Home sweet Rome

As of tomorrow, I will have officially been in Rome for 7 weeks. Aka I have a lifetime of knowledge of Rome now. It’s actually strange to think that 5 weeks ago I couldn’t get myself to Frigidarium gelato without getting lost (It’s literally across the street…). How to know when you’ve truly immersed in Roman culture:

•  When you get sick of tiramisu. They literally give out tiramisu here like it grows on trees. Seriously you would think there’s a surplus of it in this country. We’ve reached the point of turning down the free tiramisu Tony likes to give us after we eat at his restaurant. Read that again dad: I turned down dessert. You won’t even know me when I come home.
• When you’re no longer phased by the Pantheon. The first night I walked through Rome, I remember walking by the Pantheon and being in complete awe. How was it just sitting in the middle of the city casually like that? However I now walk by the Pantheon like I walk by the golden dome when I walk to class at Notre Dame, not even double-taking. I actually get annoyed because it’s crowded with annoying tourists in their Hawaiian shirts and audio tours. I’m criticizing American tourists right now.
• When you criticize American tourists. See previous bullet point.
• When you understand the keyboard. Currently, I’m typing completely normally on this Italian computer even despite the backwards key placement. The colon is in the wrong spot, you have to use the “Alt Gr” button (what does that even mean) to get to the @ sign, where the quotation marks button should be there’s a degree symbol (°). It’s all a mess. But I get it.
• When you and your friends all have favorite gelato places. On day two, I think someone could have offered me gelato out of a vending machine and I would have been thrilled. But we’ve matured – matured in gelato taste. I refuse to get it from Blue Ice, because it’s definitely a chain, Frigedarium is my favorite for flavors dipped in chocolate and when I’m feeling extra broke and want to save 50 cents, Giolitti has the best fruit flavors, the people at Flör don’t get mad when Katie and I show up right before they close at midnight and want to sample every flavor. I could lead gelato-tasting walking tours for a living if college doesn’t work out. Or even if it does work out.
• When you order wine at restaurants because if you’re going to pay for a beverage it isn’t going to be for tap water.
• When you’ve gotten over the fact that people in Europe don’t care about playing explicit music in public. Honesty, half of the people probably don’t even know enough English to know all the words in a rap song. If a Subway in America played Drop it Like it’s Hot, I’m pretty sure there would be a law suit. I’m still not over this experience.
• When you start ordering double espressos instead of cappuccinos. The true European test of your taste buds, I’m telling you.

The time here is flying way too fast, is what I’m trying to get at. I’m feeling super grateful today especially for being able to feel so comfortable in Europe, being able to refer to Rome as “home” to people, and being able to cross the street without being hit by a Vespa. Have a rockin’ Tuesday.