Loving the Roma!

I am finally here, and have been somewhat settled in for two days now.

The 8 hour plane ride on Sunday evening to Amsterdam, no I could not leave the airport don't worry, went by really fast to my surprise. I watched 3 movies, and got a dinner and a breakfast. They were actually pretty good, which I did not expect at all. The airplane ride to Rome, which was two hours was not that bad either, I organized my planner (of course I would have to organize my planner) and then slept the rest of the way.

When we got to Rome we took buses to our apartments, and had a guide from the American Uniersity of Rome (AUR), give us the basic low down of our apartment and neighborhood. That day me and my 5 roommates just unpacked and napped. Our apartment is HUGE and really nice and in a nice location. We are close to a grocery store, a bakery/meat market, a bank, a pharmacy, and there is a store similar to target a few blocks down the hill. That night we met the whole group at a pizzeria about a 10-15 minute walk from our apartment. After dinner some of us went with Amy and Nicola to this place called Trestevere (a neighborhood filled with open courtyards, pubs, and returants) to hang out. Amy has lived here for 8 years and is a really big help to find exciting places to go at night, good shopping, and basically just get around. Nicola is the guy that flew with us over here. He works for MSU and is fluent in French and Italian.

Today we went on a walking tour of some of downtown Rome. We walked by this open market and shopping area called Campo De Fiore where there are fresh fruits, meats, and vegetables daily. Also awesome clothing stores that we will have to go back to really soon!! :) We toured the Pantheon too, which was really exciting. My roommate Katie and I were (for the first time) ripped off by these gladiator costume wearing men. They took pictures with us and THEN asked for euros. Bummer! :( But they were cute photos. After the tour we all seperated and got lunch and gelattos before heading back to AUR for our orientation.

After orientation we went grocery shopping and headed home. I worked on my presentation, and everyone else got to nap! :( Alyssa and I cooked the dinner for tonight. Of course it was pasta and bread and wine! What else would we have??? After dinner we all just hung out and got ready before heading to this Irish Pub up the hill about 15 minutes. Here a group of us just hung out and enjoyed a few drinks before heading back for the night.

So far I love Rome and can't wait to experience more.

When in Rome ...