Ciao Roma

Hey ladies - I finally have a moment to sit and write about Roma (classes start today, and I have a little time before my next class starts). I promise to do my best to recap the important moments.

Arriving in Rome:
First major moment in Rome = my baggage never made it on my transfer flight from London to Rome. I suprisingly did not freak out, probably because a lot of people had similar issues (I guess the flight was so close to the one before it that not all the bags made it on). So, we finally talk to somethat that explains that the bags were put on the next flight arriving in Rome at 2:05pm (its currently 11:30am), so we decide to wait, and therefore make sure we actually get our bags. Long story short, they DID come :) although it was a few hours later. Unfortunately Rachel's didn't make it until the next day, but luckily by day 2 in Rome everyone had their baggage.
Night 1:
Orientation pizza party + SLEEP -- you guys back at home don't realize how extreme this time difference is. Yes 6 hours sounds like a lot, but in reality its huge. When I wake up at 10am, you guys are passed out because its only 4am. So as expressed, Rachel and I passed out and slept for a solid 12 hours.

The first week during the day conisited on orientation (half of which I skipped due to partying - which I will move onto in a second). Luckily we made it up to attend the more important things explaining how to retreive our permit to stay in Italy and all that stuff.

Now what I am sure you have all been waiting for- Night Life:
WOW - thats the best way to describe it. In Italy it is common to go out around 12ish and not get in until 5am .. and as they say "When in Rome...". So yea, the first night that we actually went out we went to "Campo dei Fiori", it is this little square with a ton of bars (called pubs here). This square is a bit more American; deff a tourist spot. Anywaysss, we start off at a bar called Sloppy Sam's, sipped our drinks outside, and then moved on to a diff bar called "I Giganti". This place was hysterical, the bartenders (Andre and Maximo) were awesome and served us a few free shots (aka the night got sloppy). The closed down the bar around 2:30am and had us wait for them and they took us to this after hours "disco" (aka club). If you have seen my pics, this is where I was a drunk idiot and got on Andre's vespa -- not gunna lie, it was a ton of fun :)
We didn't get in until like 6am.
Night 2 we went with a larger group of people from the program to the bars "On the Rox" and "Coyote", both of which were a ton of fun; got sloppy; came home at 5:00am (and unfortunately had to be up and at the school by 9:30am). But it was worth it, and even on like 3 hours of sleep we managed to hit up some of the main spots in Rome (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon - look at facebook for pics). Side Note: The culture and art here is so much different from home. At home, all culture seems to be bottled up in museums, but in Rome the culture and the art are at your finger tips. You will litterally be walking down a street and then suddenly there is this amazing structure that has been there for years, just there for you to see. I think its amazing; but enough of that.
Night 3 was probably the most hysterical of all. Me, Rachel, Jay and this other kid Bob went to a club that we had heard was supposed to be amazing. When we get there, there is a hugeee line, which we decide to wait on. As we approach the front the bouncer kicks this huge group of girls out of line, and won't let them in. As would anyone, Rachel and I get nervous wondering if we'll have the same outcome. We get to the door, with the boys in front of us, and the bouncer goes "You know this is gay night, correct?" we laugh, nod and proceed into the huge club. It turns out that this club is one of the most popular clubs in Italy, and is always packed (even on gay nights) with people of ALL kinds. Anyways, we decide to stay on the first floor (the gay floor) after going to the top (3rd) floor and getting harrassed by italian men lol. The characters on the first floor were beyond hysterical. A flambiont man actually spotted by blonde hair, his eyes lit up, and he actually ran his hands through it. I seriously almost peed. We danced the night away with the most unique group of people I've ever been around. It was seriously priceless.

I'm going to end this post, although I am sure I could keep rambling. I hope all is well at home and miss and love you all.

Parting story: When Jay gets drunk he likes to speak broken Italian aka he says things such as "How you say..." in english with a fake Italian accent; can't wait to do impersinations back in the states.

Roma Love,
Randi