Living in Beauty

I’m entering my third week here in Rome and I’m finally accustomed to day-to-day life. I have to get my cappuccino everyday, eat my extra serving of bread and pasta, and do my hour commute on a stuffed bus. The weather has perked up to about 90 degrees today and doesn’t look like it will go down anytime soon. Hopefully I start seeing some Italians wearing shorts so I know it’s socially acceptable to put them on too. I don’t know how these women dress in black and wear pants,and the men dress in suits. I’ve debated taking my clothes off and jumping in a fountain, thinking I could pull off the “it’s ok, she’s just a crazy tourist doing crazy things,” but then I realized I actually live here and I could be arrested. (Amanda Knox part II?)

This week I did a couple of fun things such as seeing the Trevi at night, passing by the Coliseum and going out to an Italian bar. As you might have seen on my Facebook, I wished for everyone to get a donut ;) Just trying to fight world hungry, ya know? I enjoy these little adventures, I’m determined not to stay in ever. Why would I when I could see Rome?


On an exciting note, I did book a flight to Greece next weekend for some beautiful beach time! I’m predicting a relaxing weekend for me. I’ve never seen clear and blue water before so I’m excited for this adventure! Photos will be put up of course.


As cheesy as it sounds, I still cannot believe I’m walking the streets of Rome. It’s a city of beauty. From speaking and interacting with locals, I’ve really noticed the Italians’ affinity towards beauty and life. They enjoy loving their land and people, and they understand how lucky they are to live where they do. My professor described it as “you don’t have to have agreat career in Italy to have a great quality of life…you walk 20 minutes to see the Coliseum while others pay 2,000 dollars to see it for a couple hours.”I see this appreciation in every aspect of their living. I believe they love deeper, observe longer and smile wider. I find myself looking at some of the buildings thinking “this is not practical or sustainable,” but then I realize they don’t care what so ever. It’s how that building looks, the aesthetic beauty of it that matters most because they have to stand to see it everyday. Italians extend those precious and rare moments like walking by an old vined building,enjoying a marvelous cappuccino, conversing under a Roman fountain, moments people like me try to cling on to, into a type of lifestyle. I think I could stand to be here my whole life if just to learn to live these moments forever as they do.


Until next time,

Manda in Roma

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