Free Time at Last

This past weekend was amazing--it was finally nice to have some time (more than a few hours) to get to know the vast city I am in, though I doubt I will ever fully understand Rome, with its winding cobblestone roads, somewhat nightmare-ish public transportation, and immense building structures. But I definitely made an honest effort to do just that this weekend. Saturday was the first day I didnt have to set an alarm, so I woke up at 9 (not at leisurely as I had hoped) and finally went for a run in my area! And this time, I actually found the Villa Doria Pamphilj, which was just breathtaking. There were so many people out, running, walking, and biking, it was great. After getting ready, I decided to walk to the area around my school (about a 40 minute walk and very easy), to locate different places I needed to be going to. Its a beautiful area, very tourist-oriented, though, with St. Petes Basilica about a 10 minute walk away, the Castle of Saint Angelo across the street, and the Coliseum nearby. I finally bought some food for my apartment, so I'm no longer just living off cereal, which is great!

Saturday night I had a thrill visiting the Coliseum during one of its rare night tours offered through my program here. Only 20 of us were able to go, as spots were limited, and I was so glad to be one of them. All I can say is, the Coliseum will never look as beautiful to me during the day as it does as night, especially under the false full-moon lighting that was set up in the Coliseum specifically for the night tours. Along with the special lighting, those of us on the tour were able to go onto the main stadium floor that they have constructed partially over what is considered the "backstage" of the gladiator games. This is something they only allow to occur during the night tours, and it was awe-inspiring. From that point in the Coliseum, one can almost imagine the adrenaline pumping through in those original Gladiators as the began their "games", just trying to survive.

Sunday morning, I went to a market with my roommate called Porta Portese. Porta Portese is Rome's largest flea market, and one of the largest in Europe. We arrived just a little after 8, which we soon realized was the perfect time to get there-by 9:30 the place was PACKED. The place was massive, as if being the biggest flea market in Rome is saying that enough. I still have no idea where the end of the market was, since my roommate and I walked around for close to 2 hours and didn't find it. Luckily, it is right around the corner, so I plan to hopefully visit the market again soon-it was exhilarating to try to bargain with the stall owners and not spend more than 1 euro on a skirt!

Today was the first day of our intensive italian courses, and while it was nice to be in a class again, learning, it was stressful and I already have homework! I'm excited to start using the language a bit more with the locals, as I've gotten through the last week with a handful of "grazie"s and "prego"s, and not much else. I also had a meeting with an internship coordinator today, and will hopefully find out in the next week if I have an internship at an actual excavation this semester! I decided on applying for the archaeology internship with the Department of Antiquities of Rome because it would give me more of a chance to interact with Italians, and therefore bring me closer to actually understanding this amazing language and city. Fingers crossed, though!

It has been a crazy first week in Rome, and I've loved almost every second of it. The mosquitoes (something a guide book doesn't tell you about) have been increasingly annoying--forcing me to wear bugspray in my own apt!, the sometimes confusing public transportation that I've come to love and hate at the same time, and now the intensive Italian courses, are probably not my absolutely favorite parts of my time here, but regardless, I am loving it. Miss you all!