Day 20 (6/24/11):

We spent the morning organizing ourselves and our suitcases, since Jackie was flying out the next morning and I was moving, and then headed to class.

Today in class we learned more about "cui" and when to use "chi" instead. I'm not a big fan of "cui" still, but really need to learn it since it is so common to use!

After class we went to get something to eat with some other students. Jackie, Sal, Judy, Julia, Andrew, Martin, and Pepijn were all there, and it was so nice hanging out with everyone for a while! Martin and Pepijn are absolutely hilarious, and if they had a tv show I think it would be my favorite :o)

After dinner, we all went to Frigidarium for some gelato and to hang out a bit more. It was a little bittersweet, since Jackie, Sal, Judy, and Julia were all leaving within the next few days.

Afterwards, Jackie and I took a nice stroll back to the apartment to enjoy the beautiful evening weather. We organized ourselves a bit more, and much later went to get some food from a restaurant up the street. We had both seen it while using the payphones outside, and thought it looked good. It seemed like a truly authentic Italian restaurant and the food was great! We both ordered a pasta dish and, of course, ate every bite!

Day 21-22 (6/25-26/11):

This morning Jackie and I said goodbye super early as she left to bring her things to the airport. I wasn't feeling well, so I tried to sleep a little longer before starting my big move across the city…

I didn't do much all weekend, unfortunately, because I was sick :o( Sunday I felt a little better, so I ventured out into my new neighborhood and went to mass at the Vatican! I saw hundreds and hundreds of people in Saint Peter's Square, and as I approached it took me a minute to realize they were all watching the Pope speak from a window high up on the Vatican building! I had completely forgotten about all the crowds that would be there, and unfortunately it took me a little while to get into the church so I was late for mass :o/ I sat beside a woman who was speaking along with everyone in Italian and tried to follow along as best I could. Mass was really beautiful. The choir sounded so professional, and the whole experience was very moving. I'm really glad I went.

Day 23 (6/27/11):

Today was my first class with Jessica! We have some new people, since it's two classes merged together, so it will be fun getting to know them. Today we reviewed direct object pronouns in preparation for a new lesson tomorrow. Phew! I was worried we were going to go over half of the book again!

Mondays are a little difficult in the city since so many museums and other places are closed. While eating a nice little lunch at my apartment, I made a plan to explore and then went off to see the beauty that Rome has to offer.

I wandered to the Bocca della Verita` where a giant mask covers a manhole. Legend says that if a liar stuck his hand in the mouth, it would be chopped off! Another legend says that a priest would stand behind the cover and swat the hands of well-known liars with a wooden cane! I stood in line for a while to stick my hand in its mouth and take a picture… and I left with both hands still intact :o)

After taking a picture, everyone is directed to go inside the church. It wasn't anything overly decorated like some others I have seen, but it was nice. Downstairs was a small room called the Ara di Ercole (Altar of Hercules), which was interesting to see. It almost looks like a tomb.

Afterwards, I wandered towards Piazza Venezia, then to other parts of the city center. I eventually took a bus to bring me closer to my new neighborhood, and on the walk home after that stopped in a couple churches that caught my eye. Everything is really beautiful here, and I can't help but be drawn to almost every building! It's like discovering a secret.

I decided to stick at home for the evening to get some more rest and get back to feeling 100%!

Day 24 (6/28/11):

Today's walk to school was incredibly hot! I think it's the hottest day yet! At class we learned about indirect object pronouns, which I thought was pretty easy to understand. I also signed up for an additional intensive class for the next 3 weeks! It will add on another 1.5 hours to my school schedule, but the emphasis is more on talking. I'm hoping it will give me a chance to use the language more often.

After class I bought "un pezzo di pizza" at a place near school and walked towards the Capitoline Museum behind Piazza Venezia. It consists of 2 buildings, connected by a gallery underground. The first building I went to was Capitoline Hall and had 4 floors! Not much was labeled, which made it a little difficult to follow, but I found I'm getting much better at recognizing who is who in paintings and sculptures. There were several statues or busts of the Emperor Hadrian, many sculptures of Venus & Mars (or a couple shown with the likeness of them), Popes, and soldiers on horses. The main exhibit in the courtyard of this hall are pieces of a colossal statue of Constantine. All that is left are his feet, head, knee, an one hand. To give you an idea of it's size: I am probably about as tall as his one hand is long! I was bummed I couldn't take pictures.

In the Nuovo wing of the museum, there were only 2 floors (but I was okay with it since I had been walking around for so long in the other wing!). There were some more famous/interesting statues here, such as: the large baby Hercules killing a snake, busts of Hadrian, more statues of Venus & Mars, etc. I was really excited to see the beautiful statue of Venus that even has its own room in the gallery, but unfortunately it's in Washington DC at a special exhibit there. I was a little bummed, but I guess this just means I'll have to head on over to DC :o)

School was bringing everyone to an aperitivo tonight, so I had to be there by 6:45 to meet with everyone. Once there I met up with Donna and 2 women from her class, Andrew, Pepijn, Martin, Maria, Stephan, and some others. We headed over to Maranega in Campo de Fiori and all sat to enjoy our aperitivo. The food was pretty good here, with different types of pasta to try (gnocchi, pesto penne, penne with a salmon vodka sauce), along with small samples of bread with a tapenade on them. Of course, I was slightly obsessed with the kalamata olive spread! To drink I ordered a "strawberoska", which was like a caipirinha, but with mashed strawberries in it. It was awesome!

Matt arrived to aperitivo a little late, so Donna and I hung out with him there a bit before we all went to Trastevere to meet up with the rest of the "usual crowd". I love it when Matt meets up! Not only is he super nice, but he also will only speak Italian so its great practice and a lot of fun!

We all spent some time at a place called "Express" in Trastevere, and eventually I started the walk back to my apartment. It was another fun night in Rome! :o)