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!