... a little about Roma

Hello everyone,

As you know, I arrived! My first impression of the ride from the airport to Rome was of the slums near my hometown in Venezuela but of course that all changed once we finally got inside. It was a bit overwhelming. I feel like trekked through the entire city twice over with Wenjie and was exhausted by nine o'clock. My feet were killing me toward the end and on top of having got about 4 hours of sleep on a time difference, it might have been the jet lag that slowed me down. However, I slept like a baby and was sad to hear my alarm at 8 am this morning. I found my favorite view of the city so far. The Palatine hill which Wenjie posted. The picture does not do it justice. Anyway, I have two goals for today since I do not start work yet. I am to get a SIM card and get an apartment. Currently, I am having problems with both of these and luck is not on my side today. I hope to have pictures up soon but though we saw a lot of things yesterday, my camera died as soon as I turned it on. The hostel is very convinient and though I heard that it dangerous, I have not seen any suspicious behavior (at least not more than in any other part of Rome).
One thing about the Romans that I noticed immediately. They try incredibly hard to help despite the language barrier. One time I could not bring myself to correct this woman that was trying to give directions for someplace I knew was less than two blocks away. I finally figured out (after I was lost again) that her -right- was actually - go straight- and her -left- was actually a - right. However, if you want to meet cute guys this is perfect. You just go up to them and ask for directions and its not lying! because most of the time you really are lost! I hope that tomorrow the sights of the city become more familiar. Since there are no skyscrapers like in Atlanta to guide you, all the buildings and streets (the ones that didnt have a very recognizable monument or famous fountain) ALL LOOK THE SAME! As for food, I think my mind prepared itself for the change even before I came here. For a girl (or a guy for that matter), I eat a decent amount. But, knowing the portions are smaller and more expensive I started getting full on small amounts. Thank goodness because I do not know if it would be affordable to live here otherwise. The pizza of all kinds are fabulous!