First full day!

My first full day in Rome! Last night after posting on my blog, I headed back to my room with every intention of reading for a while and listening to some music. Well, to any who have done any international travel, you know that after a full day’s worth of travel, very little sleep (and uncomfortable sleep at that) on the plane, then trying to stay awake for as long as possible upon arrival to defeat jet lag will eventually catch up to you. I was out cold the moment my head hit my pillow.
Although I don’t remember dreaming last night, I might as well have woken up in one when my alarm went off at 7. I woke up to a strange but familiar room, big open windows and lots of interesting noises floating in on the breeze. I laid in bed for about 20 or so minutes just soaking up my first Italian morning in Rome. It was really quite amazing, just as I’d hoped.
Students up and down my floor were already ahead of me, bustling about to the showers, to breakfast, to class, doing what they each have been doing here for at least a year, or for most, many years now. I finally got out of bed and started with a shower which was initially awkward because the person in the stall next to mine started greeting me in Italiano and after I fumbled my way through my own greeting he quickly realized I was “Il bianco Americano” (The blond American).
Villa Nazareth is much bigger than I had ever expected it to be. It is a gated community with a huge building that is actually three buildings that are connected and then a girl’s dorm that was built two years ago. Where is not a building, there is nothing but gardens. Everywhere there is life and is simply gorgeous. At the top of the farthest building that is connected to the men’s dorm there is a reading room that has an open deck. From this deck you can see all of Villa Nazareth and through the forest that is across the street, you can see the San Pietro duomo (St. Peter’s) which is amazingly huge. But I digress…
After showering and getting dressed, I got lost trying to find the second kitchen which is where everyone goes for breakfast (consisting of milk and maybe fruit), so I decided to just hit the road. Once again, I got lost. After walking up and down the same set of blocks for about half an hour, I finally found the Metro and got on the A line heading toward the center of Rome. I was bound and determined to find my school, Torre di Babele before lunch. I was amazed to find that even after switching lines at Termini (the largest subway station in Rome which also acts as the train station), I still go to my correct Metro stop. Then I came out from the Metro… and here I was thinking I was so clever for having survived the subway!
I spent the next 45 minutes walking around with a vague idea of what streets I needed to take to find TDB but obviously, I really had no idea where I was going. If there is one thing I hate, it’s looking like a tourist. Odd, I know since that’s exactly what I am and like it or not, people can spot me like a black sheep, but still, I try my best to at least look like I know what I’m doing. I’m quite sure it never works, but hey, I try. Every time I felt the need was great enough to actually relinquish my map of Rome from the depth of my Mary Poppins bag, I tried to find a place where the least amount of people would see me. Don’t judge, you know you hate pulling out maps and unashamedly gawking at them while the natives around you roll their eyes in a mixture of amusement and disdain, never pity.
Finally, after feeling like a complete navigational idiot, I found Torre di Babele. Wow. This is not a school, it’s a wonderland of magic and I’m sure there are mythical creatures and other things of the like just lurking around in the STUDENT GARDEN (yes, that’s right, we don’t have a lounge, we have a garden). After I took a lot of pictures of the building and the other amazing apartment buildings around it, I went inside and met the receptionist, Viola who had helped me when I was booking my classes a few months ago. I decided to take my placement test right then so I wouldn’t have to get there early on Monday. I took the test out in the garden which proved harder than I would have thought since really all I wanted to do was look around and bask in the sunlight that was pouring down through the tall trees and just listen to the neighborhood sounds. But there would be time enough for the later.
The test was a breeze for about the first one and half pages… then I pretty much knew nothing. However, much to my surprise I tested out of the first level and nearly the second level except that I had read the directions wrong on one section and started writing my answers in past participles instead of reflexive verbs. Give me a break, the directions were in Italian. I met with one of the teachers and we talked about my studies and my test and I left with a schedule and a good feeling of accomplishment. It’s about finding the small things, right?
I found my way back to Termini and then, big surprise, I got lost again. I could have sworn I was headed back to the A line, but it turns out that unless the sign is orange, Ai line can also mean the actually trains that travel above ground. I eventually found my way back to the A line and before I knew it, I was back at Villa. I came back to my room and munch down a large helping of the snack mix that I had bought in Newark and went uneaten on my flight to Rome. I hadn’t eaten all morning and my journey, with all of its delays, had taken about 4 hours. I then took a small nap before lunch.
When Francesco had shown me around Villa yesterday, he took me to lunch (which consisted of left overs, which I swear were amazing), and told me that lunch (pranzo in Italiano) is ‘small.’ If they consider this meal small, then I have absolutely no clue how all these guys are still so skinny. Today’s meal consisted of fresh bread (as is with every meal), some kind of flaky quiche (although I don’t think it was actually quiche) that had cheese and prosciutto in it, sauteed peas, prosciutto slices, salad, and fruit. One word: stuffed. The guys obviously seem to find it very interesting and funny to watch me stumble through Italian, so they enjoy talking to me. Most of them can speak a little English but very few do it well. I actually have been enlisted by two guys to help them with their English, while in return they are helping me with Italiano. BENE!!
After lunch I headed for the library in Villa (the only place that has wireless internet) for my first Skype date with Mom and Dad. Seriously, Skype is the greatest and coolest thing of my life. Here I am in Rome, having already had nearly a full day, talking to my parents who were just waking up and drinking coffee. How flipping cool is that? We talked for a while and after setting a time for our next day which would be on Mother’s Day, we parted ways. As I was coming back to my room I met up with one of the guys on my floor (another Francesco) whom I made friends with last night at dinner. Francesco is now my personal Italian tutor. We talked for a long while as he corrected my sentences and gave me a lengthy lesson on passato prossimo (past participles). He plays piano but is a student of literature. Most awesome guy I have met so far. Tomorrow he is leaving for four days to visit his girlfriend who is from and lives in Paris.
He invited me to listen to him practice later in the evening and then went to study. After being in my room for a short while, Francesco came back to my door with another student who directs the choir at Villa. After telling him that I am a singer, I was promptly invited to join the choir tomorrow evening. How could I refuse? After all, isn’t music the international language? A little later I met another student who studies piano at Santa Cecilia (the conservatory in Rome) who took me to see the piano and then made me Italian coffee. Yeah, you know how all of you think that espresso is different from coffee? Well, that’s all they drink here. It is thick, dark, strong, and delicious.