Week 1

My first week of classes is almost over, and I've been loving every minute of this! My religion class on Monday was FABULOUS! My professor is a Carmelite priest with some kind of British/Scottish sounding accent, although after many incorrect guesses on our part, he still won't tell us where he is from! He seems so low-key about grading and evaluation, and much more focused on discussion about important moral issues and human life. My kind of class...except for the fact that on Thursdays, it is at 8am, so I was almost falling asleep during it this morning haha. (My roomies have already caught on to my late-sleeping habits so they are making sure to wake me up in time for class!) On Tuesdays my one and only class is Intermediate Italian with yet another great professor. She is a native of Sicily and is so easygoing and helpful. Unlike my Italian class last year, which focused on a lot of grammar concepts, this one is going to be much more centered on conversation and practical use of the language. My communications class is also super interesting and I am thinking of getting out of art history while I can and switching to a business/marketing class that sounds way more fun and useful. For the Fridays during October, we have make-up classes to replace the time when we will be on our Southern Italy trip. After that, we have 3-day weekends which will be great for traveling throughout Italy and some places in Europe. Also, every day except Monday I will be getting out of class by 2:15 so I will have my afternoons to explore all that the city has to offer.

Amidst getting settled into the hotel and my classes this week, I have also found a little time to explore some areas of the city. There is SO MUCH going on here--it's quite overwhelming! As my Italian professor said, Rome is a city that will constantly surprise you. It's been quite some time since I've lived in the hustle and bustle of a big city, and I have never really lived in the center of a chaotic city like I am now. There are so many diverse people here, various languages spoken, people rushing across the street in front of cars and mopeds, and men blowing kisses and yelling "ciao bella" at the women (yes, the latter actually happened to me yesterday). On Tuesday afternoon, Shannon, Teresa, Bailey, and I went to see Piazza Navona and then found our way past Castel del Monte/the Tiber River to Saint Peter's Square. It is so close to our hotel--it just feels incredibly unreal that here I am, in the capital of Catholicism, in a city chock-full of inordinate amounts of history. Last night I saw the Trevi Fountain for the first time...yet another breathtaking sight. A few of the other girls and I bought wine and walked around with it exploring the sights and nightlife of Rome. We all felt so weird and apprehensive about buying alcohol and just walking around with it on the streets (you're allowed to drink on the streets here until 11pm at this time of year), but I guess that's just another thing they do here that we will grow accustomed to! We also found our way to Scholars, the Irish Pub frequented by many American college students studying in Rome, and the place where we will meet up with the Notre Dame program students on Saturdays to watch the football games.

After my Italian class this afternoon, I am going to walk to Campo de' Fiori with my roomies to visit the outdoor markets. I caught a glimpse of them the other day and saw so much fresh fruit, freshly-sqeezed juices, homemade breads, and the like. That will likely be our lunch since we get one main meal a day (during the school week) at the Hotel Tiziano (usually dinner) and the others we fill in using our meal tickets at Pascucci and markets/bars. I also plan on doing the first of my clothing/shoe shopping today...pray for my self-control! haha. On Saturday, we have our first Lectures and Tours excursion to the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, and then on Sunday, I think a few of us are going to go to the beach. I'll write more after the weekend and let you know how it all goes!

Miss you all and hope you're enjoying fall in your part of the good old USA :) I had a dream last night that it already started snowing in Wisconsin--I hope that isn't true!! It definitely doesn't feel like fall yet here--still highs of 75 every day. I'm telling you--my life is a movie.....

Thanks for watching :)

Piazza Navona

Castel Sant'Angelo

St. Peter's Square

first Trevi Fountain visit!