Rome: La Citta Eterna

I arrived in Rome on June 19, 2011. The first thing I noticed was that Rome in real life is not like Rome in the Lizzie McGuire Movie. Red Vespas don't line the streets - Yamaha motos do. Silly as it sounds, the lack of red Vespas was probably the biggest disappointment when I arrived.  

Finally spending time with my study abroad group was so exciting - and seeing my friend/sister, Erica! We hadn't seen each other since the going away dinner some of our sorority sisters threw us so that was fun. Looking back, another part of my arrival in Rome was significant, although I didn't realize it then.  I had a hard time opening the door to the apartment/hotel room five of us were living in. Luckily, one of my roommates heard me struggling and opened the door for me - it was none other than Maura, who is now one of my sorority sisters as well! Sharing a room with someone for five weeks can be good or bad; luckily it worked out well for the two of us!

Via Candia, the street I lived on!

And my first photo of Italy.

This was a great balcony because it had better WiFi than the rest of the apartment. 

We all went to dinner at one of the only restaurants opened late on a Sunday, and apparently made a bunch of cultural faux pas.  Here is the list:
1. We asked for olive oil and cheese with our bread.
2. Cappuccino after dinner.
3. Tipping - not such a bad faux pas for the restaurant, but it's not common in Italy, especially for students to do so.

That night, we went on a late night walk around our neighborhood - Cipro to be exact - which was a ton of fun (and I had a great time being the translator!).

At the time, Cipro was a boring neighborhood to stay in, and I would never suggest someone spend a ton of time there, but now I would do anything to go back! That night was the start of a ton of great memories for my study abroad group - I am glad that most of us keep in touch today!