Love List

Just a few quick things I love about Rome:

1. Chocolate and bread is a perfectly acceptable meal here. I just had nutella and these crunchy bread-stick things for lunch. And no one said anything except, "That's a great idea!"

2. There are free, clean, cold water fountains all over the city. They are always running and anyone can go up for a quick drink. They are a little hard to find but when you're hot and thirsty and run into one, the phrase "living water" acquires a whole new meaning!

3. The cars here are enormously small. Seriously. Some of us have started calling them clown cars. The smart cars are so tiny that they can part perpindicular to the sidewalk without edging out into the street.

4. The bus system is great... once you get a hang of it. Most of my frustration so far this trip has come from either not knowing the language well enough or not being able to find my bus stop. Now that I'm more confident about the system, I'm finding it's an amazing way to get around the city.

5. Meals are long events to be savored and enjoyed with people you love. In the States, we pile on our courses--or the main course and sidedishes--all on one plate and eat it quickly so we can get to soccer practice or choir practice or yoga class. But in Italy, each dish is served on a separate plate and waiters at restaurants don't even bring you the check until you specifically ask for it. Amazing.

6. I'm used to 30 mins, an hour TOPS for lunch. Here, everyone takes the hours between 1 and 3 pm off. It can get annoying sometimes because this is the time that I have off from classes too, to run errands, etc. But I respect the fact that everyone needs a little i-time!

7. There are stores for each specific cosa (thing) you need--the tabbachi for cigarettes, lotto tickets, and stamps... the farmacia for medicine and beauty supplies... the shoe store... the little kids store... the toy store... the supermercato for food (and that's essentially all they sell). It's old fashioned and I like it. It could get annoying, but whenever you need one of these stores, there always seems to be one right around the corner.

8. The trash/recycling system is great. The dumpsters are color-coordinated according to what is supposed to be deposited in each, and everyone respects these rules. (Except uninformed tourists like myself the first day... whoops.)

9. Churches are open all the time (minus that long lunch break) for people to simply walk through, look at the artwork, and pray. And the best part: people actually do. At Loyola, I would often stop by the Chapel to say "What's up," but I would only run into another person about 2 or 3 times a month. I've been to a new church every day, and there is always someone else with me, enjoying the darkness and the coolness and the quiet.

I'm headed to the Almafi coast this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some amazing pictures to post on Monday!
Ciao, caterina :)