Solo Traveler.

Yesterday I stayed in the neighborhood for the evening so today I decided it was time to venture out.  I was still pretty homesick through the night and placed some teary-eyed facetimes to my Mom and Steve.  So when the morning came it took some time to pump myself up to attempt working the bus system again.  As I walked down the street to the main avenue I was pretty nervous about finding my way and finding things to do.  Since I arrived, it hadn’t really hit me that I was actually here and the excitement I had felt in the past months in anticipation for this trip completely faded.  But then….  BUT THEN!  I got on the bus and put on my headphones and I realized – “I’m actually doing this!”  It was very liberating and I felt a sense of independence that I had never felt before.  I was proud that I was managing in a foreign country all by myself and that I was having a good time.

Riding the bus was a success and my first stop was the Colosseum.  I caught my first glimpse of it from a couple of stops down so I decided to get off early and walk my way up so that I could let the anticipation build up a little more before I arrived. 

The architecture was stunning and I just strolled slowly through the area trying to absorb it all in.

After snapping a few photos I continued on foot towards a few places I had been looking forward to seeing since my early planning period.  Two places that were high on my list were the Ghetto and Trastevere.  These stops were my favorite for wandering.  The winding streets and the local charm really made me feel like I was getting a better and more authentic slice of Roman life.  Along the way I managed to have some conversations in my broken Italian and understood eighty-five percent of my new friend’s stories.  It was exactly what I came here for.  They all complimented me on my language skills and they are happily patient with me as I try to tell them about myself and about what I am doing here.  It definitely broke up the silence of traveling alone.

 The Jewish Ghetto.

Trastevere.

Tomorrow I meet my school group and I will finally have a dinner that doesn’t consist of pizza.  Not only is it delicious here, it’s also the cheapest thing you could find to eat so that’s what I’ve stuck to.  But I’m ready to move on.