1st Week in Rome

I have been in Italy for a week now. Classes has started yesterday. Classes here are very similar to home. However, it seem like they do a lot of group work here. Attendance policies are very strict due to past study aboard students.

Things that I realize that are different here are no dryers and microwaves. You have to hang your clothes on drying racks. It may take up to three days to dry. If you want to cook a meal you should cook small proportion because it is really hard to reheat food without a microwave.

Everyone drives smart cars and motorcycles. Gas is really high so they prefer smaller transportation. People are reckless driver here. They do not look when they back up, they speed up when you're crossing the street, and staying in a lane is not realistic. They do not know how to park cars. They will park on sidewalks, in the middle of the street and on top of each other if they could. Public transportation is really nice here and inexpensive. A monthly ticket is 30 euro.

The market are really small. Matter of fact everything here is really small. Smaller proportions, refrigerator, cars, washer, bathroom, stove etc. If you go out to eat there are no dogie bag so you do not want to order everything off the menu. They are also really big on energy conserving and recycling.

If you are preparing to travel aboard I would really suggest you learn Italian because not many people speak English. It is not require for you to learn at Carlow but it would be very helpful. If you know Spanish you could probably get by because most people also speak Spanish.

When packing for Rome I would suggest packing stuff you can layer because it's cold during the morning and get hot during the day. Bring whatever you want because people here do wear a lot of clothes that we have at home. Examples of stores I found here are Gap, Footlocker, and Sephora. Boots and leather jackets are really in. They dress more conservative and professional. However, I have seen some people in sweat pants. I would definitely pack two suit case and a carry on because products here are really expensive. Pack everything you use on a daily base to save money.

Airborne

     At this moment in time I am on a plane heading to Rome. It is about an 8 hours flight from Philadelphia to Rome. I never realize how hard it is to sleep on a plane before. I have four seats to myself to stretch out which is really nice. However, I am just unable to sleep and I don’t know if it is because I’m ready to be in Rome or just uncomfortable.

     Packing for four months was really hard. I brought two suit case (checked-in), one carry on and a book bag. First suitcase I packed is filled with clothes, second suitcase is filled with products, the carry on is filled with things I can use on the plane, and the book bag is filled with school supplies. I am well prepare for the trip in my opinion. 

     Right now I am excited and nervous. I’m excited for a new experience in culture, language, people and history. I’m nervous for when I touch down, picking up my luggage, meeting the roommates and classes. I can’t wait to safely get off the plane and start my adventure. Till then I am going to try to get some rest since it is a six hours time difference.