Fridays on the River

Today was a Friday, always a wonderful day. On the tram this morning, Ashley and I met a girl named Lina who recognized us from the program. Turns out, she is living in a homestay about a half a block away from us. So we chatted on the tram on the way to the centro and then when we got off, we met up with a guy name Peter who apparently lives a couple of stops closer to the centro than we do. The four of us spent the day together, comparing notes on homestays and getting to know one another. It was really nice to make new friends during the trip. Ashley and I were worried that we wouldn't be able to make new friends because we are on the other side of the city from most of the rest of our program (those staying in Residence Candia which are the dorms and those staying in apartments, most of which are near Residence Candia). But meeting Lina and Peter was great.

We got lunch together at a great restaurant, my lunch was only 2.50 euros! That's really good for lunch that you buy out in the centro, which is really the only place for lunch when you're around the study center. We decided not to tell anybody else about the restaurant though because we don't want long lines or anything ruining our good time. There was a really nice guy behind the counter who was German but spoke English and Italian as well. He spoke English quite well and he was sweet and helped us to figure out which was good. I had a cheese stuffed pastry and a mix of vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant). Ashley ended up buying this drink which tasted unlike anything I've ever tasted. We thought it looked like coke, but it ended up tasting like reeeeally bitter beer sort-of. Here's a picture of the drink:

We then went back to the study center and took our placement test. I knew a lot of what was on the test but not all of it. I gave it my best, but I was placed in beginning. I'm assuming it was because I don't know grammar at all well. I understood the oral comprehension but grammar was completely lost on me. I was worried that they would place me in too high of a class and that I would not be able to compete because I've never taken formal classes. So this way I'll have a leg up on the competition, and I won't have to feel bad for intentionally fudging the test (which I didn't do).

We then got gelato together which was tasty and walked toward the Trevi Fountain. Lina and Peter broke off and continued to the Trevi while Ashley and I tried to get cell phones. We didn't end up being successful because the cell phones were too expensive, but we found Lina and Peter at the Pantheon and walked back to the tram together (what are the odds?!). Ashley and I took a 2 hour long siesta which was nice, but I ended up in REM sleep so it was quite hard to wake up. Oh well, it worked out well because it was Friday so we had a late night ;)

Speaking of our late night... The four of us went to Trastevere to explore the scene around there. We first went to a restaurant where we ate good food (I was starving) and drank a liter of wine. I was delicious wine (Dad was right that the italians keep all the good wine for themselves!) and I also had AMAZING lasagna. I'm in love with italian food and it's really incomparable in Italy (of course). The waiter was also very nice and dinner plus the liter of wine (about 3 small glasses each) was about 12 euros. Here's a picture of the four of us at the restaurant/bar, taken by the cool waiter:

After the restaurant, we decided to check out the scene on the river. It was beautiful with blue and purple lights everywhere and people mulling about. Here's an example of the lights:

We played foosball (Ashley and I won!) and I wanted to get a picture but I forgot, but it was really fun and it was only 1 euro to play. I even had my first conversation in full Italian with a guy when I asked him how much the game costs... I was quite proud of myself.

We walked around the river and took pictures and ended up stopping at another bar and buying another liter of wine. This time I shared it with Lina and Peter only (Ashley had a stomach ache) and it was also quite delicious. It's cheaper if you buy the house wine rather than bottled wine, so that's what we bought. A liter was only 3 euros each which ended up being more than 3 glasses of wine. So quite a good deal, and good wine. Here's a picture of the four of us on the river drinking the wine:

We just got home around 3AM, it seems late but things run a lot later in Italy. Hence, the nationwide siestas. So I'm not too tired right now and I'm happy that we were able to enjoy the town and live the italian lifestyle. Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum for free through the program. I'm excited. Sorry that the post is so long but I am experiencing a bunch of new stuff right now. I'm sure they'll get shorter as this all becomes old hat :)

Also, here's the four of us on the river: