Rome-ing

It's finally happened. For a few weeks, I had the notion that this semester I would get my fill of Rome, that I would probably never return. This past weekend was a proverbial slap in the face- "This is ROME, Sarah. Cities don't get much more beautiful than this, more ancient, more dysfunctional and surprising. You will never see it all". And I'm listening.

A week ago, some Italian boys that we met invited us over for dinner. They (and not their mama, I asked) made a huge vat of pasta with porchetta (pig meat), slices of horse meat, mozzarella di bufala, eggplant, jugs of wine...it was perfetto. At the beginning of the trip, I never would have done such a thing. Go to an Italian's apartment? That is asking for a reverse-Amanda Knox-murder-trial scenario. However, after drunkenly accepting rides home from discotecas (oops) and establishing a very sturdy text relationship, we decided it would be alright.

And it was. We all ate and laughed around a giant table and I learned more things about the Italian youth than I have in all of my classes combined. They all live with their mothers until they are about thirty because school takes that long- and a school year is measured in tests, not weeks or semesters. If they want to bring a girl home, "if you are at one end of house, and your parents are at other, is okay!" We learned that they don't trouble themselves with politics, mainly because the Prime Minister is a complete and total slimeball.

We taught them how to play beer pong and Connections, and they taught us "Limone", an Italian variant of Zumay Zumay. So fun. One of them is turning 25 this Wednesday, and we've been invited over for the celebration. You can bet your balls that invite was accepted.

This past weekend, I relaxed a little and visited the catacombs of San Sebastian, a network of over 7 miles of 100,000 tombs built because Ancient Roman law prohibited the burial of bodies inside the city walls. Christians hid there when being persecuted, and had to eat, pray, and generally live amongst the dead. Creepy. After that, we strolled along the Appian Way, which was the original road leading to Rome. It was beautiful and filled with dog poop.

After failing miserably at finding a pub with the Illini/Wisconsin game on, we called it a night. The next day, we meandered around Trastevere market, where I almost, but did not quite, buy a ton of crap. Followed by a day of studying on a park bench on the Juniculum hill and playing with some bambinos that creeped up to us, I would say that this was a successful day of Roman living. By far, though, the best experience so far has been that night with the Italian guys. That, as far as I'm concerned, is what studying abroad is all about.

Next up: spring break in Spain and France. Oh Dios Mio!
-Cason