1) "The Princeton Girls" — I am not considered a Princeton girl, even if I go to Princeton. The three Princeton undergrads together (Caroline, Joan, and Andra) stick together like glue, and the rest of the students have taken to calling them "The Princeton Girls." I complained about not being included in the nickname, and Luca (from the caffè) has decided to call me "La Princeton girl francese" or the French Princeton girl. Thanks Luca. Anyway, Caroline, Joan and Andra all knew each other well, reserved a 3-person hotel room at a nice hotel reasonably far in advance, and planned on spending a nice weekend in Rome seeing the sights. Caroline is especially privileged (her family takes trips to Europe every summer) and has been to Rome many times, so she was planning on playing the tour guide for the others.
2) Jennifer, Becky, and me — We don't know everyone in the program perfectly, and decided to see when everyone was going to Rome to plan around that. When everyone said they wanted to go two weekends ago, we all had a meeting at which most of the others decided they preferred to stay in a hostel rather than pay 80 euros for 2 nights in a hotel. Jen, Becky and I decided to book a last-minute triple in a hotel that wasn't quite as nice as that of "The Princeton Girls."
3) "The Wolf Pack" — Unfortunately, when studying abroad, you get students who came to partake in underage drinking (since they are legally old enough to drink here), party every night, and who view the academics and cultural immersion as a side effect. They don't tend to learn much from what I've seen, but they have a good time. In the Rutgers program, they have called themselves "The Wolf Pack." I don't know how they do it, but I'm impressed by their stamina. They found a house to rent in Rome, and fit 4-5 people in each room and shared 3 bathrooms. They had no wifi, and had a hard time communicating with the rest of us. Two of them got their cell phones stolen on the metro, and several of them got lost on various occasions. They enjoyed their weekend, but I have a feeling I wouldn't have with them.*
*I just want to specify: these are all nice students individually, most with Italian roots who are interested in being in Italy and learning about their heritage. They are just more interested in other things. They're an eclectic bunch, and very bright. I just can't keep track of them on an average day, and I'm starting to become a bit sleep deprived because of them.
Anyway, my weekend in Rome was spent with groups 1 and 2, obviously. We saw the sights, ate gelati, and I made my first Italian joke! At a restaurant, I wanted a traditional, spicy Roman chicken, but some guy named Marco had ordered the last one. When the waiter suggested I yell at him, I laughed it off and said "Marco mi ha rubato il pollo. Marco Pollo" (Marco stole my chicken [pollo]. Marco Pollo." Not bad, and making jokes in a new language is a clear sign of progress!
Here are some pictures:
Tossing a coin into the Trevi fountain at night, dressed as a Venetian apparently, even though the shirt is one of the Marinières I bought in Paris. Salvatore told me I looked like a gondolier when I was leaving Urbino, and asked if I knew which city I was going to...
Because Marco stole my Pollo, I got this lovely fish that I had to debone myself. Turns out, I'm a pro! Joan got a bone stuck in her throat...
Becky, Caroline, and me.
Me in front of the Colosseum
Me eating a delicious granita which you can't really see since Jen apparently didn't understand why I wanted her to take a picture with my ice cream. There is a glass filled with napkins in front of the ice cream!! Oh Jen...
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