The Rome Less Traveled...

Okay, so I didn’t really travel in a part of Rome less traveled but I was trying to come up with something clever. 

New hotel room...comfy bed.

I successfully moved my luggage from my first hotel to the new hotel where I joined up with my group. Woohoo!  Since I walked it over, we will not discuss whether or not I over-packed and had to make more than one trip or not.  Nope, not gonna do it.   The first time over to the new hotel…I mean…when I arrived at the hotel, my room was not ready which was not surprising since I was super-duper early (to beat the heat and humidity).  I joked with the reception person to just get the person out of my room and he picked up the phone like he was going to call them.  I give him two thumbs up for his sense of humor!!!!  

(My) terrace at original hotel

In case you were wondering, there were no “wait-offs” on the terrace this morning so I was able to enjoy the last few hours before moving to the new hotel in peace and harmony with the great outdoors…er…okay, I realize that a terrace doesn’t quite count in that category but it is my type of outdoors.   I’ve included a photo proving that I was reading stuff for class while on my terrace.  So see, it was a great learning environment.  Yeah, learning environment…a learning environment in the great outdoors…sounds good.

Performance art at dinner

And now, time for a quick plug for the program I’m in: For those of you who don’t know, I have been studying writing for children and young adults.  I was trying to find a program where I could study writing that would fit my schedule and Spalding’s MFA was a perfect match. (Check it out!) Since I’ve only been doing the summer semester, I join the program in different countries each summer for classes, which is totally cool.  I really love how so many of the same people come each summer so it feels like getting back together with friends that you haven’t see for a while but with whom we have really unique connections.  (Shout out to those of you we miss this summer!  Wish you were here!)  Okay, enough of that.   We all had dinner tonight together and at one point there were some people performing out of a window looking onto the patio where we were seated.  I'm not quite sure exactly what was going on because of all of us having so much fun catching up with each other, but it was still entertaining to see them tossing stuff out the window.

Random observations:

--I have taken so many showers since I’ve been here (and it’s just been a few days.) The temperature and humidity are fine in the early morning and night time but during the day it is hot and humid. How do some people still look cool and sophisticated here?  They must have a gene I lack because just walking around a little makes me feel all sticky and sweaty.

--I found a place where I can get a slice of Margherita pizza to go (although I made a mistake and called it a “cheese” pizza and had to be corrected. Oops!

--I still tried to turn up the volume when I wasn’t understanding the Italian dubbed “Doc Martin” and “White Collar” earlier today.  I know it’s not logical to think it would help my understanding since I don’t speak Italian, but I still tried it anyway.  It didn't work.