It has been a whirlwind five days! I left on Thursday from JFK in New York to make my way to Rome. After a six hour flight to Dublin and a four flight to Rome. I finally arrived. There are a few things I learned about Rome in my first few hours. First, it is hot! I mean, like you don't know hot until you have come to Rome in August and walk around for hours!! Second, it is much more of a major city then I expected. Along with the amazing ancient architecture, I'm living in a modern dorm (modern meaning built in the 1800s), there is modern public transportation and everything is busy here. It has been so interesting to be in Rome trying to balance the heat with the excitement to explore this modern ancient city.
On Friday after our arrival in Rome we dropped our things off at the dorms. We are staying at St. John's University building here in the Prati neighborhood of Rome. The dorm is very modern, again modern means it was built in the late 1800s. Because of the amount of people that are staying here in the dorms, we all have singles. My "single" is actually a traditional triple. So, I have three beds, three dressers, three desks, and a mini fridge. Its great because I have a lot of space and a lot of room for my clothes a shoes (a closet for each to be exact). Once we dropped our things off we walked to the hotel we stayed at for Orientation.
Saturday's orientation was a lot of information on classes, transportation, travel, and class trips. We are so lucky to have so much access to great places in Italy and Europe. For the Rome program we will be traveling to Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Assisi, and Naples. Rylee and I have begun planning our trip to Cinque Terre for the weekend of September 15-16 and we are also in the beginning stages of planning Fall break. For Fall break we have decided to go to Barcelona, Amsterdam, and London. I cannot wait!! On Saturday after our Orientation meetings we we went as a group to our first mass of the trip. We took what seemed like the longest and definitely the hottest bus ride that I have ever been on to San Paolo fuori le Mura (Saint Paul Outside the Walls). It is a beautiful Basilica and it was one of the most incredible experiences to pray at Saint Paul's tomb and to see where he is buried. After Mass we went to a little pizza restaurant and had the best pizza I have ever had! Needless to say all the food in Rome is incredible!
Sunday was another full day of orientation. Meetings and a walking tour of the Prati neighborhood took up the majority of the day. During the neighborhood tour we walked past the Vatican for the first time and walked around St. Peter's Square. It was such a moving experience to be in a place of such importance! I cannot wait to go back! Later that evening those of us living in the dorm went with Katie (the Office Coordinator for CUA Rome), Claudia (the Dorm Manager), and Aurora (the Assistant Director) to a nice dinner near the dorm. We had a great time talking, eating, sharing stories, laughing, and drinking wine. The best part of the meal was dessert, nutella pizza! I cannot even describe its deliciousness and the picture does not do it justice! After dinner a group of us from the dorm went to Castel Sant'Angelo for a late night tour. We climbed up the ancient steps, walked along the bridge that connects St. Peter's Basilica and the Castle, and went to the top of the Castle. It was by far the best view of Rome yet. St. Peter's was light up beautifully and we could see the festival down by the Tiber River. 
These first few days have proven that coming to Rome was one of the best decisions I have ever made!
I cannot wait to share more with you!!
