A Day in the Life

Daily life in Rome is quite an adventure, and I'd take a day of living the local life over a day as a tourist any time.

We have been slowly getting the hang of public transportation here. It is much better than in any US city I have visited. You really can get to within a few blocks of anywhere you want to go. I'm beginning to recognize the areas along the bus routes, and generally know where I am whenever we go out! One iconic mark along our rout into the city is Porta Pia, a stop just inside the old walls of Ancient Rome.


Being smushed to the front window of the bus does provide a great view.



Besides public transportation, another aspect of Rome that makes the city adventure-friendly is the fountains. All the fountains in Rome hold potable water. People can wash their hands, give their pets a drink, and refill their water bottles. Most of these fountains are made of beautiful marble figures, and in some of the biggest, you can take off your shoes and wade into the fountain for your drink.
For an aquaholic like me, this is the perfect city.

Rome is a city for cat lovers. There are an estimated 300,000 feral cats in Rome. The city has set up feeding stations for them: they'd rather have cats than rats. The cats have free range in the city and have learned how to schmooze the millions of tourists that come through Rome.


We found this guy roaming the Colosseum.

I've gotten a chance to dialogue with locals through an ESL ministry at our church. The English lessons are once a week, and most of us students go and assist the teachers. This past week was our first class, and I got the chance to meet a kind woman named Barbara, who works with African refugees and is learning to speak English so she can make them feel understood. There were about 15 people in the class. There were all sorts of people there, including children, a lawyer, a Russian/Italian translator, a member of the  Italian military, and a preschool teacher. I'm excited to deepen relationships as I help these same people throughout the semester. Hopefully they can help me with my Italian as well.

The small room where we hold class. (The woman in the floral shirt is helping teach. She is from Texas. The poor students.)

The view from the window. The church building is narrow and three stories tall. Churches circle the piazza and ring their bells throughout the day. Musicians play in the piazza for coins.

A greeting on the street.

Night and Day

This week we began to skim the surface of the Rome experience, venturing into the city on our own and as a class.

One destination of our first class fieldtrip was Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio. The ceiling is unique in that it is designed as an optical illusion. There is a plate in the floor, and if you stand on it, you are supposed to have the best view. The ceiling is painted with pillars stretching into the heavens, while angels and Catholics push out the evil Protestants from heaven. Some of the figures even have 3D additions to make them even more real.

There is a "dome" in the middle of the ceiling, which is actually a flat surface. I actually heard some UK tourists next to me say, "Oh, I guess they decided not to paint that part." Here is a comparison of the view under the "dome" and from the entryway of the church, so you can see the change in vantage point.

The streets are always covered in performers and venders. Often, they are refugees that live in tent cities outside of Rome. This is something to keep in mind when they flock you and bully you into buying their product.

 

During the day, they want to sell you selfie sticks or, in the case of the gladiators around the Colosseum, want you to pay for a picture with them. At night, the scene changes. Scarves are for sale, and the hawkers will actually try to shove roses in your hand.

 

I made the mistake of inquiring the price of a scarf. When I refused to pay the outrageous price, I was then actually chased around the Colosseum until I bought it...for 3 euros instead of the 10 he wanted. (Afghani refugee, Afghani refugee, Afghani refugee.) 

 

But the city at night is a beautiful place. The tourists go back to their hotels and you can actually hear a person's footsteps on the cobbled streets.

 

Today, we tried to venture out of the tourist zone by visiting The Keyhole. The door of the Malta embassy is built so that when you look through the keyhole, you look through three different countries: Malta, Italy, and the Vatican.

(Not my picture, but I wanted you to see how beautiful it is.)



It shows that some of the best things about Rome are found in unexpected places. I'll try to keep you updated as they find me.

 



Ciao!

There is a scene in “The Giver” when Jonas learns Gabe is going to be killed. He’s never been outside the safety of his city, and he is scared. His whole world is about to be turned upside-down. To give him courage, The Giver bestows Jonas with experiences that prove life is worth it: skydiving, kayaking through white water, a baby laughing, families celebrating, a runner in the dessert. All these and more flash through Jonas, and it gives him the conviction to fight.

Last Sunday at my tiny, white steepled church, I felt like Jonas. Hearing about Abraham, who walked by faith into a place and life that had not yet been revealed to him, I knew that the only way to travel to Rome was to do it under the assurance of God’s provision. If there was a challenge before me, I, just like Abraham, would need to count on the promise of grace provided in the moment.

God has indeed provided.

After 11 hours of flight time and 35 sleepless hours (orientation began as soon as we arrived), we spent our first night in the city of Rome. Since then, we have been going on a whirlwind of adventures. They started small--learning how to flush a toilet--then grew larger--shopping in an Italian grocery store--then finally culminated in a photo scavenger hunt of Ancient Rome with just our maps and cameras. Here are some things we found:

 

 

There are adventures every day here. C.S. Lewis was right when he said adventure comes by stepping out your door. (Motorcycles drive on the sidewalks…you literally have to check before stepping outside.)

Next week’s adventures include classes starting, grocery shopping, and trips into the city. I am also finalizing B&Bs in Switzerland, where I will be going with two others in a few weeks. I’ve only been here a few days, and it’s clear the biggest challenge will be keeping up as the time flies!