Arrivederci Roma!

August 2, 2008

So this will be my last post from Rome! I'm both happy and sad about leaving. I had an amazing time here, but I'm ready to start my next adventure!! Our last week of school wasn't very eventful, mostly just reviewing and preparing for our final. Monday I relaxed because I was still dead from Capri and couldn't make myself go anywhere after school. On Tuesday we were supposed to have an afternoon session of class, but instead we went to an Italian film. Before meeting in Piazza Barberini at the movie theater, Carly, Gabi, and I went to Santa Maria della Concezione, aka the crypts, which was super close by. The church is famous for its quite morbid collection of the remains (bones, corpses, etc.) ofover 4,000 monks, which they have arranged in swirls, sunbursts, and other designs. Chandeliers made of rib bones grace the ceiling while pelvic bones in the shape of an hour glass remind visitors "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be." If you can get past the creepiness of the whole thing, it is actually quite fascinating and intriguing. I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but of course I sneaked a few anyway.

The film was called "Il Divo", the nickname for Giulio Andreotti, former Prime Minister of Italy and leader of the Christian Democrats, whom the film is about. There were no subtitles (not even in Italian) so it was incredibely hard to understand, especially not knowing any background info beforehand, but I really liked the style of the film. Some parts were quite violent since it explored Andreotti's ties to the Mafia, including his involvement in the murder of Aldo Moro. One scene in particular was especially disturbing, in which a man jumps out of the window of a tall building, with the camera filming on the ground exactly where he falls. I wish I understood more, but it was definitely better than doing grammar in class.

Wednesday was another boring day and dominated by schoolwork. Carly, Gabi, and I had to finish our final project on the types of food of each region in Italy. I did central Italy, so I got to write about Toscana and Lazio, along with a few others. We made a really nice powerpoint with pictures of the different dishes and specialties of each region, too. I decided not to study for our final since our teacher gave us a review which was basically a different version of the test, so I just looked over that, and I finally made it to bed at a decent time for once!
Thursday morning was our written final, which was super long but not too difficult. I know I didn't ace it but I think I did ok. Right after the test Carly, Gabi, and I did our presentation early because we had to use the projector which wouldn't be available later. So that meant we only did it in front of our teacher and not the class, but it still went really well. After a we had a break, during which I finally got to pet Lola, the adorable dog who belongs to a shop owner down the street and always roams around in front of the store. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a few pics of her!

We came back at 2pm to do the rest of the presentations, which didn't take very long, so we got out early! It felt weird to say good-bye to our teacher and to leave the study center, knowing that I will probably never see either again. Even though most of the time I complained about pre-ILP, I actually enjoyed it and got something out of it. Thursday night was our EAP Farewell Dinner at a cute little ristorante in Trastevere. Gabi, Carly, and I left a little early because we wanted to check out La Fontana delle Tartarughe, aka the Turtle Fountain, which happened to be close to where we were eating. It was cute, but a little less turtle-y than I expected. The food was good, and they even let me and another veggie pick out alternative courses from the menu! I ended up having a trio of bruschetta with tomatoes, olive pate, and artichoke pate, pasta with porcini mushrooms, caprese salad, and tiramisu for dessert of course. It was all very tasty and best of all, free! They even served us wine this time, too, so we all took advantage of the frequently refilled caraffs of wine : ) We were all rather tired after and had a lot to do the next day as far as cleaning and packing, so we headed straight home, deciding to go out the next night. On the way home, we caught the bus in front of the hospital, and I finally got a pic of the "beggar" sculpture on the steps whose hand people can put donations into.
Friday I slept in a little and then got up and started packing. I hate the fact that now that I've finally settled in here somewhat, it's time to leave. And for the next few weeks at least I'm going to be kind of all over the place, without a home base, which makes me a little apprehensive. I'm really looking forward to Padova where I can settle in for a good 4 months. I've done surprisingly well with packing, and I'm not quite sure how that happened since I'm usually terrible. Friday night we all went to Fluid again for aperativo to celebrate our last night in Rome. I ordered another frozen mojito of course, and then a bit later couldn't resist ordering a Bailey's colada....so yummy! Almost too rich though, it left me with a little stomach ache, but well worth it. Carlo, Federico, and Simone met us there, too. It ended up being a really fun night, the perfect way to end our stay in Rome. I was a little sadder than I expected to say goodbye to Carlo, but he maybe he and the band will come play in Santa Barbara in the future : )

So today I'm heading to Lucca to stay with family for a couple nights before I leave for Paris Monday!! I'm a mixture of nervousness and excitement about it... I just want everything to go smoothly. I'll try to post again before I leave for Paris, but if not, expect a long one Friday telling you all about my adventures in Paris!!!

Arrivederci Roma...

xoxo