when in rome...

my birthday is tomorrow, monday, but i`ve been partying since thursday...skipped the beach trip this morning but dont think i can pass tomorrow night because my roommate and i have the same birthday. last night wasnt so bad...we just went to this bar-club to watch the world cup game and then stayed to dance (all 90s hip-hop for some reason) for a little while and i didnt drink much at all (and passed on all the free drinks i was offered). but then most of the group went to a second bar afterwards and ended up in a middle of some fight with riot cars and everything...one of the guys was trying to stop a fight and got hit in the head with a bottle, tooth chipped and bloody lip, and was actually handcuffed until 2 of the girls begged for him to be released somehow...a few of us got a cab back home to hang out at the apartments because i knew some drunk american or italian might start something.

it really is like some crazy eurotrip: drugs (popping and snorting ritalin???!!!, smoking weed/hash, whatever else they do when i dont hang out with them), alcohol (tequila, yager bombs, limoncello shots are really good though), sex (not me), and some sightseeing in between. i mean it is a lot of fun, but not when you cant remember someone getting beat up (not me) and not when you can`t hold your alcohol (that`s me). i think it`s so ironic that i ended up with roommates that are the leaders of the "cool" group in this summer program...jocks and party animals who are a really bad influence (and half of them are on Pass/Fail for the summer because they dont go to temple). my legs were still hurting from thursday night clubbing until 4am but i went to my 10am class tried and not completely sober yet.

havent missed any classes yet and dont plan to because i`m definitely getting grade boosts for all the participation...i love my intl business law class and im always talking in that class...will be really shocked if i dont get A`s in both classes. and goal #2 is exploring italy so i usually hang out with some quieter friends during most of the week. we tried to go to the vatican museum yesterday and rolled out of bed at 8:30 and the line stretched for a mile seriously ( i still cant believe we live like around the corner from the pope) so we just walked up the street to this famous castel and then over to the famous avenues. oh and i got a "big tasty" from the mcdonald`s directly across from the pantheon...was craving beef and convinced the quiet group to "research" the mcdonald`s with me ;)

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father`s day...havent seen my dad in months so dont think it will matter if i dont call him from italy. my brother`s about to be a father soon, hopefully not before i get back home, and i`ll have another niece to spoil like crazy.

Rome`s poor seems to be limited to a young women sitting on the ground with a small child in her lap or an old woman on all fours, bowed head holding out a cup. it caught me off guard at first because they would be sitting right at the entrance or stairs of some major tourist attraction or basilica. as soon as you step in or open the door, she`s there waiting. japan`s poor was always well hidden and the police liked to shuffle them from one park to another...i never saw any in the train stations.

the island i went to this past weekend, ventotene, was full of immigrants from the former ussr who spoke a weird dialect that confused even the italian tourists. the apartments/condos/houses we stayed in were spread around the center of the island and the area where i stayed made me think of mexico because of all the lizards and exotic wildlife and spanish-style homes. ive never been to mexico but i imagine (and from the few movies ive seen) it would be like that island.

rome also has a very diverse population of immigrants from north africa to yugoslavia to china to india...although it seems like most of them make a living in the services or by selling bootleg prada and gucci to american tourists. some have souvenir stands set up. but except for the puma store we went to last week havent seen any working in the restaurants or shops. there are a few asian restaurants near the major train stations though.

the men, as beautiful as the women sometimes, can be pretty aggressive and bold...they stare at every part of your body without shame and try to get your attention by saying "bella this or that" or some weird english mixture (we went to a few parties/bars in ventotene and i remember this one guy kept saying he loved me ?!?). and you try not to laugh so they wont be encouraged or follow you. but they seem harmless, despite all the warnings we were given before we arrived, although i havent walked the streets by myself yet. the older men are the funniest.

i feel like all i do is walk and eat and walk and eat some more. no wonder europeans are so much thinner than americans. i`m eating tons of carbs everyday, 4-5 meals a day, with plenty of wine and cheese, and i`ve actually lost weight since i left home. it`s great: all you can eat pasta and pizza and gelati without worrying about your figure (reading your weight in kilos doesnt hurt either...small, comforting numbers compared to pounds). i actually have to force myself to eat more some days so i wont wake up feeling starved because of all the calories ive burned exploring rome. was not feeling the croissant and cafe for breakfast though, so i gave in and bought cheerios today.

Took me long enough

i couldve sworn i wrote something on this blog more recent than the November post below ;)

anyway, I just finished my first year of law school, never been so excited to go back to school. Taking International Business Transactions and International Litigation/Arbitration at Temple`s Rome campus right now which is pretty amazing. They have us in these really nice apartments with a balcony, bidet, kitchen, living room, wireless, maid service everyday, and a 24hour concierge. We live 2 blocks from this huge open market where you can buy anyything from fresh fruit to pillows for really cheap. and if you want to take a break, plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes lining the streets as well. there`s also plenty of specialty stores and a supermarket very close. ive been walking to school everyday (about 40 minutes unless you get sidetracked by the pears or croissants). Dont even have to speak italian for the most part you can point or try to read the menus or someone might know a little english...but i`m finding it pretty easy to pick up and i learned some very basic phrases before coming. Italians have a siesta from about 1 or 2-4 so most restaurants (sometimes banks and museums as well) are closed and then reopen for dinner...but you can always get food at a bar or cafe.

Havent seen too much of the big sites yet, but we live about 5 blocks from vatican city and i can walk to the spanish steps and pantheon and colloseum from school. Going to Pompeii and then the Capri islands for the upcoming three day weekend-we get to say in 2 or 3 bedroom condos. Very excited because this will be my first island/beach experience outside of the U.S....Japan`s beaches were horrible. Rome is kinda reminding me of disney world with all the crowds and exhibits. if the crowds with their cameras arent enough, there`s a mcdonald`s a few feet away from both the pantheon and spanish steps (wouldnt be surprised to find a walmart around the corner from the colosseum in a few years ;). people are friendly for the most part, and despite all the scary stories i havent been robbed or attacked by a group of children or italian men yet. some areas are a little dirty and sometimes if you`re lucky you`ll get on the train covered with grafitti. you do have to be extremely careful crossing the streets though, especially with all the motorbikes creating their own lanes and going down 1 way streets and driving on the pavement and racing thru the old alleys and avenues full of hundreds of people. everyone has those very tiny smart cars so they can park halfway on the pavement or even perpendicular to the street however they can fit into the space. ive only seen 1 stop sign since ive been here and unlike in london pedestrians have the right of way at their own risk.

they have trolleys with their own exclusive lanes in some parts of the city (i didnt see any in london). you can just hop on a bus or on the train without showing a ticket because the transportation system is based on an honor code; if caught without a ticket or an unvalidated ticket then you pay a fine of 50-500 Euros. i always see people buying tickets and monthly passes so they must check every now and then, but no one`s asked to see my train/bus pass yet. The italians do not understand the concept of waiting in a line when there`s a huge crowd trying to get gelatti or coffee so dont even bother trying to figure out who`s next. and as a general rule you pay first, so crowd the cashier and shout your order, and then rush the counter. at the non-touristy cafes you dont have to worry about crowds or making a mad dash. wine and beer here are cheaper than bottled water...seriously. the food-no atkins diet here-is amazing of course and because i walk so much im always eating...even though it looks like ive lost weight already in only a week. my roommate likes to cook so we have dinner parties alot and i kinda got a little drunk from only 3 or 4 glasses of wine last night but no harm done.

London reminded me a lot of boston, only much much more expensive and much bigger of course. Very clean city, extremely beautiful with lots of public parks, very diverse, loved the doubledecker buses. my cousins took me on the London Eye first which is this huge ferris wheel thing where you can see big ben, west minister abbey etc etc from all different heights and angles. a really great panaramic view of the city better than the view from the eiffel tower i thought. i want to go back to london for a longer visit; i could live there if they banned smoking in all public places. beautiful apartments and homes which im sure cost an arm and a leg but are worth it. dont have to worry too much about being hit by a bus or motorcycle, or people jumping in front of you for tea.

i`ll try to post something once a week. ciao!