The days are starting to fly by as my hours are consumed by stumbling over words trying to describe my family, my favorite foods, and what I was like as a bambina in Italian to my classmates, stopping by Bar Amore to have Fabio prepare me a fresh panino with prosciutto and gli spinaci, and galavanting through the streets of Rome without a plan after class to discover the nearest piazzas and peek into ancient churches just to be stunned in awe again and again as I am enraptured by beauty and antiquity.

I feel like I'm finally learning the city and progressively familiarizing myself with the smaller streets and checking monument after monument off of my list of things to see at least once (and many which I will continue to visit as the seasons change and I have more time to stop and stare). I ran into the Pantheon by accident several times this week, went on a rainy night adventure to see a somewhat empty Trevi fountain with a new friend, climbed the Spanish Steps, wandered through the paths of Villa Sciarra, Villa Pamphilj, and Villa Borghese, and finally made my way to a market to buy fresh produce.

I'm really excited to continue checking out different markets over the course of the next few weeks. I stopped by a small one on Via Cola di Rienzo that was just tucked away into the main shopping street without buying anything on Saturday night and visited Mercato di Campagna Amica on Sunday. At Campagna Amica I walked out with a bundle of mandarin oranges, a bag filled with pumpkin and squash to roast, and a fresh head of lettuce (that cost me a mere 30 centissimi), along with some loaves of delicious looking bread and my tummy happy with artichoke spread samples. I love how everything is seasonal and looks so fresh and is way more affordable than the supermarket. I want to see what sorts of vegetables and fruits emerge on the stands as we transition into spring (hopefully sometime soon), and I learn to carry conversations with the market vendors. My next goal is to order some fresh meat and prosciutto and try new types of homemade, local cheese. I think I will fit in a trip to Mercato di Testaccio in the next week or so to stock up on more greens, as I am becoming increasingly intrigued with seasonal cooking and want to pursue a vegetable-centered diet around what's available at the markets since it's such an integral part of Italian life.

I've also made gelato a regular part of my diet after discovering the proximity of Gelateria del Teatro from the study center (another Katie Parla approved venue -- I feel like I'm going around to all of the places she recommended to us during her guest lecture on Tuesday since she is the resident expert on food in Rome). I went two days in a row not only because it's soooo super delicious, but also because the flavors are just so interesting! My first trip there I had the Cioccolata Bianca con Basilico (white chocolate basil) and Tiramisu, which were both out of this world. The freshness of the basil with the richness of the tiramisu was perfect, even on a rainy day. The next day I took more friends there to try the Rosmarino e Miele con Limone (rosemary, honey, and lemon) with Tartufo (four chocolate). I am really enjoying the savory herb flavors with chocolate pairings... so much so that I've had to refrain from stopping by again this weekend, but I know I will be back soon to try the pear and caramel sorbet.

Speaking of chocolate and other yummy things, I was also invited for an interview at SAID, an old chocolate factory-turned cafe/bar where I was introduced to Roman hot chocolate -- basically fondue in a cup. It was so dense, like drinking melted Lindt bars straight out of my mug... Rome is really spoiling my senses, because I don't think I will be able to enjoy the watery liquid we settle for calling hot chocolate in the States any more (along with that brown liquid they claim is coffee at Starbucks). I also just received the good news that my interview went well, and I will be interning and working with a famous Roman street artist and her manager over the course of this semester. Woohoo! I discovered some of her art in the neighborhood streets of San Lorenzo as I killed time before my interview and it was absolutely gorgeous. I cannot wait to see what projects I get to work on and what I will be doing to promote her work.

Overall it was a very fun week exploring and acquainting myself with places and things I will hopefully continue to encounter throughout my stay here. I feel like time is already flying by and I seriously need to make the most of every moment (no matter how heavy my eyelids are!), so here's to a successful first full week in Rome and surviving intermediate/advanced Italian, and more wonderful weeks to come.