Getting my feet on the ground... thousands of times a day.

I'm watching the US vs. Argentina basketball game right now, its 5:30 pm, which means I don't have to watch it at 7-8 am in California. All of the commentary is in Italian so I don't understand much, but its still great entertainment. Two days of orientation and probably about 10-12 miles of walking around Rome, relaxing is molto bene. The orientations have been informative although they've been quite repetitive drilling safety tips and telling all the girls not be alone / guard their purses. You can tell they're trying to make us paranoid so we don't get anything stolen, but my roommate, Phil, already got pickpocketed when he was out at some bars. It's been a major hassle for him and he has to wait a while to get a Visa. But after the first orientation, some of my roommates and I checked out the Campo de' Fiori, which was empty because all the Italians are away on vacation, but it was still a pretty place. Can't wait to check it out next month.

While Phil was out at some bars with another roommate, Emmanuel, were out at some bars, Sean, roommate, and I, as well as about 8 others, saw the Spanish Steps at night, Trajan's column, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera because I initially thought I'd be with my other two roommates and would have no need for it. Everything was very beautiful at night, so I just took it all in. It was nice not having to worry about taking pictures and being part of the tourist crowd. At the Trevi, I got my first ever Italian gelato, enjoying the chocolate ice cream as I tried not to get lost among the 300-500 tourists that happened to be at the Trevi that night. By the time September rolls around, the tourists will be gone, the Italians will come home, and I'll get a much more authentic experience.

Everyday I walk to the Study Center, I walk through St. Peter's, down Vittoria Emmanuele, across the bridge with a view of Castel Sant'Angelo and continue down the busy streets of Rome. The entire journey is probably about a mile, taking about 30 minutes to walk (the heat slows you down considerably), but there is so much to see it the time flies. After taking my Italian placement test (I should test into the next level from where I left off), I found out my classes: Ancient Roman Civilization (due to a hefty lab fee, I'll be making many, many site visits for this class), Science and Religion of Italy, and Rome and Renaissance Literature (my 4th choice, behind sociology, which I didn't get).

Tomorrow morning I'm venturing across the city to Roma Antica and going on a free tour of the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Palatine. This part of Rome is the most fascinating to me, so I am beyond pumped to get to walk on the grounds where Caesars ruled, Gladiators killed, and Senators argued. I'm definitely not going to forget my camera this time.

Ciao i tutti

p.s. picture in the top left is the St. Peter's dome, a view from the bridge on the walk back. Top center is Castel Sant'Angelo, top right is St. Peter's up close, and the other is just a winding, narrow street leading away from the Campo de' Fiori