Rainy day 1 Rome 2010

I arrived safely in Rome on a rainy day. It is about 7:30pm and it has been raining since I arrived 12 hours ago. I was able to find the right bus from the airport to Trastevere and then very easily found Federica and Franco's apartment. They are the owners of the apartment that I have rented. I dropped my luggage with them and explored the rainy streets of Trastevere for a couple of hours until my apartment was ready.

The apartment is lovely. It is quite clean and has everything I will need for my stay. I posted a couple of pictures to give you just an idea of what it's like. The bed is unmade, but you get the idea. I took a 30 minute nap before venturing out.

I walked to Santa Maria di Trastevere where there was a church service going on. Today is All Saints Day. I am only guessing that that's why there was service on Monday. There were also many beggers, umbrella salesmen, and tourists. As is true of most churches I've visited in Rome, it was ornate from floor to ceiling. Between services (which is when I took some inside photos) there was a children's choir singing. Their voices were very beautiful.

It began getting dark today at about 4:30 and was completely dark before 6pm. Their time changed just a couple of days ago, but it feels strange to be dark so early. It will be fine with me, though, because it has been a long 2 days of travel and orientation, so I'm happy for an excuse to turn in early.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Campo di Fiori where there is an outdoor market each weekday to stock up on some fresh fruits and vegetables. Because today is a holiday, the markets were closed so I've had one day of only airplane food and one day of italian "fast food" which mainly consists of pizza and panini. I'm looking forward to fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch.

In case you didn't know, the characters on an italian keyboard are organized differently than ours, so you would be amazed at how much I've had to backspace to fix my many mistakes.
I feel like I'm just learning to type.

I'll fill you in on what I find tomorrow. Hopefully there will be some sun - things look so much prettier in the sun, don't they?

Sharing photos

I'm trying to learn how to upload a slideshow from Picasaweb. This is trial. I hope to attach photos from last year's trip to Civita di Bagnoregio. My brother Michael and I went there last November. It's a really cool place where no cars are allowed. It was a long uphill walk into the city, but well worth it. After we spent the day there, we drove to the coast and bought some fresh fish which we took home and cooked for dinner. I think (I hope) if you click the following link, it will open up a photo set.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=RosannDHS&target=ALBUM&id=5408915822566367009&authkey=Gv1sRgCOe0we3_mraeBg&feat=email

I just checked it and it worked. Yep! I did it. So now I can upload photo sets for those who are interested when I go next month.

Travel Preparation Plugs

As I get ready for a trip, I spends lots of time online finding information to help me before I go. This is almost as much fun for me as the actual traveling. Since I'm not the only person that travels, I wanted to share my favorite finds with you in the hope that one or more of these will help someone else as they research future trips -- or just dream of someday.

http://www.livemocha.com/. This is totally free and has become the main site that I'm using to study italian, but there are many, many languages that you can study. There are other sites I use for supplemental instruction, but this site is truly amazing. It is very difficult to learn a language online without a real person to help and this site gives me that personal assistance. When a student posts a writing or speaking submission, it is listed on a page where anyone can correct and grade the work. From the time I began using this site, whenever an italian native was particularly helpful in their comments, I sent them a message and asked if I could directly send my submissions to them for help. Everyone I asked said "yes", and now I have 9 native italian "friends" to whom I send each submission and I get from 4 to 7 ratings and comments for each one. They will rate my work (which I really don't care about) and then, as they correct mistakes, will explain why it was wrong or why the way they suggest is better. If it's a spoken submission, some of them will record themselves reading the work so I can hear the difference. You can imagine how helpful that is. If you're looking to study a foreign language, check them out. Also look at www.about.com to find information on about anything. I typed in italian language and downloaded tons of information. Also www.speak7.com A site that teaches 7 languages. Great information there, too. All free. Don't you just love free stuff?

http://www.ricksteves.com/ Rick Steves has spent 3 months in Europe each year for 20 years. His business is Europe Through the Back Door (ETBD) and he helps those of us that choose to travel to Europe without groups or guides. You can find his guide books in any bookstore. His stuff is very practical and you can great pointers. On the site, I'm learning how to use the train system. I can even order my train pass before I go. He explains the difference between buying a pass or getting destination tickets and when each one is better. Too much information to list here, just browse and you'll be surprised at what you find. The site is invaluable if you plan on going to any place in Europe.

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/audiotour_menu.htm This is also from Rick Steves. If you are interested in Italy, Paris, or Britain, these are audio walking tours that you can download onto your MP3 player or IPod. I've downloaded tours of the Vatican, Coloseium, various areas of Rome, the Pantheon, Pompeii, etc. You can also print out maps to follow while you're listening to the tours. Not only informative, but will keep me from having to rent the audio tours when I go to many of these places. I love free stuff!

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/ One of a few sites I use to find an apartment to rent when I travel. If you're going to stay in one place for at least a week, it's usually less expensive to rent an apartment. You choose a country, then a region or city, how many bedrooms you'd like, then BAM! - you see lots of choices. Pictures, descriptions, prices, etc. You can shop in the middle of the night or whenever it's convenient. Of course, you must be careful, ask questions, and carefully read all the information. I've never been disappointed, but it's always a bit of excitement over the unknown. I like places where I rent directly from the owner - not a management company. I've never tried using a management company, but I like the personal touch. Here's the link to the apartment I rented for 2 weeks last year just to give you an idea of what and ad looks like: http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/IT1047.htm. Everything was exactly as described and I couldn't have been happier.

http://www.flipkey.com/ Another rental site. This is where I found the apartment I've rented for this November. This one has lots of management listings, but I skip past those and focus on the owner managed ones. Here's the listing from the apartment I've chosen this time: http://www.flipkey.com/properties/view/193263/lovely+apartment+in+trastevere/ Oh, also, read all reviews and contact the owners. If you're staying more than a week, do not pay the listed price. Haggle. Offer them much less and see what they will accept. When I contacted the place I stayed last year about possibly returning this year, she quickly offered me 25% off. I ultimately decided to stay in Rome, so I chose to search elsewhere. Because I'm staying 4 weeks this time, the owner agreed to 50% off. It doesn't hurt to ask. The owners know there are more choices out there, so I have found them easy to work with. I always email back and forth with questions to find how helpful they are. The couple that owns the apartment I've rented this time said they will organize a gathering of their friends so I can practice my italian and get to know others in the area. It's like you rent friends with the apartment.

I think everyone knows how to shop for airline tickets. I check many sites, different dates, etc., but for someone reason I have always ended up buying tickets from http://www.travelocity.com/. I'm not recommending them specificially, just mentioning that I always end up there. Probably because I've used their site so much that I'm comfortable with getting around there. Find a site that offers flexible dates (like +/- 3 days) so you can compare. Sometimes changing the date by one day makes a big difference. Also, many sites have prices that look really cheap, but the listing doesn't include all taxes and fees, so randomly choose a couple of flights and pretend you're going to book them. Take the process all the way to just before payment and there you will find the total price. At travelocity, the price listed is the one you pay. Also many sites have a place where you can shop specials. It helps to know when airfare drops for certain areas so you can plan accordingly.

Wow! This is probably too much information. Hope this helps someone planning a trip or allows you to dream of future possibilities.

Rome

Rome - the eternal city. I've been wondering what makes it so special. Rome began small, and through wise decisions and careful planning, began to grow and soon became powerful. Before long she turned prideful and controlling and, all too soon, fell. The once staggering empire was destroyed and downtrodden. Her gilded churches and magnificant works of art were frequently stripped of their valuables.

A city with many scars and regrets, she is still beautiful. She is real and gritty, not at all pretentious. Her ruins speak of struggles, determination, and hope. Her artistic creations speak of beauty and appreciation. Walking through the city, one is able to visualize the personality of Rome. A city that allows past regrets to lead her to present successes.

Perhaps that is why I am drawn to this city. In many ways, I am Rome.

Learning Italian

In anticipation for my return to Italy, I am trying to learn italian. I tend to get obsessed with new ventures and that seems to be the case here. I spend hours each week listening to italian music, reading a book on the history of the italian language, and researching various websites that explain proper use of verbs, prepositions, etc. I found a wonderful site - livemocha.com - that teaches the language using various methods and I've connected with many italian natives who review my work and correct, encourage, and challenge me to continue. My mind is one big mosh pit of information that I hope will one day come together as knowledge. Right now the information seems to be unorganized and confusing, but I trust that it will find a path to comprehension. After homeschooling for 21 years and correcting my children in proper use of grammar, I find it hard to grasp italian's contrary rules. For example, double negatives is a pet peeve of mine. If anyone says, "I don't have none." I'm quick to respond, "Yes, you do have none." "I didn't do nothing," is immediately corrected, "That means you did something." So, imagine my frustration to learn that double negatives are not only allowed in italian, but necessary!!! Please say it isn't so!

Where we might say, "Break a leg" to wish someone good luck, an italian would say, "In bocca al lupo!" which means, "In the mouth of the wolf!" (I guess it makes as much sense as break a leg...... but still....) By the way, the correct response is: "Crepi il lupo." which means, "Let the wolf die." If someone here is not dressed, they are naked as a jaybird, but in Italy they'd be nudo come un verme - naked as a worm. Getting caught in the rain might get you soaking wet, but in Italy you'd be in zuppato - dunked in the soup. Double consonants are very important in the correct pronounciation of italian. One must be sure and pronounce each consonant or hold the sound for 2 beats. Quanti anni ha? means, How old are you? (literally - how many years have you?) but if you don't pronounce each "n" in anni, you might end up saying, Quanti ani ha? which means, How many anuses have you? A considerable difference there! So much to learn, so little brain function remaining. I'll keep you posted as to how it's going. Wish me in bocca al lupo.

Back to blogging

Okay, I'm back to blogging. I'm going to be spending 4 weeks in November in an apartment in Rome. After researching online and "seeing" many, many apartments, I've chosen a lovely place in the Trastevere section of Rome. It's near the Tiber river not far from the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. I've been corresponding with the owner and she seems to be very nice and is willing to arrange some times to meet her italian friends. Yes, I am taking italian language courses online via a site called, "Livemocha". It's a free, interactive site. I do the lessons and submit them to my new native italian "friends". They critique my work, correct my mistakes (by written and spoken word), and I learn. Actually, I hope I learn. It seems to be going well and I'm looking forward to practicing while in Rome. When I was in Italy last year, I found the language barrier to be more frustrating than I thought it would be. I hope to be able to comfortably carry on basic conversations by the time I arrive there. Here's hoping that four months is enough to get a running start at a new language.

I've gotten a Rick Steves' travel book for Rome and am reading up on history to be able to fully appreciate all that I will be surrounded by on a day to day basis. There is so much to see that I want to use my time there wisely. Last year, thanks to my brother Michael, I became quite comfortable using the bus system in the city and this year I hope to become just as comfortable using the train as well. For 30 euro (about $37) I can get a pass good for all public transportation in the city of Rome for the entire month of November. I will have the freedom to use the trains, trams, and busses as often as I want.

So, check in regularly to see how the preparations are coming along. I will check back here whenever I discover something interesting. I have already gotten the time off work, purchased my plane ticket and secured the apartment. While in Rome, I hope to blog a couple of times per week. The apartment I've chosen has a laptop computer there, so I won't have to lug mine on the plane. That's a big plus in my opinion. The next 4 months will be mostly learning italian and studying Roman history and art. Wish me fortuna! (good fortune)

Thoughts for a New Year

Not a very creative heading today, but I guess a new year causes many of us to ponder what we've accomplished, what we've lost, what we look forward to, etc. In what was an unusual decision for me, I actually made a couple of New Year's resolutions this year. I don't know if "resolutions" is the most accurate word, but I have purposed to choose to stop calling myself "stupid". I do that quite often - sometimes as a joke and sometimes in earnest. I wouldn't allow my children to call anyone that, so why do I accept it in myself? I also wouldn't call anyone that, but for some reason don't consider it wrong to do it to myself. I have a self-deprecating sense of humor, which I actually don't mind, but I do have to stop berating myself. Do you think there is a subtle difference between the two? I do -- at least I hope there is.

My most difficult plan this year is to say "yes" when people ask me to do something. That is oh, so difficult for me. I habitually just say "no" when people ask me to join them for dinner, or some type of an event. I spend time with 4 ladies at work and with my family. No one else. I have one long-time friend that I see occasionally - other than that, I mostly stay alone. I'm not sure when it happened, but I've become increasingly uncomfortable with people. It's never been my favorite thing, but I didn't used to work so diligently to evade people as I do now. So................ since I decided a couple of months ago to live boldly and with purpose, I must do it in public, not in the safety of my own private home. Ahhhh!!! I find that God has a sense of humor because, though it is only the second week in January, I have attended 2 events. TWO! One on Sunday (a graduation gathering for a friend's daughter) and on Monday I had dinner with a lady that I haven't spent time with in years. Funny that they both contacted me last week, just after my deciding to become "Yes, lady". I must say that I enjoyed both evenings. It wasn't at all painful -- well, maybe just a little, but not nearly as stressful as I had thought it might be. I am not expecting to spring forth with joy while singing into a new life full of people bustling around daily, but I hope to gradually become more comfortable and perhaps even look forward to being with others in a social situation. What do you think? Is it possible? I'll let you know.