Weekend Marathon in Rome *Part 2*
From Well, It's February Now... in Vatican City, Italy on Feb 09 '07
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So after the rest of the program left, I walked around the city for a while, and then I met up with my friend, Marco, with whom I stayed. We went out for some pizza, I took my first ever tram ride, which was hilarious, and I had no idea what was going on the entire time. It kinda reminded me of San Francisco, although I have never been there, it reminded me of my preconceived image of SanFran. If that makes sense...Then we met up with one of my roommates, Corin, who stayed with us the first night, and went back to Florence on Sunday.
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On Sunday, I went to mass St. Peter's Basilica, which was breathtaking/full of people/slightly ridiculous. But let me back up for a moment. While in line to enter the basilica, I overheard some kid say he was from Wisconsin, so naturally my ears prick up, and then we started chatting, it was SO nice to finally hear someone with sort of the same accent as I do! But his name was Corey, he was from Wisconsin, and goes to school in Notre Dame, and is now studying in Rome. So we went in and did the whole mass thing. It was such an amazing experience. Even though it was all in Italian, I could still tell when they said the Lord's Prayer, and when they did Communion, and when they shared the peace, it was kind of entertaining to pretend like I knew exactly what was being said at every moment. Michelangelo's Pieta is also housed in St. Peter's. It's the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ. It is said to be Michelangelo's greatest work of art, it is also the only one he has signed, probably indicating his satisfaction in the work. So that was interesting to see, it really is breathtaking, I got the goosebumps. I was in the Catholic epicenter of the world. Yikes! Then after Mass, Corey, Corin, and I went and got some gelato, and I returned to Marco's house, and Corin returned to Florence.
Roaming Rome and Sesto...
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When I got back to Marco's, all his roommates were there, whic was a spectacle. Marco (there are 2 marcos!) is Italian, and is quite funny, speaks very little english, so it was fun to converse with him. Then there was Christos, who is Greek, and has been living in Italy for 7 years. He is a dentist and is getting his specialization in Oral Surgery. Christos would laugh at everything, whether or not it was actually funny, and he had this really high pitched girly laugh, so I couldn't help but laugh whenever he did! The first thing he said to me was "I'm so glad to finally hear some damn English being spoke in this house! I'm sick of the Italian language!" I had to laugh at that one! And then Marco (my friend Marco) is writing his thesis to get his Masters in science of Communication. These guys were all so smart, it was fairly impressive. So Marco cooked dinner, I learned how to make pasta carbonara, which is delicious, and we just chatted. I found it interesting the way Italians live. So Marco is 26, getting his masters, and his father gives him money each month because he is studying. They thought I was insane for having a job during college, and having one in the summer! I kinda like this culture. They told me no one usually has a normal job during college. And that they don't work in the summer because they travel and do things. They told me Italians get married really really late compared to Americans. For instance, it is extremely unusual to get married before 30. Marco said he will probably get married in 10 years, because he wants to finish schooling, and travel, and start working. I may have been born in the wrong country! How refreshing! After a long dinner and conversation, I was so ready for bed, and getting home to Florence!
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Oh, as you may well know, Wednesday was Valentine's Day. It's actually not as big or commercialized as it is in America, which is kinda nice for single people. :) But Wednesdays are also the days i have my 5th grade class (I team-teach with another girl, Jenny), so we bought them candy, and made them all Valentine's, and gave them to them. Then, they spent a half-hour and made valentine's for us. They are the cutest bunch of kids I have ever seen. Then we played games, and I'm finally starting to get to know all their names, and we can actually talk in Italian and English together. Although they make fun of my awful italian all the time, they are adorable! Also...earlier in the day, I was taking a small break from life in my room, writing some emails and whatnot, and Karen and Brittany come running up the steps yelling "Leah got a present". So I got excited thinking Mom and Dad had sent me a package, (all I really wanted was those candy hearts with the sayings on them, they don't sell them here anywhere!) but they come waltzing in with a dozen long-stemmed red roses. (gulp!) So I open the card, and sure enough they are from James. haha So apparently I have an admirer...not entirely sure where that is all going, oh well, I have been advised to just enjoy having an admirer... ok sure?! Then later, we look up the place where they came from online, and realize that these roses cost 120 Euro. YIKES! That's roughly 160 US dollars, not including delivery. Ok, so I guess he's established. haha, too bad I'm just a free spirit! So then, in the midst of our stalking we decide to look up the companies these guys work for. The brits we were with work for the "#1 National Builders Merchant in all of the UK". We were rolling with some ballers, the company's turnover is 1.6 billion british pounds per year. holy shit. (sorry, but that was called for, I know you're thinking it too!) The company James works for is one of the 50 fastest growing companies in UK with a turnover of 20 million British pounds per year.
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So, that, my friends, was my weekend in Rome. A belated Buon San Valentino a tutti! Miss you all, love you all (as always!). Oh, tomorrow is the monthly organic market, I'm going to go look for the man I thought was extremely attractive last month! Hopefully he's there, maybe this time I'll actually say something to him! Then, next week, Spring Break starts! So you probably won't be hearing from me for a while, unless I am dying, in which case I'll be sure to call you! hah Just kidding, I'll be fine! I'm going to Slovenia and Croatia, and am quite excited! Don't know a single thing about either country, but I guess I will learn. I'm staying with a friend in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and then in hostels in Croatia! Should be a great get away! Anyways, until then, Abbraci e Baci (hugs and kisses!)!
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Ciao Ciao!
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