GL 350 week 1.. Step into the fantasy you'll never want to leave

Can you imagine what would happen if you were close enough to touch some of the most renowned buildings known to man? This past week I have had some opportunities to just that. On my first day in Rome we arrived at Fiumicino airport, located just outside of Rome, at about 9:30 in the morning. When we arrived at campus we couldn’t get in the building fast enough. We wanted to see the rooms where we would be staying for the next eight weeks. When my roommate Katie and I got to our room at the end of the hall, across from the balcony, we laughed at the sight. The room had two twin beds that looked like something you would find in hospitals. Next to the beds there was one amour for both of our clothes and one desk to share. When we were done unpacking we relaxed for a little bit before it was time to sit through an orientation and receive our Italian cellphones! After sitting through an orientation that seemed to last forever we hiked for a half an hour to Castel Gandolfo. In the town of Castel Gandolfo is the Pope’s summer home. Although the Pope is currently not residing in this home it was totally awesome to see. 

On Monday our day started at 8:30 with our Global learning class. After class ended we hopped on the 10:23 to termini to catch the B line to the Coliseum. When I heard about the Coliseum in school, I never imagined stepping off the subway and walking up the steps right outside the coliseum, literally. From across the street the sight was overbearing. I’ve seen the coliseum in pictures from others who have visited Rome, but the sight was still beautiful. After the coliseum we took the short walk into the Roman Forum. As Georgina Masson says in the book The smiles of Rome, you have to picture what it was like in the early days. The Roman Forum was pretty boring to look at if you ask me. While reading Masson’s article realized that if you used some imagination  you could see the beauty that was there once. After the Roman forum we walked to Palentine Hill where there more ruins stood. 

On Tuesday, we had two classes: global learning and Italian. After our first Italian class, I can say it is going to be hard differentiating from Spanish to Italian. Our teacher walked into class, and spoke in almost all Italian. It was really hard to understand at first but as the class went on she explained what she was saying both in Italian and in English. Needless to say it is going to be an interesting adventure in my Italian class! After class we went on a walking tour that took us through the Jewish Ghetto. This ghetto as it is called was where the Jews lived during WWII. On the boardwalk there were some stones that were replaced by names of Jews who were taken to concentration camps. It was really cool to see that America and Germany weren’t the only countries that had places to remember those who were involved in the WWII concentration camps. 

On Wednesday we had our second Italian class. This time she asked us what we wanted to know or what we needed to learn so we could go into the city and interact with the people who live in Italy. After class we headed to Albano Laziale so we could get our student Visas! We needed to get visas so we could stay in the country for two months! This was a very intimidating process since the policeman didn’t speak english, and I didn’t speak Italian. Luckily once of our staff members acted as an interpreter and made the process a little less intimidating. After we were done at the police station we had time to kill before we could catch the 2:19 train back to campus so we wandered the streets of Albano. 

On Thursday we started our Soc 490 class. After a heated discussion so to say, I can tell that I’m really going to enjoy this class.  When class was over we headed to the baths of Caracalla. The baths were the like a gym in the ancient days. Touring the baths seemed to take forever because there was so much to see. We went from one area that was the men’s locker room to across the way to the female’s locker room. This place was Huge! After the baths of Caracalla, we headed to get Gelato with Mike Mike (our residence life director). It was his treat so we all got two flavors to sample with whipped creme and a little cone on top. After our delicious Gelato, the cinque chicks (Katie, Amy, Emily, Danielle, and I) went exploring down the Spanish steps and into the shopping district in Italy. We found stores like Gucci, Tiffany and Co., and Louis Vuitton. After realizing we couldn’t afford anything in these stores we went to a bar to get a drink and relax. 

On Friday morning Emily, Amy, and I left for Paris. My weekend in Paris was defiantly an experience of a lifetime. First it took forever to even get to our hotel in North Paris. We left for the airport at 4:15 in the morning, and arrived at the Beauvais Airport at 9:00am. When we arrived we took a bus into Paris to connect with the Paris Metro. After navigating the metro, we arrived at our stop only to realize our hotel was located in the middle of the city or Ghetto. It was terrifying but we made it through okay. The weekend was spent touring the city and seeing the major sites in Paris. My favorite had to be seeing the Eiffel Tower in person. From photographs that I’ve seen from other people, I would have never imagined the actual size of the tower. It was a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. Now that were back on campus, it is time to relax and reflect on the busy jam packed week I have experienced. Stay tuned for next week!