Lesson #56 Let's go see the Pope!

     Being in Italy, especially Rome, it seems only right to visit the Vatican. Whether you are religious or not, the Vatican is amazing and has the best postal service in Italy! Well, every Wednesday and Sunday the pope greets people at the Vatican with a special audience. On Wednesdays you need to reserve a free ticket for a seat and get to see the pope up close and personal from his pope-mobile! Yes, it is actually called that.
     And it looks like this:

     But, if you decide to just show up on Sunday, you get to see the Pope from his papal apartments. He just gives a short speech in Italian and then speaks to the crowd in a bunch of different languages. He starts with Italian, then French, then English, then German, and so on . . . In all, it takes about 45 mins to get to the Vatican, and 15 mins for the Papal audience. Even though it is only 15 mins, just the atmosphere of the crowd is fun! People come from all over the world with fliers and banners that show their love of the Pope and where they are from. On the occasional Sunday, he will even address the specific people there!
     I dunno if you can see the Pope in the picture below, but he is the size of a pin from the square as well, soooooo bring a camera with a really good zoom!

   
     Lesson #56: Spend a Sunday visiting the Pope! And try to recognize as many languages you can!

Lesson #55 Personal Space? What's that?

     Oh personal space, how I miss thee! Having been in Italy for a few months, you tend to realize that NO ONE GIVES ANYONE ANY SPACE!!!! If you are in line for something, you have Italians pressed against you on all sides. If you are on the bus, you have Italians pushing you. If you are randomly walking down the street, you have Italians bumping you.
     I need a personal bubble like this kid!

     So, Lesson #55: Personal space does not exist in Italy.

Lesson #54 Cars . . .

     Italians like their cars like they like their coffee: SMALL! Whereas Americans like their SUV's. I honestly think you might thrown out of Italy if you tried to drive and SUV here . . .

     Italian Car:

     American Car:

     Lesson #54:  Italy likes their small cars . . .

Lesson #53 Coffee . . .

     Has anyone ever noticed that the coffee sizes in America are ridiculous! We seriously make the largest cups for beverages out of anywhere in the world. If you don't believe me, walk into a 7-Eleven and look at a "Big Gulp" . . . its kinda ridiculous! Well, since we have been here a while, we have heard the Americans complaining non-stop about how it is impossible to get a large coffee. Everyone misses their "Venti Starbucks Frappuccinos", which is bizarre because we are in the land of coffee!
     Well, Italians like their coffee small and very strong. They never get coffee to-go and if you ask for it in a to-go cup they know your a foreigner!

     You see how small that is?!?!?! If you ever see an Italian with one of these (below), you be sure to let me know!

 
     Lesson #53: Italian coffee is small. Do not expect anything larger than 6oz or less . . .

Lesson #52 Photography Professor vs. Bartok faceoff

     An interesting aspect of being here in Rome is my classes. Now, of course I took some classes that would complete my study abroad experience as being more abroad than study, hence my Photography class. Now you think that a photography class would be loads of fun, especially in a place like Rome, right? But what you wouldn't expect is the fact that we spend most of our time in a dark classroom talking about other people's work for hours at a time! 

     Well, when you are taking a class that is so focused on talking and less on the actual learning process, you tend to find things to distract you, like your professor's voice. Which is good because that means you are actually listening to him, right?? 

     So, my photography professor has a slight Boston accent and a slight lisp, so when he gets excited, he tends to sound like Bartok from Anastasia. 

     Is it bad that all I wanna do is ask him to say that line? Probably . . . 

     

     So, Lesson #52: Bartok wins.

Lesson #51 Postage stamps

     This is a Rome postage stamp. Not that I have ever seen one, but apparently, this is what they look like. I have been in Italy for 2 months and have visited 2 post offices and multiple Tabacci shops to search for this elusive stamp.
     You may ask, "What city requires this much effort to find stamps?" The answer is simple: ROME, ITALY!
     Yes, that's right. Rome has run out of stamps. One of the post offices I visited managed to convey this in Italian to me by just looking at me like I was crazy. Granted, I was asking for 20 stamps, but they didn't even have one! The other post office just kept saying finished. And all the tabacci stores that supposedly sell stamps actually don't.

     Instead, all of my postcards have stamps like this! YAY for Vatican City and their postal services. The Vatican is renowned around all of Rome for saving Italian's from their own mail service. Although PosteItaliane, the Italian postal service is ALWAYS crazy busy, no one is actually sending mail from it. The Italians pay their bills direct to the post office, so clearly mail and stamps is not a priority.
     I would just like everyone to appreciate how much of an effort was spent in sending those darn postcards. It took several horrible attempts in Italian, lots of snooty looks, a special trip to Vatican City to buy the stamps and another to send them. So, to all of you who recieved post cards, your welcome!

     So, Lesson #51: Never trust an Italian post office!

Lesson #50 Fashion Suicide

     Yep, that's right. The ultimate form of fashion suicide in Italy, I have committed. It all happened because of that darn rain! Well, if you are wondering what fashion suicide in Italy is, it's wearing yoga pants. Yep. I love my yoga pants, so actually I'm surprised it took me this long to crack! Well, Rome is notorious for torrential downpours, and after you walk through one once, you will never be tempted to wear jeans again, hence the yoga pants.
     Well, I thought that this was just fine and dandy, until I got to my Italian class. My Italian teacher is this cute little Italian woman who is always wearing AMAZING shoes and cute clothes. She was also wearing yoga pants accompanied by sneakers. When I showed up, she asked me if the rain had destroyed my shoes and outfit too and if I didn't have time to go home and change . . . Her outfit was her workout apparel, which no Italian in their right mind would wear in normal circumstances, so clearly I am not Italian. I like my yoga pants too much!

So, Lesson #50: A love of yoga pants is the death of fashion.

Lesson #49 Singing in the Rain!

     RAIN! I feel like whenever you see umbrellas and rain, you immediately start singing! Or at least I do! So in honor of that, here is Gene Kelly singing in the rain!

   
     So, Lesson #49: No matter where you are in the world, be it Italy or the U.S., SING IN THE RAIN!

Lesson #48 Designer fanny packs . . .

     What is it with men and fanny packs? I had previously thought before I came to Italy that fanny packs were left back in the 80's. Unfortunately, it seems they are still with us. Yay for fanny packs! Although they are occassionally useful to help fend off the pickpockets, there really is no reason for a fanny pack without a water bottle holder for hiking! That is the one and ONLY time a fanny pack should be used. Also, if you are using it for that purpose, it should generally be a neutral color and made out of sporty fabric. Not 80's neon . . .

     In Italy, they have a different view of what is acceptable in the fashion realm of life. For example, designer fanny packs. Yes, that's right. DESIGNER FANNY PACKS!!!!!!!! Crazy right?? But they are everywhere here!!!!!!!!!! It's really as bad as a man purse . . .

     Lesson #48: Beware the return of the fanny pack!

Lesson #47 Opera . . .

     Oh opera. It is a beautiful art form. Well on our recent adventure to Perugia, we had massive amounts of chocolate consumption and lucky for us, and opera midterm to study for! Well, here in Rome, our opera midterm and finals consist of listening to opera and naming the composer and his dates, the aria and opera, and the voice types. This meant non-stop opera listening for us and we were even dreaming of our opera music. Luckily some of the music is bearable, but for those songs that aren't, you have to find a way to make it bearable.
     For me, that consists of singing! And for those of you who know me, singing is never a good thing, especially when it comes to opera. Unfortunately for my roommates, I was attempting to sing Rossini's very high soprano from the Barber of Seville. One of my roommates actually barged into my room because she thought someone was hurt or dying or something.

     So, Lesson #47: My singing opera sounds like a dying person . . . good to know . . .

Lesson #46 Karma

     You would think that stepping in doggie poopies once would be enough, but apparently in Rome, you can never step in it enough! Perhaps this fallacy that stepping in dog poo is lucky is why no Italian has ever picked up any of their dog's business. Ever. Our daily walk to school is a hop, skip, and a jump. Literally. You hop around the doggie poo, then start skipping when you see someone else has kindly stepped in it first and created poopie footprints, and if all else fails, you JUMP and hope that you miss most of it and land on the other side of the poo trail.

     So, Lesson #46: Stepping in dog poo is lucky when you are in Italy. When you are in Rome, you are always VERY lucky.

Lesson #45 People are nice!

     If all else fails, look extremely lost and try to ask for directions. Luckily, I'm a girl and don't have the strange complex that men have about asking for directions. On our chocolate adventure to Perugia, the city somehow managed to shut down all the public transportation out of the city and only had buses coming in. Unfortunately, we wanted to leave the city of chocolate heaven and could not manage to leave. Some people might of seen this as a sign to stay and eat MORE chocolate. But unfortuanately, we had midterms, so even signs like no transportation out of the city, must be ignored.
     There is a major bus station in the center of Perugia that was somehow miraculously managed to get to there and realized there really no buses leaving the city. In an interesting turn of events, people were amazingly nice! They actually tried their best to help us, which in Rome is more of a 'do it yourself' kind of attitude. They pointed us in the correct direction for the bus (always a first step) and then managed to convince a bus driver to take us to the train station. It was off the kindness of others trying to help that we finally managed to make our train out of Perugia. And the bus didn't even stop for anyone else on the way down.

+

=

     Therefore, the moral of this story: Lesson #45: In towns where there are chocolate festivals, people eat chocolate, chocolate makes people happy, happy people are nice people, and nice people like to help!

Lesson #44 CHOCOLATE

     CHOCOLATE! Really, that is all that needs to be said. Well, besides the fact that it's nutritious and delicious and has it's own festival in Perugia. Which is AMAZING! If you get a chance to go and spend a couple of days there, do. Perugia was incredible. It is such a small city compared to Rome. People actually stop to say hello and have conversations, where as in Rome, it's just rushing around. The chocolate was of course, AMAZING! The festival brings in chocolate from all over Europe! There is basically every brand of chocolate that is delicious enough to come, plus a lot of carts selling fresh homemade chocolate! Of course, there was also chocolate covered everything specialty hot chocolate everywhere! The hot chocolate is really just that, chocolate heated up. No additional milk added. It was delicious.

     The chocolate festival is so large that they now sell EuroChocolate cards, which are cards with different stations where you can get samples of CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!! It was very exciting, and allowed us to try some chocolate that I never would have  . . . and got us a chocolate picture-frame (made out of CHOCOLATE!)

     Well, what kind of chocolate festival would be complete without giant chocolate sculptures?

So, Lesson #44: Eat, Live, Breathe and LOVE chocolate!

Lesson #43 When someone says "Dress Accordingly" . . .

     You know those times where you look outside and it's a beautiful day, then you get outside and it's freezing? Yah, we had one of those weekends. You see, we thought we would be smart and check the weather which said it was going to be about 70 degrees. Beautiful right? WRONG!!!! Apparently it also said if feels like it's 50 degrees out. Plus wind. COLD!

     We went to Assisi and Perugia last weekend. I have come to the conclusion that Italy is a beautiful country. No matter where you are, the views are amazing and the culture is surrounding you no matter where you go. Assisi is a beautiful historical hill town famous for it's patron saint, San Francesco. They have amazing churches and incredible frescoes that blow your socks off! Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing socks and the wind was really blowing hard! Perugia was even colder, but it was the EuroChocolate festival, so at least there was hot chocolate!

     I guess that the hill towns are colder than Rome, which we kind of spaced out. Our program advisor even sent an email saying dress accordingly! I was wearing  a t-shirt with a light sweater and flip-flops, while the Italians surrounding me were wearing down coats with fur collars, hats, gloves and fluffy boots.

     Lesson #43: When someone says it's going to be cold, don't be an idiot and wear flip-flops. You will freeze.

Lesson #42 Cute little fire trucks!

     Italians have their ways to life, one of which does not include a manual to fire safety. In our apartments in Rome, there is no plan if there is a fire (or at least none that I know about). It's odd really because Italians have gas stoves, but there is one staircase in our building and one exit. There is also no smoke detector. For my family, no smoke detector is a sin. What with grandpa inventing the first battery operated smoke detector and having at least one in every room (including the tree house) since before I was born, it is a bit odd. However, in Italy, I have yet to come across a store that even sells one! It's just not the culture. But, they at least have firetrucks!

     One our way home from dinner one night, we actually saw a fire! I guess it was just a little one, but the cute little firetruck came ripping down the street and set up a ladder to go put it out. The fire was up on the balcony of an 8 story building, so the firemen sent the ladder up there and all we could hear was the sound of a fire extinguisher. Yes, speeding through traffic, sending a ladder 8 stories high and then using a fire extinguisher. Vai Italia!

     Lesson #42: Fire safety is rare in Italy, but they drive cute firetrucks!

Lesson #41 Alici translated means anchovies . . .

     Anchovies. They really are an acquired taste. Well, Italians, especially those from Naples love their anchovies! A Neapolitan pizza has mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and anchovies! This is really something good to know, especially if you are one of those people with whom anchovies don't quite hit the spot. Well, unfortuantely, menus in Italian don't just say ANCHOVIES on them in big writing. They say alici, which translated means anchovies. It's one of those things you wish you knew, then didn't and feel stupid about.

     Well, unfortunately for Kali, that happened. These little fishes were in her pizza! But, because she felt like she should have known that alici meant anchovy, she ate the whole pizza. Every single bite looked slightly painful, but she finished it off and the waiter looked very pleased.

     Lesson #41: Alici means anchovies, if all else fails, feed them to Kali! (Just kidding!)

Lesson #40 Dogs pee on cars

     Well, the lesson is fairly obvious. If you have the wonderful opportunity to come to Rome, walk down a side street and take a look at all the bumpers of Italian cars. All of them, and I mean ALL of them have pee stains on them. Italians let their doggies go everywhere, and rarely pick it up. But if you walk along the street around 5:30pm, you will see all of them stop and pretend not to notice their dogs peeing on other peoples cars. No car is safe, not even a Porsche!

     So, Lesson #40: Do not brush up against any Italian cars, you never know what's on them!

Lesson #39 Pizza Crust vs. Quiche Crust

vs. 

     It really shouldn't be that complicated right? There is a definite difference between a pizza crust and a quiche crust. For example, one is cooked flat, while one gets a cool pan. Whoops. 

     We buy pre-made pizza crust from the supermarket here in Rome. It's actually kind of awesome because it is cheap and so are we! Well, the store ran out of our pre-made pizza dough, and we thought we would be awesome and sidestep the need for pizza crust with quiche crust! Not one of our better ideas. Quiche crust with pizza toppings cooked like a pizza? Kinda mushy and gross. 

     

     Lesson #39: Stick with the Italian favorite: Pizza is much better than quiche. 

Lesson #38 Cobblestones

     Cobblestones. The word cobble is actually supposed to be wobble, because when walking on cobblestones, its more like wobbling on cobblestones. They are strategically placed to trip you. It's actually quite amazing the patterns that are created with cobble/wobblestones. Many of the cobblestones in Rome are replaced in the exact pattern they have been for years. But, in Rome, they wait for years until they are all at different angles to replace them, hence the tripping.

     Another interesting thing in Rome is the original paving stones that are still placed throughout a few of the historical districts. These original paving stones are THE ORIGINAL stones used back when Caesar ruled the Roman empire! There are even the tracks from the carriage wheels still engraved in the paths they traveled. It really is amazing, but they are gigantic! When you are busy looking at the amazing things around you, you really are not paying attention to where your feet are going, which again equates to tripping!
     My main question is all those Italian women in heels, HOW DO THEY WALK!?!?! I can't even walk in a straight line in tennis shoes here, so heels? Out of the question!

    Lesson #38: Wobblestones are the Italian version of cobblestones

Lesson #37 Allergic to Italy?

     Am I allergic to Italy? Well, that is a beautiful and charming question. One that I am still wondering about . . . . You see, ever since the 1st day here, I have been suffering allergic reactions like none other. First it was the regular seasonal allergic reactions to pollen and what have you, but then? Random rashes all over my legs? Well, lets just say one of my first real Italian language tests was in the Italian pharmacy.
     In Europe, basically everything is necessary through a doctor's prescription, including Advil and Tylenol. That makes it tricky for unexplained issues, such as leg rashes with unknown causes. I gave up on trying to figure it out and walked into the pharmacy anyway. I tried to explain the situation to her and finally just pointed at my legs, the red splotches all over my legs were fairly apparent in my shorts . . . She just reached over into her stash of magical medicines and handed me a tube that says prescription only in about 6 languages. YAY!!!!!!!!!

     Lesson #37: I'm probably allergic to Italy, but at least I'm friends with the lady at the pharmacy!

Lesson #36 Honking, Revving, Sparking

     Awhhhh, the sounds of Roma . . . honking, revving, sparking . . . The wondrous sounds of a city. Its loud. We live on a major street in Rome and it is LOUD! A tram line passes straight past our apartment, so you can hear that all night long, the trash pick-ups, the motorcycles, the cars, the double-parked people getting angry and laying on the horn, the list goes on. It's actually quite entertaining to just sit on our balcony and relax and take in everyone else's crazy life!
     However, there are  certain noises that FREAK us out still! The first and foremost would be the sparks that come off of the tram lines. The lines connecting it are low and rub whenever the tram passes creating a giant spark that sounds like a gun-shot! It is terrifying and highly confusing when there is lightning . . .

     Another sound is that of the bus air-brakes. I swear they go off whenever they see me on the balcony or walking by . . . I jump about a foot every time . . .

      And the last of my examples, but by far my favorite is that of the non-stop horn blast. Roman's are crazy drivers as everyone knows, but they also park wherever they think they can get away with it. Often times, that happens to be behind other cars. Well, when that happens, the owner of the blocked car gets mad, of course, and lays on the horn like its no tomorrow. Oh yah, its fun!

     Lesson #36: Get used to the honking, revving and sparking noises. They keep life exciting.

Lesson #35 Don't make plans while climbing up stairs . . .

     So another thing we learned on our epic adventure to Cinque Terre, don't make plans while climbing up stairs. The stairs in Cinque Terre are NEVER ENDING! They seriously just keep going up and up and up. And after 45 minutes of climbing in 90 degree weather with no water, talking about changing peoples plans really does not work out well. Everyone starts getting angry about nothing particularly because everyone is too tired to understand anything. It doesn't work out well.

     So, Lesson #35: Stop and relax a minute before you make plans because everyone is much nicer once they know what's going on :)

Lesson #34 Bugs!

     BUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean BUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     Clearly I am not a big fan . . . I just don't like bugs. They are buggy and weird! And they buzz around your head and in your ear and fly all over the place, not to mention they BITE you!!!!!!

     I used to like some bugs. I thought they were pretty. They were cute and pretty colors, but now, they are all evil! Especially the ones on our walk to school. There happen to be random bees that just hover until you pass then buzz after you for a while! Its weird. Really weird. 

     Well, there is one part of the walk to school that is in this really grassy area where the biting bugs just love to catch a snack, aka YOU! I met one of my friends there the other day and was eaten alive while talking to her. We both just started dancing and waving bugs off us and then ran away yelling that our conversation would be continued at a different time . . . Clearly, the bugs in Rome are a menace to society! 

     Lesson #34: Bugs are a menace to society!

Lesson #33 Rocks are not your friends

     As Kristy can already attest to, rocks are not your friend. We were wonderful at thinking this through. You see, our weekend in Cinque Terre was full of adventures, and our leisure time at the beach was yet another adventure, Kali, Kristy and Alison style!

     Instead of being one of the crowd on the beach, we decided to create our own crowd. Some people may not know this, but the beaches in Cinque Terre are all rock beaches. Where all the people are, are the smaller rocks. They are smooth and nice, but your foot still gets stuck in them if you try to walk through them. Nope, they were not for us. Instead we decided to walk over all those rocks to the big ones. Smart right? 

     Well, they were fine once we finally made it over to them. Getting into the water through a bunch of boulders with the tide trying to bash you up against them? Not so easy . . . Oddly enough, while Kristy and Kali were bleeding all over the place, I didn't have a scratch on me! I call that skill!

     Kristy, on the other hand, did not have much skill, or luck on the rocks. She got pretty banged up and her toe was SUPER bloody. Really gross. But, we learned that maybe being part of the crowd wasn't such a bad idea. It might have actually been smart . . .

     Lesson #33: Rocks are not your friend . . . pretty self explanatory . . .

Lesson #32 Don't look at your surroundings . . . you might see too much nature . . .

     Beaches in Europe. Whenever you say that, guys instantly turn their heads and start listening to what you have to say, or look at your pictures. Its weird really. The U.S. is so withdrawn into what is culturally and publicly acceptable, many experience SEVERE culture shock in Europe. Well, might I just say, if you are opposed to this type of culture shock, do not look around . . . you WILL see WAY more than you wanted to. Nature is everywhere, and those who probably shouldn't be bearing all for public inspection usually are the culprits. However, if you feel uncomfortable bearing it all, they do sell 3 euro bikinis on a cart, but beware, you get what you pay for! There is limited fabric options . . . and in some cases, why even wear it? We American girls keep it ALL covered though! We got some strange looks in our tankinis and bikinis that actually covered our entire backsides . . .

     That's all the nature you get to see in this blog :p

     Lesson #32: Beaches are natural and cultural experiences . . .

Lesson #31 Going for a walk and ending up hiking . . .

     One thing we have realized about Italy, is signage is not exactly amazing. In the Cinque Terre, it is definitely not their strong suit. One of the key things to do in the Cinque Terre is walk between the 5 different towns. There is the Via dell'Amore that travels between all the towns. It is beautiful. The views are amazing and the Via dell'Amore is full of locks and strings that people have tied up on posts to show their love. It's cute, but weird. Well, the Via dell'Amore was under construction when we were there between the 2nd town of Manarola and Corniglia, so we took the train to avoid a 3 hour hike. We then walked up the 381 stairs to Corniglia (yes, there was a sign congratulating you on making it to the top) and followed the sign that said it went to Vernazza. Signs LIE! Or maybe they tell the truth, but it was definitely not the Via dell'Amore to Vernazza. The Via dell'Amore is a picturesque sidewalk that has very few hills and is paved the whole way. Not very adventurous . . . our way was much more interesting. 

     Apparently, that sign to Vernazza was the hiking trail that went up and over the mountain and down into Vernazza. We realized that about half way through. It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit and every single person hiking looked like they had just gone swimming in their own sweat. It was a beautiful hike, and I highly suggest it, but be forewarned, there are stairs! Another side-note, don't carry all your belongings with you on the hike. They get heavy . . .

     Lesson #31: Go for a walk + End up hiking a mountain = Fantastic memories!

Lesson #30 Sophistication

     There is something about being in a foreign country that makes you feel a little more grown up, more sophisticated. Here, people don't treat you like you are too young to understand something, they just treat you like you won't understand anything and it shocks them if you do. In a way, it's slightly refreshing. Instead of being treated like a little kid, you are treated like a stupid American . . .
     Anyways, there is a sense of accomplishment going anywhere here, especially when it works out right. On our trip to the Cinque Terre, we stayed in Riomaggiore. We were incredibly proud of ourselves that we made it there without getting lost once, and that our hostel and everything was working out perfectly. So, we watched the sun set, got all dolled-up for the night and went out. Restaurants in Italy are strange. You never quite know if you are supposed to just sit down, or go ask for a table. But when you get to a restaurant with no open tables, its probably a good idea to ask. As the only one with a little background in Italian, I asked for a table for three at a restaurant that I had gone to with my parents about 10 years ago. The waitress responded with a long winded  explanation saying a table for three was difficult as many of the tables were meant for two or four people, none for three (all in Italian) and explained that there was a half hour wait. So, our search went on as we continued down to the pier. We managed to get a table at another restaurant with only a small wait and decided we were so impressed with ourselves we should celebrate!

     We decided to order our special dishes of seafood and fancy drinks. We looked great, had delicious food and delightful cocktails (which are legal here btw . . .). We felt quite so sophisticated, and just because we finally managed to travel and make it to our destination without any faux-pas.

     Lesson #30: No faux-pas, just sophistication!

     P.S. We all had our party shirts on!

Lesson #29 Party Shirts!

     So, everyone needs a party shirt. We all have ours! Basically, one way to classify party shirt is that it has ruffles! Now, my sister would love this, cause she can't get enough ruffles. Actually, one of my party shirts is the ONLY shirt with ruffles that I own, and she bought it for me . . . Anywho, if it has ruffles or fluffiness, it is fancy!

     The second way to classify a party shirt is SEQUINS! If it sparkles, it screams party! You can't go too overboard with the sparkles though. It still has to look semi-classy (as much as a sequined shirt can) so you don't look like your trying to attract THAT kind of attention if you know what I mean (which you do . . . think about it . . . yah, you got there . . .)

     Lesson #29: Get your party shirts on, we are going out!

Lesson #28 Dust and Dirty Feet . . .

     Dust and dirt. It's no wonder Italians never wear shoes inside! There is dirt everywhere! Anywhere you go, your feet WILL get dirty, its just a question of how fast they will turn black! Walking around the tourist attractions is even worse! There is dirt there where you just have to think, I'm taking a piece of Rome with me from hundreds of years ago because the dirt is in every crack and crevice of your shoes!

     In the movie, The Gladiator, with Russell Crowe, they make a really big deal about the dirt. Wherever his battle is, he has to run dirt through his fingers. It lets him know where he is and what he has to do, well it's no wonder they did that! THERE IS DIRT EVERYWHERE! And of course, Roman dirt lets you know your in Rome, cause your feet are dirty . . . Did I mention your feet get dirty?

     Maybe that's why gladiators wore those sandals, so your feet only get dirty in the small openings? Those shoes never made sense to me . . .

     Lesson #28: Rome = Dirty Feet

Lesson #27 Maroon 5 is stalking us!

     Yep. It's confirmed. Maroon 5 is officially stalking us. We are all in love with Maroon 5 and they happen to be coming to Rome for a performance in December. It seemed like the second we stepped off the plane, we started hearing their music EVERYWHERE! And this is ITALY! It is crazy how popular American music is here, but Maroon 5 is playing everywhere.
     So, we finally gave in and bought tickets and started humming it everywhere we went out of excitement! All the places we went to from there on out, whether it be Cinque Terre, the train station, a random restaurant or even a food cart has had Maroon 5 playing.

     Lesson #27: Maroon 5 is stalking us, or we are stalking them . . . hard to say . . .

Lesson #26 Coffee Vending Machines!

     Oh Italy! Italians know how to celebrate even the small parts of life. For example, this beautiful coffee vending machine in our library. It is adorable! And a small cup is only 0.30 euro! It lets you choose from all the wonderful selections below, caffeinated or decaffeinated (which is tough to come across!), how much sugar you want in it, if you want chocolate or not and how much milk! Seriously, one of the best inventions ever!

     Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on your point of view), I told my parental units about this fantabulous invention! I even sent them a picture of my cappuccino! However, they were not impressed. They said it was basically a sin to get coffee in ITALY out of a vending machine. I hate to admit they might have a point . . . But the next email I received said they were placing 0.70 euro in my account for each day I had left, so my coffee's from an actual coffee bar would only cost me the 0.30 euro as charged by the vending machine!
     I guess that means I'm sticking with the flirty guy downstairs and taking my coffee with smiley face decorations only!

     Lesson #26: Coffee vending machines are super exciting, but interacting with real people is probably the better route . . .

Lesson #25 Passports, duh!

     Yah, so everyone who is intelligent would probably know that when traveling in a foreign country, it's probably a good idea to have your passport on you, or at least a copy . . . Unfortunately, this did not cross my mind. We went all the way to the Cinque Terre and checked into our hostel before I realized that the copy of my passport was still on my bedside table waiting to be packed. Great planning!

     Well, at least whenever we travel again, I won't forget it!

     Lesson #25: Don't be an idiot and forget your passport.

Lesson #24 Chocolate . . . It melts . . .

     Chocolate. It always seems like such a good idea! It is delicious, and if it is dark, apparently, nutritious! We were on a train to the Cinque Terre and Riomaggiore and ran across a chocolate shop in the train station. What's a girl to do? BUY CHOCOLATE! It seemed like a great choice at the time, but then again, who knew the train was going to be hot?
     My suggestion would be to buy plain chocolate if you ever have a chocolate craving in a train station. If you get the filled chocolate, you will also get a purse filled with chocolate when it melts. And you will be utterly disgusting while eating it. This is good to know . . . My attempts to eat chocolate on the train resulted in an extremely dirty look from the man we were sharing the compartment with. He ended up leaving and coming back with a handful of tissues to help clean up my disgusting chocolaty mess. But at least it was delicious!

     Lesson #24: Eat chocolate before it melts!

Lesson #23 Socks with Sandals . . .

      Socks with sandals. A classic faux-pas. You would think that in Italy, the most fashion forward country in the world, you might not see it everyday, this is not a good assumption to make. However, no true Italian would be caught dead in this dreadful ensemble, but their wise fashion sense does not always rub off onto others.
     For example, my Art of Rome professor tends to make this bizarre fashion statement daily. His socks with sandals are a staple to his wardrobe and he has lived in Italy for over 10 years. Clearly, he is not at all influenced by the dirty looks Italian's give him while walking down the street.

     Lesson #23: Just because the Italians don't do it, means you DEFINITELY should not do it . . .

Lesson #22 Cappuccinos!

     Oh deliciousness! Cappuccinos are AMAZING! I never drink coffee. I actually wont touch the stuff, and that is even after I worked at a coffee house for a summer! I can make a mean cappuccino, but here they definitely have me beat! There is a great little coffee bar downstairs from our apartment that is always packed full of people, but they have small cappuccinos to go! There is the man that works at the cash register who is ALWAYS flirting with us, the woman who handles the bar and a man whose face I have never seen because he is always making my delicious coffee! Here, it tastes like candy. A cappuccino needs no additives to make it addictive and is incredibly fantastic just plain. It even has cool chocolate designs on top!

     Lesson #22: Cappuccinos are happy!

Lesson #21 Exact Change!

     So, with each country there is a simple rule, cultural custom or just something you don't do. In Italy, that is not paying with exact change. Exact change is a big deal here. If you try to pay for a cappuccino with anything over a 2 euro coin, you get evil glares. It goes back to the evil nun glaring at me, it's like that, only these people don't have a vow of silence! So, when you get 50 euro bills from the ATM, you have to be very strategic in how you spend them. I tried to pay for  5 euro purchase at the local supermarket with a 50 euro bill and the checker just stopped and absolutely refused to even touch my money. He looked like he might kiss me when I found a 5 euro bill wedged between my credit cards. But if you don't have exact change, you will get the stink eye all the way out the store!

     Lesson #21: Pay with exact change!

Lesson #20 Locks

     The locks in Italy are finicky. They decide to randomly lock your roomies out, and you in the apartment. Not good! The first week we were here, we had 2 Italian men inside our apartment and 3 outside yelling and pounding on the door. Apparently, if there is a problem, you must yell louder to fix it. Well, after having to call the maintenance people twice in a week, they decided to change our locks.

     Well, so far so good! None of us have been locked out as of yet. Knock on wood!

     Lesson #20: Italian locks can lock people out, but can also lock you in!

Lesson #19 Your cute, but I don't understand what your saying!

     I feel like this phrase is the story of my life, "Your cute, but I don't understand what your saying!" Finding Nemo is an incredible movie, and I am just starting to fully comprehend all the amazing quotes! There is this cute little old lady downstairs and on a daily basis she talks to us, and I just smile and nod wondering what all she is saying to me. It's like being at the post office the other day, the guy working was trying to tell me they did not have stamps and just kept talking. I had no idea what he was saying, but he was super cute!

     Lesson #19: If they are cute, it doesn't matter what they are saying!