Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Orphanage Updates #1

Orphanage Updates:

Welcome to Room 603 of the Hotel Tiziano.  Room 603 is a mystery in and of itself.  The 603 is not even located on a real floor. Halfway up the stairs to Floor One where rooms 100-200 are located, you will find our room at the end of a hallway in a little alcove all by itself. I'm pretty sure Harry Potter's cupboard under the stairs was located here, as was the wardrobe from Narnia. Why is it number 603 you may ask? We have no idea, and that is just one of the paradoxes surrounding our room we lovingly address as The Orphanage.

The Residents of the Orphanage are as follows:
1.Catalina Zalduendo, otherwise known as Cat Daddy, Tumblina, and/or Molly (the orphan that still believes in Santa Claus).
2.Erin Rocks Cole. She gives us Vitamin C before bed and refuses to push her bed away from Catalinas.
3. Morgan Carroll, who now is under a strict 5 o'clock curfew established by the other orphans.
4. Jerry Maguire the rhinoceros.
5. Julius Caesar, the ghost that lives in my wall and enjoys knocking by my head and scratching to get out and attack every morning.
6. Orphan Me.

Fun Facts:

  • White Houses is our theme song, because a Vanessa Carlton ballad cannot be topped.  We also like to jam to Celine and look up/sing the top karaoke songs of all time at one in the morning, because orphans sing through their hard knock lives.
  • Since our arrival we have been through almost eight bottles of wine and the jug. If that isn't impressive I don't know what is.
  • We have started Beauty and the Beast three times and have yet to get past the Be Our Guest Song.


and that's the update. Currenlty all of the other orphans are at an opera about a man who loses his nose and just sings "nose. nose. nose." for two hours straight, so I am home alone and scared because Julius Caesar is once again trying to escape and all I want to do is play Kings Cup with my orphans.

...I couldn't make any of this up if I tried.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sunday With the Pope...but really.

My first weekend in Rome and I already have blisters on the heels of my feet, two plane tickets to Munich and Athens, and an album of pictures that look like they've been ripped straight out of a Rick Steves "Rome Top 10" book...so I'm putting that down as quite the accomplishment for a mere seven days.  From the ruins of the roman forum to the domineering heights of the colosseum, I don't even think I could describe how powerful this city now seems.  The blend of old ruins and ancient buildings next to something as simple and modern as an ATM or even a McDonalds is just amazing to me.  It reminds me of those old tessellations we used to make in grade school.  You know, in probably sixth grade you'd make a shape out of construction paper and then repeat it over and over using all these different colors and patterns, and back then you were always surprised that it all seemed to fit together into this big picture...well that's what I saw this weekend.  A tessellation of Rome, where every piece was different but somehow fit together and was the same.  It made one big picture, and if any part was missing it just wouldn't make sense as a whole. The ancient somehow goes with the new, and the city wouldn't be right any other way.  Sounds kind of stupid, I know, but so were making tessellations in sixth grade so I think the analogy stands.

Today I woke up at the ungodly time of 7:45 to walk to the Vatican City...ironic right? Upon entering, the first thing that comes to mind is how purely white everything is compared to the constant colors of Rome.  The stone of the buildings, the cobbled streets, the marbled statues, all stark white.  The city seems so clean and fresh, even delicate, and then you turn the corner and the bold domed roof of the cupola stands proud  and domineering in the square, and I must admit it was the most commanding and beautiful dome I had ever seen (sorry Notre Dame).  We sat through mass underneath the intricate ceilings of the Basilica, listening to the lilting Italian of the priests and trying to take in the sheer weight of where we actually were. It was probably the most visually stimulating and moving things I have ever experienced, and I've been to Fisher Hall Mass since freshman year so that's saying something.  So don't worry, I prayed for all of you in the Vatican for this and all the week(ends) to come in the bend (here's looking at you Smicks).   ....oh and then I saw the Pope in a tiny window...so that was pretty cool too.

So I'd say my first week has been one for the books.  I miss home and Qdoba (obviously), but I have the orphanage and Pascuccis which, right now, seems just right for me. So thanks family for telling me that you're eating drunken chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner, but I'm in the eternal city so I think I may win this one.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Verve

What is it like living in Rome?

....Where do I even start.... I've been trying to answer this, but no matter how hard I try I just can't come up with a sufficient response to what is, basically, the most common passerby question posed by everyone and his brother from home.  People keep asking me if I like it here, but i've learned that just saying that I "love this city" or "am having so much fun" isn't nearly sufficient when trying to explain what I'm actually going through abroad. Maybe people who've traveled a lot can understand a little, and especially everyone who know's what it's like to study abroad...maybe they can sort of comprehend how hard it is to answer these kinds of questions. Am I having fun? Duh. Do I like it here? or course. What's it like?.........uh...the weather's nice....

Rome is cut from a different cloth.  There's something about it that's so unique it's almost easy to trick yourself into believing it doesn't actually exist. Being here is not real life.  You know the song Bittersweet Symphony? Yea, picture Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe circa Cruel Intentions... that song.  Ok well this is what I've learned in the past day: standing in front of the Pantheon or just walking down the winding cobblestoned roads of the city is exactly like the intro to Bittersweet Symphony.  Close your eyes and just try to imagine the violins and the melody...that's Rome. It's not the day to day stuff, the normal stuff. It's not what I eat, or the classes I take, or the normal route I venture to my favorite gelato shop...it's that song. Maybe that's what makes it so special.  As of now, I haven't exactly figured it all out...but I'm working on it, and I guess that's pretty damn exciting.


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I'm Not Traveling or Anything....

Oh the Places We'll Puke...

Feb 2-3: Roma--- this is the way I live.

Feb 9-10: Venice--- CARNEVALE.

Feb 14-17: Munich--- I get to stay in a real Hau5.

Feb  21-24: Greece--- hey Mattimore.

Feb 26-2: Northern Italy---B-O-L-O-G-N-A. its bologna.

March 7-10: Paris--- euro eiffel pics and crepes and rusty year old french.

March 22: Sienna--- slash roma with the londoners.

March 28-1: Barcelona/Ibiza--- death. just death.

April 4-7: London--- hey Logan and Sharkbait. and booze cruise, hey too you too.

so yea...if anyone was curious as to what I'm doing abroad...I hope this gives you a clear view.


Monday, January 21, 2013

A Letter From the Orphanage

Dear Rome,
I know we don't know each other well yet, but from my brief day and a half I have developed a short list of things that I really enjoy about you...

  1. Your wine is good. and drinking it at 10 in the morning is good too. so I like that.
  2. A lot of people call us princess here, I feel like you really understand me.
  3. Listening to Italians trying to understand that my name is MJ is really funny to hear. So that's cool.
  4. Your buildings are really pretty. like really pretty. If I was an american building I would marry an italian building based on looks alone and be completely ok with it. 
  5. Euro look like Monopoly money and it makes me laugh, so thank you.
So Rome, thus far you're great in my book.  Get rid of this whole cobblestone road thing before I fall and die, and you might just become the love of my life.

Love,
MJ of the orphanage 

 

Friday, January 18, 2013

CYA BYE

It's 6:55 pm and even now, after months of mentally preparing myself and attempting to learn italian via professore and rosetta stone, I still can't believe that tomorrow I leave at 8 am to head towards arguably the biggest adventure of my young life.  After saying goodbye to everyone in south bend and finally making my way home after a brief stay on the silly bus, my mind can finally completely focus on the place I will soon call home for the next three months-- Roma. So obviously, on the brink of my semester abroad, I'm sitting in my room watching Bob's Burgers in front of two very large, very empty suitcases... go MJ.

I've never had a blog before, or a diary of any sort since probably 4th grade, and hopefully I'll have more interesting things to talk about besides how cute Jeremiah was (hey bear, miss you too), but it is me so who really knows what i'll end up having to talk about on here. But if anyone wants to keep up to date on my journey to find my brunette doppleganger who happens to be an italian popstar then here it is, enjoy. Arrivederci friends and family, it's off to la citta eterna!