Hello there!
Well, my Friday was definitely exhausting, and even though it's past midnight right now, I wanted to jot everything down before the memories slipped away during sleep.
We had our academic orientation today and they explained a lot about how the academic portion of the program will run. Afterward, they held the italian language placement exam, and I took it hoping that my Rosetta stone would enable me to move up to the "Advanced Beginner" level. The test had a lot of things that I didn't know, but I really want to learn as much Italian as I can so that I can interact with people more!
On that note, however, during a break from our orientation I went to a coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino in Italian. It was quite empowering and I felt super cool. The best part though? The CAPPUCCINO!!! Man oh man, it was seriously the most delicious drink I've ever had in my life. It might become a daily thing for sure.
After the placement test, I had to walk home by myself because my roommates opted out of taking it (they haven't taken any italian). It was kind of scary because I still have very few bearings (apart from the Vatican) to help me find my way, but in the end I managed to find my way back to my apartment without getting lost once!
In the evening, my roommates and I eventually ended up doing some pretty cool things.
We visited the Trevi Fountain - it's literally awe inspiring. While pictures capture beauty of the scene, they don't show the SIZE. It was huge! So much detail, and because we went at night it was lit up beautifully. My apartment-mate Claudia and I were getting along great this evening so we both threw coins in the fountain and took pictures (I'll try to upload and send them tomorrow). I think I want to go back to the fountain often, because it's just such a great piece of art.
We also got gelatto (my first since being in Italy) and it was amazing. I got arancia e fragola (a scoop of blood orange and one of strawberry), and the server complemented me on my Italian accent(I definitely felt a little smug about that). We then went to the Spanish steps, and I felt like I was in Roman Holiday when Audrey Hepburn was eating gelatto there as well. We climbed up to the top (so many stairs!) and it was a great view. The street we could see was lined with glowing street lamps and the dome of St Peters was shining in the background. It was great getting to do touristy things at night, because it wasn't too crowded and I felt that I could really appreciate the beauty of it all a lot more.
After the Spanish Steps, some of our group wanted to go to this Irish Pub, but Claudia and I were too tired and our feet hurt from walking what must have been at least 6 or seven miles today, so we took the metro home.
It's officially my weekend, and after I (hopefully) sleep in a little and get rid of these seemingly perpetual dark circles under my eyes, I'll have some me-time at the Botanical Gardens. I think that having some personal reflection time in such a beautiful place will be great for unwinding and de-stressing from all of the new sights and social interactions from the past few days.
Love you lots and wish you could be here!
-Anna
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