensive – 3 hours a day, 5 days a week until the end of September, taught all in Italian (no English in the classroom). It’s tough, very tough – but we all will get so much better in a few weeks. Roman History – awesome in every way, and taught by my favorite teacher. Half of every class will be spent out in the city, looking at historical places and artwork! Christology – Promises to be excellent as well, we are studying Jesus all semester J.  Greek is tomorrow, and Roman Art and Architecture start next week. I’m looking forward to the semester!

Ideally from this point on, I will be able to write maybe every few days or so – and no I don’t think any more will be quite this long. I’ll have some better stories to share as the blog continues too ;)   Sorry if this blog gets Wicked stuck in your head… J

Arrivederci!!!