British Journalist H.V. Morton once said the history of Rome is, “exhilarating and oppressive for the traveler.” After visiting the city, it is easy to relate to what Morton is saying. I have spent all of my life in the United States with most of those years being in Ohio. Moving to another country brings about a lot of differences to everyday life, which requires changes. These differences have led me to find what I find about Rome exhilarating and oppressive. So far, I have found the endless number of activities and scenery exhilarating while the lack of air conditioning and food oppressive. As far as public transportation I have experienced it from both sides with it being exhilarating and oppressive.
Rome and the surrounding area is filled with an endless amountof activities to do. In the past week and a half, I have went biking on the Via Appia Antica, rented a paddle boat on Lake Albano, went out to Campo Di Fiori to experience the nightlife, hit on red clay tennis courts for the first time, and visited numerous historic sites. The only options I would have had in Dover would have been to go to the park, ride a bike, or hang out on my porch. While all are very relaxing, it is nice to stay busy and gain meaningful experiences here in Italy.
During all of these activities, I have been able to see the extradinary scenery. The best example I can give is riding down the Via Appia. While riding on the road, there were numerous tombs, upscale houses that were gated off, colorful plants, and large country sides. Also, the road was made of large stones, which had become very unlevel leaving for a very bumpy ride. What catches my eye the most is the structure and style of all the buildings.
The use of the trains and buses has been a new adventure for me. Before I came over here, I rode the subway maybe two or three times in New York. So finding what trains and buses to take on a daily basis has been a neat adventure. I have always had my own car, and never relied on someone else to transport me. Even though this may not seem like a big deal, I have always wanted to experience everything there is to offer. Obviously, the downside is not having the ability to go to a certain place a certain time like the tennis courts. This makes us have to lay everything out and have it planned, so we can catch the right trains and account for time to walk the rest of the way. I am definitely not one of those people that like to plan out every second of everyday and would rather be flexible.
Suprisingly, I have not been amazed by the food. The first couple days I was very into the new kinds of subs and the Italian pizza, but I am very much a fan of home cooking and eating healthy. While I can find healthy food, it is hard to find food to help with my blood pressure since everything is pizza, pasta, salami, or prosciutto all of which are high in sodium. Therefore, my lack of control over what I have to eat especially with dinner has not allowed to experience the food in the same capacity as others. This is why I much more prefer picking and cooking my own food at home.
Lastly, the lack of air conditioning in public places such as: restaurants, shops, and site visits gets to me after all the walking we do outside in the sun during the hottest time of the day. The worst is in the trains on the way home from a day in the city. If there is no air conditioning in our car, I usually become exhausted and fall asleep. Thankfully, we head to Casa Mennesiana afterwards where it is air conditioned, and I can get my second burst of energy.
This past week and a half in Italy and specifically Rome has opened my eyes to many of the differences from where I live to here. I have always been told about these differences, but it really doesn’t set in until you can actually experience it for yourself. Through these experiences I have been able to relate what I have found exhilarating and oppressive in Rome. The number of activities, scenery, and public transportation were all exhilarating for me. While I found public transportation exhilarating, I also found it oppressive along with the food and lack of air conditioning.
CJ,
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about what you said about the public transportation being exhilarating. I've been three and a half weeks without a vehicle to transport myself, which yes, it has been nice to not have to drive everywhere. I do miss having that opportunity. I often like to go for drives to get away and think about things on my own, and not having a car is obviously very difficult to do so. Also, I find it oppressing (as you said) to have to constantly be on a strict schedule as we rely on trains and buses. While I think I have mastered the train website and reading the timetables, the buses are a completely different story. I feel that the schedules are difficult to read or understand, as seen when myself and some of our classmates ending up at the beach while trying to get back to campus!
Cj, I like hearing what you have to say about Rome! Im glad you are having meaningful experiences here! I have to say though, that I am from a small town too as you know. And even though being from a place like Dover or Coshocton seems like it is not as meaningful as a place with history like Rome, I have learned to appreciate what we have in our small towns. It is the people that have made experiences meaningful back at home, and that is something I think I take for granted. Being away from them make me learn to love what we have to go back home to, while at the same time feeling exhilarated here.
ReplyDeleteCJ,
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on the lack of air conditioning! All day long we are faced with a blazing hot sun and a huge amount of walking that makes our body drench us in sweat. When we get on the train, it does not help that there is no air. The fourty five minute ride becomes a very long ride because of the fact that we are all dying from heat and sweat loss.
The hardest thing for me as well is the fact that we do have to constinately plan everything out. We must always keep thinking about where we are going and what train we must take. The other day when we went to explore the city, we had to keep eyes out for the metro stations or bus stops so that when it came time to cetch the train, we would not be lossed and miss all the trains. I hate having to plan everything. I would much rather just live life and let things happen then to have to worry!