21 Days

It’s crazy to think that I have already been here for three weeks, and yet at the same time I feel like I have always lived here! It’s impressive how quickly we can adjust to a new routine and completely different culture!

Part of my routine consists of waking up with enough time to walk to the local bakery (two minutes each way) to get fresh bread for my lunch. It is such a treat to have freshly baked bread every other day or so, and it’s fun to try all the different kinds. Although I do have to say my favorite so far is the ciabatta-which is similar to the ciabatta back home, but the quality and freshness makes it so much better here in Italy.

Going to class entails walking across the river, navigating the crazy motorists of Rome and often stopping to fill up my water bottle at one of the many nasoni. Nasoni are the drinking fountains placed all over Rome (said to be over 2,500) that constantly have ice-cold free flowing water that is said to be very pure. Most people pass by them not realizing that you can drink the water, but if you watch long enough you will see a local or an informed tourist filling up their water bottles. The water actually tastes very good and is truly ice-cold since it comes from the mountains.

Nascone

On the way home from class, there are many local produce stands and mini stores within a minute’s detour from my daily path. Fresh food is so much easier to come by here than it is at home! We also have access to all the orange and lemon trees in our courtyard that always have fresh fruit for picking. I haven’t yet taken advantage of our trees, but I probably will in the near future.

It’s interesting to me that I can already feel as though I have always been stopping at the local bakery every morning, listening to Italian chatter on the streets, and navigating cobblestone alleyways on my way to class!