When In Rome...

Slowly learning to become a Roman

Sundays are quite in Italy. I woke up planning to go shopping for some notebooks since classes start tomorrow but when we got to the store around one o’clock in the afternoon we found it closed. Melanie, Briana, and I then walked back to the Pantheon. On our way we stopped in a little boutique called Lala to browse around. The shop sold hair barrettes and headbands and some very pretty necklaces. The girl working their spoke English and when I asked her if she made them she said no, but the designer owns the shop. I have noticed that Italian shops are different than American shops mainly in the way that the customer is treated. In Italy, rarely are you approached and asked if you need any help. Yes, some Italians will say “buon giorno” when you enter and “ciao” when you leave, but they rarely try to sell you things and persuade you to buy them. Maybe this is because I am in Rome and there are a lot of tourists who don’t speak the language and it may differ elsewhere, but for now its just something I have noticed. I bought a cute white headband that has a pretty bow with silver sequence and wore it all day with a big smile on my face. Hungry, after only eating a bowl of Italian Cheerios for breakfast, we went to our local grocery store. We are lucky living so close to a touristy area because many more shops are open than other places in the city. We walked inside and I bought a half loaf of fresh bread, some freshly made pesto, and a huge glass or extra virgin olive oil. We left the supermercato and sat on the wall around the Pantheon, ripping off pieces of our bread and dipping it in the most delicious and fresh pesto I have ever tasted, (even fresher than your homemade pesto mom, sorry). We finished up and deicide to grab a cappuccino next door. We sat at a small table outside the café and we each ordered a cappuccino because we thought that was what the Italians drank and we didn’t want to be complicated. The sizes of Italian coffees are much smaller in America and much more flavorful. Also, when you order a coffee in Italy and sit down they include a service charge, which is nice because than that gives you the right to sit outside the café for hours having only ordered one drink. Italians don’t like to be rushed. My first night in Rome Melanie and I went out to eat and when we finished our meal our waiter came over to make sure everything was okay. In America, when a waiter sees that you have finished the will bring you your check, but in Italy they will not bring you a check unless if you specifically ask for a “conto”. While we were sipping our cappuccinos a couple sat down next to us and also placed their order. Five minutes later the waiter comes back outside with a try and a tall, frosty glass filled with what looks like an American, iced cappuccino, but without the ice, and another frosty glass filled with whipped cream and a chocolate coffee drink; we stared. Briana leaned over and pointed at their drinks saying, “che?” and they responded, “frappe de café” and “graneta de café”. We are certainly ordering what they got next time; ninety degrees is a little too hot for a warm cappuccino. About an hour later, after we were done enjoying our drinks and talking, we left for home. It is so nice not being rushed or feeling as if the restaurant is waiting for you to leave so they can serve someone else. It is a very relaxing atmosphere and makes you appreciate both life and conversation more. There are less pressures and worries and you learn to appreciate the moment more instead of always rushing to the next thing.

We hung around the apartment for a few hours which we have come to enjoy. The streets are always filled with people and Italians singing in front of the restaurants bellow our apartment and there is usually and accordionist their too. The music emanates through the air and in our wide open windows. It is so lovely to sit inside on a hot hot day and listen to the sounds of the city streets, especially around noon when all the shops begin to close down. If you are out shopping between noon and four o’clock you will find many of the doors locked and shops closed. The signs hanging on the door will indicated that according to their set hours of operation they should be open, but this is rarely the case. In America, if a shop is closed in the middle of the day customers would have a field day complaining later on. In Italy, it is natural. The workers have gone home for lunch and will be back only when their pasta is gone. I have grown to appreciate this lifestyle. As shops close, I walk back to my apartment and sit attended to my everyday living. Summers in Italy are very hot, and during the time frame the shops close is the hottest part of the day. It is nice to take a break and grab a cold drink before going out again.

Around seven o’clock we decided it was time for some gelato. We went to a gelato shop with approximately one million flavors. I got three flavors, coffee crunch, chocolate cinnamon, and biscotti. If there is one thing the Italians are good, its making gelato flavors taste EXACTLY what they are meant to taste like. It is mind blowing. The gelato from this shop was pretty good, but not quite as good as the gelato I had on my second day in Italy. That day I got coffee and chocolate and the consistency of the gelato was of a texture I have never tasted and was delectable.

After gelato we walked around the city and stumbled onto some old ruins, typical.

At 9:30 we went back to the grocery store to buy some basics. I bought six eggs, which are not refrigerated, a head of the most beautiful looking lettuce I have seen, a big round ball of fresh mozzarella, kiwis, bananas, and one giant tomato. A minute later we were back in our apartment and decided to call it a night.

Roman culture is fascinating me. Their relaxed lifestyle and easygoingness is something we Americans should envy and emulate. They are giving and friendly, (although sometimes the men can be a bit TOO friendly, but it makes for a lot of fun and laughter). If Rome changes me at all in the next three months I can only picture a positive change. I am already becoming more fluid and accepting of things that don’t exactly go according to plan and I am begging to realize that things I tend to be afraid of, like deadly misquotes coming through windows with no screens, are actually not going to kill me. And most importantly of all, there is no worry that can’t be overcome by sitting down for an hour or two and enjoying the life, the people, and the laughter surrounding you.

Ciao from Roma,

Samantha