BENVENUTI A ROMA!
Dear Caroline,
I’ve made it to Rome! My arrival was much more civilized than my arrival in Berlin. No delays, my luggage arrived on my flight, my transfer car was ready to go. What a wonderful start to this leg of my adventure.
I arrived at my host’s home without a fuss. Italians are quite the aggressive drivers! The streets here are winding and insanely narrow, and any lines painted on the street are just guidelines. My host is wonderful! She a lawyer here in Rome, she’s super cool and stylish, I hope some of that rubs off on me. Because of her work she isn’t home much. At first I was a little disappointed as she said she wouldn’t be able to prepare meals for us like my Berlin host, but I am now realizing this is a blessing! I have full control, which is what I love. I can make my lunches or have breakfast or dinner at home or I can go out. No need to constantly be questioning when is dinner. But I do hope I can hangout with her from time to time she seems really cool.
The apartment is gorgeous. It’s very similar to our house on Beech in Toronto. Same counters, same stove, same cupboards. I feel very much at home here. My room is the same size as in Berlin but a different layout, something I’m more used to. I’ve got my own desk, and I got the lower bunk (yes!). Oh! And here I have a “walk-in” closet, which is awesome since I’m here for three months.
EF Rome is completely different than EF Berlin. Rome is so much more hospitable. They gave us breakfast at our orientation, then took us on a fully guided tour of the neighbourhood, then took us out for a pizza lunch! It was wonderful, a big change from Berlin. I was placed in the A2 class (level 2) but I’m not sure if that’s the right place for me. Feels a little too hard, though I don’t want a super easy class either. I’ll give it the week and see how I feel after. I had my first SPIN (Special interest) class here too this week, and wow what a change from Berlin. In Berlin I had grammar class as my spin which was not fun considering it was more a study hall than a lesson. Here in Rome my SPIN is an outdoor class where we walk the streets learning the history and ethos of the city and all its people. It’s interactive and we learn how to communicate with the locals.
It’s just been my first week but already the activities are so fun! I went to Apericena, which is the Italian version of tapas. Kinda like Berlin’s Stammtish but way more fun. Other activities I’m looking forward to are the cooking classes, church visits, touristy things, out of town trips! I think I’m going to have a lot of fun here.
It’s just been my first week but I am determined to have the most fun I can here!
