Walking in Circles Apparently Gets You Everywhere

Ah, the first week of the semester. The time when every college student realizes that the classes they signed up for are going to be a lot more work than they thought but are sill living in a fantasy because nothing has been assigned yet.

There is definitely a lot to be done for my four classes, but they all seem quite interesting. The professors are taking full advantage of all of the art, history and culture that Rome has to offer and each class has scheduled outings or walks in the city to explore the culture and to tie it into the curriculum.

The beginning of the week was mostly just going to class and figuring out a routine. Thursday evening after class, we decided to go to an "aperetivo", which is an awesome deal at a restaurant where you pay 5-10 euros for one drink and then help yourself to a delicious buffet of different appetizers. I ordered a glass of red wine and helped myself to the food--favorites included cinnamon baked apples (but not too baked so they were still crunchy), couscous with veggies and a warm cabbage salad. After the aperetivo, we took the tram to the other side of the river and walked through small streets and alleyways and got some gelato right before the shop closed (I got dark chocolate and espresso).

On Friday after going to a gym that I recently joined (with a student discount), we set out with the intention of finding the Spanish Steps. This turned into a wandering exploration of the city where we found a hotel comparable to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, one of the largest and most beautiful churches I've ever seen and a McDonald's (for restroom purposes only). Eventually, we found the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain as well (which was a total disappointment because it's under major construction until around September).

The Boscolo Exedra Hotel

The Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri

(Google it, it's spectacular)

The Trevi Fountain 

(100% under construction and 100% lame)

Obelisk Atop the Spanish Steps

(The view from the bottom of the steps was not awesome

 thanks to the giant advertisement seen on the building below)

When we came back to the apartment, we invited a few new friends over for a "wine night" in which we supplied the wine, and our culinary expert Dan made homemade meatballs and sauce for a pasta dinner. It was a great end to an exciting day.

We explored still further on Saturday, beginning with a stop in a Jewish neighborhood for some delicious falafel--my first falafel experience. We continued wandering around the area and found ourselves overlooking the Circus Maximus, the remains of the ancient chariot racing stadium of Rome.  It's now a public park, and was still spectacular to behold. We walked still further through the city, finding ourselves in picturesque parks, cobblestone streets (not at all uncommon, and treacherous for those with weak ankles) and back to the Colosseum.

Falafel Wraps

The Circus Maximus

The Crew at the Colosseum

On a less exciting note, we've been getting more used to the apartment as well. I did my first load of laundry here on Wednesday, and it looks like it'll have to be done at least once a week because the washer is TINY! We also have a cleaning lady that comes once a week which was a very pleasant and welcome surprise. Also, we finally have WiFi! And we felt ridiculous when the maintenance man came to fix it,because all we needed to do was plug the ethernet cable into the modem correctly. 

Today, I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to go out to watch the Super Bowl. It doesn't start here until 12:30am, and I have a 9am class tomorrow morning....decisions, decisions. Also I still haven't taken real pictures of the apartment. I'll get on that this week. Maybe.

Upcoming events this week: first day of running club on Tuesday, possible day trip to Sienna on Saturday and booking weekend/spring break trips!

Until next week, thanks for reading!

Arrival in Trastevere

Hello from Rome! 

Well I've been here in Italy for four days and I feel like I've done SO MUCH already! My legs feel the same way, they've been aching from the 5-6 hour daily walks my roommates and I have been taking. 

The apartment I'm in is really huge, I have't gotten around to taking pictures of it yet (we've been out of the house quite a bit), but I'll get around to eventually I'm sure. The only issue we have with the place is that there's no wifi here yet. It was broken when we got here and hasn't been fixed yet (crossing our fingers it will be tomorrow) so we've been stealing the finicky wifi from our neighbors across the hall who are also AUR students. 

The first day was mostly unpacking until about 5 when we decided to walk to the school for a night walking tour of Rome. Before we left, we studied the map we had, confident that it would take about 30 minutes to get there. An hour and a half later, we arrived. Tired, hungry as hell, and not really in the mood for anything that involved walking. We were told to go to a pizza shop nearby for a quick bite before the tour--I got 2 slices of a margherita pizza for 3.50 euros--and we were ready for the tour. 

On Friday (day 2), One of my roommates and I went up to the school (it only took 20 minutes this time, HUH!) for some morning yoga which turned out to be a really good workout in itself. After, we met the rest of the roomies and most of the students of AUR in the school's courtyard for a BBQ lunch.  From there, we decided to venture out to the other side of the river (the side the school and our apartment are on is more residential Rome, where authentic Italians and their families live, work, buy groceries, and go to school) to visit some of Rome's attractions in broad daylight. The following are some of the highlights:

The Pantheon:

Some Beautiful Church That I Don't Know the Name of:

Building in the City Center that Mousselini Spoke Atop of:

Altare della Patria:

We took an elevator to the top of the Altare della Patria so see the beautiful panoramic views of Rome. It was one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. We could see the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican City and a ton of buildings and dome roofs of buildings we don't know the name of. The pictures DO NOT do it justice (sorry). 

The dome in the picture below is the Pantheon roof.

Another Beautiful Church I Don't Know the Name of:

The sky was beautiful around 5pm

The Roman Forum Ruins:

The Colosseum at Dusk:

So clearly it was a very good day. Along the way to all of these sights, we got some delicious gelato (I got tiramisu and espresso), there was well over 50 flavors that the shop we stopped in, it was extremely overwhelming. After all of this walking around, my roommates and I came back to our apartment, made pasta dinner and had our first Italian wine (which cost 2.50 euros). 

Today, we woke up early and walked along the river to Vatican City to visit the museum (it's free to the public the last Saturday of every month). There was a massive line and once we got in we felt like a herd of cattle walking through, but the views in the Sistine Chapel were absolutely breathtaking. Michelangelo was truly an amazing artist (with an odd sense of humor--a cardinal once told him that he didn't like his art and Michelangelo painted the cardinal naked in the Sistine Chapel being dragged by a snake into the inferno). 

After we left the museum, we walked out into the Vatican Square where there were a TON of people singing with flags of their home countries waiting to hear Pope Francis (Papa Francesco) come out and speak. We were completely unaware of any of this and were delighted to get to see the entirety of the Popes speech (which was completely in Italian, but we could understand the Hail Mary). It was an amazing experience. All of the people, actually seeing the Pope...it was bringing tears to my eyes. Here's some of the good pictures. If you look hard, you can see Pope Francis in the window behind the statue.

St. Peter's Basilica:

Pope Francis' Window:

Jumbo-Tron for Far Away Viewers:

Closer picture of the Pope:

SO Many People

Needless to say, it's been a pretty busy 4 days. I start my classes tomorrow (bright and early at 9am) and I'm excited to get a routine going. My roommates and I are planning on exploring more of Rome next weekend and perhaps traveling to Milan for the following weekend. 

I'll keep you all updated (hopefully weekly) of my adventures!

Thanks for reading,

Kasey Ann

The Road to Rome

T minus 19 days until takeoff.

My visa went through successfully (and surprisingly quick), I have new giant suitcases to tote all of my belongings and I have a sweet new wardrobe (complete with scarves).

I AM SO READY!

HOWEVER....I'm getting nervous. I am, after all, going to a different country without knowing anyone, how to get anywhere or how to even speak the language. The first week or two or three will definitely be an adjustment.

I'll be arriving in Rome around 1pm local time (that's 7am ET) on the 22nd of January and heading straight to the university from the airport. Upon my arrival to the school, I will be given my apartment address and key. The apartment is described as being within "traveling distance" from the university...so I'll be traveling somehow to get there, where I'll unpack a bit and try to stay awake as long as possible.

The next two days are all-day orientations for international students at the American University of Rome. That's basically all I know, but I can assume it includes some sort of welcoming party followed by hours of information and people asking too many questions. I'll be able to get through it as long as there's free snacks...

After that, I'm completely free for one whole day, and then classes begin (which hopefully won't keep me too busy).

As far as traveling goes, the first few weeks will probably be pretty low-key. I'm planning on getting to know the city of Rome before I jet off to different countries--partly so I can figure out where the nearest restaurants/train stations/markets are, and partly because I know I'm going to be pretty overwhelmed for a bit after I arrive.

For those of you who would like to keep in contact with me during my trip, you have several options:

• Those with a smartphone can download the app "What's App". It's a messaging app that will allow you to sent texts to me over wireless internet since I won't be able to use my phone network. I recommend trying this form of contact with me beforehand because the process of adding contacts can be finicky.
• Those that use Facebook can use the messenger to "text" me. Similarly, it will send the messages over wifi.
• Those with a Skype or FaceTime account can use either to contact me. Just let me know if you'd like to go that route and we can set up times to call and swap contact information.
• Those with none of the above can simply email me or just continue reading the blog as I'll be posting semi-regularly to share pictures and updates.

Additionally, if anyone would like my Rome address, let me know and I'll share it with you as soon as I find out what it is.

Let it be known that I am uncontrollably excited about this, and here's a few GIFs to demonstrate my excitement:

This is where I leave you, folks! Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Rome!

Thoughts for next time: Culture shock, taking classes abroad, living in Italy. 

Italian Intentions

A month later and so much has happened!

Good news: I've 100 percent officially been accepted to study abroad at the American University of Rome. So that saves me a lot of embarrassment.

In addition to my acceptance, I've signed up for the classes I'll be taking in Rome: Italian Language, Living in Rome (a sociological view of life in the city), Rome: History and Empire and a Management Capstone (necessary to stay on track with my CMU schedule).

Originally, my parents had planned on coming to Italy the week my classes get out in May so we could all travel the country together for a week or so. After a brief meeting about my student visa, however, this is apparently close to impossible to do without getting detained and kicked out of Italy for 10 years.

What the heck, right?

Yeah, apparently when I apply for my visa at the Italian consulate, I have to ask them (with pretty please and sugar on top) if I can stay an extra two weeks past the last day of classes, and they can pretty much respond to that however they want.

That being said, I'd like to get some of my goals for being in a different country on paper (so to speak) so that I have witnesses, and thus slightly more motivation to follow through.

1. Become immersed in the culture. It's easy to stay consistent with what I'm comfortable with, but that's not really the point of studying abroad, is it? I want to make Italian friends, join a running club to see more of the city, try new foods (this one shouldn't be a problem) and truly see the Italian's Rome--la dolce vida. The sheer length of time I'll be there should make this one easier.

2. Travel, Travel, Travel! There are some people who may call me a hermit. That may be a bit excessive, but I am definitely introverted. It's far too easy for me to stay in comfortable places and not branch out, but as I said above (the more I say it, the more I'll believe it), DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN IS THE POINT OF STUDYING ABROAD. I want to visit Spain, see the remains of the Berlin Wall, eat a croissant on the lawn by the Eiffel Tower (to name an obvious few). I have 4 months to do it AND BY GOD I'LL DO IT.

3. Overdose on Italian history. A lot of people don't realize it until they've traveled to Europe and my parents can attest to this from their recent trip: there is thousands of years of history on the mother continent. Of course it'll be terribly cliche to do most of this, but amongst the art museums, the architect, the colosseum and related structures, I want to see as much as I can.

4. Make an Italian meal with market goods. So this is super "Eat, Pray, Love", but let me defend this one. The University has an alum that is now the head chef at his own restaurant in Rome. Apparently, this chef gives free cooking lessons to students once a week. How awesome would it be to cook an authentic Italian meal with authentic Italian food that I learned to make from an authentic Italian chef? Super freaking awesome.

5. Take time to document the trip. So I'm notorious for taking trips where at the end, I'll only have a handful of pictures. That's not going to happen this time! I'm taking an actual camera, I'll ask strangers to take my picture (maybe I should bring a few cameras?), and I'll post them as often as possible. This is, of course, for memories, to keep friends and family updated, and most importantly, too make everyone envious. Enjoy.

Folks, this is going to be spectacular.

Thoughts for next time: weekend travel ideas--where to go, what to do, when to do it.

Thanks for reading,

Kasey Ann

Mambo Italiano

Greetings! Or rather, Ciao!     <-- Obviously that was lame.

Despite the fact that I won't be leaving for Italy for another 3 months, I feel as though I should introduce to everyone WHAT I KNOW thus far, having just been accepted to my study abroad program. So here we go:

The Things I know for Sure (as of Tuesday October 14, 2014)

1. I haven't officially been accepted yet (won't this be embarrassing if I don't get in). That's right folks, there's a distinct (not really distinct, but it could happen) possibility that I won't be going to Rome. I've been accepted to Central Michigan University's Study Abroad program and now they are sending my application to the American University of Rome (the institution where I'll be talking classes). I will know for sure by the end of the month.

2. I actively avoided naming this blog "When in Rome" or any derivative of that phrase. Similarly, I will avoid titling posts and captioning pictures in such a way.

3. The semester that I will be spending there begins January 26 and ends May 12. I will be arriving in Rome about a week before classes start, and I will be leaving a week or two (or three, or four) after the semester ends.

4. There are 3 field trips that study abroad students have the opportunity to participate in. I will be participating in all 3. The trips include visits to the fields of Tuscany (literally a field trip--HA), the town of Assisi, and a mega-trip to Capri, Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento and Pompeii. Don't worry, you'll definitely see the pictures.

5. I will be living in a University-provided apartment in the city of Rome with (up to) 4 other people (possibly co-ed). The apartment comes furnished with towels and sheets, and a fully equipped kitchen. So I have that going for me. Which is nice.

6. It's possible this will be the greatest 4 months of my life. Obviously I'll be homesick. Of course I'll have issues with my visa. Without fail, I'll forget to pack necessities. THINGS WILL GO WRONG AND I MIGHT CRY. But it's going to be awesome.

For now, I won't be posting too often simply because I don't have anything interesting to say. This is merely an introduction to what will likely be a picture-based documentation of my semester in Rome.

Thoughts for next time: goals and advice for spending 4 months on a different continent. 

Thanks for reading,

Kasey Ann