Predictions

The first thing I notice as we begin our first adventure through the streets of Rome is the aroma of coffee in the air. My stomach drops and I bite back a sigh... having given up coffee and most things caffeinated due to health reasons, this just is not fair at all. Of course I know all about the coffee and espresso culture here; it is perfectly common to have four, five, even six cups of coffee or espresso a day. We walk past the bustling coffee joint and pause to take a peek inside. The counter is crowded with people, some in business suits, others in casual clothing. Some shouting out multiple orders of different coffee drinks, others having a noisy conversation with their neighbors. At the few tables inside sit some men in suits attempting to hold a conversation, but I noticed the youngest of the men is eying the cute female barista.


Just as we begin to walk again, a group of young men step out of a perpendicular road and stop. The young ladies of us ROMEKIDS begin to giggle excitedly and nervously. Erika checks her hair quickly while Jordy tries to push her way up to the front. Jovanny and Allen roll their eyes and laugh at the girls' childish antics, while I can feel the frustration nearly burst out of Dan. He quickly walks behind us and begins to herd us like sheep to our destination. Giggles continue with whispers about Paolo are exchanged between the girls.


We walk by a small gelato shop, and we all begin begging to stop to buy some spectacular flavor of gelato that we know we could never have with our ice cream. I recall the first time I ever tried gelato... I was down in Baltimore in a cute little Ma and Pop type Italian restaurant. They claimed that they made all of their gelato right in the back of the store. It was the most wonderful dessert I ever had. The tiramisu gelato far surpassed any ice cream that I ever tried. I wonder if gelato made in Rome is even better, what with the wonderful water supply from the aqueducts.


As we continue on our walk, the realization hits me: we are in Rome. We are passing by buildings; some might have been built yesterday and others centuries and centuries ago. Who has walked the path that I'm now walking? Has the great Augustus ever walked down this path? Have the sights that I'm seeing been viewed and written about by Caroline Carson? How many times has that building been discussed, whether it was in a classroom or between friends?


When I was first accepted into this program, I talked to a friend who is very well traveled. She told me of all the places she has ever been (and there have been plenty of them), Rome was by far her favorite. It is the only place where you could be walking past a beautiful modern building, then turn a corner and come across an ancient ruin. And how true that statement was.


All the sleepiness has officially left me. I know I will be exhausted in a few hours, but right now the adrenaline of being in such a magnificent place has pushed any feeling of jet lag out of my system. We are in Rome right now, and I intend to enjoy every second of it.