Do NOT as the Romans do.

This is very important. You see, for months I had been entertaining a simple but powerful fantasy. My Vespa (which I would name “Knight Rider” or “Gonzo” or something suitably strapping) would zoom through the alleys of Rome at a safe but unfollowable pace while the rest of my fellow students, unable to keep up, would realize their folly and take up positions on the side of the road to watch me discontentedly. Some would fawn, some would shed tears, some would beat their chests in despair, but all would acknowledge my superiority.

Unfortunately, in Rome, this is neither possible nor practical. No one pilots any vehicle except feet in Rome unless he or she has a death wish. Our information packet (“A Guide to Surviving Abroad”) similarly discourages emulating the Romans in this way. Che disastro!

My broken dreams notwithstanding, I simply haven’t the words to describe how fortunate I am. My strategy of assuming the worst has paid off tenfold. I am disappointed by only four things so far – the lack of carpeting in our hotel room (which as I understand is fairly standard in Rome), the lack of bathmat in our bathroom (which I’m told the staff is working on), the lack of less luggage to lug (which is my fault), and the lack of internet (which is repeatedly dangled in front of us in this hotel, but never actually delivered.)

My arrival in Rome was not as stressful as I’d expected, except for one thing. My parents, conscious that I would be leaving the North American continent behind, felt that it was important that I bring as much of it with me as possible. This resulted in roughly one extra full-size suitcase of doodads. Regrettably, my parents did not pack me an extra limb with which I could carry said suitcase.

Luckily, of the six of us who boarded the same plane, two of us were in the same, ridiculous luggage situation. As a result, we resorted to a hilarious tag-team process where one person waited at the bottom of an escalator while the other hurriedly brought luggage over two at a time until all bags were at their correct destination. This must resulted in Vaudevillian hilarity from the Roman point of view, and I’m sure we could have taken our show in the road were we not already on it.

Despite jet lag, I managed to go a full twenty-four hours without sleeping, and went to bed around 11 PM after a full day of exploring my surroundings. My internal clock roused me today at 8 AM, which is a pretty good start, I’d say.

I Immagini!


The view from my window.












My window/il tivu.


More pictures to come once I actually bring my camera with me, which may or may not be soon.