Well howdy, strangers! Sorry it’s been awhile! Life has been busy!
Sunday night we met our class in the lobby of the hotel and ate dinner with them. It was the most Americanized Italian I have had this entire trip. I didn’t appreciate it.
Our classmates had all just arrived that day, so they were all exhausted. We exchanged a couple names but then it was time to return to our room, post some photos, chat with our families, and then head to bed.
On Monday morning I woke up with a sore throat. After prepping for the day we went down for breakfast and dropped off our luggage. Then we went on a walking tour with some of our classmates. It was funny because Nat and I had seen most of it already, so the tour guide asked if we wanted to lead. We declined haha
The tour ended at school, where we began an orientation meeting for a few hours. A Roman police officer came in and gave us all ‘the talk’. He was hilarious! I just love their accents and his sense of humor was great.
After orientation, we walked back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and waited for our cabs to take us to our homestay. I would say half of the class chose to live in apartments, and the other half chose homestays. Our cab was one of the lasts ones, but the drive to our house was beautiful! When we arrived we buzzed in and our family’s French tutor opened the door and chatted with us. She has been their tutor for 4 years, she speaks like 5 languages, and she has lived in France, the US, and here. She was super sweet! She chatted with us about her favorite sites in Rome and taught us how the bus system works.
The house is beautiful! It is an apartment, with 2 stories. The main level is the kitchen, dining room, living room, 3 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms. The upstairs is 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, the laundry room, and a rooms/bathroom for their housekeeper. Nat and I decided to share the same bed, but to keep our things in separate rooms. So after unpacking, it was time to head back to school for our “Welcome Reception”. We got there about 6:00, and no one was there. Then we realized we were off by 30 mins. Opps. So we wandered around, went to the ATM, and got a snack. I got a cannoli! It was delicious!
We met our class and program directors at a bar, right next to our school, and we were given one drink token and free appetizers. It was nice not to have to pay for (almost) anything yesterday! It was also really nice to chat with our classmates and get to know them all more.
There are 37 of us. It is actually quite a large class, considering what I’m used to. We have seemed to already divide into 2 different groups. But I like all the people I have met so far!
After walking around for a bit, we realized our friend Leanna didn’t have anyone to walk home with. So we helped her find a bus and got her headed home safely. It really came in handy to know the bus lines so well! Then we took the bus home ourselves. I chatted with Jill, and then it was way past bedtime.
This morning my sore throat was better but I am feeling a sinus/cough bug coming on. So lots of vitamins for me today! We took the bus in to school early, to eat breakfast and get settled for class. We ended up running into some of our classmates so we ate breakfast with them. Class started at 9:30 went until 12:30. Our class is big! I still don’t know everyone! And our professor is really odd.
He is an American, who has lived in Rome for 18 years, hasn’t been back to the USA for 8 years, has like 6 Masters and 1 PhD. And he doesn’t seem to be particularly fond of what he teaches, even though all of his schooling revolved around Theology, Latin, History, and Philosophy. He is definitely going to push us as students and even more in what we believe. I don’t think he is a Christian. And I don’t know how many of my classmates are Christians. So class was actually really overwhelming and upsetting today. He just would roll his eyes when he would talk about God and us finger quotations when he talked about Jesus. So this may be difficult. I guess it is too soon to say.
After class everyone rushed to the office to sign up for all of the cooking tours, wine tasting, tours of Rome, etc. Natalie and I signed up for a bunch! Which I think will be a really great way to see the city!
After that a whole group of us went out for pizza and to visit the Pantheon. It is literally like a 5 minute walk from our school! I swear, there is an incredible site around every corner of this city!
Currently we are at home, resting and doing homework. We have a cooking class from 7:00 to 9:00 tonight. So we will leave around 5:45 for that, to meet our friends at 6:15 to walk to the cooking class location. Everything just takes so much transportation time here.
I am excited for our cooking class and for meeting our class when we get home. It is a little nerve wracking to meet them, but I am excited as well.
A huge day ahead tomorrow: class, more tours, and a wine tasting. I guess we just have to get the most out of these 3 weeks.
Pray for health, rest, and easy transportation. Stay warm!
