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!