today's episode: claire learns not to let her pride get in the way of making it to class on time!

my first flustered morning in rome:

i set my alarm for 19:00 instead of 9:00. my exhausting day at the vatican museum (i have no words...mind-blowing, maybe) yesterday resulted in a deep sleep filled with bizarre dreams. i woke up at 11:15, with a half hour to get ready and make it to class. the added downpour was complicating the situation, and as i tried to figure out how to eat, buy an umbrella, and make it up the several hills to class on time, i neglected to use my head & my intuition- two votes for taking the bus. but NOOOO, "i must walk everywhere" cries the id inside me...nevertheless, after buying an umbrella, being awkward with said umbrella, and hitting a child as a result of my awkwardness, i arrived at school five minutes late to find the auditorium door locked. the professor wasn't kidding when he said he didn't tolerate lateness! after a mild cry (i missed the screening of rome, open city) i headed to the villa sciarra park for a much needed walk among the trees and fountains. next, off to get a cappuccino and pastry before heading back to catch the lecture. and, as i have been learning little by little, not all bars/trattorias/ristorante

s are created equally! the bar/pasticciaria i happened to stop at served burned espresso and slightly stale pastries...luckily the store a few stops down had great bread and cheese for under 3 euro to satisfy my gastronomic needs. and...made it to the second half of class in order to catch the lecture and notes. when all was said and done, the day improved.

i'm starting to be able to identify the people here as romans/locals versus americans. there is just something about certain people (i have not yet deciphered what exactly) that marks them as locals. and because i live in a working-class neighborhood, i see the same people each day. there is a woman with short dreads and ballooning pants that walks her dog. and because it is a career here to work in a cafe or ristorante, the same people work at the same places each day. even the policeman (many times armed with giant guns) are recognizable in my area now. however, the most fascinating groups of people are the elderly and the homeless. here in italy, grandparents are caretakers: of their children/grandchildren, of the city, of the culture. no care centers here for those that have been plagued by western diseases (can we say food culture = longer lives? ... yes, yes we can). they are active, kind, and involved, especially in the raising of their grandchildren. arguments in italian had between grandfather and granddaughter: fascinating and entertaining. the homeless here set up camp and have groups of other homeless friends. they have mattresses that are set up in one place all day long, as if they have marked their territory. they have pets (dogs everywhere in rome), relationships with others, and a "schedule" of sorts. they will be up and living their lives, albeit within a small area, each day. and not necessarily begging for money the whole time (although that does happen). the importance of community here is really lovely.

so, make friends with your neighbors! i miss you all.