Rome 2 Weeks In

After completing my second week here in Rome, I have found the city to be extremely exhilarating each and every day. The entire city itself truly is an open air museum. I find myself getting off the subway, and upon coming from out of the underground I am in awe for the rest of our tour. I catch myself people watching, and snapping photos of everything around me. The foreign cars (Ferraris and BMW's), the different ways people talk and dress, and all of the colors and architecture (Castel Sant'Angelo, Coliseum, Spagna) all grab my attention.

I think my favorite part so far has not necessarily been one trip in particular. I just really enjoy the time after our tours when I have found myself exploring new parts of the city and trying my best to communicate with the people here. Trying to hold conversations, in a foreign language I am far from grasping, is definitely one of the most exhilarating things I have done thus far.

I love learning about the Italian culture, what is and isn't acceptable here and how things are different here than back home. It is very interesting comparing my daily life to that of someone living here.

Although I love it here so far I have found a few oppressions during my short time here. On a minor note, I have yet to get used to eating dinner at eight o'clock. I am often hungry at earlier times, and eating at such a late time just seems to make the evenings go by much faster. By the time I am done eating it is almost time for bed, but I feel as if I should have an entire evening to explore more of the city.

The only other opression I have seen is the Mausoleum of Augustus. Unlike many of the other ruins throughout Rome, in 2007 his mausoleum was encased in a very modern looking glass building. I find the building to be very ugly and it is an eyesore compared to the thousand year old marble ruins that I have come accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.