And the journey begins...

1/13/11-1/14/11: The first day, which is actually two with the time change!

   Today, my four-month journey in Europe began! I was barely able to get three hours of sleep last night, as I was so anxious to finally leave for Rome after a long wait! As we walked up to the international terminal at O’Hare, we quickly learned that our flight was already delayed an hour and a half. After a series of bittersweet goodbyes to my family and friends, we checked our bags at the Alitalia terminal and proceeded through customs.

   Of course, we made a quick pit stop at the food court. While an hour and a half delay may seem long, the time flew by as our group of 32 sat around getting to know one another and all sharing the same enthusiasm for the trip we had ahead of ourselves. We were surprised to see that the plane was only seven across after expecting 12… turns out international airports skip letters in their seating assignments! I couldn’t help but get a kick out of the translations in the security departure video. It was one of the first times I was extremely grateful that everything the pilot said, he repeated in another language, this time the second language being English. After our dinner and two glasses of wine (international plane=international rules!), the majority of us attempted to fall asleep. While I was never able to fall into a deep sleep, when I finally opened my eyes and looked at my watch, it was just about one in the morning U.S. time, meaning it was 8 a.m. in Rome. This left just over an hour until our estimated time of arrival. Luckily, I woke up just in time for breakfast, including my much needed cup of coffee. As our altitude level descended, the clouds began to clear up and we could visibly see the beautiful land otherwise known as Italy. The sight that lay before our eyes seemed to be the opposite of the Chicago skyline that we departed from. All we could see for miles was greenery and farmland.  

   Fortunately, everyone’s luggage made it safe and sound making for a great start to our trip! Two of the coordinators from our program were waiting on the other side of the gates where we were directed to a bus. Loading the bus with 32 students and all of our luggage was an experience in itself. The bus driver was not thrilled by how much luggage each of us had and the fact that it didn’t fit. He was speaking very quickly in Italian, but you could sense his frustration. On the bus, we were handed our public transportation passes and Italian “go-phone” as we headed towards our apartment located in the Trastevere part of Rome. The apartments are gorgeous and much more spacious than expected. 
Actual Building:

View from our apartment:

Kitchen:

   After unloading all of our luggage, we went to a little Italian restaurant located around the corned where I ordered spaghetti carbonara, a great first true Italian meal! On our way back, we stopped at a supermarket to each purchase a bottle of wine for 1.50 Euro to stock our fridge. After finishing unpacking and making our apartment look more “homie,” we met our group and coordinators to take the tram to the center of Rome and to our set up “L’apertivo” that consists of appetizers and a happy hour. From the gathering, a few of us opted to further explore the breathtaking sights the city of Rome has to offer. We wandered into the Piazza Navona. We explored one of the smaller side streets made of cobblestone that looked like it was straight out of a movie. We found a small gelato shop on this street experienced our first taste of the ever-famous Italian gelato. I’ll be the first to admit that it definitely lives up to its expectations! 

   Feeling exhausted after what seems like the longest day ever of traveling and sightseeing with the time change, we traveled back home on the tram to enjoy a couple glasses of wine as we finished getting settled into our apartment. I’m looking very forward of what’s to come, including our two-day orientation to Rome starting bright and early tomorrow morning!