When in Rome...

I have been in Rome for 3 weeks so far and am absolutely loving it. Last night I got back from my Pompeii/Capri excursion and had the time of my life. Rome and Italy are absolutely beautiful. I am truly lucky to be living only a 20 minute walk away from the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Everywhere I walk in Rome I come across 2000 year old treasures. I am taking an Italian language course, Italian culture course, Renaissance and Baroque art course, and Roman archaeology where my class meets on site at many different ruins! Everything that I eat here tastes amazingly good for some reason... even the plain pasta that I make myself... it must be the quality of the ingredients. Pizzerias and gelaterias are on almost every street and every block, and man are they delicious! It would be hard to stay thin in Rome if it weren't for the smaller portions and all the walking that I'm doing. I've noticed that Nutella (a chocolate spread) is very common in Italy and France (they have Nutella flavored gelato and it is the most popular spread on crepes). Some of my highlights so far in Rome: My first night in Rome I was walking home and discovered the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain on accident (the fountain is only a 3 min. walk from my apartment), I saw a caravan of police and limos near the Victorio Emannuel monument one night and later realized that it was Dick Cheney, I've bought some nice pointy Italian shoes and am starting to dress more Italian, I have spent a whole day walking around the Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill area (although I have yeat to go inside the Forum), I got a haircut for only 6 euro from an Italian barber who didn't speak a word of english and he trimmed my hair with one of those old-fashioned razor blades, and last night was the Roman celebration of the "white night" and the streets were crowded with people wearing white. I have found living in small spaces quite comfortable, do many small loads of laundry in my small washing machine, hang up my laundry to dry, cook using a gas stove which I light with a handheld lighter, take time in restaurants to enjoy my meals and no longer feel rushed to eat quickly or get my bill, and am living in an unplugged world where I don't watch tv or listen to music and have a very limited internet access. I've gone into bathrooms where the flush for the toilet and/or sink is on the ground (so you can just step on it instead of getting your hands dirty... although automatic is a nice solution in the States too). I eat many carbs all day (it's hard to avoid when the main italian diet is pizza and past). Italians have pastries for breakfast with a small shot of espresso at the table/bar while standing up. Italian women are beautiful... mainly because of their skin complexion and they know how to dress. I haven't seen much of the ass-grabbing from Italian men but they are very agressive with talking to and hitting on women, and I have seen them try to kiss women. Italians on the subway and on the go don't give you eye contact but when meeting them in groups when going out at night is fine and pleasant. Romans are very proud of the beauty of their city and I find no problem complimenting them on how lucky they are to live in Rome. The driving in Rome doesn't seem that crazy to me (I don't see them breaking traffic laws like they do in Mexico). As long as I look both ways I do fine, and cars are often polite and happily stop for me to cross. I find the many fountains located around the city to be very convenient. I am getting to know my way around more and more each day. I am trying to meet more locals and hope to make some Italian friends soon so I can hang out with them and experience their culture to a higher degree. My main goals right now are to experience Italian culture more by meeting and mixing with locals and becoming their freinds, and to absorb and document as much of the ancient Roman sites as possible.