Day 5

Second day of classes! We had Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome at 9 am which is pretty unfortunate. This means we have to get up around 7:30 or 7:45 to have time to get ready and get a cafe on the way to school (which is definitely necessary). I'm getting more used to the metro which is good. There are only two lines, the A and the B and conveniently it is at our stop (Termini) that you change from the A line to the B line, so essentially we can get anywhere. Well, within reason. Our host mom explained to us that they metro is very limited because of the ancient city. It has gone most of the places we need it to thus far, but I know some kids who have to take the metro and then a tram or the metro and then a bus to get home.
Marie and I found a new coffee shop up by school today that is more local, it's on a side street off the street our school is on. GREAT cappuccino. We got to the school and went straight to our class. the professor seems great, really interested in ancient Rome and so excited about teaching it to us. It isn't really my thing, but her enthusiasm was really encouraging. We have to write a 7-8 page research paper at the end on any monument of our choice, which I thought didn't seem bad at all, as an english major we have to regularly write 12-15 page papers so when I saw that I thought I was getting off easy, but all the other kids in the class complained. One plus to being an English major I guess!
After that class, which only lasted bout half the time since it is supposed to be three hours but it was only the first day, we went to the library to do homework for business ethics which is just a lot of reading. Finally it was time to go to our first Italian class, which is right next to the Spanish Steps (a beautiful walk). We got there and I was placed in the second highest Italian level. Everyone had class 3 hours per day five days a week for the first two months. They went the full length even on the first day. I was pretty nervous because I knew their style was different than I'd ever experienced before. The class is mostly conversational and the professor speaks only Italian. They say in college and even high school that they will speak only Italian but this is NEVER the case. Even if they mostly do, almost every language teacher I've had at least speaks in English to explain grammar. But here it is absolutely none and I was surprised and pleased to find I understood most of what she was saying for the 3 hours. I definitely understand better than I speak at this point, but I guess that's something!
We were exhausted when we got home and Maria had dinner almost ready! Tonight we had simply spaghetti with her homemade olive oil and red pepper flakes, bruschetta with brocollini on top, salad, and then she did something I thought was really cool. She used the leftover pasta from last night and made a little frittata, which I have to say I think might have been the best part of the meal. It was SO GOOD. And what a great idea! She said she would teach us how to make it, so I'm super excited to learn that.
After dinner Marie and I met two of our friends who live in our neighborhood to go to another popular Irish Pub called Scholars, (ironic I guess) that we had heard about from a lot of other people. We were meeting a lot of other people in the program there, as we'd finished our homework in the 5 hours between Art and Architecture and Italian. It took us a while to find but it was an AMAZING walk. We took a wrong turn, but OH it was totally fine because we literally turned the corner and there was the Coloseum. And then we got back on track and the whole time we walked next to the Roman Forum. Just walking next to the Roman Forum on our way out, totally normal. Finally we got there and met our friends and found out it was karaoke night. SO MUCH FUN. Shoutout to my girl Lara Florek who was amazing! It was such a fun time and Marie and I both think it's nice that even though we're all in home stays around the city we all coordinate to go together.
It's getting late, so more tomorrow!
Ciao!

xoxo