Orientation and First Observations at John Cabot University in Rome
After a messy flight where I got stuck waiting inside an airplane for two hours and had to catch my connecting flight to Rome with ten minutes to spare…I finally arrived in Rome! The taxi trip from the airport to the apartment was very pleasant to me given the driver’s radio selection: all awesome Italian songs! The city immediately felt old to me, even though I am from historic Boston. I also saw some insanely huge monuments that made quite an impression on me. I could not believe my driver’s jaw did not fall like mine did after driving through such high and stupendous looking bridges and buildings.
Fun Fact: Taxi drivers in the Ciampino Airport, the one I arrived at, are required by law to only charge 30 Euros for any trip leaving from the airport and going to Rome. However, they never follow that rule when they realize you are a foreigner! Rates for foreigners usually come up to sixty dollars: I kid you not! However, my driver was nice and only charged me forty. Yay me!
I got a chance to walk around the city a lot for the past two days and it has felt a lot to me like Sao Paulo, the city I am from in Brazil. I am not sure if that feeling comes from the hot and humid weather, the streets covered in fallen tropical leaves, the colorful and loud people, or even the uneven sidewalks and graffiti. Regardless, I feel more at home than I could have imagined here in Rome, and I see so much soul and personality every day as I walk along the streets.
My orientation was very relaxed and fun. John Cabot offered us free lunches for every orientation day, a free tour of Ancient Rome, and a free tour of Trastevere, which is our historic neighborhood. In addition, they offer a free bookstore shopping tour for those who wish to get a head start in getting their required books for the courses. The orientation lasts three days, and on the last day, we get to go on a public transit workshop with our skipper (orientation leader), who teaches us how to go around in Rome. That workshop is very useful, since Roman public transportation has a lot of very particular quirks that even a city foreigner like me would not simply guess from common sense.
I went on the Trastevere tour and it was well worth my time. The tour took two hours and the tour guide was very funny and knowledgeable. I learned a lot about how amazing it is that I get to live in such a historical and charming neighborhood such as Trastevere, and that I get to see bridges, churches, and arches that were built as far back as the third century or even older than that.
As my orientation days come to an end, I find myself with newfound friends, knowledge about this place, and more confidence in going around by myself.
