June 23, 2007
1:15am Rome time (6/23), 6:15pm Houston time (6/22)
1st day in Rome – 6/22/07
Wow! How crazy the last couple days have been for me! I’m completely exhausted, but figured I better take time to capture some of what has happened the last couple days before I forget! Before I go into telling about my 1st day in Rome, I have to back track a couple of days.
So my flight was originally scheduled for June 21st around 11:30am. I was suppose to fly Houston to Toronto, meet up with my friend Jody & her mom in Toronto & then fly with them from Toronto to Rome. Things has worked out perfect up until that point – my company was able to book me for the seat right next to them even though we booked weeks apart & everything. I get to the check-in desk at the airport in Houston & see they have that my flight was cancelled. I get to the desk & the Air Canada guy tells me he is going to do his best to get me on a flight that day, but it might have to be tomorrow. But I was still trying to figure out how I could fly with Jody to Rome – both of us had been excited about flying up together & I didn’t comprehend that he was thinking I would have to wait a whole day to fly out! After about half an hour of him looking up schedules & calling airlines, he was able to book me on flights from Houston to Amsterdam & then Amsterdam to Rome on different airlines. BUT the flight did not leave until 7pm! Thank goodness my sister had gone with me to check in, so we were able to load my stuff up & I just hung around Houston until the afternoon when it was time for me to go back to the airport for my flight. Thank goodness all went well with those flight - the only close call was that I only had about 1 ½ hrs between flights in Amsterdam, in which I had to go through passport control, security, get my boarding pass & go clear across the airport (or at least it seemed that way) to catch my plane. They were already boarding, but I had some time to spare. I still have calluses on my hands from carrying all my stuff through the airport (I had some HEAVY carry-on bags!).
I was kind of dreading the ride to the airport, having to say last good-byes & having to fly all that way by myself (after I found out I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody & her mom). Surprisingly I was not as emotional, stressed, or anxious as I thought I would be – I think maybe I was just too tried to be any of those! The nights before I had been up until about 2:30am or 3:00am packing and then had to wake up by 8am! To be honest, I think it’s now just hitting me that this is where I will be living & working for 2 years…so now I’m starting to get nervous about it & questioning whether or not I can actually do this!
Okay – now back to my 1st actual day in Rome. So my flight arrived around 4pm Rome time. By the time I got my bags, found a taxi & made it to the place my company has booked for me for my 1st month, it was about 5:30pm. The place isn’t really a hotel because it’s for extended stay so it has a small kitchen & table in it (and when I say small I mean small!). It’s set up more like a dorm room then a hotel room. But it is very small – the bathroom, kitchen, ‘dining area’, and bed area are all about the size of my bedroom back home…combined! I knew it would be small, but just didn’t expect this small. The shower is so small I barely can move in it & I already had water all over the bathroom when I took a shower! And the most disappointing part is that I checked before to make sure I would have internet access & they said I would have to pay 20 euro a month, but they did have it. It is important that I can have internet access…because in addition for that to be the easy way for Jody & I to communicate (oh and yes my blackberry is not international, so I no longer have a crackberry!) and me being addicted to the internet, I am going to use vonage as my phone & you have to have the internet in order for it to work. So after I can’t figure out how to get the internet to work in my room, I go ask the guy at the front desk how to get it to work. He tells me, ‘Well we have it but it is not working right now & will take a couple days to get up. I will let you know when it is up.’ So I guess I’m getting a crash course in having to have patience with Italian life & how things aren’t so “rushed” like in the States. The other thing is I usually don’t wear a watch because I always had a cell phone or blackberry with me that had the time. So I get to my room & realize I have no way to communicate via phone or e-mail and when walking about I have no idea what time it is! Two things I realize after a day I will have to remedy pretty soon!
Since I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody, we had made plans before I left that we would meet up on Friday at the Piazza in front of the Pantheon around 7pm and then eat & do stuff from there. Since it took so long to get to my hotel, I didn’t have much time. So I dug through my suitcases, found what I needed, took a shower to freshen up a bit (you know how you feel after an overnight flight…a shower is definitely in order!). I was already running behind schedule, but figured it shouldn’t take that long to get to the Pantheon. I had asked the guy at the front desk if he had a map showing the metro etc. & he said no but I could buy one at one of the stores & he also told me there was a metro stop not too far from my place if I just took a left at the next street. I forget that people in Italy are use to walking more than Americans & when they say it’s a short walk that could mean at least 15 minutes. So here I am trying to find the metro stop & I was walking at least 15 minutes. I get to the station, but a ticket & then realize I have no clue where I need to go next. I knew there were only 2 metro lines in Rome & I thought that the Pantheon area would be marked well on the metro line…but of course it wasn’t. And I stopped at a place along my walk & asked about a map but the man said they didn’t have any. I go to a platform & after looking at 3 of the maps realize I was on the wrong side, so then have to go to the other side & wait for another metro. I finally get off the metro & go out they way I thought I needed to based on the map in the metro station. I go into a store which I thought would sell stuff like that & they didn’t have any maps. So I keep walking & asked a group of guys standing on the street if they could tell me where to go (and apparently my Italian/English mix is very bad because they didn’t know what I wanted at 1st). They tell me how to get there, but I never saw the piazza they told me to turn left at. So I walk & walk & start taking turns. Finally I find a store that has a lot of maps & found one that I needed. I start going back on track, but I was a bit far so it took me a while. When I got close to the Pantheon & was checking the map to make sure I was still on track a guy asked me if I needed help. He spoke perfect English & found out he moved to Rome about 35 years ago & has been here since. He pointed me exactly where I needed to go. It was nice to hear from someone who’s moved there and liked it!
I finally get to the Piazza around 8ish (of course I don’t know this b/c I don’t have a watch!). Remember I have no cell phone, no blackberry & so I have no way to contact Jody and I wasn’t able to check messages so I don’t know if she has e-mailed me with changed plans etc.). So I walk around the Piazza and at first didn’t see them. I knew I was late, so I was thinking maybe then left. As I went around the last piece, I finally saw them. That was such a relief! They told me they were giving me a few more minutes & then they were going to leave. And Jody had no idea my internet didn’t work, so she wasn’t sure why I wasn’t responding to her e-mails/phone messages. Once I finally got there, we went and had a nice long dinner where we sat at a table outside & then went to Piazza Navona and had gelato. The whole night it just seemed a bit unreal that I’m actually here. AND that it worked out that Jody was here with her mom at the exact same time. A year ago I wouldn’t have even thought of it ending up this way. And Jody has been so supportive and encouraging of me doing this overseas assignment ever since I told her I was thinking about it-it’s just perfect that she is here when I first move here.
Back to the night…so they had a shuttle to catch to get back to the hotel by 11pm because that was the last shuttle. So I walk with them there & then we looked at the map & there was a metro stop not far from their shuttle stop. So I go on walking. When I got close to the Colosseum the road is blocked & there are tons of people and some guy talking on a microphone. I go closer to see what it is and find out they are having a boxing match outside that was about to start. I don’t know enough Italian to understand the whole thing, but I do know it was 3 or 4 boxers from different countries competing. I stayed long enough to watch them walk in & then the 1st round. It was cool to just walk down the street & run into something like that & with an awesome view. So then I walk around the Colosseum since I had to go there to get to the Metro stop since the streets were closed. I end up taking pictures & being just in awe of the place at night. As I’m taking pics, this guy starts asking me where I’m from etc. We introduce ourselves and I find out he’s from Rome & his name is Carlo. He asks if I want to go for a walk with him. I tell him no thanks I need to go home. He said ‘well can I give you my number and call me tomorrow?’ I figured why not just get the number – of course neither of us have a pen so he goes to this food stand and gets one & gives me his number. I really don’t plan on calling him back, but I have my 1st Italian guys number (and in less time then I ever did in Houston! :-o). So I hurry then to the metro stop, buy my ticket at the machine, am trying to figure out which way to go & this police guy is yelling at me to get out & something else in Italian. So I’m trying to figure out what’s going on & he doesn’t speak English – but he’s closing the doors so I realized the metro was closed! I knew Romans stayed out all night & I just figured the metro would run until 2am or so.
So I go out & look at my map – I was thinking about walking to where I’m staying…but it was a long, long, long walk & I was already exhausted. Then I see what looks like a taxi area. There are taxis there, but no one in them. I see a group of people also looking for taxis & they were speaking English. I start talking to some of them & find out that this young Italian lady & man were trying to help them get a taxi. The guy was on his cell calling for some for them. I was talking to the guys in the group (one older gentleman & one guy from the UK probably a bit younger then me) and they tell me they are going to go to a discotec while the rest go home because it’s the younger ones first time in Rome and he wants to experience the nightlife. They invite me along, but I tell them I’m way too tired and then if I go with them I still have the problem of finding a way home. Finally after being there about 15 or 20 minutes, I was able to waive down a taxi and 10 Euros later I finally end back up at the place I’m staying.
After all the mishaps today, I know I did not prepare at all for life here and there are many lessons already learned:
1. I need to learn more Italian quick! Even after some Italian classes back home, I’m still not comfortable asking questions & responding in Italian. Maybe once I get into it more of what I’ve learned will come back to me…I just need some kind of miracle in this area! ;-)
2. I can not leave to go somewhere without looking at a map first. I’ve never been good with directions & I have no idea how I thought I could just walk out and go around Rome without 1st mapping out a route & having a map.
3. Always find out what time things like the metro stop running!
4. I need to figure out the bus system or I will walk my feet off!
5. And spending the evening with Jody here reminded me to cherish every blessing that you have be given, especially good friends!
I must close since its way too late & I’m supposed to meet up with Jody and her mom at 11am! Since I need to map out the course before then, that means I have to get up on time!
Ciao from Roma!
2:25am Rome time (6/23), 7:25pm Houston time (6/22)
1:15am Rome time (6/23), 6:15pm Houston time (6/22)
1st day in Rome – 6/22/07
Wow! How crazy the last couple days have been for me! I’m completely exhausted, but figured I better take time to capture some of what has happened the last couple days before I forget! Before I go into telling about my 1st day in Rome, I have to back track a couple of days.
So my flight was originally scheduled for June 21st around 11:30am. I was suppose to fly Houston to Toronto, meet up with my friend Jody & her mom in Toronto & then fly with them from Toronto to Rome. Things has worked out perfect up until that point – my company was able to book me for the seat right next to them even though we booked weeks apart & everything. I get to the check-in desk at the airport in Houston & see they have that my flight was cancelled. I get to the desk & the Air Canada guy tells me he is going to do his best to get me on a flight that day, but it might have to be tomorrow. But I was still trying to figure out how I could fly with Jody to Rome – both of us had been excited about flying up together & I didn’t comprehend that he was thinking I would have to wait a whole day to fly out! After about half an hour of him looking up schedules & calling airlines, he was able to book me on flights from Houston to Amsterdam & then Amsterdam to Rome on different airlines. BUT the flight did not leave until 7pm! Thank goodness my sister had gone with me to check in, so we were able to load my stuff up & I just hung around Houston until the afternoon when it was time for me to go back to the airport for my flight. Thank goodness all went well with those flight - the only close call was that I only had about 1 ½ hrs between flights in Amsterdam, in which I had to go through passport control, security, get my boarding pass & go clear across the airport (or at least it seemed that way) to catch my plane. They were already boarding, but I had some time to spare. I still have calluses on my hands from carrying all my stuff through the airport (I had some HEAVY carry-on bags!).
I was kind of dreading the ride to the airport, having to say last good-byes & having to fly all that way by myself (after I found out I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody & her mom). Surprisingly I was not as emotional, stressed, or anxious as I thought I would be – I think maybe I was just too tried to be any of those! The nights before I had been up until about 2:30am or 3:00am packing and then had to wake up by 8am! To be honest, I think it’s now just hitting me that this is where I will be living & working for 2 years…so now I’m starting to get nervous about it & questioning whether or not I can actually do this!
Okay – now back to my 1st actual day in Rome. So my flight arrived around 4pm Rome time. By the time I got my bags, found a taxi & made it to the place my company has booked for me for my 1st month, it was about 5:30pm. The place isn’t really a hotel because it’s for extended stay so it has a small kitchen & table in it (and when I say small I mean small!). It’s set up more like a dorm room then a hotel room. But it is very small – the bathroom, kitchen, ‘dining area’, and bed area are all about the size of my bedroom back home…combined! I knew it would be small, but just didn’t expect this small. The shower is so small I barely can move in it & I already had water all over the bathroom when I took a shower! And the most disappointing part is that I checked before to make sure I would have internet access & they said I would have to pay 20 euro a month, but they did have it. It is important that I can have internet access…because in addition for that to be the easy way for Jody & I to communicate (oh and yes my blackberry is not international, so I no longer have a crackberry!) and me being addicted to the internet, I am going to use vonage as my phone & you have to have the internet in order for it to work. So after I can’t figure out how to get the internet to work in my room, I go ask the guy at the front desk how to get it to work. He tells me, ‘Well we have it but it is not working right now & will take a couple days to get up. I will let you know when it is up.’ So I guess I’m getting a crash course in having to have patience with Italian life & how things aren’t so “rushed” like in the States. The other thing is I usually don’t wear a watch because I always had a cell phone or blackberry with me that had the time. So I get to my room & realize I have no way to communicate via phone or e-mail and when walking about I have no idea what time it is! Two things I realize after a day I will have to remedy pretty soon!
Since I wasn’t on the same flight as Jody, we had made plans before I left that we would meet up on Friday at the Piazza in front of the Pantheon around 7pm and then eat & do stuff from there. Since it took so long to get to my hotel, I didn’t have much time. So I dug through my suitcases, found what I needed, took a shower to freshen up a bit (you know how you feel after an overnight flight…a shower is definitely in order!). I was already running behind schedule, but figured it shouldn’t take that long to get to the Pantheon. I had asked the guy at the front desk if he had a map showing the metro etc. & he said no but I could buy one at one of the stores & he also told me there was a metro stop not too far from my place if I just took a left at the next street. I forget that people in Italy are use to walking more than Americans & when they say it’s a short walk that could mean at least 15 minutes. So here I am trying to find the metro stop & I was walking at least 15 minutes. I get to the station, but a ticket & then realize I have no clue where I need to go next. I knew there were only 2 metro lines in Rome & I thought that the Pantheon area would be marked well on the metro line…but of course it wasn’t. And I stopped at a place along my walk & asked about a map but the man said they didn’t have any. I go to a platform & after looking at 3 of the maps realize I was on the wrong side, so then have to go to the other side & wait for another metro. I finally get off the metro & go out they way I thought I needed to based on the map in the metro station. I go into a store which I thought would sell stuff like that & they didn’t have any maps. So I keep walking & asked a group of guys standing on the street if they could tell me where to go (and apparently my Italian/English mix is very bad because they didn’t know what I wanted at 1st). They tell me how to get there, but I never saw the piazza they told me to turn left at. So I walk & walk & start taking turns. Finally I find a store that has a lot of maps & found one that I needed. I start going back on track, but I was a bit far so it took me a while. When I got close to the Pantheon & was checking the map to make sure I was still on track a guy asked me if I needed help. He spoke perfect English & found out he moved to Rome about 35 years ago & has been here since. He pointed me exactly where I needed to go. It was nice to hear from someone who’s moved there and liked it!
I finally get to the Piazza around 8ish (of course I don’t know this b/c I don’t have a watch!). Remember I have no cell phone, no blackberry & so I have no way to contact Jody and I wasn’t able to check messages so I don’t know if she has e-mailed me with changed plans etc.). So I walk around the Piazza and at first didn’t see them. I knew I was late, so I was thinking maybe then left. As I went around the last piece, I finally saw them. That was such a relief! They told me they were giving me a few more minutes & then they were going to leave. And Jody had no idea my internet didn’t work, so she wasn’t sure why I wasn’t responding to her e-mails/phone messages. Once I finally got there, we went and had a nice long dinner where we sat at a table outside & then went to Piazza Navona and had gelato. The whole night it just seemed a bit unreal that I’m actually here. AND that it worked out that Jody was here with her mom at the exact same time. A year ago I wouldn’t have even thought of it ending up this way. And Jody has been so supportive and encouraging of me doing this overseas assignment ever since I told her I was thinking about it-it’s just perfect that she is here when I first move here.
Back to the night…so they had a shuttle to catch to get back to the hotel by 11pm because that was the last shuttle. So I walk with them there & then we looked at the map & there was a metro stop not far from their shuttle stop. So I go on walking. When I got close to the Colosseum the road is blocked & there are tons of people and some guy talking on a microphone. I go closer to see what it is and find out they are having a boxing match outside that was about to start. I don’t know enough Italian to understand the whole thing, but I do know it was 3 or 4 boxers from different countries competing. I stayed long enough to watch them walk in & then the 1st round. It was cool to just walk down the street & run into something like that & with an awesome view. So then I walk around the Colosseum since I had to go there to get to the Metro stop since the streets were closed. I end up taking pictures & being just in awe of the place at night. As I’m taking pics, this guy starts asking me where I’m from etc. We introduce ourselves and I find out he’s from Rome & his name is Carlo. He asks if I want to go for a walk with him. I tell him no thanks I need to go home. He said ‘well can I give you my number and call me tomorrow?’ I figured why not just get the number – of course neither of us have a pen so he goes to this food stand and gets one & gives me his number. I really don’t plan on calling him back, but I have my 1st Italian guys number (and in less time then I ever did in Houston! :-o). So I hurry then to the metro stop, buy my ticket at the machine, am trying to figure out which way to go & this police guy is yelling at me to get out & something else in Italian. So I’m trying to figure out what’s going on & he doesn’t speak English – but he’s closing the doors so I realized the metro was closed! I knew Romans stayed out all night & I just figured the metro would run until 2am or so.
So I go out & look at my map – I was thinking about walking to where I’m staying…but it was a long, long, long walk & I was already exhausted. Then I see what looks like a taxi area. There are taxis there, but no one in them. I see a group of people also looking for taxis & they were speaking English. I start talking to some of them & find out that this young Italian lady & man were trying to help them get a taxi. The guy was on his cell calling for some for them. I was talking to the guys in the group (one older gentleman & one guy from the UK probably a bit younger then me) and they tell me they are going to go to a discotec while the rest go home because it’s the younger ones first time in Rome and he wants to experience the nightlife. They invite me along, but I tell them I’m way too tired and then if I go with them I still have the problem of finding a way home. Finally after being there about 15 or 20 minutes, I was able to waive down a taxi and 10 Euros later I finally end back up at the place I’m staying.
After all the mishaps today, I know I did not prepare at all for life here and there are many lessons already learned:
1. I need to learn more Italian quick! Even after some Italian classes back home, I’m still not comfortable asking questions & responding in Italian. Maybe once I get into it more of what I’ve learned will come back to me…I just need some kind of miracle in this area! ;-)
2. I can not leave to go somewhere without looking at a map first. I’ve never been good with directions & I have no idea how I thought I could just walk out and go around Rome without 1st mapping out a route & having a map.
3. Always find out what time things like the metro stop running!
4. I need to figure out the bus system or I will walk my feet off!
5. And spending the evening with Jody here reminded me to cherish every blessing that you have be given, especially good friends!
I must close since its way too late & I’m supposed to meet up with Jody and her mom at 11am! Since I need to map out the course before then, that means I have to get up on time!
Ciao from Roma!
2:25am Rome time (6/23), 7:25pm Houston time (6/22)
(additional photos can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31314&l=68e47&id=800405227 )
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