Good morning to everyone in the United States! It is noon here and I just got back from class so I decided to switch things up and post early. Due to yesterday's adventures (17 miles of walking), my legs and feet are very sore today so I will be limiting my time exploring. I figure that I'm here for another month, I have all day tomorrow and Monday, I can explore then. Today will be dedicated to nursing my poor legs and feet back into health. I woke up this morning at 7:30 a.m., got ready, actually ate some breakfast (my first time doing that since I got here), and walked to the bus stop. I got to class with ample time so I sat around in the courtyard and enjoyed the sun and temperature. My professor let class out early, so as I was walking out, I overheard a couple students talking about how the bus company that runs all of the public transportation were on strike so there would be no trams, subways, or buses working today. GREAT. The day after I walk 17 miles, I get to walk the entire 30 minute hike back to my apartment. It actually wasn't too bad and I got to take some pictures of my walk for you all to see what I see every day.
I guess now is a good time to try to explain the Italian way of life, as I've learned in my four days here. Italians love their peace and quiet. So much that each apartment building gets together and votes on a set time when silence is required. My apartment building requires silence 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and again 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. These aren't just rules that one can choose to follow, they are laws. Neighbors do not hesitate to call the police if someone is stomping around upstairs or carrying on a loud conversation in the hallway. Another "quirk" about Italian living is the very limited use of electricity. Electricity is very expensive here because it is imported all the way from Switzerland, so each apartment is only allowed a small amount of electricity or the fuse will blow. Luckily I haven't done that yet, but if you run things like a blow dryer, washer, and oven at the same time, it will definitely go out. Next, it is quite common to be walking down the street and the sidewalk disappears. Some streets don't have sidewalks so pedestrians have to walk in the driving lane, very close to cars speeding by. I've adopted a new way of life since arriving here, I think that since I've been so lucky this far (I haven't died, no broken bones, no horrible sickness, etc.), chance are I won't have any of those things happen here. You're probably thinking I'm absolutely crazy, but I'm a young adult in a new country, I have to throw caution to the wind and just live. I battle with cars to see who will go first to cross the street and I haven't come close to being hit yet. It's all about intimidation. If you hesitate before crossing the street, drivers will take advantage of your moment of weakness and go. If you give them a serious stare and continue walking, they'll stop for you. So if I do die here in Italy, it will be by getting hit by a car. However, everyone drives two door hatchbacks or bikes, so my chances of dying are slim.
I'm trying to break these paragraphs up because it can seem very scary to have to read such large paragraphs. So continuing on with the Italian way of life... Everyone smells so good. No one stinks. I think even the homeless people wear perfume and cologne. Using the Rome public transportation puts you in very close proximity with people, and I have yet to meet one that smells bad. That's another thing, Italians don't care about your personal space. We Americans like to have a lot of personal space, we don't like to sit next to strangers, etc., but here, no one cares about any of that. It's sometimes hard to breathe on the buses or trams because so many people are packed in them. I also don't think Italians sweat. At all. It was 80 degrees yesterday (which is hot to me!), but Italians were wearing jeans, pants, sweaters, and jackets even. Here I am, wearing a skirt and crop top smelling like B.O. and drenched in sweat, while every Italian looks perfectly groomed and sweat-free. And smelling fresh! I don't understand how it happens, but maybe if I live here long enough I'll start becoming that way too! Italians go the supermarket every day. Their food doesn't have preservatives like ours does, and everything is fresh. The meat, the bread, the fruits and vegetables, everything. Make sure you plan your trips in Rome properly because most stores close in the afternoon for a couple hours so workers can take a nap and relax. So if you wanted to go to the grocery store at 1 p.m., you couldn't because it would be closed until 4 p.m. So I suppose I'll stop talking, but I felt that you all deserved to understand a little bit about the Italian way of life. Thanks for reading!
There are flowers everywhere in the city
There is no sidewalk here
This is the bus stop that I take to go to campus
I've gotten pizza here twice now and it's delicious
The outside of the supermarket a block away from my apartment
The entrance to the supermarket
The baguette was still warm when I got home
My lunch consisted of proscuitto, cheese, and bread
I put pesto and honey on my bread
Pesto
Honey
My kitchen
My refrigerator is a lot smaller than American ones
So is my stove
This is my room. I'm the only one in it, and I sleep on the right side. But those of you that know me know that I can't keep anything clean, so naturally I've already made a mess.
