Yesterday was so overwhelming, I am still spinning! I Went To Rome! I can’t even believe that I have been to Rome! The place of Roman Gods and gladiators and Julius Caesar! We left Viterbo around 8 in the morning and rode a train two hours to Rome. When we got off the train we had to ride the metro. The metro took us directly to the Coliseum. When we stepped outside, my breath literally caught in my throat because I was not expecting to be right in front of the huge structure I never even dreamed of seeing. As you can tell by the amount of pictures I took, I wanted to remember every second, because I knew that my shell shock might affect some of the experience. Not all of the monuments and buildings I saw yesterday were explained to me and so many of them I do not know the names of. But for the most part, I know the first and second half of the pictures I took are the outside and then the inside of the Coliseum, and the middle section of the pictures are mostly the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. When we returned at the end of the day to the Coliseum, I felt that I had to buy something from there as a little reminder that, yes, I really did go to where gladiators used to entertain the crowds in a blood-thirsty arena. So, I bought some post cards from one of the many merchants who had set up shop outside the ancient walls. Upon asking if I could have a bag to put my postcards in, he said that for the price of a kiss I could have a bag. I ran away. Rome, despite its overwhelming amount of beauty and history, did open my eyes up to the fact that the world is not always a safe place. I was constantly aware of my surroundings, especially while riding the metro, and when we returned to Viterbo, I could feel my surroundings shift to a safety that relieved me immensely.

 I saw soooo much in one day it will take me a few days to process everything. When we took the train back to Viterbo we were all exhausted. Somehow however we still had enough energy to celebrate one of the girl’s 21^st birthday. We went to a club called SHU and pretty much announced to the small town of Viterbo that the Americanis were here with the dance songs we continued to request—all American and mostly all from the nineties (even an Eminem song, which I admit I did not dance to).  The Italians that were brave enough to come into the Americanized club simply watched from afar as fifteen or more Americans got down and jiggy. A group of Romanians were much less bashful and began to imitate some of the girls’ dancing moves, which I must say was very disturbing to see grown men thrusting their booties and chests in Shakira-like motions. The celebration ended at midnight with us singing (in Italian) Happy Birthday. I merely mumbled the foreign lines and then threw in a very loud “Hannah” when I could tell we had reached the name part of the song.

 My first sighting of the Coliseum!

 Gladiator!! Sadly no Russel Crowe in sight

 Original flooring of the Coliseum

 Creepy man statue who scared me!

 This huge flowery piece of marble fell from this structure above

 Drinking the water of the Roman Gods! If I get sick I will know why

 Gelato at the Trevi Fountain

 The Spanish Steps

 My favorite picture

 Saw the no climbing sign after these pictures were taken

 Stuck.......no really

The traveling troll needs a name. What should it be?

Today I plan on spending some alone time exploring Viterbo. It is Sunday so literally everything is closed down, except the churches of course, and so I plan on winding my way through the empty town. The other day I discovered that I live right now the street from the Pope’s Palace. Yep, right down the street from where the Pope used to enjoy his summers and where the first (?) conclave was held. I decided to walk down a street the other day in a direction I had never been a lo and behold, there is a palace. I am planning on taking pictures (maybe even doing a little sketch) of the Palace today because I had been surprised by the sight of it last time and did not have my camera with me. I went inside the large Cathedral and again couldn’t even comprehend the history behind such a place. The stone floors, which consist of large pieces of colored tile, are ancient and the pillars holding up the arched ceiling support are cracked and smooth from the passing of so many years. Pictures are not allowed inside this cathedral and so I hope that at some point during my stay I will have time to sketch it because I was mesmerized by its beauty: a beauty that has lasted through the years. Walking in front of the altar I could imagine a Pope pacing back and forth delivering his sermon, in a familiar language (Latin) to a congregation in the thousands, all attentive to his every word. The church bells are ringing insistently now as the hour as just turned to noon. Mass here is difficult to understand. I can never tell when it is beginning and when it is ending. There are so many different churches here I am sure there is a different mass beginning every fifteen minutes and so no matter what your excuse is (“The rooster didn’t wake me up this morning”), there would be no true excuse for missing church.

Not  next Sunday, but the following Sunday which is the last Sunday of this month I am planning on making a journey to Vatican City. I am excited, but nervous at the same time to see a place where so much of my own history originates. Sightings of the Pope, and even meetings with him, can be arranged but I think there will be so much to soak in just from my surroundings.

Tomorrow is the first day of actual school. This last week, although I did have my Italian class, was more like an orientation to the workings of the university. I am curious to see how many students attend my university because it is rather small in size. I am also curious to see how welcoming they are of us outsiders since we are rather a large group. On Friday I requested to be set up with a language partner, because most of the students here have had some Italian courses, whereas I have had none and feel a little bit behind. Maybe my language partner will be single! A girl can dream haha!