A love letter to Rome

All week I looked forward to Rome. This was my fourth trip here. Indeed, I know, I am a spoiled brat. Rome is certainly one of my favorite cities in the entire world. There is just no where like it. No where. 

One day, we went to meet up with a few other friends in the London program doing the opposite of our trip (from Naples to Cinque Terre) to explore the creepy corriders of the Vatican, the impressive wonders of the Sistene Chapel and the extravagant St. Peter's Basilica. I left the Vatican with more questions than I had answers, and wishing I had endless hours to be able to read a biography on Michaelangelo, books on religious history and to brush up on my Roman/Biblical history. This is why traveling never gets old, even revisiting places. Every time you go something new strikes you, you learn something you didn't know and you're captivated by something different. 

Our second day in Rome, I had the opportunity to go to school with one of my coworkers from Madrid, Melania. Many of you will remember how much I love this woman- she is like a sister to me. Walking into her new school in Rome, I was transported to the "Profe" that I was in 2011-2012. She had asked me to give a presentation on American culture, and of course I said yes.
         It was so much fun to be asked so many questions about American culture. They were so curious about so many things. Melania said I was like a circus animal to them! A few of my favorites:

How is the American prom?

What do you think of the White House and Michelle and Barak Obama?

What about the MBA?

What is the Superbowl like?

Which city in the US is the most fashionable?

Do you know OneDirection?

Have you been to Naples? 

What is the pasta like in the US? This was a question from a professor, and when I answered that we had boxes of pasta that we boiled on the stove, he was sincerely horrified. Melania had to talk to him for several straight minutes in Italian to calm him down. Then she told me, "He is worried about you. And what you are eating. That you are not eating well enough." 

Italy is a beautiful yet broken country. Although it's tourism is alive, many Italians are struggling. In many of the cities, chaos rules. In other sleepy towns, the lifestyle is slow and low key. As Melania kept repeating, one thing Italians can do is cook. And boy can they cook.