Since this is the first time Reading Rome has ever been given as a course it was hard to go in with a real set of expectations, especially in terms of the material that would be covered. I went in with an open mind, expecting to gather lots of knowledge about Rome but not really knowing specifically what that would mean. I talked a lot in my application essay about becoming a "Rome expert" and becoming reacquainted with the culture of the city (and Italian culture in general), as it had been a while since I had been there. I felt like that part of my life had been left on the back burner as of late, especially because I was so immersed in the culture of Spain while I was abroad in the fall. In short I wanted to feel like I had stopped "cheating on Italy.” I took this course mainly because I would have jumped on pretty much any opportunity to return to Italy.
Of course, nothing in life ever goes exactly as one expects it to. I suppose, silly me, I didn't realize the scale of how much knowledge there actually is to know about Rome. I was interested in modern-day Rome, the culture of right now and becoming an expert on the modern city, but I had completely forgotten about all the other layers of Rome that completely shape what it is today. This course certainly enlightened me to the fact that Rome has an enormously long history and that each layer - Ancient Rome, the Renaissance period, Mussolini's Rome - are detrimental to understanding the modern city. I was surprised when Ancient Rome alone took half a semester to cover. I guess I was expecting to transition into the modern city much more quickly. When I signed up for the course, I'll be quite honest, I had espresso and gelato (and “Paolo”) in the forefront of my mind. Now I feel like, even though it was not an easy road and I didn't exactly absorb everything I wanted to, I have a fresh perspective on Rome in many ways. I wouldn't consider myself the "expert" I expressed desire to become in my application essay, but I definitely filled in a lot of layers that weren't there before.
Getting to know my classmates has been one of the best things about the course. I love that it's such a diverse group; not just students of all backgrounds, but also with totally different courses of study. Sometimes I feel like I've been hanging around theater people way too much, and bonding with a group of all different majors has been a wonderfully new experience for me. Even though some of the bonding happened because of our Rome-induced frustrations, sometimes the best kind of bonding happens when you're struggling through something all together. I definitely think it took a little while longer than I would have liked for our class to become a real group, but I am so excited to go to Rome with this awesome group of people; it’s clear that this group is going to make the two weeks we share in Rome extremely special.
****
And now, a glimpse into the future...
The very first hour of Reading Rome's invasion.
May 23rd, Rome, Italy, mid-afternoon
As we all gather in the lobby of St. John's there is a distinct collective adrenaline rush happening in the room. We were all complaining about how exhausted and drained we were earlier, but at this point all our complaints are but a distant memory. Not only do we not feel tired anymore, we are all acting downright giddy; these Italians must hate us already for being so boisterous. Oh well - they'll only have to deal with us for a few more minutes until everyone is accounted for (for now!).
Everyone has confirmed that his or her roommate is present and we set off, some arm-in-arm, some full-out skipping along, for our first passeggiata in Rome. It has been a few years since I've been in this city (or let alone this country) and I could not even describe the overwhelming bliss that has come over me if I tried. I missed the Italian sun compared to the dreary semester of weather we've had in Saratoga. The day is absolutely perfect; there is not a cloud in the sky, and the sun warms my face and arms, which are exposed by the spaghetti straps of my new floral sundress. -- Oh, how fitting! Spaghetti straps! And we're in Italy. Get it? Ah well... anyway...
I believe there is something different about the sun here. Maybe it's the atmosphere in general adding to the whole effect that just makes me feel like the sky is more blue here or maybe everything actually is better in Italy. Either way, the abundance of flowers, the warm sunlight, and the absolutely perfect temperature are all making this the happiest moment I have experienced in months.
It suddenly crosses my mind that it has been six months since I left Spain - really? Six entire months? It seems like no time has lapsed at all, and yet at the same time it feels like forever ago. Time is such a funny thing. In two weeks I'll probably look back to this moment, the mopeds whizzing by, the aroma of coffee wafting from the charming espresso place on the corner, and think: "it seems like that moment happened yesterday. Where did these two weeks go?" So, at this moment, I make a mental vow to myself that I will live up every single precious moment of these next two weeks.
We walk past the first gelateria we see and of course there is an eruption of "GELATO! YES!" - I mean let's be honest here, this is what we've all been waiting for. Of course Daniele cuts us a break (gelato is ALWAYS a legitimate excuse for a minor detour) and we enter under the gelateria's classic red and white awning. Upon entering it's quite obvious to the owner that we are a group of wide-eyed Americans. Thankfully the owner finds this endearing and begins to show off the few English phrases he knows, which we can only react to by giggling. I respond to his efforts by attempting to show off my Italian, ordering "un piccolo cono di bacio" - in Italian, "kiss" - my absolute favorite gelato flavor EVER. Spanish gelato was great too, but I haven't had actual Italian gelato in years; my excitement simply cannot be captured in words. I recall a time when I was in Italy with my mom when I was younger and I ordered bacio(because, I kid you not, it has ALWAYS been my favorite) and the man working in the gelateria said to me "Ahhh, vuoi un bacio?" ("Oh, you want a kiss?") My mom thought this was hilarious but my young self just giggled embarrassedly. No, grazie. To this day I’d still take a gelato over a kiss any time. Luckily this time the owner doesn't try to pull any moves. On the way out we stop to ask him his name and erupt into raucous laughter when we find out that it just so happens to be PAOLO. We always knew we were destined to meet Paolo... we just didn't know he'd be a jolly 60 year old man who owns the gelateria down the street from the convent.
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