Letters From

By: Laura Papania

Posted: 10/25/06

So, I was told to write about the first week of our Rome semester. Easy, piece of cake. All I have to do is capture everything that has happened in one of the most thrilling, adventurous, remarkable weeks of my life. The only words that come to mind are those uttered by every student with the eloquence typical of a UD student: "We're… in… Rome?" "Yeah, we're in Rome."
I think these words are appropriate, actually. Because I really cannot tell you how many times they have been repeated in this past week:
Getting off the bus, bleary eyed, and exhausted. The fullness of where we are hits us. Our campus, our vineyard, our home for the next semester, from which we can gaze at the sunset over the Roman cityscape. Amid hugs and flying luggage, girls turn to each other and shriek, "We made it! We're in Rome!"
Trying to fall asleep the first night, in strange new rooms with teal bunk beds and alien globe lights, we say goodnight to our suitemates and look out the window. The glittering lights of the city paint the night sky behind what is presumably ruins of a Roman tower. An excited voice whispers in the dark "Hey, guys, we're in Rome."
Taking a bus, then a subway, and stepping out into the heart of the city, we are surrounded by a million different sights. St. Peter's Basilica, the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, where Caesar was assassinated, steps designed by Michelangelo. Mass is held for us twenty feet from the remains of St. Peter. We turn to each other, wide-eyed, "We're actually in Rome."
Relaxing outside under the pergola, enjoying Italian wine we have bought from the Leon supermarket, we wonder what the mensa ladies are going to serve us today. We're in Rome. Sitting in class, looking at pictures of famous architecture we are about to see, hearing about places we are about to go. We're in Rome. Wandering around Albano, so obviously American, looking for the infamous Santi e Peccatori. We're in Rome.
For some, this feeling can be captured in a look, or a sigh. For others, it must be sung loudly out the window. To those who have been to Rome, these three words bring a flood of memories. To all those who have any idea what is in store, these words bring infinite possibilities.