An Unforgettable Wendesday

I was really looking forward to this day because it was my first Papal audience in Saint Peter's Square. Ralph, which his Swiss Guard powers, got me about a dozen tickets for seats, which I gave to the practicum students that were out of school that day, my professors, and Jesi of course. I was able to say thank you to Ralph on my way to the audience because he was working a side entrance to Vatican City, which is the same place that we met. He looks very official in his stripes. Even though we had tickets for seats, we should have probably gotten there earlier. People supposedly start lining up for audiences before 8am. However, we did have access to get close tot eh enter which worked out perfectly because the pope drove by in his pope mobile only 20 feet away from us (I have amazing pictures!). The scriptures and the address were done in 7 different languages. Though it was a bit on the long side and also extremely hot, it was a wonderful experience.

After the audience, Jesi and I went to an area called Campo De Fiore. During weekday mornings it is a huge open air market and at night it has some of the most popular bars (for Americans). We had never been there during the day, so we decided to make an afternoon of it. Flowers, fruit, vegetables, olive oils, pastas. Everything made your eyes pop and your mouth water. After perusing and using my Italian bargaining skills, I made all of my purchases in the native language. Jesi and I walked out of Campo with 1/2 dozen eggs, pasta sauce, oranges, a head of broccoli (which I got the vendor, Marco who was very fond of me, to give to us for 1 euro instead of 4...after he bought us watermelon slices and complemented my eyes numerous times), and our own personalized trail mixes from a dried fruit and nut vendor. It was a great success.

Wednesday night we had our first "family dinner" with the entire program. It was a mexican themed night (yes, in Italy). Since the other rooms took care of the food, Jesi and I brought the beverages. We made homemade Sangria in big pots from blush wine, blood orange juice, and fresh fruit. I've got to admit, for never making it before and no recipe, we did a pretty good job. After our burritos, we had meetings with our practicum students to discuss their weekly journals and to see how they were liking Rome. To no surprise, everyone is have the time of their lives, just as I did when I was in the program two years ago (and also how I doing now).

I feel so lucky to be back in this magical city and thank God every day for this opportunity.

An Unbelievable Tuesday

I took the kids to school again today and had to get a capuchino from the cafe they have on campus because I was dragging from the previous long day. With it being their second day, the students weren't doing much to observe so Jesi and I were able to leave early. So we met the Swiss (Ralph and his roommate Daniel) in Saint Peter's square to get a tour of Vatican City. There are some definite perks of knowing Swiss Guards :) We were able to walk right through the gated entrance into Vatican City, that is after Jesi and I switched outfits because they are strict about dress code and no knees can be visible. The boys kindly bought an espresso at the cafe across the street so we could use the bathroom (nothing is free in Italy). Once we had the proper attire, we were able to see some parts of the city including the bank, barracks, and the Swiss Guard chapel. then they took through a door that we were unsure were it led to. All of the sudden we noticed that we were walking up the hallway to the Sistine chapel, which is completely off limits to the public. No big deal, my heart was racing. From there, we entered Saint Peter's church through an entrance that allowed us to skip the long line in the piazza. Inside the church, the Swiss gave us a tour that I am sure is way better than most guides. They knew the significance of every statue and every chapel. The are so knowledgeable of the history of Rome and Vatican City that it is like we have our own personal tour guides. Here are some interesting facts we learned that day:

• Saint Peter's church was built on the land on which he was crucified upside down and his body is now under the large altar in the middle of the church (which we got to see as we went down one level under Saint Peters, no not the scavi. That is booked until the end of June)
• There is no paint within the church. All of the images you see are frescos!
• Pope John Paul II's tomb was moved to the top floor of Saint Peter's after his canonization celebration that took place at the end of April/beginning of May (Ralph got to stand next to his casket during the ceremony)
• There are marks on the floor of the church that compares the size of Saint Peter's to other churches to demonstrate how it is the largest in the world

After an amazing afternoon of Catholic wonders, Jesi and I said goodbye to the Swiss and hello to Trastevre, an area that we didn't explore much our previous time in Rome. Maria from Marymount gave us a restruant suggestion in the area that we hunted down after much confusion on back streets. Oh man were we glad we stayed patient and found it. It was hands down one of the top 5 meals of my life. I ordered the following foods (ALL in Italian I can proudly say!) and Jesi and I demolished them and almost licked the plates:

First course: Fresh artichoke

Second course: Pasta fagiole (bean soup) and Pasta y chechie (chick pea soup)

Final course: Spaghetti with calms, shrimp, mussels, and squid and rigatoni caccio y peppe (cheese and pepper) which was served in a baked peccornino romano cheese bowl.

Oh, and of course a liter of the vino della casa bianco :)

We were beyond stuffed after our meal and wanted to nap immediately. However, we got movin and went to 2 museums: The Jewish History museum and Synagogue of Rome and the MARCO, Rome's Contemporary Art Museum. By 8pm when we got home we were exhausted. But, the Siwss had gotten off work so we met up with them for gellato. We went to della palma which is a gellateria with literally 100 flavors to choose from, all separated by categories of flavors. I got dark chocolate raspberry and black raspberry. The Swiss were impressed with how much I could eat for a girl which I thought the only proper response was to tell them that I ate every bite of a Florentine steak my last visit to Italy. What can I say, I love food and here is a Mecca for it.

First Day of School

Again, I'm sorry it's been so long since I have posted. But, when you are having the time of your life if it hard to find the time to sit down to put it down into words. First off, I'm never coming back.

...Just kidding. I can't stay away from all of you and miss my Godson's baptism (which I now have holy water from Lourdes to use that day thanks to Ralph), but Rome is definitely a place I could see myself living and even teaching. I love it here. Elizabeth Gilbert put it best in Eat, Pray, Love by discovering the phrase "Dolci far niente" meaning "the joy of doing nothing." As most of you know, I am about as high strung as they come but in Rome I'm a different person. Maybe the Italian way of life is just what I need.

Since I haven't blogged in about oh a week and a half, I am going to try to block it into weeks and weekends (and also do it by day)

Monday-First day of school!

I took 9 practicum students to Marymount International, which is a private Catholic school with an American based curriculm. It is seated on acres of land outside of the city and the main building/office is a villa, no joke. There are students from all over the world and different walks of life, including diplomat, fashion designer, and even royalty's children. It is quite the trip to get there though. Using public transportation we have to take 2 buses that tend to get very packed. And though our past couple of days in Rome were a bit on the chilly side, it is starting to heat up which makes the buses smell wonderful...not. I swear Italians are not aware of personal space or hygiene.

Once I made sure that all of my students got to their classes safely, I went up to see my previous cooperating teacher at the school, Ms. Curran. She is a fiesty woman from Liverpool that speaks her mind and is an absolute ball to be around. At first, she didn't remember me :( but I refreshed her memory and then it was just like old times. I"m looking forward to seeing her more during the month. Then I spent time with the curriculum director for the school, Maria Sweeney. She had previously lived in California, so her English was very clear and refreshing! We spent most of the morning talking about my experiences in Rome and comparing English/Italian schools. She is fantastic and has willingly opened up her office and computer to Jesi and I while we are at the school, which avoids us having to lug our laptops around.

That day I had lunch at Marymount, which was a 3 course meal. I had pasta with mushrooms, a huge salad, a ricotta and spinach quiche, and green beans. Though it was 8 euros, it was worth every bite. After school, Jesi and I tried to go to numerous Museums but they were all closed on Mondays (thank goodness we Googled before). So I took a nap in my big bed and got ready for a date with Ralph, the Swiss Guard I met on Saturday. I told him that I wanted to go have authentic Italian food. His response was that McDonalds had a lot of great Italian options. Let me tell you, for a Swiss that has only studied English for 2 years his jokes are pretty good. We went to a restraunt in Piazza Cavour (and no, Ralph does not have a Vespa so Mom and Dad I am safe!). After dinner, which was a delicous fresh brushette and a zuccini flower and anchiove pizza, we walked around to see some sights for a few hours. I was pretty exhausted but it was a great day!

A blog is soon to come, I promise!!

I'm so sorry that I haven't blogged in almost a week, but when you are having the time of your life it is hard to find a solid few hours to try to put it into words.

We are going to the beach today so hopefully I will have time to put down all of my adventures on paper and then transfer to the blog while I am getting some rays :)

I miss you all! Ciao!

Are you from Rome?

I can’t believe it is the end of my third day in Rome! So much had already happened and so many sights have been seen. Let’s start with Day 2:

Jesi and I were lucky enough to be able to sleep in which I think is the reason I don’t feel any jet lag. Our first objective of the day was to meet with our professors to go over our assignments/duties while being Teaching Assistants on the study abroad program we are with. We will each be helping 8 or 9 students with getting to the schools, reading their weekly journals, and assisting them with any teaching questions/issues that they may have while they are practicum students. We also get to do a pre-observation for them before they are observed for a grade by the professors. I feel very lucky to be in this position because it is not only a leadership role but in a way another form of teaching and influencing others.

After the meeting we met up with the group for a delicious lunch. We had vino de casa rosso y bianco (red and white house wine). Our aperitivo was a wonderful plate of fried food, so I was in heaven. A suppili, breaded olives, fried mozerella, and a panzarotti (a deep fried potatoe croquette…which is now on my ‘must eat at least once a week’ list while here). After the aperitivo, was the primi course which was a big plate of spaghetti in red sauce. It was about time for some pasta! The secondi course were two additional pastas: carbonara and bolegese. I was going into a carb coma. Our dolci was mi fruta favorite, fragola (strawberries) with sugar. What a meal! We were lucky we went on a walking tour after the meal or my clothes may have not been able to zip up.

We had a wonderful tour guide that took us to famous churches and fountains in central Rome, across the Tiber River. I got to see some beautiful altars, statues, and frescos. The end of our stop was at the Trevi Fountain! I had only gone there once while I was in Rome last time but the legend is that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome. Well, there I was! Also, supposedly if you threw two in at the same time, you will return to Rome to find love. I wish I could remember how many I threw in haha.

After our time at the fountain we headed back home but on our way stopped at the entrance to the Vatican to see if we could take a picture with the Swiss Guard a their post. I went up to ask them if we could. One of the guards asked me where I was from and I told him Virginia. I then made myself look like an absolute fool by asking him if he was from Rome…really Kelley??? He is in the SWISS guard. Jesi got a good laugh of out of that one but I wanted to redeem myself so I asked them what they were doing after work. They told us they were going to a bar called Scholars Lounge. We met up with them so I could show them that I am not a dumb blond American girl. The two guards we met up with were Ralph and Daniel, roommates just like Jesi and I. We had a Magners and Smithwicks since it was a Brittish pub. In the mean time, about 8 more Swiss guards joined us with is a lot considering there are only 110 of them total at the Vatican. We learned a LOT about the Swiss guard that night. For example:

1) They have to be Catholic and from the Switzerland Military

2) They do a minimum of 2 years at the Vatican but can stay longer

3) There are 3 shifts they can work

4) They work 6 days at a time and then have off for 3

5) They have a summer and a winter uniform…that are washed once a year, smelly.

Day 3 (today):

We woke up and went to the 10:30 Mass at St. Peter’s. It was so packed that we had to stand in the back of the church. It was also difficult to get into the mass itself. You not only had to wait in line to get into St. Peter’s but you also had to get through another line for mass. It was especially difficult for those that were not Catholic because they either asked the person if they were Catholic or racially profiled them and did not allow them entry into Mass. It was intense and people were not pleased. After mass we grabbed a cappuccino to go and went back to St. Peter’s square to see the pope for his Sunday address. We couldn’t understand his Italian so I did the sign of the cross and kissed my fingers and said “Love you Pope” and then we left.

We met up with the group for the second part of their tours today as well. The first stop was San Clemente’s church. I don’t think I would have known about it or heard about it without the guide but it was INCREDIBLE! The original church was destroyed during the burning of Rome by Nero but archeologists have excavated underneath the church that was built to replace it. It was 2000 years old! It was so powerful to touch the walls and see the remnants of the original church. The excavators also found more under that church! Dating all the way back to B.C years, there was a temple, two condominiums, and a Roman street connecting them. It was mind blowing. However, I got a little claustrophobic being that far underground.

As we left the church, we were surprised by some heavy rain. This was not ideal weather for our next stop, the Colesseum. But when in Rome do as the Romans do…which is buy a 2 euro umbrella from a street vendor. Since we were with a special tour we got to go to the ground level of the Coliseum where thy used to keep the animals and slaves for the fights. The Romans were extremely smart! They had trap doors operated by pulleys and even had a way of flooding the bottom floor to do boat battles for the people. When we were done with the ground floor we had another VIP access to the top level of the Colosseum. The views of the Colosseum and the city were amazing and we didn’t let the rain stop us from taking lots of pictures. When I was in Rome two years ago and being a penny pincher, I did not go to the Colosseum. I am SO glad I got to come back to see it!

After a long day of tours, we returned to San Pietro and took naps. I woke up in time to grab a Gellato dinner (Stracciatella-chocolate chip, and fragola-of course) and then go to a meeting with the practicum students and professor. Even though I feel like this is the most incredible vacation ever, I am getting paid to be a Teaching Assistant and with that comes responsibilities. We are taking them to the schools tomorrow to make sure they understand how to get to the different schools since they are not close to our apartment. We will also be reading their weekly journals and helping them out with any questions or concerns they may have about the schools and teaching. And finally, we will be observing them informally before they get observed by the professors for a grade. I have 4 students at Rome International and 4 students at Marymout (which is the school that I taught in while in Rome, I can’t wait to see my cooperating teacher!). But tomorrow is our first day of school and we have to leave by 7:20. It is after 1 A.M here, so I should probably get to bed.

Ciao!

1st Day in Roma!

You know the saying ‘All roads lead to Rome?’ Well, fortunately I am here. However, I feel that that statement should be changed to ‘All roads that lead to Rome are not easy.’ Since I arrived at the beautiful courtyard of my apartment, it has been smooth sailing, but getting there was where the waves came into play.

I was dropped off by my loving dad at the Richmond International Airport on Thursday afternoon. From there, I met up with my bella and fellow Graduate/Teaching Assistant, Jesi Capano. We studied abroad together on the Roma trip two summers ago where our friendship developed around our mutual love for good wine and good food. We were unfortunately on separate flights so I did not have much to do prior to or on the plane ride to Charlotte, North Caroline. Yep, I said Charlotte. I had no idea it was such a major international airport, but I had a direct flight from CIA to Roma! It was 8 hours long but there was plenty to keep me entertained.

I was in the center section of the two isles which I thought was going to be a terrible situation, but luckily the person that was supposed to sit to my left did not show so I had two seats to spread out across. On top of that, I had two great people sitting next to me. Carol was a retired elementary school teacher, so we had plenty of topics about our field to keep us busy, and was on her way to the Almalfi coast for a cooking and painting seminar. I was totally jealous! Then there was Trent. Such a sweet man. He was on his way to a small village south of Rome for Army ceremonies. He is a member of the Texas Army Reserves and had just gotten back from his third deployment to Iraq. We had plenty about the military to talk about. We ended up sharing a box of Godiva chocolates he bought duty free on the plane and some drinks to help us sleep on the somewhat rocky at times plane ride.

By the end of the ride, I had gotten about 3 hours of sleep and felt refreshed for our touchdown. It was a great plane ride until the last 10 minutes of the trip. An older man 2 rows behind me went into Cardiac arrest and I am pretty sure was unresponsive/not breathing. The captain made an announcement for any doctors flying on the plane to help and about 4 or 5 people rushed to the scene. After multiple shocks from a difibulator and CPR, he started breathing. When we arrived at the gate, the captain asked everyone to remain seated so that the airport medics could come onto the plane to assist. The man was carried out on a tarp breathing but I am not sure what happened after that. So if you could, say a prayer.

Once everything was taken care of, we were allowed to go claim our baggage. Mine was there, phew! After I grabbed my 47 lb suitcase, I went searching for Jesi who was to arrive at the airport 30 minutes before me. I couldn’t find her anywhere. Better yet, I couldn’t find her flight anywhere on the screen. I waited in line at customer service for what seemed like eternity and finally figured out that I was in Terminal 3 and her airline was in Terminal 1. So I dragged my bag up to that Terminal, which was quite the hike, and searched around for her there. Nowhere to be found. So I went back down to my Terminal to see if she was looking for me. No luck. Eventually after an hour or so of this back and forth between terminals, I came to the conclusion that 1) She already went to the apartment because she couldn’t find me or 2) Her plane was delayed.

Knowing that we are both capable adults and have traveled to the city before, I decided to head to the apartment. I opted for the 8 Euro charter bus option rather than the 40 euro cab ride by myself. I was too nervous to travel around anywhere by myself, being an American girl alone in a cab with a crazy Italian driver that could stalk me because he knows where I live. I got my ticket and got in line to wait and met the nicest woman from the UK, Jo. The ticket distributor helped us figure out our routes from the bus stops and took an extra liking to me. In fact, Alzeandro gave me his number and asked me numerous times to meet him tomorrow. I politely chuckled and said ciao and ran onto the bus.

It was a 40 minute drive to the city but I knew I was in Roma when I saw my first apartment with beautiful flowers and greens hanging from the balconies. When I got dropped off, I will have to admit, I had no clue where I was. Luckily, there was a bus information center that I was able to use my staggered Italian to make out a question on how to get to my apartment. The men talked mostly in Italian but I did make out ‘l’autobus: due otto cero,’ bus 280. So I dragged my bag and waited for the bus.

Let me tell you something about Italian buses, they are not my favorite form of transportation in the city. They are packed, they are hot, and they get stuck in lots of traffic. To make my long bus story short, I ended up riding it for close to an hour to find a stop as close to the Vatican or Saint Peters square as I could. A very nice Italian girl helped me figure out how many fermatas (stops) I had to my destination because she was heading to the Vaticano area as well. I got dropped off about 5 or 6 blocks from Saint Peters square, which is an additional 5 minute walk to my apartment. By the end of my walk, my hands were blistered from my bag and I was exhausted. I stopped in St. Peters Square to take a drink of water from one of the fountains and to take in the breathtaking view.

When I finally got to my apartment, I saw a few of the girls on the program and Jesi! I was so glad she was safe. I asked her how long she had been there and she said only a few minutes. One of her connecting flights was delayed which caused her to miss her plane to Paris. She had to wait 3 hours for the next plane. We were both glad to see each other and even more glad to see our room! We each have a queen size bed (which is two double beds pushed together) and only two of us in the room. After I unpacked my suitcase and shoved it under my bed only to look at it in a month when I have to leave, we decided it was time for Gellato.

Now, I have been learning some Italian over the past few weeks through numerous books, flash cards, and some Rosetta for the sole purpose of being able to order food in Italy. I thought the Gellateria would be a great first place to try it out. When Jesi and I got to our favorite shop, Old Bridge, there was a long line per usual. It is truly the best Gellato in the city and people know it. When I got to the counter, I confidently said “Vorrei fragola y cocco en una coni per favore.” The strawberry and coconut combination is something that I have been dreaming about for 2 years and was everything I remembered and more. I even got an air kiss from one of the boys working the counter after he told me “you are cute.”

When we got back to the apartment, we joined some of the girls on a trip to the grocery store up the street. Jesi and I decided to get only food for breakfast and also some apperativos and vino, which we enjoyed back at the apartment as the church bells of St. Peter’s were ringing. We had focaccia bread, prosciutto, olives, mozzarella, and peccarino romano, And I can’t forget the glass of Sangiovese. It was the perfect pre-dinner snack. I decided to take a cat nap since I was exhausted from the day but as many of you know, my naps tend to be extended naps. 2 ½ hours later, i woke up around 9:45 pm and realized that we had slept through many people’s dinner plans. I quickly got dressed and we made a plan. We went downstairs to see if any girls wanted to join us for dinner or a drink and we had 3 tag along. We went back to a restaurant called ‘Gusto’ that we had visited last time we were here. I really wanted to go back because I had some of the best fried food I found in the city there.

I was able to practice my Italian ordering and the waiter was very responsive to me trying. However, the Italians then keep speaking the language and I have to say ‘nun capisco,’ I don’t understand. We got a bottle of vino frizzante, which was a delicious red wine that is just as the name says fizzy. I got a plate of fried food that included a suppili (fried ball of rice, mozzarella, and tomato paste), a fried ball of ricotta, and 2 fiore de zucca, which are friend zucchini flowers with cheese and artichokes. Hands down my favorite taste of Roma. With every bite the happiness showed in my face. I was in foodie heaven!

Once we were finished with our meal, it was 12:30 am. However, there were still tons of people eating. Romans have such a laid back lifestyle and time does not seem to matter to them. I used my map reading skills to get us to the Spanish steps and then my Italian to hail us a cab to Saint Peters square for 10 euro. As Jesi calls me, I was tour guide Barbie for the night.

But now it is 2:30 am and I should be getting to bed. I’m sure I am going to feel the jet lag tomorrow.

Bona note all!