Flights and First Perspectives

I woke up at 4am on the morning of the 9th and couldn't go back to sleep. I was just too excited about Rome. Even with the excitement, it had not yet set in that I was actually leaving. That moment didn't come until I left my parents at South Bend Regional Airport later that morning. After, getting my bags checked, I said my goodbyes, went through security, and began what will become a journey that I will never forget.

The domestic flights were pretty enjoyable and short, but the flight to Rome was not as comfortable. Where the flights from South Bend to Chicago and from Chicago to Washington, D.C. went by in a flash, the final flight dragged on and on. I could just never get comfortable. Economy class seats just aren't made to be comfortable for 6'7" people. Even though I tried to fall asleep, I ended up sleeping for only about 20 minutes of the eight hour flight. I ended up watching The Karate Kid twice and bits and pieces of Robin Hood in French. Yeah, I was that uncomfortable.

Any negative feelings disappeared when we reached Rome. I gladly got off the plane, got through passport control in the terminal, got my luggage, and within a few minutes took my first steps into Italy. I took my first breath of the fresh Italian air, and to my dismay instead got a lovely whiff of cigarette smoke. Not as romantic of a first impression as I had imagined, but I was enthralled to finally be in Italy none the less.

We all hopped on a bus which then drove us into Rome. There were a couple of things I learned from this experience. First, Italian drivers a very, very different than drivers in America. Cars were flying around all over the place in choreographed madness. It didn't matter if there was a lane or not. If there was pavement it was open game for driving. Motorcycles buzzed in and out between cars. Interesting to say the least. Second, the buildings in Rome are incredible. Seriously. The bus only went down a couple roads on the way into the city, but I got to see all sorts of structures, most older than any building back home.

Rome is a truly magical place, and I saw this first hand as we spent the afternoon wandering the streets. There was something interesting around every corner. We found churches tucked away in tiny hidden piazzas, sometimes difficult to spot among the hundreds of shops, restaurants, and bars. We went inside a couple different churches as we walked around. The one that left me in awe was Il Gesu. The painted ceiling was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was so vivid and the contrast between all the figures was incredible. I literally stood there with my mouth open.

Ceiling, Il Gesu

The first day in Rome was a long one and there was so much thrown at me all at once. It is going to take a lot of time to process everything and get used to this place. The lifestyle, even within the first couple of hours, I have found to be entirely different. Life in the city is much faster and nosier than what I'm used to. The language difference and communicating with people is another barrier to hurdle. Even trying to find out where I'm going has been an adventure. Take a wrong turn at an intersection and you could end up wandering down a random side alley with no clue where you are at. I did it twice. At the same intersection.

With that in mind, I have spent the last hour or so studying maps.