Coco fresco

The cost of fruit

Today Liz, Caitlin and I went to the beach. It was beautiful, sunny, not too hot. We managed to meet up with Laura and Elena, as well. The sand was hot on the soles of my feet. The water was cold. The breeze was salty. I went treasure hunting along the shore and left with a pocket full of clinking seashells. There is something so luring about the sea. I feel like all the grime is washed away when I wade into the salty blue water. The ebb and flow reminds me of the way it feels to be rocked to sleep by a loving mother, and there is very little so hypnotizing than the sound of the ocean meeting the shore.

I'm not sunburned, except for on my right shoulder. I noticed there were no seagulls, instead there were vendors, equally annoying. There were the usual men selling hats and jewelry, but there were also men selling coconut and beach blankets, and women offering a "nice oily massagi". No, No, and No. Thanks.

We're exhausted. The beach has a way of draining you, while leaving you completely rejuvenated at the same time. Tomorrow I think we'll head to the flea market and then perhaps a picnic with Becky and others. Last night we went to Mr. Brown's in Trestevere for awhile. The trip home left a bad taste in my mouth. We caught the N4 home, along with a bunch of overly intoxicated people, all of which looked as though they might possibly vomit all over the place at any moment. One man, perhaps 35, heavyset, got on and from across the bus was trying to get my attention by drunkenly grabbing my leg, touching my arm, groaning in Italian. The boys with us got defensive and decided it was their responsibility to be chivalrous by standing up to him. This did nothing but provoke him, and soon enough he was kicking and hitting the metal bars on the interior of the bus and becoming evermore aggressive. We got off the bus early, frustrated, and walked 20 minutes home, while the boys fed each others egos by saying things like, "We shoulda decked him. We woulda been justified. He would have gone down, man." I just wanted to get home.

So tonight we're staying in. I've learned my lesson about going out at night. Be home in time to take the metro.

In other news, I really love my roommates and I'm going to miss them a lot when we leave. Time has flown by. I can't believe we only have a month left of class.