Last night, heading out to find pizza with mogho, it hit me how normal this all feels. Yeah, we live up the street from the coloseo, big deal. When I get back to Vancouver, I fully expect to look back and be amazed. Living a few blocks away from one of the most recognizable ancient monuments in the world… A symbol, a stadium, thousands of years old, still drawing crowds from around the globe.
Living here is interesting. I feel homesick, but excited at the same time. Lonely, but can’t get away from people. Every now and then I yearn to go somewhere to sit, relax, and speak english. My Italian works, but it’s not that great – It’s helped me out a few times, like when Pante, Kiks and I were in Testaccio a few days ago doing some ethno research. We met a few kids painting up some graffiti on the wall near the Ostiense rail station. We managed to use our italian to learn where they’re from, why they’re doing it, why that wall, and evidently, why they weren’t in school. Shortly thereafter, I talked to the security guard at the Air Terminal Ostiense, who then allowed us to take photos throughout the interior of the decaying structure. Oddly, there were no zombies to be found.
As far as the house situation goes, we all get along pretty well. I’ve made myself something of a mamirobert, trying to convince people to keep the kitchen clean (and not eat my food without at least asking first). A few people still have trouble keeping the speech volume down, which does pose a problem when the windows are open (our neighbours’ windows to the courtyard are no less than a meter or two away, and from my bedroom, door closed, I can often hear them climbing up the stairs from the bottom floor, echoing up the shaft and through the front door. Oh wells.
Today is our first day off. We have 2 keys, and the buzzer doesn’t always work. For the 9 dudes staying in this apartment, it poses a bit of a problem, and some unfortunate time-wasting and morale-killing has already been experienced, but plans have to be made and stuck to.
That said, I’d planned to head to the coast – maybe see Ostia Antica, or get right to the beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t as cooperative – it’s nice out, but it’s very cloudy (I was really hoping for intense sun), and it’s now now 10:55… perhaps I’ll follow the rest out to the Corso or the Campo to buy a few things. (Which will be a problem for me, because I don’t want to keep spending money.. but food is expensive here, and any group dinners Rus takes us on end up being 15-20euros a head.)
Oh wells, I need to get on with my day off while I still have it. There are so many things still to do in Roma – the Forum, Colosseo, Pantheon, and a slew of other things I can’t even remember. All I know is that I don’t want to get home and regret not seeing or doing anything.. so if it costs a bit, and means I don’t have time to write about it for another week, so be it… I’ll have my memory.. and I’ll try to take photos.
Still, I’m disappointed I haven’t had the time to write nightly. The first week was intense – from waking up before 7am, to coming home, sharing the power time so as to not blow the building’s transformer, downloading photos, showering, finding cheap food, etc. By the time 1 or 2am rolled around, there was no time for anything but sleep. Hopefully that will change.
rbo – fri, jun6, 11am
(Originally published June 18th: Like last time, this was written almost 2 weeks ago, but I now have Internet again!)
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Comments ( 1 Comment )
That photo is so amazing – I don’t care if it’s photoshopped or what, it’s just so crispy clear and detailed, it’s almost more so than actually seeing it live
kath added these pithy words on
Jun 19 08 at
1:13 am
