Day 7: The Move

We woke up fairly early so we could make it to the ACCENT Center with plenty of time to move into our new apartment. It was sad to leave. We already had so many great memories from this little apartment, and all we wanted to do was stay, just the three of us together. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. The program had to begin, so we packed up the last of our luggage, cleaned as much as we could, and started our trek down the main street towards the center, our new school and home base. It wasn’t an extremely long walk from our apartment to the center, but it was still rather difficult with our bags to drag along behind us and the uneven cobblestone sidewalks. One of my bags is older and the wheels are fairly close together, so it tended to tip over as I went over bumps on the ground. Despite our fatigue and frustration, we made it to ACCENT in one piece and with all of our luggage. We left our luggage at the bottom of the stairs with the extremely friendly security guard, Ludo. Then we went upstairs to get our housing information.

Kristen is in a homestay with an Italian woman, while Nicole and I are in an apartment together, so we were split up. Nicole still wasn’t feeling well, and she wanted to make sure she didn’t have strep, so she planned on going to the walk-in clinic nearby while I brought our bags to our new home. Our apartment is located across the river from the ACCENT Center just down the street from the Vatican. It’s a great location, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Rome and quite safe. We accrued our keys and some instructions for orientation over the next few days, called a taxi and were on our way. The taxi driver was very nice. Since I had to bring my bags as well as Nicole’s up to the apartment, he was nice enough to help me carry them into the building parlor instead of leaving me on the street in plain view. Then, the landlord helped me get the bags into the elevator and up to the first (American second) floor.

I spent most of the afternoon unpacking and getting accustomed to the new apartment. It is quite large; larger than I had expected. We have a small living room with a couch and a TV. Next to that is our kitchen right across the hall from the front door. The kitchen is pretty small, with only a small table for chopping, but it has all the basic equipment: refrigerator, freezer, sinks, dishwasher, stove, and oven. However, upon further inspection, I found that we have no cutting board, no saucepans, no cookie sheets or oven mits, the overhead light and fan for the stove don’t work, and the dishwasher is broken. Since the kitchen is the most important room in the apartment for me, I was pretty disappointed, but within a few weeks, I think it will be in comfortable working order. There are three bedrooms in the apartment—two people per room. Unfortunately, Nicole and I were the last to arrive, so we got the smallest room, but we got the one facing the inner courtyard and not the street, so the noise level will be lower at night. I have to say, I will miss having a balcony, though! Our room may be the smallest, but it is still a comfortable size. We each have a twin-sized bed with colorful covers and a single pillow, a desk with a lamp, and half of a large closet with lots of hanger space. I should be very comfortable here.

There are two bathrooms for us to share, but there are some issues with the toilet and shower that need to be fixed. One of the showerheads leaks and sprays everywhere; one of the toilets seems to continue draining for ten minutes after flushing, the toilet seat is broken, the light is broken, and the sink drain is clogged. Hopefully, we can get these issues resolved quickly. We do have a washer, but no dryer, so we have a drying rack on which to air-dry our clothes.

The most impressive room is probably the study room. It is a very large and filled with a large table and chairs, an extra bed and an extra closet. When we first arrived, it also contained two large bookcases filled with interesting books. One can tell that this apartment has been used frequently by study abroad students because many of the books are textbooks (including four copies of the textbooks we were told to buy!) covering topics ranging from design to art history to communications. We have since moved the books into the closet and are using the bookshelves in the bathrooms.

I have five roommates. Nicole, Jenny, Kate, Ali, and Taylor. They are all from the University of Minnesota, but I didn’t know any of them except Nicole beforehand. They seem very nice and friendly. Hopefully, we get along throughout the entire semester.

After settling in and meeting our roommates, Nicole and I went out to explore. First, we went down a few blocks to find a grocery store. We stopped at a COOP store recommended to us by the ACCENT staff. I was able to get most of what I needed for a few days, but it was nothing compared to Seward Co-op. I really missed having fresh, organic, local produce at my fingertips. Of course, much of the food was local and fresh, especially the cheese, bread, and olives, and I am still not accustomed to reading Italian labels, but I wasn’t impressed by the selection.

Nicole and I made some lunch out of our grocery plunder, then took a walk down to the Vatican, which is just down the street towards the river. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, but we were just in time to sneak into St. Peter’s basilica for a quick look before they closed for the night. The basilica really is glorious, especially lit up at night. The entire piazza is magnificent, surrounded by giant columns. Because we came in January, a giant Christmas tree was still lit up in the center of the square next to a stage set with an elaborate nativity scene. The size of the basilica was startling and breathtaking. The light wasn’t very good, so my pictures didn’t turn out very well, but it was nice to just wander around and soak up the experience. The design of the interior really does have a unique atmosphere, as though one is entering another world. The countless mosaics and statues are both mesmerizing and a bit chilling, a reminder of death, power, and faith. I really did love it, and I can’t wait to go back to learn more.

I know I will.