Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Rome: DAY 63 OUR NEW HOOD

SIXTY-THIRD DAY
OUR NEW HOOD
November 15, 2005

It is Tuesday in Rome and yesterday I thought we would begin our Winter experience. But no, the sun is shining and the weather clear.  It is now getting dark about 5 PM. This time of the year is not my favorite because of the short days and long nights.   It is made all the more difficult by our move to the ghetto and our general lack of language.  We have to redo everything. Our phone in the apartment doesn’t work and neither does the mobile I bought.  Apparently, the store failed to sign me up for the privacy document and I cannot make or receive a call until they do.  The problem is that the store guys speak zero English and we speak very little Italian.  Kim tries, but when we get the message on the phone in Italian they are speaking very fast.  It took my Italian friend in the finance office at the Academy two times to listen and figure out the instructions.  Now I must return to the store and get the document signed.  In addition, the apartment needs lots of fixing up including a hot water heater that is not working for the kitchen and the guest bathroom (which by the way, strangely has no sink).  It seems all very weird and we will keep on keeping on.

Yesterday, while Kimberly went to Italian class, I spent the morning exploring our hood.  It makes our whole trip seem like a dream.  When we look out of our bedroom window, we can see the ruins of an ancient Roman Temple. Parts of the columns of that Temple support our apartment building and that means they were built before the coming of Christ.  It is so unreal you can almost see the people from that time walking by on their daily rounds.  You wonder what life was like then.  I guess they didn’t even have water heaters.  In the study of history, imagination is a good thing to have on your side. Try to visualize events and things going on centuries ago, what people wore, what language they were speaking, who were they, did they have slaves?  The columns help put things in perspective. We have lots of time to explore and look around, but initially I think we made a good location choice.   I make my way across Via Arenula to the Campo de Fiori, the most famous food market in Rome.  There are many markets in Rome; we recently visited Testaccio and it was fascinating.  The Campo is everyday and wildly busy.  I am our shopper and somehow find myself speaking English with a veggie seller.  His English is limited but better than my Italian and it helps me do the buying.  He doesn’t weigh anything and tells me my purchases are 14E.  Very Italian, but I’m suspicious and probably will find a different guy for another day.  We even have a local supermarket where you can buy milk and other staple items.  All of these tasks should be done on foot to get the maximum Roman effect.  Museums, palaces, ministries, churches, and small shops litter the narrow alleys of Rome, it is very spectacular and intriguing. 

Later in the day, we go back up to the Academy for a meeting of the Christmas committee and we’re pleased to be included.  Because we will not have the apartment ready for guests by next week, we will have Thanksgiving dinner at the Academy, too.  Though I look like Santa Claus, they have asked another guy to do the gig; I am grateful because I’d have to speak Italian to the staff’s kids.  We will slowly separate ourselves from this community so that we are not intruding too much.  When you leave the Academy to be on your own, you realize how much they have done for us.  We had a great time.  I go to a reception for one of the visiting artists, Anne Syberell from the Bay area.  She is inventive and artistic, making wonderful books and art that really make you think.  A committed and talented artist, she will be here for another couple of months.

We met a young American student in Rome this morning. She has an apartment in our building.  She is a student at a Catholic College near our building.  Her apartment is cute and that gives us hope of making ours better. She tells us that there are many vocations for women in the Church, especially in America.  She is sweet and welcoming and makes us feel good. 

Just a couple of travel notes.  Alitalia was 2 hours late coming back to Rome.  No word was given the passengers who were sitting in the lounge about why or even when.  They now join United on my list of unfriendly airlines.  The flight was smooth.  We had fun on the cruise, but 7 days every few years is enough for me.  Check carefully before you book any tours while on the ship. 


Ohio State creamed Northwestern and the Niners continue to lose. 

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