Orientation

August 17,2021

4:55pm

I had a pretty early (6 in the morning 😣) rise and got the ball rolling. Today is the first day of in-person orientation, and the CIEE center is a whole 45 minute walk from my apartment. The tram was my flatmates and my best bet on this hot morning. I had my first Italian interaction today and I wasn't even outside for five minutes. While my flat mates and I went to purchase a ticket for the tram, and this lady at the stand was trying to tell me something about my shiny beretto and capella and I couldn’t quite get what she was trying to say. This is the first person that reached out to touch my hair, and that's when I knew it was going to be a long 2 and a half months. I decided to get 24 inch burgundy passion twists for my study abroad trip so I don't have to constantly manipulate my natural hair. Seeing everyone stare at it each and every place I go makes me rethink my choice every day. The Italian lady did end the interesting interaction by calling me bellisima, which made me smile. Anyway, we got to the end of the tram route in like 15 minutes and then walked about 10 minutes to the campus. My plan to walk to campus at least once a week so I don’t have to fully depend on public transportation, and learn more about Rome’s locations. Whether I'm on the tram, walking to get food or groceries, or even taking the trash out, I’ve gotten both bad and good looks, compliments on my hair and skin, and looks like I don’t belong here. The in person. orientation went well today. It was super long, but I was awake long enough to see everyone in the program for the first block. Out of the 24 students, there's only one that looks like me. What a surprise. After sitting through a couple slideshows at orientation, we walked to lunch and it was great. Everyone had a full table with 4-5 people, but I just sat with one other girl. She was cool, and the conversation actually wasn’t awkward! So that’s a step toward the right direction. The food was good, and I am impressed with my first taste of Italian cuisine. Everything just tastes so fresh, it's actually shocking to me. While we were walking back to CIEE I was just thinking about how people walk around Rome all day and don’t pass out, cause it's HOT. I guess this walking will encourage me be more active and have a more healthy lifestyle. Walking back to CIEE we were also introduced to one of the many historical sites in the area- Largo Argentina, the area where Julius Caesar was assassinated. It's astonishing to me how really everywhere I go in Rome, I'm walking past or standing on a piece of history.

First group picture in front of Largo Argentina

The two tall trees are the sites where Julius Caesar was killed.

First solo picture at Piazza Venezia.