Submitted by Hannah Mosios on the 2017 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
Week three abroad is in the books. In these last five days, I’ve lost not only my phone, but my pencil pouch, too. I’ve had my time to mourn my losses. At home, I feel like it would be a bigger deal to me, but after going through my stages of grieving, I’m breathing now. It’s definitely not simple to be living in a city as complex as Rome let alone with no other way to contact people other than bumping off the local WiFi hot-spots. Last night, I ventured out into the city, phone less and alone, and I didn’t get lost once. I felt so comfortable walking through the cobblestone maze that is Rome. Just last week, I was leading my friends in circles WITH my phone’s GPS. Now, I finally feel like I’m getting into the flow and the rhythm that is Rome. Rome is unlike any other city I have ever visited before. I feel like the whole city is dancing to its own rhythm and flowing with this unspeakable motion. I don’t feel that same current in any other major city in the United States. And speaking of rhythm, I’d like to think the flow of the language is a rhythm in and out itself. Italians speak so fast and it is incredibly hard to differentiate each word. Since living here, I’ve been told many times by the locals that I’m a fast speaker and don’t enunciate my words (including last night when I was out exploring). I’m the odd man out here so I’m definitely trying to slow down my speech. Week four is when I attempt to slow down my own speech and attempt to understand a few words every time someone speaks to me in Italian. Stay tuned for week 4’s climb.
