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| Rome, Italy |
Rome was as beautiful as I expected it to be: the small, architectural crowded streets that enveloped the city as I walked past the different restaurants and museums and monuments that made me want to stop in awe surrounded me. I am in love with the Italian language and it is something I now want to become fluent in. My roommates were very good at navigating. Our itinerary was so thought out that the weekend felt as if we had been there for so much longer than we were. We saw everything (as tourists, that is) like throwing coins into the notorious wishing fountain and touring the colosseum and palatine hill where the view from the top exposed almost the entire city. It was our first and probably last trip together. Most of the girls are getting ready to go back home which makes me kind of sad because we have gotten so close since I came out here. I didn't expect to meet people as wonderful as these girls I now call my roommates and friends, and it's kind of bittersweet. We are all so different in so many ways but we share a passion for travel and adventure and independence.
A few days before I left for Rome, I traveled to London to meet up with a friend that I've been in "online" contact with for almost four years now. When I stepped outside of the airport and into the train that took me into the city, it was just as I imagined it would be. I listened closely for English accents. I watched intently from the train window, noticing the buildings, the streets, the people. There was an instant bond with the girl I met up with as we went from pub to pub. It's surreal to think that a year ago I imagined myself here and looking at my surroundings now, I almost don't believe it. I have seen and experienced so many things that I have only dreamed of in the past and all I want is to continue to experience more. I have learned that you can make connections with people everywhere, that everything is temporary, and the world isn't as scary as it is big-- and yes, I plan to see it all.
In many places like these, it is easy to get caught up in all the touristy areas so when it's time to try some local, authentic food it's easy to stumble upon the attractive and touristy restaurants: don't do this. Luckily, while walking in Rome we happened upon a local little restaurant and decided to give it a shot - mostly because we were so hungry and tired from walking. Relentlessly craving pasta and wine, we got whatever looked more delicious and a pitcher of red wine. We ended up staying 2-3 hours there eating and drinking. The pasta (and the wine) were probably the best we ever had and our Italian waiter became our friend and offered us dessert which we gobbled up after our meal. Then our waiter invited us to a club that night (the best "club" in Rome). I am not a clubber, but of course we went for the experience and he brought along some of his Italian friends. The next day it was an early awakening for more adventures. This trip definitely seemed like more than just a weekend.
I am slowly letting go of a lot of things I once thought I couldn't live without. There are a number of things that I am experiencing right now in this moment that aren't going to last forever; like this apartment and the people I am sharing it with. The brick walls. The café next door. The metro ride to work. Cheap, fresh baguette in the morning. The laid-back lifestyle. Weekend traveling. Right now, on this large, suede couch enveloped by tall french-themed doors and the girls in the other rooms, in the heart of the city, I feel at ease and at home. Even if it is just temporary.
