First Week- Exploring Rome

Upon my first day in Rome, my roommate and I decided to take a walk to find our school. We had absolutely no idea where we were except for the small direction map that Study Abroad Italy supplied us with. Rome is not designed in a grid designed format, instead it is as though they set up buildings and then decided to make walking/ driving paths to fit between the buildings. On the way to our school we probably took at least 15 turns within a mile, which includes the streets that you come to that fork out and you have to pick and choose which one is going to lead you in the correct direction. We finally made it to our school and later figured out a much quicker route for the next trip.
We did a lot of walking around for our first week. We went to all the major sites in the city like: Forte Acqua Paola (A large fountain at the top of a hill that looks out over the Rome), we walked along the Fiume Tevere and up to the Vatican City, saw Saint Peter’s Basilica, walked by Saint Angelo’s Castle, to the Piazza Novona, Campo De Fiori (the nightlife hangout), the Spanish Steps, an island in the middle of the Tevere, the Coliseum, the Palatino, the Roman forums, the Circus Massimo, the Costantino Arch, the Trevi fountain, and the last but not least the Pantheon. Everything was so amazing to see. I haven’t really go in everything like the Vatican Museum but I figure when people come to visit they will want to go see it. I am really enjoying my time in Rome so far, and trying to get used to living in a totally different city where you have to watch out for all of your belongings and yourself. It is very different from living in California where I feel completely comfortable walking just about everywhere, to here where it is not such a good idea to be walking on the street along.
On Wednesday we had meetings for housing, and the school and then everyone through the SAI (Study Abroad Italy) program was invited to dinner at a local pizzeria. It was really good, we each got a drink, bruschetta, pizza, and a fruit dessert. It was a good opportunity for a the SAI students to get to know each other. Once we were done, Joe and I took all of our tables left over pizza and handed them out to the homeless people living in the Piazza Di Santa Maria.
On Thursday didn’t do a whole lot, walked around the city, had Diana, Ally (our twin friends from New York) over for dinner, and came to realize that my camera was either stolen or I lost it within a 3 block radius. That night we walked around and looked for a jazz club called Big Mama but never found it so instead we walked along the Fiume Tevere and watched a group of Tango Dancers.
Friday was a big day, it was the last day to sign up for all the activities that you wanted to take a part in with the school. I signed up for the canoeing trip, the rafting trip, a hiking trip, and a weekend trip to Ventotene Island which is an Island near Capri. Friday was also the day that I met and talked to the hottest degree seeking Italian in the school, Davide. The girls and I were later given a personal tour of Trastevere by him, simple because no one else showed up for the tour. For dinner we went to a restaurant right next to our school called, T-Bone Steak House, and had some American food. It was kind of weird to be eating at a steak house in Italy but we were already missing food besides pizza and pasta. Today we found out that I wasn’t the only one who has had something stolen. One of the apartments on Rosazza was broken into between 5-8 am and two of the girls got their cameras and computers stolen. We were all sent out a message about it and a reminder to shut our windows and knock all our doors at night and anytime we leave our apartment because people can climb up the building walls and crawl into your rooms. Most of the time they send little kids up to get into little windows and then go to the front door to let the adults into the apartment. The girls that got broken into were all unharmed but were a little shaken up by the fact that someone was in their room while they were sleeping.
Saturday morning the girls and I took the fountain tour which took us all around Rome looking at different fountains and buildings along the way. We learned about the Farnesa family and their large estate that they lived on. Also about the many things that Michael Angelo was in charge of designing and building within the city. In Campo di Fiori there is a statue of a monk which we learned was Monk Bruno who was burnt at the stake for Heresy. We traveled to the Piazza Navona and saw the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (which represents: the Nile, the Plate, the Ganges, and the Danube which were the four major rivers). This fountain and the Fontana del Moro (Muscle-bound Moor) were both constructed by Bernini during Pope Innocent X reign in the 17th century. We also took a walk to the Trevi fountain which was magnificent and you must see if you come to visit. After our morning tour, the four of us girls and our friend Sean went to the beach of Osteri. We took a bus to the Piramide train station and then the train station to Saint Polare to go to the beach. It was a little difficult at first to figure out all the train stuff, but once we figured it out it was smooth sailing. It was only a 30 minute train ride to the beach and once we got off it was only a 5-10 walk to the Mediterranean sea where we ran and jumped into the sea.

The water was great, wayyyy warmer than the Pacific beach at home. It was a great temperature to be laying on the beach, except for the gusts of wind that threw sand into every crevice of our body while we slept. As the day proceeded we began to get hungry so we walked and walked until we found a Chinese Restaurant to have dinner at. It was really good and very affordable.
Sunday woke up late and walked to the local market which is held every Sunday just down the street. It pretty much looks like a huge junk yard with hundreds of people walking around in it. We walked around and looked at things but didn’t find anything that caught our eyes (what I was really looking for was someone selling me camera that I believe was stolen by a gypsy ). After our flee market adventure, we returned to our apartment, I made a sandwich, and rushed out the door to go with the guys to another tour at 3 p.m., the tour of Ancient Rome. This was a great tour; the tour guide took us the Emanuel II Monument where we were able to see a great view of the ancient forums and the Coliseum. We learned about the Ausustus forums, Ceasar forums, and the Roman forums. We then walked through the 1st Jewish Ghetto that was started in the 2nd century B.C. when the Jews came to Rome as traders. In the 16th century when the Jews were being persecuted, Pope Paul IV forced all the Jews to live within a walled enclosure which is still visible today. Lastly, we walked by the Piazza della Minerva and the Trojan Column which was built in A.D 107.

First week at John Cabot University

Yes this is the from door to my wonderful school here in Rome, Italy. My first thought was that I was going to be attending a medium sized school, but I came to realize that it is very small. The school consists primarily of two buildings which are both only 2 stories tall, this includes the 3 computer labs, classrooms, offices, and library. It was really nice getting here a week before school because at arrival there were many familiar faces. The first week of classes have been pretty boring but don't seem to be too difficult. Well I have to go to my Literature class now, so I will finish up later. Ciao!

ok so I'm back and have an update for you!
Monday was the start of our second week here in Rome. It started at 8am which was when I had to wake up to attend my first class. The day consisted of getting all organized with my classes, the school, and anything else that was needed. The rest of the week was pretty much dealing with school and arranging my classes to better fit my schedule. The school wasn’t the best organized in terms of getting into classes because they don’t have a waiting list so if the class is full you just have to keep trying to get in the class every day until it works. So… come Thursday, which is the closing day, I signed up for 2 Italian classes because I didn’t want the early 8am class on Tuesday-Thursday and when the add/drop was closed I was signed up for 20 units and didn’t realize that would be a problem until Friday morning when I went in to ask a question and they told me I would have to pay extra for a class I don’t even need. Long story short, I got them to drop the charge “because they were being nice” but force me to stay in the 8 am class. They weren’t being very nice. Anyways… my classes don’t seem like they are going to be all that hard, however a few seem like they are going to be extremely painful in the boredom department.
Tuesday night after class, we went to the bookstore near the Spanish steps and bought our books. Pretty expensive but all books are. After that we hopped back on the bus and went out toward the twins apartment, went to the supermacato, and then to their apartment for dinner and a movie. We watched She’s the Man.
Wednesday was just the same, going to my classes and fighting to get into my preferred Italian class with Emily. That night we bought pizza bread and made pizza and salad for dinner. It was very good and we are very proud of our cooking so far. Once we finished we called Josh, Sean, and their roommate Patrick to see if they wanted to go on an evening walk with us through the city. We walked to the Circus Maxima, the building with a peep hole to see Saint Peter’s Basilica all lit up, and the Emanuel Monument to look at the coliseum and forums below.
Thursday night we had a JCU BBQ (5 Euros). We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, veggie burgers, and nutella and crackers. It wasn’t spectacular but it was a nice event. Our friends Diana and Ally were supposed to be at the BBQ as well but earlier that day on the way to school Diana was knocked over by a motocicleta (motorcycle). She wasn’t ran over but to get out of the way she feel over on her hip, got a big bruise, and twisted her angle so they couldn’t make it. Therefore, after eating we decided to go over and give them a visit and watch Crank.
Friday was a nice day because I got to sleep in and then spend the afternoon at the beach. Ahh it was a prefect day for the beach and much easier to get there after doing once before. My roommate had some things to do so I went with the guys (when I say the guys it will probably be referring to Colby, Joe, Dave, Kyle, Jose, Paul, and Chris). We met up with some other girls and guys there and just enjoyed the water and the sun. The Mediterranean is different to me in the sense that it was all really choppy waves verses flat waters until the breaking of waves at the shore.
Saturday was our Canoeing at Lake Martignano day. We woke up at 7 and met at Piazza Trilussa by 8 am. We took a bus for ~1 hr to the Northern part of Rome. We spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon canoeing and swimming along the lake at four different swim spots. It was a lot of fun, met a lot of new people and were red as tomatoes by the end of the day. We all traded around canoes so that some people weren’t stuck with the crappy canoes that sent you going in circles when you were trying to just go straight. We finished our canoeing and swimming and loaded the bus around 3:30 to head back home. We didn’t have much time because we needed to get home, take a shower, and nap before the big night that was before us. Tonight September 8 was the traditional Notte Bianco (which translates to the White night). This event happens every year and starts from the time the sun goes down till the next morning when the sun comes up. The night is dedicated to art, music, history, and a variety of different events. We took a nap and finally made it out by 11:30. We walked to the Circus Maximus where they had hundreds of lights all strung out on the field and changed different colors. It was very beautiful and a spectacular sight to see. We continued up the road and ventured over to the Piazza Venezia where there was a museum for Spider man. In the museum we also viewed Albert Sughi’s painting which was for the most part very dark and ire. At this point it was 2 am and Emily and I wanted to make it to the Circus before it ended at 3 am so we hurried up the road to Piazza Popolo to see the end. It ended up being a whole lot of fun. We saw a man juggle 6 balls, we saw 3 ribbon acrobats and then it finished off with tumbling and crazy stunts on trampolines. The best part however, was a silly clown act that started off with a man swilling a paper airplane through a fire hoop which turned into a two man dance to “Walk this way” by Arrow Smith and Run DMC. It ended at 3 am so we started making our way back to Trastevere to cram into a tram that was completely full of people to where when you would go and stop you didn’t move because of the wall of people that we became part of. If you are wondering what the atmosphere of the night was, think about attending a huge football game with two rival teams and there you have it. You are walking down the street and you see groups of people chanting different things back and forth to each other while stumbling because they are all so drunk. The streets are full of trash because the trash cans are over flowing with beer cans and plastic cups. However, all in all it was a great experience and was happy to be a part of a traditional event in Central Rome.

Italy Arrival

Hey! Well I have finally arrived to Rome and all settled into my apartment and now getting to know my school. It is a very tiny campus (one two story building). It was pretty warm today compared to Switzerland. I think someone said 30°C which is like 95°F The wedding this weekend was also a lot of fun. For some of you who didn't know my second cousin Gerald got married this weekend. The wedding was in Laussane which was the French speaking area so we were totally lost in the language department, however there were couple of ladies that spoke English we weren't completely outsiders. The wedding was at 4-5 and then the reception that followed lasted from 5:30 till 2 am. I guess they know how to throw parties. lol It was lots of fun, we did a little dancing and lots of eating. After the wedding, Kristen and I boarded another train to Milan Italy where we stayed the night in a Best Western. It was nice but we had a little trouble finding the hotel because we left our itinerary papers at home with the confirmation number, oh and due to the fact that the first Best Western we went to said there are 5 in the city of Milan. So we found our hotel, got changed and roamed around the city. We took the Metro to Duamo which is “old town” where we walked around and looked at all the old buildings, a big castello (castle), and a park. Stopped to have dinner at a cute little pizzeria place while someone played an accordion behind us. Had gelato and headed back to the hotel for sleep. Today (Monday) woke up early, went to the airport, got a little confused, and then was picked up by the JCU reps at the airport where they brought me to fill out papers and take me to my apartment. At arrival to the apartment, my driver Monte basically pointed to the apartment building doors and said “Arrivaderci” and they drove off. Lol I think it was their way of getting us out of our comfort level and forcing us to find things on our own and solve our own problems because we will be doing it for the next 4 months. However at the time I didn’t know because I was the first to be dropped off and had no idea where I was going. However, an old Italian man, who I believe was telling me he owns/ runs the place helped me to the elevator with my bags. I arrived to my cute little apartment and unloaded my stuff while two to the girls Cassandra and Alex slept. My other roommate, Emily, who is in my room arrived couple hrs later and then we took our first venture to our campus. It was a good 1.1 miles from our apartment 1724 meters however it felt longer probably because of all the winding turning roads we were on, throws you all off. Anyways… this was only meant to be a short, “Hey I made it to my destination” email but ended up being a little longer. Talk to you later! Oh and I don’t have internet in my room so I’ll only be able to use skype during a limited time of day. My school closes at 10p.m. so that is 1 p.m. in California. P.S. my skype name is wcauzza so you have to put that in as the search item and then click to add me as a friend. Otherwise I won’t know if you have a skype and may not be able to find you. I do have my cell phone now for those of you who know it or want to call me it doesn’t cost ME anything to receive calls. 011 39 335-714-6462.

Two Weeks in Switzerland with the Cauzzas' and a Bacon!

hello all! Just wanted to give you all an update and let you know how things are going. I have been spending the last 5 days in Cugnasco, Switzerland. It has been really nice getting to know my family members that live her. We have been going around and looking at different sites. It has been really nice here except the last two days have been really rainy. Today Kristen and I woke up at 7 and went to Bellinzona where we got on a train to Luzern where we spent the remainder of the day. We had a small breakfast, walked around the city, saw the famous lion in the mountain, and went to a museum where we learned about the history of Luzern, glaciers, and walked through the hall of mirrors. This part of Switzerland was a little more difficult to get used to because everyone was speaking German instead of Italian which is what we have been speaking Cugnasco. Last night, yes we went out, but it wasn't until 10 p.m. Kristen, Elena, and I went out to the Beach Lounge to hang out and ended up meeting some distant cousins of ours. One was Elena who was out for her bachelorette party. From there we went to a discoteca where we went dancing. It was a lot of fun and the group of ladies we went with were the first one’s on the dance floor. It was pretty much the same atmosphere as in America only we got many more looks from people. Oh and they play a lot of American music along with Italian and disco/rave. We are having a blast! Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, depends on the weather. We might try riding bikes to the lake, or going on a run and maybe back to Lucarno. This weekend, we will be traveling to where Nelle and Carolina live to go to one of our cousin's wedding on Saturday. Then on Sunday we will take the train to Milano where we will stay at a hotel (Best Western) and then I will load my plane Monday morning for Rome.

For some of you who didn't know my second cousin Gerald got married this weekend. The wedding was in Laussane which was the French speaking area so we were totally lost in the language department, however there were couple of ladies that spoke English we weren't completely outsiders. The wedding was at 4-5 and then the reception that followed lasted from 5:30 till 2 am. I guess they know how to throw parties. lol It was lots of fun, we did a little dancing and lots of eating. After the wedding, Kristen and I boarded another train to Milan Italy where we stayed the night in a Best Western. It was nice but we had a little trouble finding the hotel because we left our itinerary papers at home with the confirmation number, oh and due to the fact that the first Best Western we went to said there are 5 in the city of Milan. So we found our hotel, got changed and roamed around the city. We took the Metro to Duamo which is “old town” where we walked around and looked at all the old buildings, a big castello (castle), and a park. Stopped to have dinner at a cute little pizzeria place while someone played an accordion behind us. Had gelato and headed back to the hotel for some shut eye.