The Beginning of Week 3, according to Caroline

Ciao Tutti! I'm writing from the beginning of week 3 in Rome. Lot's has happened to me by now. As Cale mentioned before, I got hit by a car. Mom says you should look left and right before you cross the street, but since the street and the sidewalk are the same thing here, I've learned to look forward and back.



I've also been having a great time sketching. About 3 or 4 days a week, I can be found somewhere in Rome, pencils arranged in my hair, hardest to softest, blocking traffic and impressing tourists. It's amazing how many people come up and talk to me when I'm sketching. I've met all sorts of interesting characters and have set a new personal record for languages used in a single sentence (4). On Friday, Danielle and I ended up being featured in somebody's home video. I've been going up to the Geniculum hill every few nights. I started water coloring Friday, but so far I haven't gotten a satisfactory watercolor of the view from the top of the hill. I'll post it when I finally get one I like.


It's amazing how excited I am whenever I manage to do something culturally correct. Ordering Pizza without any hitches is a major achievement. I've noticed that it's often the minor things that get to you here. I've been buying groceries for years and years, so you would think that I could buy produce at a grocery store without any problems, Kelsie and I really blew it at the grocery store the other day. The lady at the checkout looked at us like "what kind of idiot can't even buy fruit correctly?" I spend a lot of time feeling awkward and more than a little stupid.


As Kirsten mentioned before, we've had adventures on the Metro. While we ended up not being able to find what we were looking for (it was two bus rides away, actually), we did get to see suburban Rome and some really cool ruins.


On the walk home from the metro station. Kirsten and I walked along the river, through the Piazza of St. Peter's and around the Vatican a little. We had been on our feet for about 12 hours at this point and were tired-drunk. We had a great time weaving, stumbling, and singing. (I Feel Good, You're Just too Good to Be True, L-O-V-E, etc)

Here are some photos of our walk, and the two of us generally terrorizing the countryside:








Today we walked a LONG ways looking at early Christian churches. There were some really beautiful frescos and mosaics. Here are a few parting photos, including a photo of a piece of the column on which Jesus was flogged.