Day 7: 1st Day of Language Courses

   It's hard to believe I've already been in Europe for a week.  Thus far, my time has been completely occupied by entirely new sights and experiences.  I'm just now getting to the point where I can attach familiarity to things, such as certain streets, my apartment, or the grocery store I'll do most of my shopping at.  

   The extended period of adjustment can be blamed entirely on my 5-day foray to Rome.  I met Emily there, and hung out with some mutual friends of ours (many thanks to Meredith and Christine for hosting us).  The city is absolutely amazing.  History is so prevalent there you have to develop a certain immunity to it to get anything done.  There are literally historical monuments, statues, and ruins on almost every block.  I had never thought about what life in a c. 2500 year-old city would be like, and now I know.  I had just enough time to pack in all the typical touristy things while still getting over my jet lag.  We saw the Vatican City, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steppes, the Jewish Ghetto, the Borghese Gardens, ate plenty of gelato and had lots of pasta.  

   On my bus back to the Ciampino Airport, I realized that I'm becoming used to the unfamiliar.  Or, said another way, I'm learning how to find familiarity in unfamiliar things.  For example, despite the fact that I couldn't speak a lick of Italian before being in Rome, I found that basic communication is still not that hard.  Once you learn how to say "hello," "please," and "thank you," it's fairly easy to make your intentions clear when you combine those words with simple gestures.  I also realized that no matter how different a language or culture might be from my own, every person on this planet still has similar desires. Everyone enjoys laughing, a good meal, the feeling of being appreciated, etc.  There are more, obviously, but I'll save the philosophical specifics for another time.  The take-home point here is that my fear of other cultures, of any culture, has been totally erased.  I feel like I could travel the world and be completely in my element.  

   It's currently 8:40, and the welcome breakfast for my program starts at 10:00.  I can't wait to learn more about the university I'm going to spend the next 5-6 months studying at.  Auf Wiedersehen!