My semester abroad has officially begun! I have been in Rome for less than 24 hours, and I have already experienced such amazing Italian things—sleepwalking while I do so, maybe—but still going strong and enjoying the journey!
While getting to Rome, I was so unbelievably nervous.I had never flown alone before and was under the impression I would be detained in security and suspected of some obscure smuggling crime.
Nonetheless, everything went perfectly and I even saw Ne-Yo in the airport (he sings "Sexy Love"—very 2007). I barely slept on the plane ride because I was equal parts nervous and excited.
Upon arriving in Rome, I followed a man in a business suit from my plane because he looked knowledgeable about the ins and outs of going through immigration and baggage claim.This unaware stranger did not lead me astray, and I made it through immigration as well as baggage claim very easily.
Next, my ride from the airport. My mother (who lives in Rome) told me she had arranged for a car to pick me up. All I was told by her was that Mauro, a handsome, older Italian man—smartly dressed— would find me and drive me to her apartment. Seemed easy enough.
My plane arrived 45 minutes early, and my bag was one of the first off of the baggage carousal, so I was early to the party. Because of this, Mauro was not there when I arrived at the exit to the airport.
I frantically searched for a sign that said "Shawnee" and had more than one awkward exchanges with older Italian men who were "smartly dressed." After sending multiple frantic texts to my sister and mother and even trying to place an international call—I saw my sister in the distance. Shocked, I barely gave her any sort of reaction because I was too busy trying to register in my mind that I no longer needed to be in full on panic mode.
Realizing that I no longer needed to panic, I could appreciate that my mother and sister were standing right in front of me!
We all piled into the car and made our way into the city. First thing I noticed—the driving. It's mayhem. No one obeys any semblance of rules, and I spent the majority of the time thinking—this is how I die—my first day in Rome.
Despite my fears, we all managed to make it to my mother's apartment in Trastevere. It's tiny, as most European apartments are, but extremely cozy with balconies reaching around the entire space.
We hit the ground running and immediately began walking around and exploring.The jet lag hadn't hit yet, so I was all for it.
The cobblestones are everywhere. The majority of the streets are comprised of these ancient little stones and modernity mingles with ancient ruins in the form of buildings. People are everywhere. Oddly enough, there is no concept of personal space—I found out as I leaned up against a street wall to rest my tired and aching feet—only to find that someone else had the same idea and need—to stand directly on top of me.
It's only been a day and a half, but from what I have seen so far, I think I'm going to like it here.
~Allora~
