Hello from Rome.

Well, I suppose I have to update.

It's been a long 36 hours. The flights were boring and generally uneventful. The last flight was my wakeup call, sort of a reality check. I realized I was really going to Italy when everyone around me was speaking Italian. It really freaked me out, and for a good two hours I wanted to buy a ticket home. I was terrified. But I tried to sleep and had little success. I'd say I got about 3 hours in. The three Italian boys sitting to my right were obnoxious and making obscene gestures with their hips. Again, I was terrified. Dinner was pasta with chicken. Bland but welcomed by my empty stomach. I played with my cards a lot on the flight. We watched two movies, one was about global warming and the arctic, and the other was Finding Neverland. I spent a lot of time sniffing my pillow and choking back tears, breathing deep and calming myself down.

We landed and I met up with a girl named Molly, also in the program. We were all funneled into a room full of chairs and IES staff, where they made copies of our passports and visas and grouped us together before sending us off in a taxi. My roommate Cait and I took a cab all the way out to Via Salento 4, our apartment. The total was 55 euro, and the cab driver was nice, so we tipped him. When we got into the building, we had to take the elevator one at a time, as it is incredibly small. Our Italian roommate Manuela met us at the door and helped us move in. She is very sweet, and she's a journalist, which is quiet coincidental.

Cait and I took the room with a view onto the street. It has a huge window and lots of shelving. Right now it's storming, and below you can hear the rain hitting the pavement and the mumble of Italian men wandering around.

The city feels different this time. Living here is so different from being a tourist. But, the scenery is still breathtaking and the buildings are incredible. I can't wait to sightsee. I can't wait to see the Pantheon.

I miss Spencer terribly. But I am so lucky to have internet in my apartment by chance, because I can contact him on a more regular basis. He is such a huge system of support for me, as are the rest of my friends. Stacy, Steven, Ali and Spence all met me at the airport to see me off. Spencer hugged me tight, took my right hand and started to dance with me while singing "Pride and Joy." I love him very, very much, and I don't think I could have asked for a better goodbye. He watched me go through security and was jumping and waving until we could no longer make eye contact.

Wow, lots of thunder and lightening outside now. Lovely.

We had a lot of people over tonight for dinner. Two other households and their Italian roommates. I really like the people in the program so far. Tomorrow we all leave again for Umbria for three days. We'll be staying in a hotel and I can't decide if I should bring my computer or not. We'll see.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and I have to get up early to pack a bag and all that jazz.

Ciao from Rome.