Running in Rome

I started running this past fall on campus at Michigan State a lot. It was beautiful as the trees were changing colors and the air was crisp and clean. After a long day in class, it was the perfect way to clear my head and strengthen my body. I really wanted to continue running here in Rome. It seemed like the most amazing way to see the city. I slacked a little bit over Christmas break because treadmills aren’t my favorite and it was just so cold and snowy outside. I still made it to Barre and Yoga classes, though!

We had a semester kick-off run for AUR’s Running Club last Sunday, however, and I got my butt to the garden gate at 1pm J I am so glad I did! We ran into Villa Pomphelli, an Italian park. They keep saying that Italians like to work out and I finally saw that this is in fact true as there were so many people running, doing push-ups, etc. It was a perfect day to be outside! It has rained most of the days here, but Sunday happened to be sunny, warm, and bright.

Villa Pomphelli used to be the Pope’s private backyard and garden but opened up due to public interest, according to the captain of the club. We are lucky that it did! I hardly felt the miles my feet were moving as I took in the trees, old buildings, landscaped gardens, and city sights. [I did feel the hills we were running up. I never thought of Rome as hilly until I got here!] Check out this view.

We had another run today, even though it was sprinkling a little. We headed back into Villa Pomphelli and took a different path. There is so much to see!

Running club is also a great way to meet other students here. So far I’ve chatted with the captain, a resident student here, a boy from South Africa who spent a year working in Dubai, a girl studying abroad from Denmark who has lived in Italy and Kenya, and other American students from around the US. Maybe one of these days we’ll have to stop at the restaurant at the top of the hill for an aperitivo and chat with each other some more… Our only concern will be making it out of the park before dusk. Apparently they shut the gates at dusk and I’d rather not be locked in with the homeless people camping out in there.

I have the chance to join the Roma Road Runners Club if I go through a physical. They give you a "uniform" and gear and you are allowed to compete in races around the city. I'm debating if I want to pay for it, or just enjoy the "Fun Runs" that are much shorter distances ;) Either way, future runs with AUR's Running Club are being planned for along the Tiber River, to the Vatican, and elsewhere exploring this gorgeous, ancient city!

My First Day of School

Today was my first day of class at AUR! Just about everyone else started yesterday, but lucky me, I have no Monday classes J I love school supply shopping at home [nerdy, I know] so I tried to do a little here. I discovered what they call “China Stores” and I now like to refer to as the “Italian Dollar Tree”. They have just about everything from bras & underwear I’d never touch to soap & paper towels to paper & pencils. I got two notebooks – one that has lines and one that looks more like graph paper. Works for me.

I also got a folder that looks more like a giant envelope since I can’t seem to find a plain old two pocket one.

[The flowered notebook I brought from home since it was a gift from Catherine. I needed something from home to bring to school each day!]

At least I made it to both my classes in the right place at the right time! I’d chalk it up to a successful day.

Introduction to Italian Language and Culture

First I had Italian. The professor definitely speaks more Italian than English, as you can tell by her heavy accent. She was ended up being very nice, though. After going through the syllabus, we jumped right in to learning a few phrases. Here’s what our conversations consisted of today:

[I practiced with my roommate, who happens to be in my class!]

·         Ciao! Come ti chiami? [Hi! What’s your name?]

·         Ciao, mi chiamo Sarah. E tu? [Hi, my name is Sarah. And you?]

·         Mi chiamo Gianna. Quanti anni hai? [My name is Gianna. How old are you?]

·         Io ho 20 anni. E tu? [I’m 20. And you?]

·         Io ho 21 anni. [I’m 21.]

·         Di che nazionalita’ sei? [What nationality are you?]

·         Sono americana. E tu? [I’m American. And you?]

·         Anch’io sono americana! E di dove sei? [I’m also American! And where are you from?]

·         Sono di Connecticut. E tu? [I’m from Connecticut. And you?]

·         Sono di Michigan. [I’m from Michigan.]

·         Che cosa fai? [What do you do?]

·         Sono studentessa di pedagogia. E tu? [I’m studying education. And you?]

·         Sono studentessa d’inglese. [I’m studying English.]

·         Va bene, ci vediamo presto allora. [Well, I’ll see you soon.]

·         Va bene, ciao! [Alright, bye!]

·         Ciao! [Bye!]

I always think it’s funny to imagine what we sound like to native speakers of Italian. I’d love to sit in a class of Italian students learning English. It would be so strange! There was a girl from the local high school there to help us practice as the university worked out a program with them. She probably laughed listening to us all!

Sociology of Contemporary Italy

Next up was Sociology of Contemporary Italy. My professor for that has an even stronger accent. We talked about the first three things that come to mind when we think of Italy. Mine were wine, pasta, and shoes. Most of the other students had similar lists! The Italian students did the same exercise with the USA. The responses were skyline, melting pot, and consumerism. [Fitting, I thought, but nothing about the social media & image, which I thought may make the list.] Our conversation touched on stereotypes, taking a step back in order to study a culture, focusing on “what’s wrong” as that’s what we’re often drawn to, and the importance quality of life plays in driving political reform. It wasn’t the most thrilling 90 minutes, but hopefully it will get better by the time I have to write my 2,000 word term paper. It’s not all play studying in Rome! 

American Scavenger Hunt

I am incredibly grateful to be here in Rome and I love the city a lot. There are many challenges that we face being Americans trying to adapt to an Italian lifestyle, however. Simple trips to the grocery store and mailing a postcard can be exhausting. I’ve come up with my American Scavenger Hunt of items we’ve been searching for this past week.

Baking Powder

My roommate and I both love to bake & cook. We also both LOVE breakfast the most. It’s unfortunate since that doesn’t seem to be popular in Italy. A typical breakfast is a cappuccino and a pastry. Sometimes I grab an apple from the fruit stand. You can tell it’s not normal to eat a bowl of Frosted Flakes because they are expensive! Anyway, we’ve been craving pancakes and homemade chocolate chip cookies. (Chocolate chips are also non-existent so far.) We just want that small comfort of smelling them in the kitchen and diving in while they’re still warm. Today we FINALLY found baking powder! We had to Google it and take the picture with us – it’s called “Lievito Pane degu Angeli”. We’ve stuck to making scrambled eggs and eating the M&Ms we brought, but I’ll keep you informed when we actually put it to use.

Coffee To Go

I’ll admit it; I miss Starbucks. The cappuccino is to die for, but I miss carrying around that white and green cup with the brown paper sleeve. There’s something about walking around sipping coffee that’s simply different than standing at the bar in a caffe. It’s just a culture shock thing, but it’s a struggle for a coffee lover like me. Tomorrow I start classes and we’ll see how real the struggle becomes then! Oh, and there’s no coffee pot in the apartment. My roommate tried the espresso maker, which required a lot of guesswork. I’m not sure I want to follow in her footsteps after seeing her try the result! 

Chinese Food

It cracks me up how many Chinese and sushi restaurants are here. Apparently it’s a trend that has caught on in both America and Italy. I cannot wait to try Italian Chinese food, though the prospect of reading the menu is a bit daunting.

Dryers

We have a washing machine that we’re not entirely sure how to use, but it is not paired with a dryer. I’m not opposed to hang drying except for the fact that I need my jeans re-shrunk! In addition, we don’t exactly know where to put the soap or what buttons to push on the washing machine. I think I’m going to break down and seek out the Laundromat.

      

      Peanut Butter

My peanut butter was cruelly taken from me at security in the airport. Since then, I’ve been hunting for it in every store. Nutella is delicious, but more of a dessert to me. Peanut butter is an everyday staple on bread, apples, pretzels, or just a spoon! Speaking of pretzels, I can’t find those either L I finally had success, however, and discovered peanut butter in what we now refer to as “the ethnic store”. Right next to my apartment is a small shop called “Maa Alimentari” which means it has groceries. This particular one is run by a few Indian men and sells whole fish (heads, tails, fins, and all), coconut water, shrimp crackers, cous cous, and PEANUT BUTTER! It’s a brand called “Calve” and tastes like combination between crunchy & smooth and natural & hydrogenated, but nonetheless, it’s perfect. Every bite. I’m a happy girl.

There you have it. These are the top five comforts of home I’ve longed for so far. Who’d have thought this would be what I was missing sitting here in my Roman apartment, besides all of my friends and family, of course J

Sweets & Treats

I have hardly posted about eating and drinking here – what’s wrong with me!? Italian food is wonderful. My roommate and I were laughing at how stereotypical it is walking down the street. Every five feet there really is a caffe/bar (they are often referred to as the same thing and serve both alcohol and coffee) or a pizza place! My neighborhood has many little caffes to stand at the bar and sip a cappuccino or grab a slice of pizza to go. For now, I'll start with my sweet tooth :) 

cappuccino

We stopped in this cute looking shop on the corner to have our first cappuccino. All my expectations were exceeded! It was creamy and sweet, and the bartender even sprinkled some cocoa powder (cioccolato) in it for me J I was in heaven! It is a bit strange standing at the bar to sip a cappuccino, but it was so worth every minute of it.

pastry

We walked a bit farther and stopped at another small place. The other girls got Nutella crepes and I had a brioche, which is a pastry made in the shop. They all look different so I pointed to one that looked tasty. It was perfect – flaky, custard filled, and perfectly sweet. I was in heaven!

gelato

Lastly, I have to rave about the gelato. The first night we had it my roommate Gianna and I were supposed to find our way home from the Coliseum as a challenge from the ResGrads who work at AUR. We got a bit lost and decided to venture to the Trevi Fountain instead. Around Fonta de Trevi, as it is called, there is supposed to be the BEST gelato. She got some chocolate chip and offered me a spoon. I couldn't say no, and it was delicious! Cool and creamy, it had the perfect combination of vanilla with a chocolate crunch. Oh, and then it started raining so we cheated and took a cab home. We were exhausted from our first day around Rome, so I think it’s a little bit acceptable. We’ve done a lot better since!

We have also found even more gelato since. It’s actually a long, funny story. We wanted to go for a nice, classic, sit down Italian meal the other night. We headed to Trastevere where the bars and restaurants beautifully line the cobblestone streets. It ended up being about 10:30 which turned out to be just when restaurants were no longer seating people. We did, however, stumble across a cheesy place catering to Americans with live music, twinkly lights, and over the top decorations. Of course, the friendly Italian man outside invited us to eat there. We had nowhere else, so we decided to laugh and go along with it!

The vino della casa was okay, but I had prosciutto and melon for the first time which was wonderful. It perfectly combined sweet and salty and was light enough for an appetizer. My pasta with pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella was okay, but so similar to the gnocchi, tomato, mozzarella, and pesto meal we made the night before! We decided we were pretty good chefs after comparing the two meals. Our apartment, however, lacks the stack of tomato sauce cans, live singer attempting to sing “Sweet Home Alabama,” and our waiter who loved us and wouldn't let us leave without giving the Italian style kisses. He cracked me up. In the end, though, he suggested a gelato place to us about two streets down.

We think the gelato place was closed or we missed it, but when we headed back to the Trastevere area last night, we actually saw it and stopped in. They make all their gelato there in the store – it is never frozen or shipped in like some places. I got a tiny cup with two flavors – chocolate and creme catalana. The chocolate was the smoothest, richest, and creamiest I've ever tasted. The creme catalana was a delight, too. It had a creamy flavor with bits of brown sugar in it. To top it off, he offered homemade whipped cream. Perfection. We even passed our new friend from the cheesy restaurant while walking around eating it and had to thank him for the suggestion! He dove in for kisses again.

My New Home

I walked into my apartment and my jaw dropped! We have a wood floor in a big open room with our dining room table and tiny couch & TV. There is a terrace off the main room with big windows looking at our neighbors. We have a little kitchen in a separate room, which is odd, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms.

My bed feels like I’m sleeping on the pavement outside and my closet still looks empty since I had to pack one fifty pound suitcase for four months. My bedroom has its own terrace overlooking our road, or Circonvallazione. Across the street is the most beautiful hospital I’ve ever seen. It looks almost like it should be a palace, not have an emergency room. Of course being across from the emergency room we hear sirens all day long. The noise they make cracks me up and the ambulances are so small, just like all the cars here.

Speaking of cars – Rome’s traffic just about lives up to all the rumors you’ve heard. It’s insane! I’m not one that’s usually nervous in a car but the van ride from the airport even had me on edge. Taking a taxi was another experience in itself. The Vespas and smart cars zip in and around the buses and trams. Parking is so close I have no idea how people get into their cars and maneuver them onto the road. Streets have crossing signs on occasion, or you just have to “be bold” as we have been advised. Walking my mom through the streets of Rome will be an interesting experience – you risk your life just about every five feet! You also risk stepping in who knows what. The Italians love their dogs, but doggie bags aren’t really a thing here. The thing is that is all seems to work. The people here have their own acknowledged laws and rules. Life is taking some adjusting to but it’s pretty wonderful to be a part of so far.

Many things take some adjusting to other than the traffic. The kitchen life of my apartment has been interesting. Italian food is pretty great as I imagined, but grocery shopping is another story. It seems do-able at first, but simply trying to buy skim milk soon proves to be a challenge! I’m not sure what I ate on my Cheerios yesterday morning, but it was comforting to have a cereal for breakfast. Speaking of, all of my roommates and I agreed that the one thing we miss so far is a big breakfast. Pancake house style. These pastries are lovely, but it takes some getting used to not eating much until later in the day. Did I mention that the bowls in our apartment are more like small plates? I wasn’t sure how to go about it so I ate my cereal out of a coffee mug. We’re equipped with “the essentials”. That doesn’t include any measuring cups, but don’t worry, they did provide us with a cheese board.

The bathrooms aren’t too bad. We have a bidet and a toilet to choose from – guess which we use. One shower is broken so we have to use the tiny one, but at least we have not run out of hot water yet. Our washing machine has what we call the Jaws of Life that you just might lose a finger from while putting your clothes in. I’m not quite sure what to buy for laundry detergent so I haven’t done a load, but when I do, it will have to be hung out on the balcony to dry. That could take a while since it has rained every day since I got here. Apparently this is “winter”. The Italians are bundled up and freezing while we sweat walking up hill to school!  

A lot is different and sometimes difficult, but I’m not going to complain since I’m currently writing this from my apartment in Rome J Life is nothing if not a daring adventure, right? This couldn’t be truer at the moment and I love every second of it. 

The Road to Rome

I’m in Rome. Finally J

Midland to Detroit

My journey began at 5am on January 20. With all the jet lag, it’s hard to keep track of what time and day it is! I meant to post this sooner, but I was completely dead. Better late than never, though, so here it is!

The night before we finished up packing my suitcase… It had to lose six pounds before the trip! Downsized, locked, and strapped in, it was ready to go. After about three hours of not really sleeping, we hopped in the car for the airport, Big Apple Bagel’s and McDonald’s coffee in hand. Soon enough it will be a pastry and a cappuccino. I’m not complaining J

We thought the drive would be an easy one. Clearly, this was not the case. We first saw flashing lights on I-75 and took a small detour with no luck. We passed countless cars spun out, in ditches, and upside down! Thankfully we never slid on the ice. Three and a half hours later, and after the quickest gas station bathroom stop in Baker family history, my dad dropped my mom and me at the North Terminal of Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

I checked in with probably the nicest, friendliest woman on Air Canada’s staff with a bag of EXACTLY 50 pounds. I wish I could say I planned that but really I just crossed my fingers as I set it on the scale. The usual photo shoot took place and I said my goodbyes! Going through security, I learned that no, you are not allowed to carry peanut butter on a plane. It must go in your checked baggage. I’m a little heartbroken, but it looks like I’ll be eating a lot of Nutella instead!

Detroit to Toronto

I made it to Gate D4 way before my plane did! I spent some quality time with my Kindle while munching on cinnamon jelly hearts until this adorable little plane showed up. It was just like in the old movies – the pilot stood outside to greet me as I walked up the stairs onto the plane. I loved every second of it. I even stopped to take this picture! (The airport workers just smiled and laughed.)

There were three of us passengers and two pilots on board. It didn’t hurt that the pilot was young and attractive J

It took less than an hour to touch down in Toronto where I think I probably walked a mile following the “Arrivals” signs. I wasn’t sure if I’d get one, but they stamped my passport! I grabbed some lunch and of course Tim Horton’s coffee since I was in Canada to wait out my five hour layover. Thanks for the Sudoku, Mrs. Shull! It kept me busy for a while.

Toronto to Frankfurt

The next plane I boarded was definitely bigger. I settled in to my seat and lucked out having no one next to me! I put in my headphones and settled in with Sherbert (yes, I took my teddy bear) to watch Sweet Home Alabama and Under the Tuscan Sun. Fitting, right? Something for home and something for Rome. Or something like that. I can only dream of how amazing Italian pasta will be compared to the airplane food, but at least the brownie was tasty. Coffee for breakfast time was even better. At least I was finally across the Atlantic Ocean! All I could see of Frankfurt, Germany was the lights of the airport – I’ll have to really see it when I go to Berlin in May. I took this before the plane took off! It was pitch dark and about 5am when I landed in Germany.

The Toronto airport was a breeze compared to the Frankfurt one. First of all, I finally had to read the fine print beneath signs. I’m so used to reading signs in English in the US that I take it for granted. This trip is teaching me a lot already. I like the challenge. Finding my way is more rewarding and I feel so independent. I followed signs for connecting flights which took me through “Passport Control” to get another stamp J

I had to go through security again. My boots, necklace, or belt must have triggered the detector because I was pulled aside to get patted down. The first thing the woman working said was, “English? Francais?” to figure out what language to speak to me in – something else I take for granted in the US! I think the best way to describe hearing so many languages you don’t understand is humbling. It makes me think about how not everyone is like me nor wants to be like me. I appreciate the security guards, receptionists, and baristas who can cater to me in English because I’m the one who can’t speak their language. Back to security, though; my backpack had to be searched, too. I had a water bottle left over from the flight! Oops. The security woman laughed at all the candy I have in my backpack to share with people at AUR. She probably laughed at my teddy bear, too.

That’s when all the easy to read directions stopped. I found a departures board with my LH 232 flight to Rome FCO leaving from Gate B. Easy enough, right? Actually, there are over 40 “B” gates in Terminal 1. Awesome. The passport control guy I asked for help said to check back with the board about an hour before my flight. This made me a little nervy, especially since I didn’t actually have my boarding pass from Lufthansa yet. With about three hours to wait, I was hungry again! I don’t even know what meal I’m on. How about brunner? That covers all three. I got a yogurt parfait, or “yoghurt with honey and berries” as it was labeled. I’m not exactly sure what kind of berries they were, but they were sweet and I liked them! It was tasty but not at all like anything I’m used to. It’s crazy how different the things people eat around the world are when they look and sound so much the same.

The board finally updated me that my gate was B10. I met a wonderful woman named Teresa in the airport. She’s so interesting I’ll have to talk about her in another post! I also met a boy from MSU going to AUR. Crazy! He had a bracelet that said “My Spartan Career” so I figured I’d ask.

Frankfurt to ROME J

I sat next to a 23 year old Italian boy on the plane who I didn’t mind chatting with one bit. I’ll post about him and Teresa later! I didn’t expect food, but Lufthansa is pretty great in my book because they gave me a chocolate stuffed croissant. Oh yeah. This was the view out the window.

I met back up with Joey from State – it made it a lot easier getting off the plane and having someone to grab my bags and go through customs with. Students and a staff member met us at the exit, put us on the bus, and brought us to our apartments. I was finally at my new home.

I could go on, but I think that’s enough for now. Ciao!

Every Brunette Needs a Blonde Best Friend

I recently came across this adorable quote & picture on Pinterest and it was just too perfect. The timing was also impeccable and the saying is just so accurate.

I've been lucky enough to grow up across the street from my [blonde] best friend. The pavement between our houses probably needs repair, I still have her home phone number memorized, baking in her kitchen is just like baking in my own, and she knows me just as well as my family. I don't know what my childhood would have been without eating donuts and building igloos on snow days, racing up and down the street on scooters during intense games of Cops 'n Robbers, flooding her sandbox when the temperature finally hit 80 degrees, climbing the sycamore tree in her front yard, setting up homes for our American Girl dolls under my piano, and so much more. We somehow survived AP/IB Biology senior year together, mostly due to our love of White Collar episodes and Espresso Milano coffee getting us through those long nights.

College must have pulled us too far apart as fate decided to reunite us in Italy this semester :) We both have a love for the world and a passion for exploring every inch of it so naturally we dove right in to finding study abroad programs. Chatting about where our next adventures would be, we discovered that we'd be living about three hours apart this spring. Our campuses in Italy are closer than they are here in Michigan! Crazy. She'll be in Florence while I'll be at the American University of Rome.

Sometimes our schedules could not be more opposite, but I've been lucky enough to spend some time with her before we both fly across the Atlantic Ocean! This past week we went skiing in Harbor Springs at Nub's Nob and Boyne Highlands. It was so worth it to brave the cold, windy weather for the beautiful, powdery conditions.

Soon enough we'll be having some 50 degree weather and fully recovered from using a lot of muscles we're not used to! We made a delicious farewell dinner for our parents (the recipe for the yummy pesto chicken can be found here) and finally shopped downtown for "Michigan made" and unique American gifts to bring to Italy. Did you know that Reese's don't exist everywhere?! Hershey is all-American. I suppose I'll get by with delicious European chocolate... According to my brother, Cadbury will be a valid replacement to satisfy my sweet tooth! We both put a jar of peanut butter on our packing list, however, as we may not survive with out that. We also found salt water taffy, peach rings, stickers with the Great Lakes that say "Unsalted & Shark Free", a Michigan mitten pendant, and a Michigan shaped cookie cutter. Hopefully our new friends will like them :)

We haven't planned our visits to each other's new homes, but they'll be on the calendar soon enough. I can't wait to share and compare pictures, stories, and memories with this girl. Love you, Cath! Arrivederci :)

P.S. You can keep up with her adventures by following Pages of the World.

Procrastination

It's almost time.

I have so much to do - packing, photocopying, shopping, goodbyes... The list goes on. I feel like I've been getting ready for so long, yet I'm completely unprepared! My mom always says it's the waiting that's the hardest thing to do. She couldn't be more right. So what am I doing instead of picking out which scarves to bring and finding gifts for friends I make? I'm sitting here updating my blog.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous or excited, and naturally the answer is both. I think I've figured out the formula. The excitement obviously comes from the prospect of living among history, meeting friends from all around the world, drawing where the masters once did, eating unbelievably delicious food, and drinking every different wine I can find. The nerves? Those come from the whole getting there ordeal. Once I make it through two layovers, an overnight flight, airplane food, customs, navigating baggage claim in an Italian airport, finding AUR staff to pick me up, and settling in to my apartment, I'm golden. All those problems I may come across? I told myself I'll figure it out.

And I will figure it out! My new year's resolution was to "make it happen". This fits into so many aspects of my life at home, school, and on this wild, upcoming adventure. I believe the best teachers inspire their students to go out on their own adventures when they have stories to tell themselves. We don't have to travel to the ends of the earth - experiences and opportunities can occur everyday in our own backyards. We simply have to look for them and be willing to make it happen. David Allen has a quote saying "you can do anything but not everything". I'm going to challenge myself and my future students to do both!