Allora, aspetta.

Hello friends!  I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update, it's just that, you see, I've been so incredibly busy dicking around aimlessly for the last few weeks that I haven't had the time to post anything.  My apologies.

Life in Rome has been unique.  Every day has presented somewhat of a challenge.  I hate it here, and then I love it here.  And then I hate it here, and then I never ever want to leave.  It's not that I've had any major mishaps or faux pas, but being a foreigner here is a bit isolating at times.  I'm not quite a tourist, as I am renting an apartment, speak the language (to a certain extent), and am now quite familiar with the lay of the land (also to a certain extent).  But I'm certainly not a Roman.  I don't have friends or family here, I don't work here, and I'm certainly not from here.  So I find myself somewhere in the middle, I'm not a local, but also, thankfully, I'm not a conspicuously out-place-tourist.  

I must say that Rome is a fantastic city.  Holy cow, I've never been anywhere that is as enchanting and lively.  The nightlife here is unparalleled.  Drinks at 8, dinner at 10.  Each night, every table outside every restaurant in my neighborhood is occupied.  This goes on until around 1am, and then the cafes turn into bars, and everyone just sort of spills out into the streets and piazzas.  And this goes on until about 3am.  Every.  Night.  It's great, really.  I don't think I could sustain a lifestyle like that, but once in a while it's nice to partake in the nightly festivities.

My favorite activity, thus far, however, has been going for really really long walks while listening to my iPod.  If I need to go somewhere across town, let's say about three or four miles away, I walk there, and it's great.  I never walk in LA.  Ever.  If I'm feeling randy I'll ride my bike or take the Metro, but I rarely walk to a destination.  So being here, in Rome, and walking for hours and hours, feels great.  There is always something new to see and of course, plenty of people to watch.  Walking a lot with headphones on also lends itself to some major introspection.  There's a lot to think about when you're alone in a city in another country, thousands of miles away from home.  

Top ten things I miss about Los Angeles (in no particular order):

10. Vietnamese food

9. Good live music 

8. My friends...DUH!

7. KPCC

6. Big cups of iced coffee from Swork or Cafe de Leche

5. Highland Park

4. Talking to someone and having them know what the fuck I'm talking about.

3. Being talked to and knowing what the fuck someone is saying.

2. Going to parties where I know people, or at least just going to parties.

1. Riding my bike around Highland Park and Eagle Rock

Top ten things I love about living in Rome (also in no particular order):

10. Riding my rickety old bike around town.

9.  Going for epically long walks in the afternoon when the sun is going down.

8. Food.  

7. All the really good looking Italians who know they're really good looking.

6. Having a decent conversation in Italian.

5. Art.

4. Having fantastic dinners after 10pm.

3. Taking a train ride to another city, then returning to Rome and feeling as if I've come home.

2. Trastevere.

1. Giving directions to Italians.

Ok, that's about all I can muster for now.  Let's hope it's not another month until my next post.

xoxo,

Meggie

Oh, this is me at Pompeii: