Is this for real?

This is definetly a question we have all been asking ourselves...especially because it still does not seem like a reality that we are here. I was talking with my roomates today as we are continuing to realize that this is not a vacation...we don't have to just rush around 'le colesseo', take some pictures and leave. No! We can come back as the seasons change, we can sit there all day and sketch, we can visit it as much as we want. It's just crazy.

We have been on our feet constantly- yesterday we explored our neighborhood, Monte Verde, for a few hours and then some of the Grad students from AUR took us on public transportation...bus and tram...to the bottom of the hill. From our area/school, we are on the top of a hill, on the other side of the Tiber river from center city. But we have gorgeous views of the entire cityscape as well the mountains that surround Roma. So...from there we decided to take the tram further into the center and walk around.

It is totally beyond words. I can't even describe to you how I felt as we walked through small winding streets and then all of the sudden we saw the back of the Pantheon. It was such an emotional and spiritual experience.

Wow!

From there we got our first gelato and walked toward the Colesseum, on the way we saw so many other amazing sites. It's really all quite impossible for me to put into words. It's just awesome to know that buildings, history, culture, etc that I have studied since high school (Humanities! oh my!) are right in front of me.

Today was amazing as well...For lunch Sarah and went to find a bar in our neighborhood to buy a sandwich/panini. Oh yes and a bar here serves cappucinos, espresso, pasteries, sandwiches, gelato, etc. So anyway we found just up our street a bit (there are many around though, we just decided on this one) and we met a Canadian women there who is doing grad work at AUR and who is dating an Italian man, whose family owns this cafe. It was really awesome just to sit down and talk with her, she is studying art history and we just had great conversations about studying in Roma, language, culture, etc. Her boyfriend is in the process of learning english so she was glad that we could practice language with him as well. It will be nice to be familiar with a Cafe that is on the way to campus...Because most Italians make it a daily practice to get a cappucino on their way to work ;)

Another awesome thing that we did today was that we got to go on a professor guided tour with Professor Kirk (our new best friend!). He is wonderfull and he knows so much about the city. He took us from Piazza Navona, to the Pantheon (and I was so glad I had already seen it the day before), to Trevi Fountain, to the Capital Building, to the Roman Forum (ruins), and the the Colesseum. He is so animated and knowledgable. I also had my first bar experience with P. Kirk...we got a Cappucino freddo...iced coffe! Delicious! He is giving another tour on Sunday- it's an 8 hour walking tour around the entire outside wall of the city...We can't wait!

Well I could easily go on and on about so much...just new experiences, the culture, the language, the people, the architecture, the weather, the crazy drivers, the food...it's all just amazing! But there's just not enough time...oh my!

Oh and I just tried to add some pics but my internet is a lil' touch and go here, but I will try to put some up soon!