Strangest Week of My Life

Hello!  

How are you?  I miss you!

One week ago, at this time, I was sitting on a plane on my way to JFK airport.  The trip to the airport already seems a lifetime away. 

If you know me, you probably know that I am not the biggest fan of orientation-type activities.  When I have to go through a mass orientation, I always kind of wish that I was one of those people who could blow off activities and feel no remorse.  But if you know me, you also know this; I am not one of those people.  I always, always attend.  On Saturday morning, after two days of traveling and three days of long meetings and an attempt at settling into this strange episode that is to be my life for four months, I found myself sitting in the IES auditorium waiting for my team assignment for the Amazing Roman Race Scavenger Hunt, trying my hardest not to be too cynical.  Luckily, we assigned by area, so I was with my apartmentmates and a friend that I met at the airport, Gemma.  Our leader was to be an ISC (Italian Student Companion), so we had some semblance of direction.  And off we went.

And off we went quickly.  Our ISC, Milania, was walking with a pace that would make a professional speed walker proud.  We were all scurrying along behind her, trying to keep up even though the sidewalks were crowded and we were crossing lots of streets.  After we lost half of the group (No, I'm not kidding, and when we told Milania, she didn't seem to care.  At all.), we booked it around the Vatican, only to hear Milania say that she wasn't feeling well.  So, she called the center and went home.  They offered to let us join another group, but seeing as none of us cared to be part of this "amazing" race, we declined and were freed for the afternoon.

So instead of running around this city like tourists on speed, we stopped at a sandwich vendor's cart and ate lunch on the steps of the Vatican and soaked up the beautiful sunshine. 

This was my view during lunch.

It was lovely.

We wandered all afternoon and our tour of Rome ended up being about two hours longer than the planned tour.  We had gelato (chocolate this time-so good!), saw the Pantheon, tossed coins in the Trevi Fountain, looked at the pseudo-dome at the San Ignacio cathedral, and sat on the Spanish steps.

The builders of the cathedral in honor of St. Ignatius ran out of funding, so they hired an artist to paint the ceiling to make it look as though there is a dome.  It's astounding.

Looking up the Spanish Steps.

A building next to the steps.

Last night, several of us ventured across the city to an Irish pub that was showing the Super Bowl.  While my beloved family and friends were settling in for a few hours of delicious snack food and couches around dinner time, I was trekking past the Colosseum for a 12 am kickoff.  The bar was packed and I am happy to report that most of the attendees were Packer fans (at least for the night); I even saw a couple of T-shirts.  

I was chatting with a girl as the game was starting and she asked me who I was rooting for.  I told her that I was cheering for the Packers and that I was from Wisconsin.  Usually people here just say, "Oh." and then something about my accent (I didn't realize it was such a big deal...), but this girl, Claire, asked me where in Wisconsin.  I told her, as I tell most people, that I am from the southeast corner, about 20 minutes south of Milwaukee.  Claire, bless her heart, looked at me and said, "Oh!  Have you ever heard of a town called Racine?"  I nearly hugged her.  Apparently, her mother's side of the family hails from our small piece of paradise and she spent a lot of holidays there.

I didn't stay for the whole game, but left in the middle of the third quarter and got home around 3:15 am.  I was a bit nervous as the Steelers had pulled ahead a bit, but I just couldn't stay until 5:00 am.  Besides, my brain had been kind of numbed by that abysmal half-time performance.  

There was hardly any room anywhere.  It was hot.

At one point people were chanting "Go Pack, Go!"

And it begins!

It was certainly an experience!  

Let's talk soon?