Day 1 (5/18) Personal Journal

Entry 1

I can't believe I'm here in Rome.  We just finished our orientation at St. John's Rome center.  The flight here was surprisingly ok, though I'm not sure if I fell asleep.  I was definitely close in any case.  Passport control was pretty bad.  I don't know what the problem was, but rather than resembling an ordered line, a vast mob of people fought their way to the front of the queue.  But we eventually made it.  I'm just chilling now until our first excursion.

Entry 2

Today has been quite exciting.  After almost falling asleep in my room, we left and successfully navigated the Roman bus service.  It was very crowded.  Then I found what I always imagined Rome to be.  The narrow alleys in Trastevere are so amazingly beautiful.  I was particularly struck by the wine corks lost among the cobbled street.  Normally, I think litter detracts from a city, but these enhanced it somehow.  We eventually reached the Acqua Paola fountain from the aqueduct.  Sarah gave a wonderful presentation, after which we walked more on the Janiculum Hill and now we are about to eat dinner.  I am looking forward to Prof Curley's walk around the city after.

Entry 3

Wow!  Just wow.  What a truly amazing day.  The pizza we had for dinner was really good.  We ate at this place called Dar Poeta in Trastevere.  It's a small pizzeria and we ate in a slightly cramped room in the basement, but the food made it totally worth it.  But the highlight of the day was definitely the walk.  We saw so many amazing monuments, but the crazy thing was how they were all just there.  The best example was the Pantheon.  We turned a corner into a piazza and suddenly the building was just right there.  I was so caught off guard I stumbled a bit.  It was also a notable sight because Curly might just have performed the greatest photobomb in history, captured in two parts.  That first experience of walking through the twisting streets of Rome is one I hope I never forget.  Also notable was the gelato I had at Giolitti.  Dark chocolate and coffee.  It was a heavenly experience.  I'm still so excited that I'm not sure how I'll get to sleep, but it's time to try.