Roman nightlife

Again, so much to catch you up on, but a story that must be shared first.

Tonight, I took a group of students on a night tour of Rome. There is something magical about this city when the sun sets. It slows down. It quiets and invites you to stroll the cobblestone streets and lose yourself in its charm, its je ne sais quoi.

We started the night at the Colosseum, moved on to the Vittorio Emmanuale monument, then Campo de Fiori, Piazza Navona, Gioletti's for gelato, Trevi fountain, and finally Piazza di Spagna. The monuments are lit up so wonderfully that again, magic. I loved being with the students and hearing their enthusiasm and watching their faces as we came upon each new location. It was like seeing Rome for the first time again, but thru their eyes.

I fell in love with Rome again tonight in its allure. Of course, that may have changed once I got on the bus.

We had such a lovely night that we lost track of time. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was already 11:15 as we arrived at Trevi. Panic began to set in. Why? Buses and trains stop running at 12. We had 45 minutes to get a train to Termini and then the 90 bus home. Never before has a group of 9 made it from Trevi to Piazza di Spagna so quickly. We were booking it. We practically ran to the train only to wait for 5 minutes. It was now 11:40. Not good. Hopped on the train and, again, booked it from the train to the bus. (This included 5 flights of stairs...I was not amused) We jumped on the bus and settled in for our ride home...and that's when I was reminded of the seedier side of Rome.

Just before the bus pulled out two men boarded the bus. The first was a rather large black man and the second was a smaller white man...clearly drunk. He was staggering around the bus and blabbering at the black man. I sat with two of my students while the other 4 girls had sat together and the other 2 guys sat apart from one another. Wouldn't you know that Drunk Man chose to sit next to one of my guys. He blabbed at my student Loudly in Italian and he just sat there not knowing what to do. It was funny and concerning all at the same time.

The whole ride back this drunk-as-can-be man spoke loudly to my student and would turn from time to time to shout at the black man. As if that weren't enough...a junkie boarded the bus and joined in on the conversation. Meanwhile, my poor student is sitting wide-eyed not sure what to do. Oh and let's not forget the woman across from me who would turn her head and gesture to my student with her head to move from his seat and take the empty seat next to her every now and again. Finally, the drunk "stood" and moved towards the black man allowing my student to move next to the woman.

Never before has our bus stop looked so good and so inviting. We all hopped off that bus as fast as humanely possible. One of my students, a linguistics major, told me that he pulled his Italian dictionary out during the whole event because he was curious. Apparently we had witnessed a racial argument. On the one hand I was shocked that my student would have the presence of mind to "translate" and on the other hand...so proud of his inquisitiveness.

Rome at night....always an experience.

Breathing room

Alright. Italians aren't necessarily known for respecting ones' personal space. I don't actually think the concept exists.

I got on the Metro today and it was crowded. Yes, it was rush hour so what was I expecting? I have been on a crowded bus and train before, but never like this. Ever seen a can of sardines? Well, now you're getting the picture. We were so jammed in there that I didn't even have to hold on to anything to keep from moving because other people's bodies were holding me up. One man's arm braced my back, someone's hip was my barrier to the right, someone's back end my barrier to the left, and Lynda in front of me. Quite honestly, I don't know that I'll ever be that intimately acquainted with my future spouse. No jokes. Then! When you think that there isn't room for anyone else...6 more people managed to wedge themselves in. I wouldn't say that I am claustrophobic per se, but in that moment it felt as if the whole train was closing in on me and I could hardly breathe. Of course that could be because I was laughing so hard I was so uncomfortable...I could have died of laughter.

It was insane. Even getting off the train and up the escalators was overwhelming. Then, Lynda and I stood in line for 20 minutes or so and this man kept bumping me from behind every time I moved forward. Seriously...my dance space....your dance space. Respect it!

Thank the Lord the bus wasn't crowded because I don't think I could have handled that. Then again...almost "died" as I crossed the street and slipped on the slick pavement just as a moto was moving forward. Again...all I could do was laugh and once again, lost my breath.

Buongiorno polizia!

There is so much for me to write about...and I will get to it all, but feel that an event that took place this morning requires my immediate attention.

Today is Friday and the students don't have classes and I am not working, technically. Per my contract, I get one day off a week in addition to weekends and trust me when I tell you that I needed a day off desperately. It's been a crazy-busy week and I'm exhausted. (I promise to fill you in later.) Anyways, I planned on sleeping in and being lazy this morning because I have a meeting tomorrow morning and church on Sunday which prevent me from sleeping in. I dragged myself out of bed around 9 to use the bathroom and just as I was about to open my door I heard Ana's, the convent's receptionist, voice over the intercom telling me I had a phone call. Hmmm...who could that be? No one I know has that number. Curious...

I picked up the phone and discovered that it was the polizia. The man I spoke with spoke very little, and I mean little, English. I was able to glean from our "conversation" that he was dropping by for an inspection of the campus. GULP. I knew that at some point this would happen. I had been warned. I just never expected it to happen so quickly! I mean, come on! This is Italy...things like this never happen this fast...wrong! I informed him that I wouldn't be here tomorrow morning and he told me he would stop by this morning. There go my plans to be lazy! Drat!

I quickly got ready...and I will fully admit in an effort to be authentic and transparent, that I took a little extra care with my appearance for 2 reasons. 1) What if one of them were attractive? A girl's gotta look her best....and 2) I wanted to employ my feminine wiles in hopes that that would soften them towards me....shameless, I know....but still. In addition to this, I made sure my office was organized and I was ready to go. On the surface, I was put together...the inside was a different story all together. I felt like there were 747-sized butterflies in my stomach.

When the call came that the officer was here I truly felt my stomach drop. I had no idea what to expect or what I was going to do. Thankfully, one of the nuns was going to be present and she was going to translate from Italian into Spanish for me. (That in and of itself was concerning enough!) Lynda and I headed downstairs to meet the officers and I was immediately struck by two things: 1) these were very serious officers...no smiles, no warmth, nothing, and 2) one of them was very, very attractive. Hmmmm.....

I digress! We sat down in the parlor and it was clear that these men meant business. They said a whole lot of stuff that I didn't understand. The sister understood and told me what he was saying, but then she told me to get the nun who spoke English and ask her to come and help. She decided that it was too much to translate from Italian to Spanish and then for me to translate that into English. Truthfully, I was doing fine. I understood her, but my nerves were shot that it was probably a very good idea to get it all in English.

So, once the other sister came into the room three languages starting bouncing around like a ping pong match on speed. It was insane. The men, still so serious, were asking for things that I didn't have and it was a bit...ahhhhhhhhh. At the end, I was instructed to get some paperwork together for them within 1 week. No problem. I can do that. Oh, wait. It has to be in Italian. Ugh. Ok, I'll ask our Italian teacher to help. No problem.

We showed the men out and they left. The sisters proceeded to tell me that the way the men behaved was all part of an act. They were trying to come across more seriously and more "important" than they really were. It was like they were actors in a cop thriller movie. Great. They freaked me out and it was all about looking tough and macho. (Insert eye roll here) As the sisters were reviewing the meeting notes with me, Ana began to laugh. It seemed that the gate conveniently decided to malfunction while the officers were trying to leave. Fantastic. Let's lock them up here with us...well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad considering the one.... :)

Life

Ok, so I haven't blogged since the "experience." I do not want to talk about it again. (Although, can I just say that later in the evening two of the nuns came upstairs to talk to me about something and I told them about the situation. They were so upset on my behalf that I started to cry. Their defense of me and willingness to defend me that it really touched me.)

Despite the sisters encouragement, I woke up the next morning feeling "off". I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to be with family. I wanted my mom! It took continuing asking Jesus to be with me, to encourage me, to strengthen me to calm me down. I had a job to do and I needed to get going.

I was so blessed! I had a great morning with my students going over the policies of the program and all that fun stuff because it ended up being really fun. They are an amazing group of young adults and God has given me so much in them. They make me laugh like no other.

After we went over some household business, we did a walking tour of the neighborhood and I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard! Then, after dinner we watched Roman Holiday. Love it!

All in all, it was a great Saturday. I am so glad that they're here....and that the villa is now filled with the pitter, patter of "little" feet!

Table bread

I may have just had my first "I want to go home" moment. Yep...that's certainly what it was.

We have been looking into a cell phone company here in Italy that specializes in dealing with study abroad students. From what I understood, what I'd read, and what I'd been told is that they would provide the students with a free cell phone (with a deposit to be re-credited to them at the end of the semester) that would have the capabilities of making/receiving free calls to all within the plan. Sounds great, right? Ever heard the saying: if it looks too good to be true...it probably is? Well...that is a great truth to learn.

Today, the rental company came to campus to discuss its product. When I originally contacted the company months ago I received a reply to my email that said they provided the phone. When I requested information again last week this is what I was told. On the company's website it clearly says that it gives a free phone to students and all calls between students is free. Instead of all of this, my students, myself, and Lynda were faced with something much different.

As I listened to the gentleman's presentation he clearly said that the cost was 49 euros, 40 of which was a deposit that would be credited to the students upon return of the phone. The other 9 euros were already credited airtime minutes. Several of our students signed up for the plan since we told them it was mandatory because I needed to be able to reach them in the event of an emergency. It was only after 2 young women approached me and told me that it actually cost 99 euros did I suspect that we were in the midst of a "conspiracy". I asked the woman who assisted the man to clarify for me what the cost was and she proceeded to tell me that it was 99 euros. I disputed this saying that that is not what we had been told. Everyone around me nodded in agreement.

What ensued was a man determined to get money from us by practically forcing us into purchasing the plans. I held my ground and emphatically told them that our students couldn't afford them and that's not what we were told. He refused to back down claiming that there was great expense on their part and yadda, yadda, yadda...I began to feel nauseous and angry. This was not what we'd been told nor did I ever promise him that our students would sign up for the plan. It was just ugly. Lynda jumped in and expressed herself, echoing my own sentiments, wonderfully. My RA did the same...he did a great job and I'm proud of him for speaking truth. Still, the man was ticked. He left the room and his assistant, who was very nice and from the States, tore up all of the credit card imprints of the students who had already purchased the plan and decided not to go with the additional charge. When the man returned he was very angry. Again, I explained to him the issue.

In the end, one of our students purchased the plan and Lynda and I actually did buy a phone. Still, he was not happy. He was insulting, rude, and downright deceitful, in my opinion.

I know that this was a great life lesson for our students and for me, but I'd much rather have not had to go through that particular lesson. Again, it has left me nauseous, anxious, and keyed up. I don't mind having to be confrontational when the moment calls for it, but I don't like it. I don't like what happens to me and I do not like it when my students feel as if they did something wrong.

I feel like this is a common occurrence abroad. Nationals expect that Americans in their country are wealthy and can afford anything (NOT TRUE) so they tack on all of these hidden expenses...20 euro here, 10 there...it's like when you go to a restaurant and they place a basket of bread on your table. You didn't ask for the bread, but they put it there nonetheless. Then, you get your bill and lo and behold...a charge for the bread. This was a major basket of bread...

On hold

Today is the day students arrive in Rome. Today is the day I've been working towards since I was hired a little over a year ago. Today has been postponed.

I was on Facebook last night as I was finishing some things up around campus before students arrived when I noticed some posts by Rome-bound students who should have been on a plane bound for Chicago at that point. Flight delays. Then, an hour later: flight cancellation. UGH. I felt so badly for those students. They were so excited to leave yesterday and then...nothing. Of course, they did have a mini adventure in that American Airlines put them up in a nice hotel with their own rooms with food vouchers for the evening. They will be here tomorrow after catching a noon flight to JFK and then a 5:20 flight to Rome.

At first I was very disappointed because I was super excited to meet them and get going, but after some thought and prayer I decided that perhaps this was the Lord's way of protecting them from something. Lynda had an idea regarding their visa status and it makes sense. So, no matter how disappointed I may be...I am thankful that God is in control of the situation and I need not worry.

Of course, I did just get an email from a colleague who informed me of bad weather on the East coast. Please God, do not delay them again!

The irony of the situation is this: we had one student flying in from Uganda apart from the group since her parents are missionaries there and that's where she's been this summer. She arrived on time...from Africa...whereas our group from the USA hasn't. Hmmm...what's wrong with this picture!?

Bag lady

One of the parts of student development that I love the most is creating a sense of community among students. That's why I am so excited about their arrival because I will have the opportunity to do life with them and build into their lives. One of the ways we're going to foster community building is through cooking. Our students will be cooking for one another in groups three nights a week. For the first week, though, I am going to do most of the cooking until they get settled. And I am very excited!

There are 19 of us in the villa, or there will be when the students arrive tomorrow. That's a lot of food. I had visions of grocery store trips daily where I was burdened with giant bags of groceries. I had no idea how I was going to supply food for that many people without constantly grocery shopping...something I really do not like to do.

Well, God bless the nuns because they provided us with the names and contact information of the vendors who regularly deliver food to them. Yesterday, I bought a ton of cheese, yogurt, salami, proscuitto, and butter off the back of a truck. Today, I bought milk and eggs. Tomorrow, the bread will be delivered. And next week we will meet the fruit man. Praise God! These vendors are such an answer to prayer!

There are, however, some items that cannot be delivered and for those items I must go to the grocery store. Considering that we are starting from ground zero, we needed to purchase many basic items. Thankfully, Lynda made the journey to the store with me. I could not have done it without her. I did remark, though, on our way back from the store that the sight of us walking back to the villa must have been something...bag ladies indeed. Here's a pic for you to laugh at...as I am sure the people who passed me did.