First off - just wanted to say happy anniversary to my parents! I think it's been 28 years since they tied the knot, so if you see them, say congratulations. 28 years together and 24 of putting up with my crazy schemes is pretty commendable if you ask me!
So far Rome has been very good to me. I've mastered (mostly) the art of getting in and out of the many doors to my apartment with the tricky keys and locks that go with each of them. I'm familiar with the city center area - at least where the market is at. I can navigate to the closest (that I'm aware of) grocery store - and today found another, albeit smaller, fruit & vegetable market that is close to the grocery store. My Italian is still very limited, but I am very good at saying hello, please, and thank you :P Luckily my roommate Sarah speaks a good amount of Italian and has spent a lot of time in Rome before; she has been invaluable in my getting acquainted with the city so far!
Today I went in search of a pharmacy with a note that Sarah and I crafted in Italian by combining her Italian skills and filling in the blanks with an online dictionary. We've both had bug bites and were unsure of what they were. I've had one the past 3 days on my finger that has only gotten more swollen and more itchy, so today it was time to get it taken care of! I introduced myself with a "Ciao, non parle italiano" and a apologetic look, the pharmacist read my note, looked at my finger and said it was mosquitos! They must have some SERIOUS mosquitos here considering the perseverance of this bite. She gave me some gel to put on it and sent me on my way. I love that there aren't screens on the windows here, but I'm definitely dealing with the consequences of it now.
I've started doing some serious hunting down of relevant articles for my thesis research and it's not going very well so far. I'm attributing this to the fact that not many (or any) other people seem to have studied what I am so far, which right now is wayfinding in small-scale retail environments. The unstable internet is only adding to my frustration on that front!
Looking forward to my first skype date with my mom in a little while. I love traveling and honestly don't miss home, but I do miss the people there. It'll be nice to see and talk to friends and family through more than just emails and my blog once in awhile. Yay for webcams!
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Hey yeah the bugs there are kinda crazy. Also, when you get fresh produce from the market or anywhere really make sure there are no bugs in it before you eat it. There were two incidents of this in my apartment. Also every Sunday they have a HUGE market where you can find just about anything and do major bargaining. It should be near where you live in Trastevere. it is kind of near the tiber river and this one bridge... i can't remember right now and I don't have my book with me. If I were there I could show you where it is. I will look it up and let you know. It is a good place to get souvenirs and trinkets and i found a lot of great old antiquey things there.
ReplyDeletethat flea market sounds great, sarah! if you remember exactly where it is in the next 12 hours, let me know! i'll plan on trying to scope it out tomorrow morning :)
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