Arrivederci!

I'm here!!!
And have been since Wednesday...
It was the longest plane ride of my life but as we were flying over France the sun started to rise and it was the most beautiful thing- it created this rainbow across the horizon.

Finally we landed and were whisked away by AUR to our respective apartments. I live with three other girls- Livy (from K), Xiaohan from MSU and Kasey from Maryland. I am rooming with Xiaohan- we have a beautiful room with a bunch of closet space. The apartment has mostly marble floors, a big bathroom and a small but sufficient kitchen. Han and I were chilling in our room about an hour ago- 8 pm- and this Italian family who lives in a building facing ours started singing in Italian! It was adorable!


My first day in Rome was quite possibly the worst- i broke a mirror, cut myself with the mirror, bled everywhere, and got sick. Then i slept forever.

The second day was fantastic!!!! When we woke up we made our way to AUR which is a couple buildings and a garden within a wall. After all that bureaucratic stuff was done we went grocery shopping and then caught a bus down to the center of the city: the Coliseum, Forum etc. The city at night is an amazing place- the darkness and spotlights help you imagine the old shells of buildings could have existed. After our exploration we took a bus to Trastevere where we found a restaurant. The owner loved us- said we were so happy that they gave us free desert, limoncello, and a discount off our check- our new favorite place. Of course- in true Italian style- he demanded a kiss from each of us before we left.

The free desert at the restaurant...

Finally- the third day:
I spent the day exploring the center of the city more with Hannah and Laura. We saw the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. At the fountain there were two older men with long silver rods that had magnets on the end to fish out and take the coins from the fountain. I love the idea of the Fountain and wishes and it just shows you the lengths that some people go to for money- but maybe they are in desperate need....I don't know.
The music in Italy is hysterical. I have heard Destiny's Child, Lady Gaga and a song that was popular my freshman year or high school in stores and played in car radios. Only rarely will you actually hear Italian music- maybe that will change during the Christmas season though.

I promise my next post won't be as detail heavy-
Hope everyone is well wherever they are across the world!!
Love-
xoxoxoxooxox
Al