There is no place like Rome

1/13/2012
Andrea

I did it.  I am in Italy.  After a year and a half of working (some) crappy jobs and spending countless hours both on the phone with Kristin and on the Internet conducting research for our master plan, I am finally here.  It worked.  I am in Italy. 

Kristin and I hatched this plan nearly two years ago after meeting while participating in an archaeological excavation in Rome.  Through a series of odd events both during and after the dig we became very close, despite the distance between our respective geographic regions (the West coast and Midwest), and decided to move to Italy together to spend a year learning Italian and doing as the Romans do.  Eventually that year dwindled to a mere seven months due to finances (mostly mine), but no matter; any extended period of time here is well worth the effort.  Now that we’re here we both find it difficult to believe that we actually made our dream come true.  Lunch at our favorite spaghetteria, L’Archetto, seems to have cemented our realization that we are in fact in Rome (I got the Noce spaghetti, chopped walnuts in a delicious cream sauce, in case you were wondering), followed up by Giolitti gelato (raspberry and mango this time), eaten in front of the Pantheon.

Why are we doing this?  Two basic reasons: friendship and cultural emersion.  As we have gotten, ahem, “older,” Kristin and I realized that family, friendship, travel, and education were some of the most important things to us, and that traveling with good friends is of the utmost importance.  Also, Kristin and I both desperately want to be fluent in Italian.  Speaking another language is a skill that we both value highly… and I need to parlare italiano for graduate school anyway.  (I have applied to Master’s and PhD programs in Classical archaeology in the US, in which case I need to be able to read Italian and German, the latter of which I am not as excited about.  More on the joys of applying for grad school while working 60 hours per week later.)  Being fluent allows one to fully immerse themselves in the culture and interact with natives.  Kristin and I don’t just want to observe the Italian culture; we want to become a part of it.  The tertiary reason we're doing this: WHY NOT?!  Everyone at home (and here in Rome, for that matter) asks us why we have decided to move to Rome for seven months.  Shouldn’t we be making money in the US that will go towards a house, family, car, and our retirement?!  While saving money to take trips when we’re in our 70s does seem like the smart thing to do, just imagine trying to navigate a foreign country when you’re 75 with a bad hip or a walker.  You’d fall on your arse if you tried to hike the Cinque Terre at that age!  Why not travel while we’re young, have few commitments and financial responsibilities, aren’t senile, and have the desire to do see the world?  Why wait until you’re old and gray to start living?  Learning and living doesn’t have to stop after college, folks! When I am making difficult or life-changing decisions I try to think of what the 80 year old me would think.  Though I hope to still be running marathons and traveling when I’m a senior citizen, there is no guarantee that I will be able to continue those activities.  I don’t want to postpone all the things I want to do in life until I’m old.  I would like to be able to look back on my life and not have any regrets.  I don’t want to regret that I didn’t take a huge risk by moving to a foreign country to experience new things, places, and people.  I think 80 year old me will be quite pleased with spending seven months in one of the most beautiful countries in the world before I start seven years of graduate school.  I could go on and on about the many reasons we have decided to spend this large chunk of our post-grad time abroad, but I will leave it at that for now.

So what have we been up to so far?  Mostly searching for jobs, reconnecting with Rome, and spending a lot of time on public transportation (thank you, monthly metro/bus/train pass!)... in which case we've gotten a little too close to some of the Romans.  Read Kristin's post for the gory details.  The bulk of our time, however, has been spent unpacking and relaxing (or at least trying to, when we're not scouring the city for a decent internet connection).  This may seem strange; after all, we have spent two years planning to be here and should be buzzing about the city, but it is completely necessary.  Our last two weeks in our respective homes were absolute chaos.  Packing for seven months is exhausting!  I lost track of the number of times I woke up in the middle of the night because I thought of something else that I should put in my suitcase.  In addition to packing, we had about a million other little things to do, and wanted to see all of our friends and relatives before our departures.  I spent about 30 hours in the car the week after Christmas!  Essentially, I don’t believe I slept much in the last two weeks prior to leaving.  I can’t complain, however, because it has all been worth it!  The next seven months is going to be the most amazing time of my life.  Being able to explore Italy and continue my studies of Italian with my best friend – I could not ask for more.