Halfway

Today is February 9th, which means that my program is already halfway over. In a month, I’ll say goodbye to Rome - my one bed apartment in Trastevere, fragola gelato, weaving through cobblestoned alleys between catcalling Italian men and ceaseless motorini. There are some things that I’ll be glad to bid arrivederci, and others I know I’ll pine for once I get home (mmm, fresh squeezed blood-orange juice).

I don’t think I could ever live in Rome. It’s an amazing place to study, with ancient ruins or ornate basilicas at every corner, but it’s not somewhere I would exactly call inviting. Walking through the city is a constant game of strategy – if your path isn’t blocked by another pedestrian, it’s surely obstructed by a tiny Euro-car that created its own parking spot, an impatient motorist, or, worse, a pile of dog droppings. Romans aren’t overly friendly either, especially the pushy, hostile old ladies who insist that they should be allowed to cut me in the supermercato line just because they only have one item.

Despite the drawbacks, I really have loved my time in Rome so far. I’ve had some experiences here that I couldn’t have anywhere else. A couple weeks into our program, Makyia and I got lost on our way home one night. After wandering ten minutes in the opposite direction of the Campo de’Fiori, we finally got our bearings and headed back the correct way. Soon, we rounded a corner and stumbled upon, strangely enough, the Pantheon. This monument is somewhat hidden - a couple blocks length off the closest main drag, without any major indication of its presence until you’re actually in it - so it’s pretty surreal the first few times you just happen to come across it. Even weirder is the fact that once we found it, we knew exactly how to get home. Another thing I’ll miss once I’m back in Seattle is using two thousand year old ancient monuments as reference points.

At this halfway point, how I’m feeling is perfect. I’ve started to find comfort in things here, like my apartment, the Campo, or the friends I’ve made through this program. Two weekends ago, at the end of our hectic return from Florence, Katie and I stepped out of Termini station and felt relieved to be back in this city that has become our pseudo-home. I’ve started to form little routines too – how I get ready in the morning, where I keep my keys, what time of day Kali and I stop by the smiling vendor who has become “our guy” at the fruit and veggie market a block from our apartment. And that’s not saying I’ve gotten bored at all. There’s always something else to discover here, and the more that I go running, the more I get to know the city outside of the main arterials that we frequent. Yesterday’s jog took me up a hill in Trastevere to an impressive lookout point where the lucky Spanish Embassy has some prime real estate.

I have started to feel a little homesick at times. I miss my friends and family, free water at restaurants, real Diet Coke. [For the record, Coca Cola Light is a joke.] I also miss grocery stores that are open past 8pm! But for the most part, I’m quite content where I am. Next week we go to Naples, probably Pompeii that weekend and Venice a few weekends later. Then it will be March and our program will be over, although I’ll be traipsing around in southern Spain with M&M for a couple more weeks before finally heading home. I’m not sure if I’ll be ready, but I will be very happy to see everyone again :)