YAYY TEAM!

Hi everybody!! I'm in Rome! (currently trying to figure out these Italian keyboards in the computer lab...) but there is so much to tell you! I wish I could either a) tell you about every day of my life, maybe as it's happening or b) (BETTER) have you all here with me!!!

So I live in this apartment building with three other girls in a cute little appartamento with other Romans in the building. We live next to a teeny pizzeria (high five!) and there are so many bars, gelaterias, and caffè's EVERYWHERE, which is really cool to explore! Every time we go out, it's an adventure... will we be able to figure out how this caffè is supposed to work (do we pay first? if we sit down will they serve us? do we go to the counter to pay? or wait for a waiter?), will we be able to communicate with the servers, if we ask for directions in decent italian, will we at ALL be able to figure out what their directions are? Will we get run over by a motorino or a smart car? This is my new life... lol.

I haven't seen much of Rome yet aside from the area around our school, but it's a little different than I expected: there's a lot of graffiti and garbage and dog poop everywhere, but if you look up, you can see beautiful monuments and churches in the distance (which is not really that far of a distance, it's like a couple blocks away). But I have visited some little shops and market areas in a piazza where I bought some apples and flowers and wine (on my way to becoming Italian... I just need to take up smoking, obtain an incredible sense of style and get a Fabio on my arm... see below)! Hopefully I'll put up a few pictures on facebook or here (could I figure that out?) of the area where I live... I so wish you guys could be here with me... my roomates are pretty nice, but when you're hanging out with them like... 18 hrs a day, they can (and 2 do) get really annoying... as I'm sure I'm annoying them. But we have yet to go out to bars that aren't flooded with drunken American frat boys, so, maybe I'll need to meet some people who I can go to quiet bars and hang out with. I have met some really nice people, though, and we've been having some fun!

Also, in regards to my sense of style/lack of style vs Rome... whoa. I may as well be wearing a huge sign that says AMERICAN. Nope, actually, I don't need a sign because EVERYONE knows I'm American already. Even I can spot Americans a mile away, we look that different (or we all look the same...). But I need to get some leather boots... everyone has them and it's been rainy and kinda cold and I've been trying to wear my rainboots proudly cause I like them, but it's hard to be stared at all day. Also, in regards to Italians... the RAs told us 2 main things at Orientation: to ALWAYS watch your stuff because everyone will try to take it and/or take advantage of you. and that "girls, your game will improve 200% with the Italian guys who are incredibly aggresssive, can be sleazy and really only want sex from you" and "boys, you will get NOWHERE with Italian girls, don't even try, they aren't interested." Which was pretty funny to joke with some of the boys about. Oh, and on that note, I also saw a man masturbating in his car last night around 1am... yessss! Buona sera, Roma!

Anyways, in case I didn't reiterate enough... this is a really fun adventure, but it would be more fun if you guys were here with me....soo... come on over! Actually, in all seriousness... I don't know if Christina (or anyone else abroad) will read this in enough time, but Carnevale in Venice is Friday, February 13, 2009 - Tuesday, February 24, 2009 and I'm planning to go on either of those weekends with at least one friend! Now I now its earlier than expected, cause I was hoping Christina would want to come, but you just start school then, Xtina? But anyways, facebook me or something... I'm trying to book things for that VERY soon because I heard everything fills up super quickly. So let me know... anyone who wants a weekend getaway to Venice in a few weeks!

Ahh... I'm sorry this is so long, but I literally have 80 million stories to tell you and I MISS YOU! So maybe I'll try to keep it shorter or write littler ones more often. But I'm glad I've gotten to talk to a few of you online too!! So more skyping and blogging and gchatting and AIMing so I can hear about all your lovely lives as well. I miss you and LOVE YOU!