Being that I've now been in Rome for almost two weeks, I think it's sufficient to give my first update on what's been happening since I journeyed to this incredible city. On Tuesday, August 19th, after 12 hours of traveling, I arrived at the airport in Rome. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane because I was so excited I could barely sit still. I watched a couple movies, read a little, but my mind wandered constantly towards thoughts of excitement about the unknown of the upcoming year. Sleeping was impossible. Arriving in Rome, I was greeted by Michael and William, two monks from Saint John's who are currently working at Sant'Anselmo - the monastery/university where I will call home for the next year. That's part of the deal with the SJBVC, I work and volunteer at Sant'Anselmo and I am able to live with the community here. Pretty nice gig so far. So, in transit from the airport to Sant'Anselmo, Michael asks me if it would be okay for me to start my Italian class that afternoon. I was incredibly eager to start learning Italian as I knew that would be the initial barrier to overcome in living here. So, I forgot about the jet lag for the time being and started getting excited...yet again.
After unpacking and settling into my new room, I took the 5 minute subway ride to the center of Rome where Dilit, the international language school, is located. It was a bit overwhelming the first day in trying to keep up with the teacher (she only speaks Italian in the classroom) but the exciting demeanor of the other students kept me interested. The class has been phenomenal so far. I have just completed Week Two of the Level One program and already my Italian is vastly improving (which isn't saying much being that I had zero Italian prior to coming here). Although I would not say it is very good, my Italian is at a state where I can survive in the city, ask people for directions, greet and dismiss myself, etc. One of the most interesting components of the Italian class is that I am the only U.S. American out of about 16 people in the class. In class, I have met people from Sweden, Holland, Brazil, Yemen, Australia, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Canada. In just one short week, I have met more people from different countries than I have met in my entire life before this. It is truly remarkable to meet people from all over the world and the even more amazing thing is that many of us share so much in common. In the evenings after dinner, I have been meeting up with them to explore Rome. I am thankful that I have been able to find some good friends so quickly since arriving here. They all speak English pretty well too, which is nice for me...for now.
Italian class makes up about 3 hours of my afternoon. In the mornings I am working at Sant'Anselmo, primarily outside on the grounds. I wake up at about 7:00 every morning Monday through Friday. I go for a quick run, shower, eat breakfast and then start working around 8:30. So far, I have been mowing the lawns of Sant'Anselmo, weeding, sculpting/trimming bushes and shrubbery, as well as planting flowers. I am really enjoying the work so far. It gives me a chance to work outside (the weather here in the morning is awesome) and get down and dirty a little bit. I finish working before noon. The other volunteer here, Lukas, is from Germany. He is 20 years old and will be here a year also. We work together in the mornings and get along great. He was here a month before I arrived so he was pretty eager for another younger person to get here. It makes the morning go by a lot better with someone to talk to, work with, and joke around with.
After work at 1:00pm is lunch. Now lunch here in Italy is an experience. Lunch in Italy is what dinner is in the U.S. By that I mean that it is our biggest, best, and longest meal of the day. I think it's safe to say that it looks like I am not going to be starving this year. We eat well. You might not recognize me next time I see you as I'll probably be 20 pounds heavier, hence the running everyday. It would be an understatement to say that the food is great here. It exceeds greatness. It is a true Italian meal just as you would imagine it. I always need a cup of coffee or two after lunch in order to avoid dozing off in class in the afternoon.
The evenings and weekends have given me opportunities to explore Rome with Lukas, the other people from my class, as well as by myself. This city is truly one of the greatest cities in the world. I have seen so much so far and from what I hear, I've just caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. From the Vatican, Colloseum, Circus Maximus, Pantheon, and A LOT of neat churches, castles, and monuments. I could go on, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and even they can't do Rome justice for how great it is to experience. That's it for now. I miss everyone back home tremendously and wish you all the best in this coming year. If you get an itch to go do that Europe thing sometime this year, visitors at Sant'Anselmo are always welcome. Peace out and stay cool.
