First Week of Class

Buonjourno! It has been a busy, busy week so there wasn't much time to blog. So let me give you all the readers digest version of the week. Also-- to find out more about the actual site/monuments we visit and what we do each day check out our class blog "Daily Diary" at http://dailydiarys09.blogspot.com/

It's a busy Saturday afternoon at the market- Campo de Fiori. Sitting in my third floor apartment I can hear a clarinet player serenading tourists, a man attempting to sell fake designer purses (he keeps saying "Bag with free things! Heylow.. it's pretty funny), a myriad of clanking and crashing as the vendors start to pack up their stands and prepare for a siesta and the constant honking of an impatient Vespa. Life is good here in Roma!

After we moved in on Monday afternoon, we were treated to a delicious (and authentic) Italian FEAST. We had a beautiful selection of antipasta (appetizers) including thinly sliced tuna with arugula (SO good!), eggplant parmigana, a spinch/cheese patty, sautéed zucchini and a piece of really crusty bread with provolone and tomatoes... and that was ONLY the appetizers! ha. Then, I enjoyed a bowl of eggplant, peppers and feta cheese fetachini. So good-- probably the best pasta I've had here so far :) For the main course I enjoyed veal with potatoes and for dessert, tiramisù. Yum.

Educationally, this week was all about ancient Rome and the ubiquity of political propaganda observed in the epic monuments. Tuesday we headed out to the Roman Forum for class. Rome is literally my classroom. Nearly everyday we learn about the significance, history, controversy, symbolism etc. of the monument/site as we are standing in front of it. It's an amazing way to learn. Walking around the 2000 year old ruins-- the Roman forum is definitely a place where a good imagination is helpful. Restructuring the crumbled columns into a bustling meeting place adorned in colored marbles and bronze statues/leafing makes the site come to life. I enjoy trying to put myself into ancient Rome... toga, toga, toga!

Wednesday we had our first class with Professor Modiano (Gift and Sacrifice.) It is a classroom based humanities type course, but still extremely thought provoking. Professor Modiano is an incredibly engaging teacher and the subject-matter is very interesting. After class, we went to the Ara Pacis. The ancient Temple/arch was once used as a place to slaughter sacrificial animals. Really beautiful! For dinner, Erin made me some gnocci (purchased from the dairy store) with sausage (purchased from the pork store) and peppers, garlic, onions (purchased from the market!) cooked in olive oil and wine. Oooh, yum. Just thinking about it makes me hungry :) ha. Later that evening, we took a break from our reading and walked to Trevi with some boys here from Oregon studying architecture at the UW Rome Center. Earlier that day they had met with Rome's expert on aquaducts/fountains. So, it was an enjoyable and informative trip to Trevi. We learned that the tradition "toss three coins over your shoulder to ensure you'll come back to Rome" originated as drinking water from a fountain on the right side of Trevi. So of course, we all took a BIG slurp of water to ensure that we'd come back to Roma! (Don't worry moms, the water was completely drinkable-- there are drinking water fountains all over this city!)

Thursday we went to the Coliseum and the Baths of Caracalla. We all got a little touristy and took "gladiator" pictures-- muscles flexed and fierce facial expressions. Did you know that they used to flood the Coliseum and actually have "sea" battles?? It is hard to imagine that so many people enjoyed watching the brutality and public execution of these battles. Pretty sickening to imagine-- they justified the fighting because many of the gladiators were criminals or murders. It is said that one man was chained to a post and eaten alive by a bear for all to watch. This man was either a Christian or had done something wrong (I can't remember what!) and this gruesome public execution was a threat to others. Then, there was a play written about the man, and every year they would be a reenactment using a real man and a real bear... year after year. Disgusting. The Baths of Caracalla were much more relaxing. In ancient Rome, after the morning work and afternoon siesta, the people would head to the baths. Here they would get massaged and pampered and then jump into cool, warm or hot pools. I wish it still existed. My shoulders are feeling a little tight and on a hot day like today-- a cool pool sounds like a dream come true :) For dinner, some of the girls went out for some pizza! I cannot properly describe how delicious Italian pizza is. The crust is literally cracker thin, but it is crispy and doughy at the same time. There must be some sort of structural complexity to the crust, because Romans LOAD their pizzas with the good stuff. You'd think a thin little crust wouldn't be able to hold all the fix-ins.

On Friday, after Professor Modiano's class we headed out to Trajan's Column, Market and forum for MY presentation. I was happy to get it behind me. Trajan was a great emperor and Rome truly hit its peak under his rule. The excess of gold and silver he brought back from the Dacian wars funded his building of the "greatest fora of all time." And... the market is literally the first indoor shopping mall. Mall-rats everywhere are eternally indebted to Trajan. After my presentation, Nick taught us all about the Pantheon. It was a good day and we were both SO relieved to be done. For dinner, some of the girls and I enjoyed a Roman classic-- filletti baccala-- fried cod! yum.

So far, Rome has really captured my heart. My favorite places have all been discovered through just wandering the streets. Anytime I walk past a church and see that it is open-- I get this impulse to run inside. Every single church I have been inside makes my jaw drop. They are truly breathtaking. Decorated with paintings and sculptures by Caravaggio and Bernini-- every church is museum in itself. Yesterday, we walked into a church and a group of Italian nuns were saying the rosary. It was simply beautiful. Hearing their voices in unison praising God and absorbing the gold-leafed and marble adorned statues, alters and floors. I can't help but lite a candle in each one I walk in... so lovely.

Another thought: I've noticed that the homeless population is starkly different than it is in Seattle. It is truly heartbreaking to see the people begging because often times they are older women. Dressed in tattered scarves with canes to support their bent backs-- it is much harder to walk past these women than the stereotypical beer-bellied man who needs money for his next drink. My heart goes out to these women... it's truly hard to know what to do. I smile and say "ciao," but what else can I do. This morning I passed a woman, who had huge growths on her head. It looked like she had fist-sized bubbles of skin all over her scalp. It was really bizarre looking. I know that Italians do take good care of their homeless population, but seeing that woman this morning was my first dose of culture shock.

Goal for the weekend: find some art supplies. I've decided I'm going to be like the Roman artists and set-up camp beside a picturesque alley or fountain and sketch/paint. Maybe I can even sell some to tourists?? ha. Just kidding!

Well, thanks for reading, this was a lengthy one! Sending much love to you!

Amore, Ciao bellas and bellos :)

Mayme

Day 3: Nick's 22nd Birthday! (Sunday)

Sorry, I got waaay too tired last night to write about my 3rd day spent in Roma. So here it goes... since it was Sunday, some of the other fellow Catholics (Erin, Cat, Laura) and I decided to scope out a church to attend mass. As I'm sure you know, Rome has no shortage of Catholic churches. We decided on St. Susana, a church within walking distance of the hostel and a sister to a parish in Boston. The mass was conducted in English-- and the priest seemed very nice, except for the time he literally waited for a painful 15 or so seconds for a family coming in late to find their seats. He then says "settle down now!" Ah! I was so embarrassed for the family. Personally, I think it's great that Rome inspires people to attend church, no matter of their regularity of attendance.
As we were walking back to the hostel, we decided to stop into another church we passed along the way. I couldn't remember why the church "St. Maria della Vittorio" sounded SO familiar until we walked inside and realized it housed Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa. For 5 credits, I am doing a group research project on this exhibit. It was breath-taking to see it in person, and really satisfying to know some of the controversy and history behind the sculpture. Apparently the look of surprise/awe on my face as I entered the chapel was pretty entertaining to some British women who were passing us at the door. This serendipitous event truly epitomizes my experience here in Rome so far. It is easy to be unconsciously strolling down the street and just fall upon two-thousand year old ruins or an infamous Bernini sculpture. Rome is essentially a big scavenger hunt. Curiosity is a BIG bonus in Rome.
Since it was Nick's 22nd birthday, I really wanted to do something especially fun. Nick was being a good honors student and working diligently on his upcoming presentation, while I schemed with the Canadian hostel employee (Justin). Justin suggested riding the train to a nearby beach for the afternoon. Excited about the plan, I went outside to convince Nick and the others... just as the grayest looking clouds encroached on the day. On to plan B, climbing the 500+ stairs to the very top of the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica. It is Roman law that no building can be higher than the dome, so the view from the top encompasses Rome in ALL its glory. As we (Erin, Nick, Maggie, Peter and I) stepped into Vatican square lightning flashed and thunder crashed-- which only seemed to add to the sheer power and majesty of this city of God. So, that little voice inside my head told me it wasn't the smartest idea to go to the HIGHEST point in Rome during a lightning storm, but we justified ourselves by thinking that if we did get struck by lightning and die that it would've resembled the Old Testament times of God striking people down with a thunderbolt... and decided we'd be infamous. Catholic newsletters everywhere would publish that story. ha (or maybe not so funny for the moms reading this xo.) Anyway, because of the rain-- the crowds were very small and we zipped through all the lines. The view of the high alter and the inside of St. Peter's from the inside of the cupola and the view of Rome/Vatican city from the top of the cupola was truly amazing. I suggest paying the 5euro and getting the quad-workout and making the trek up the stairs. You won't regret it :)

After we were thoroughly soaked from walking around (and around and around...) the top of the cupola we decided it was time to get dry and some dinner. A group of 8 of us wandered around for nearly an hour looking for the perfect Italian restaurant. We definitely had the "Goldie Locks" syndrome- either the price was a bit too steep, or the menu wasn't quite what we were looking for, or some other objection. Finally after asking some locals for a recommendation we found exactly what we were looking for. The Porca Vacca (the fat cow) was a pizzeria extraordinaire. There were beautiful cases of roasts, streaks, prime ribs, yuuum. We were clearly the only English-speaking people in the entire restaurant and the waiter seemed REALLY irritated that we didn't know Italian when he approached our table. He quickly passed us off to an English-speaking waiter- Ergent (pronounced kinda like 'arrogant') or Eric ('Er-eek') for short. Eric tried SO hard to please us-- helping us navigate the menu, select the best meals available and he even whipped together a handmade pastry/dessert for Nick's birthday. My daily goal was to eat some tiramisu-- and was achieved with a specail Nutella-infused rendition from the restaurant. All of us left much happier (we got a little grump along that loooong trek), very full and excited to return for a bistecca (steak) next time!

So far today, Day 4, we just moved into our new apartments. I am excited to live literally on the Campo de Fiori. Outside my window, you can see all the street vendors, farmers with produce and umbrella/canopy clad restaurants. We had a brief orientation and tonight we have our "Welcome" dinner. I'm getting pretty hungry :)

Daily Goals: Missions Accomplished.

So, I've been a little lazy about this blog business and have chosen to sleep instead of blogging the last few nights. ha. Here's what went down:

Day 2 in Roma:
I started the day soaked in sweat, lovely. Apparently no one was joking when they said how HOT Rome can be. Attached to our hostel is an outdoor patio where breakfast is served, WiFi is free and the people watching is plentiful. I have decided that apart from noting my experience amid the ancient history and splendor of Rome, I am planning on using this blog to describe my favorite meals of the day. Also, I have been making daily goals. So far these goals have been focused on food items that I REALLY want to consume. My goal for Day 2 was scoring the best gelato in town. Around the corner from the Pantheon my mission was completed. I enjoyed a cup of dark chocolatey/liquery, pineapple/white chocolate, cafe and raspberry (with seeds, yum) gelato. A word for the wise-- even though gelato in a cone looks SO good avoid the temptation. The warm weather of Rome melts gelato in literally .5 seconds.
Nick, Peter and I were joined by some more people from the program and decided to show them around. ha... yea. After spending about 30 hours in Rome I already feel like an expert of bus route 40/64, the underground, navigating maps/streets and asking pleasant looking locals for directions. We wandered through the Pantheon, using Nick as our tour guide (he's doing an independent presentation on it) and enjoyed piecing together the transition of a pagan temple to a Catholic church. Truly, Rome is full of juxtapositions. Literally standing side-by-side, the Pantheon and McDonalds create an atmosphere of contrast between the ancient civilization and modernity coexisting in one environment. For dinner, a group of six of us (Nick, Maggie, Peter, Erin, Melanie, me!) strolled along the streets to find a nice little Italian joint. I have decided the best strategy in ordering is asking the waiter/waitress for their personal recommendation. I have found that although the meals aren't exactly what I would usually order-- I have not been disappointed yet. For dinner, I ordered spaghetti with a treasure trove of sea food. There were literally tiny squid (tentacles included), mussels, butter clams and shrimp in their shells. It was absolutely DELICIOUS. I forced Peter and Nick to help me finish... it was WAY too good to leave behind. That pretty much sums up Day 2.

From the Emerald city to the Eternal city

Ciao! Greetings from Roma. I had a slight (HUGE!) panic attack when I realized my flight out of Seattle was actually scheduled to takeoff at 12:55pm instead of 9:30pm. Coming to the rescue, Mom/Lindsay and I woke up with the sun (4am) and cruised over to Seattle. Without checking ANY bags (I was really proud of myself) Nick Kramer, my travel buddy, and I jumped on a plane to Amsterdam.
On the plane I sat by this lovely British man who was headed back to England for his 17-year old daughter's Prom! Enjoying some complimentary wine, I watched the film Taken. I'm pretty sure I elbowed the nice British guy a couple times-- that's an INTENSE movie. ha. Thankfully, I was awake only to eat for the remainder of the flight.
Finally arriving in Roma, Nick and I found a 'real' cab (not to be confused with the Gypsy cab drivers or the ones without meters) and we received a brief tour of Roma on our way to the Campo de Fiori/UW Rome Center. Dropped off at the edge of a bustling market, we really had no idea where to go. We drug our bags across the uneven cobblestone, asked a nice (and perfectly plump) Italian woman where the 'Hotel Campo de Fiori' (a major landmark 'adjacent' to the UWRC) was located. After finding the hotel, we stumbled around a while with our directions in hand-- puzzled by which of the doors was 'adjacent' to the hotel. Finally, we discovered the mammoth green doors covered in graffiti belonged to the UWRC. Never would've guessed that! At the UWRC we dropped off our big bags, got a map of Roma and some recommendations of good places to eat. First stop-- the cell phone store (TIM)! At TIM, we bumped into a group of UW students here for the CHID program. So, there were LOTS of familiar faces. Next we jumped on a bus and headed for Hostel Yellow. Arriving at the hostel, Nick and I were in separate rooms-- but staying in my room there were two sweet sisters from Oklahoma and two boys from New York. Our hostel is packed with Americans. ha. After freshening up, we connected with another boy from our program, Peter, and headed back to the Campo. We wandered around, taking in the picturesque back-alleys and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. We walked to Piazza Navona, where there was no shortage of artists, hand-holding, fountains, cobblestones and photo-opts. Adhering to our stomaches' obnoxious growls, we decided it was time for some pizza and wine! I enjoyed a delicious four-cheese zuccini flower pizza and some white wine. Then, Nick and I decided to go on a Rick Steves evening stroll from Campo de Fiori to the Spanish Stairs. We enjoyed walking through Rome in the twilight-- awe-struck by the Pantheon, bumped into Trajan's Column/Market, witnessed a proposal at Trevi fountain and climbed EVERYONE of the Spanish stairs. Jumping onto a Metro/underground-- we finally headed home... and that was only Day 1, many more to come!