Half a Year, A Whole Life: Day 1

You may have the universe, if I may have Italy ~ Giuseppe Verdi

It's been four years since the day I went to Rome, and I've been wanting to give a day by day reminiscence about it for a while. As my title shows, though the Rome trip only lasted four months, it is so important it will stay with me the rest of my life. Basically this project is just for fun, but it will get me to write a little every day. Sometimes I may do a long post about a certain event, but most of the time it will probably just be a short memory of something I miss....probably food.

For my fellow Romers, please share your memories--you might recall something I've forgotten! For those who didn't go with me, hopefully you'll get to know a little bit about the city I love. Don't worry, I'll still do posts on things besides Rome.

So, join me on a four month journey back in time, to the fall of 2008...


The 27th, 28th and 29th all kind of blur together. Traveling across the dateline was pretty confusing, but I guess going to Rome is worth losing one day of your life! I was so nervous at home beforehand...I'd never been out of the country before. I worked myself up into a fever through fear of the unknown (Being sick is definitely a theme of my Rome trip!) I felt better seeing all my friends at the airport in D. C. I didn't even see Rome those first days. While the plane was landing, I remember seeing the tall pines lining the roads.

None of us knew whether we had to talk to the people at customs or just go through the doors into the pickup area. Now I know--customs is only horrible when you get back to America.

We boarded four buses with all of our luggage. We took a long drive past office buildings, shopping centers, and nothing remotely ancient. We arrived at the campus. It was sunny. The olive trees, the vineyards, the grass were so bright.

Jamie helped me carry my two huge suitcases up three flights of stairs! It was so hot, but we arrived at that little room, and look at the view! Shuttered windows that open to an iron grille, and outside are gardens, and trees, and in the distance--the dome of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence.

On the shelves above the desk our books for the semester are lined up in neat rows. A mountain of knowledge waiting to be learned, and outside the window--a new world to be explored.

I might lump the next few days together over the week. I'm going to a conference in Dallas, so I might not get a chance to write...I'll also get Teresa to share her Rome memories.