Public Urination amoung other things.

Well yesterday I was walking to get a sandwich and something to drink and to my surprise I walk right by a man that is peeing on on the side of a building with one arm on the wall just like he is standing at a urinal at a football game. Not only do the dogs pee and poop on the coble stone and whereever they feel like the humans do too. YUM I was hungry after that. No wonder most alleyways rink of urine I thought it just smelled like that because it was other stuff not because dirty people actually pee there. I would tell them to go on a tree or in some grass but those arent really around much. I have seen human crap here on the sidewalk on more then one occasion. People are usually pretty good about cleaning up after their dogs. The dogs are really said here they have no personality. Now lets talk about the cats. They pop out of no where I hate them they are dirty and whenever I see one I want to kick it but don't because I don't know if it will fight back and what kind of disease it has from walking around this place. There is a historical area (imagine that a historical area in Rome) that is like the cat sancuary and people go up and pet these wild cats if in the USA I would say something but these stupid people would probably look at me just as if I would say something to the cat. Today riding the bus was hell. I jammed on there then more people jammed on then more people I had just taken a shower and since no one else had I pretty much would have been better off without taking one at all. Two stops before mine and a guy who had his hand on my "goods" (he got a little elbow, he was like 80 haha) I got off. I was like screw it I will walk and be 5 min late I couldnt stand the smell of these people who were whereing suits and going to work. That wouldnt fly in the US. Sorry another bad bus experience but I can't descibe in words how bad people smell here. When the bus is not busy its great I am thankful for my bus pass. Well I am still managing to keep my mouth shut in public (even know they couldn't understand me anyway, or they would pretend they couldn't. I am posting a pic that has nothing to do with this post but is of an alleyway so it works.

THe Weekend

It was a good weekend for the most part. Went to the beach all day on Saturday which was the highlight of the week. I love going to the beach so I never want it to get cool here. I guess it never gets cold but just cool. Ok I guess I have to go to Italian class now I will add to this later. Sorry

Riding the bus

Well getting on the bus is always a new experience. First off I am so glad I bought the 30 euro September bus pass and I will be getting one for October November and December because I probably use it at least 4 or 5 times a day. Getting on the bus this morning I am pretty sure Dave and I were the only ones that had showered or brushed our teeth in the last 48 hours, or had clean clothes on. I don't know what is with people and not smelling good here. We are on the bus smashed in like sardines and the guy 2 inches from one side of my face I am pretty sure he ate his own crap for breakfast and the woman whos hair was at my chin, I can't even begin to tell you what the hair smelled like or the amount off greese and thing stuck in it. Seriously. The constant smell of BO is getting prretty normal, They havent showered but they managed to put on their DG sunglasses and their designer clothes, who knows maybe they were the same clothes daily. For some reason the old Italian people (who smell twice as bad) hate backpacks well maybe not all of them but I have seen them point with disgust and then complain to the other people around them, if I only spoke Italian I would say "lady your sack of old junk is taking up a lot more room then my bag so why don't you sit back and possibly get a shower in in the next couple days and maybe get that go-tee of yours takin care of" to put it nicely. I thought I would try and write about what goes through my head but don't say sometimes not that its any different then in the USA but thought it might get some laughs. Sometimes the buses are enjoyable.

History Trip

Today we went to this place called Ostia. It was one stop short of the beach it was tempting to stay on the train and go to the beach. I have seen enough old falling apart stuff for a lifetime at this point of being in Rome. Everything here is historical it almost gets to be annoying just to much old historic stuff. Anyway this site the teacher said watch out for scorpians and vipers I am like what like a snake, scarey. So the whole time I spent looking for scorpians and vipers did see one in the whole 5 hours or walking around through ruins. I was trying to keep myself from going crazy throwing huge pinecones into the air and trying to take pictures of them in the air, haha I was pretty bored. I was kicking them for a while before kicking one into a girls leg she over reacted big time that put the end to that. So then I just tried to appreciate old rock and bricks. Sweet. Came back had some dinner and came to studio. I should be working on a project but feeling tired I am going to go catch a bus home a sleep. Tomorrow could possibly be a beach afternoon, and Saturday but Sunday probably should be a work day. Thought I would give a little update. I will upload some pics when I get them off my camera. Good Night.

Iowa / Iowa State

Even know we had to watch the game through play by play on espn, it was still good to see we won. Dad I hope you were wearing your shirt and mom was wearing my beat Iowa shirt. I thought I would post this pic just because it fit.

Week 2

Well week two is over and week three is beginning. It is Sunday afternoon and I came over to studio to try and get something done, but have been craving the internet for the past couple days so when I have it I want to be on it. Friday night the interior girls had everyone over to their apartment for a toga party. It was a really good time. Yesterday we went the the beach, it was awesome it only took 30 min to get there so I think if I get enough done today for my project thats due Wednesday maybe the teachers will push it back (I hope so) then I will go the the beach again Monday afternoon. Should have went agin today since it is so hot out. I had a really good run this morning I finally found a good park close that has pull up bars, and areas to do push ups sit ups and dips. I was in heaven. I was getting sick of running around circus maximus multiple times. No biking or swimming, I will have to wait until December for that. Biking here I think I would get killed pretty easily. A week from Thursday our class goes down to Naples for two days then I am going to head to Capri for the weekend. Everything is pretty expensive here like eating but grocery shopping helps a lot except they dont like to give you very many sacks for the groceries and its a little bit of a walk so have to go a lot. I have yet to have the famous Gelato but I will try it one of these days, the girls seem to go a little nuts over it though.

Laundry

Well yesterday I did laundry for the first time. The washer only took about 2 hours and it doesn't fit that many clothes in it at a time. After hanging it to dry, I went out a couple hours later to find carboard feeling boxers and my other stuff is still wet today It is going to take a full 24 hours to dry.

Getting to Rome- First week

First Rome Thoughts

Getting to Rome the first day was exciting. Rome that night not so exciting. It had hit me I was homesick. I missed Lindz, family and the good USA. It is a lot different here. We have two toilets in our bathroom. One for the waste and the other to wash off with (we only use the first one). The apartment is very old and has not had many updates. We have a washer in our kitchen, no dryer, no microwave, no toaster, It is a big transition (I don’t know how to cook without a microwave). The first days were the most difficult. I really wanted to get on a plane and fly home. I am looking at things differently now. I just have to not focus on the length and take it a couple weeks at a time.


On my 3 mile hike to studio back and forth a few times a day I walk past the coliseum among other old historical stuff. Everything around here is old, famous, historical, or something, kind of gets old haha. I thought I had walked just about all of Rome until I started taking the bus. I learned that if you get on a bus that you think is going in the right direction because you’re sick of waiting for the right number is a very bad idea. Dave and I were on the bus about an hour before it turned around then we thought we could figure out where we were to get off (partly because of the BO smell that surrounded us, haven’t seen any deodorant in any store here yet) Well when we got off we walked in about 4 different directions before finding out from an English speaking pedestrian that we were further from studio then we started. Needless to say we had a long day of walking. To make it better we went to get a sandwich at this awesome sandwich place and it was closed. So we did not get anything accomplished except learning never to get on the # 3 bus again.

Backing up a day, there was a festival here this past weekend. Talk about a ton of people. From 10pm until 2 am the museums were all open for free. We hit up a couple of them, and saw some circus ole type of show. There were defiantly millions of people in the streets. On the couple mile walk back it was solid people no room to walk on any of the streets, the craziest thing I think I have seen since being here (aside from the shock of seeing my home for the next 3 and a half months).

Alright one more thing then I will stop writing. I am writing this in Microsoft word then having to post later because the apt has no Internet and studio it’s off and on. The one thing that is pretty nuts here is the way people drive their cars and vespas. If anyone has ever thought they had a ride when they were in the go-kart (Travis’ Corolla) they have no idea. There is no such thing as a lane, red light (well they have them but don’t mind to them) in Italy or Rome at least. Sometimes at a cross walk you could stand for hours and not cross so you have to get some guts and just go for it. I guess as long and your feet are on the crosswalks it is illegal otherwise they can hit you and drive off and feel fine.

London

Getting to London at 6 am was made for a long day. No sleep for like 36 hours and then not being able to check in to a hostel until 2, we went down that night and went on the London eye and walked around. We got to bed and did not go to sleep easily. That night was about 4 hours of sleep maybe, we got up at 7 for another full day of being major tourists. We went to St. Pauls and to the Tate museums. I learned once again museums are sooooo boring I can get through them really quickly others do not. We ate that night near the London Bridge and them met up with some others that were in London. We got some sleep that night and the next day went to a portrait museum ate some lunch then went to the aquarium that was a rip off then to Buckingham Palace and a guard place also Westminster. Leaving London at 4 30 am was rough we met everyone at the airport and off to Rome. End of the London Experience I cant wait to go back cause then I will get to see LINDZ!