End of orientation & First day of class!

Busy busy busy! On Saturday we took the bus and the subway to the Aqueduct Park at the edge of the city. It's a crazy long park, something like 5 km, with the ancient aqueducts around the border. We had a couple hours to wander around and sketch, and it was a beautiful day - perfect weather. Could not have been better - it was maybe 60-65 degrees? And as evidence, I got a sunburn. Worth it. There was dog poo everywhere but that also meant there were DOGS everywhere...to pet and love. They also had ponies. And there were farms with sheep and cows. It was strange, the light there felt very different. It had an ethereal quality.

Nick decided for us that we would walk back to Porta Maggiore (where my group started our scavenger hunt), following the aqueducts the whole way because they lead into the city. It was about a 5 mile walk, but I didn't even realize it felt that long. Towards the end, we stopped at a club that we are going to be exhibiting at in March (clubs during the day are so weird), and then took the bus back to the Cenci. It was about a 3 hour walk total.

The final day of Orientation, Sunday, we headed out extra early to Lake Albano, a lake in the crater of Mt. Jutiper, a volcano just outside the city. We met a group from the Rome spelunking team, who took us through the ancient drainage tunnel for the lake. It was a 1.6km walk under the mountain, in pitch blackness, with only our flashlights to light the way. At times the ceiling was so low we were basically squatting through. Good thing we had helmets! I hit my head constantly (times when being tall is a downside). There was a lot of water, and sadly a rock ripped through one of my rainboots, making it entirely useless. My right foot was completely dry but my left boot was filled with freezing mountain water! It was quite an adventure though - my first time spelunking!

After the caving, we headed up the mountain to this little commune called Ariccia, which is famous for its porchetta - roasted suckling pig. They brought it already cut up (thank god, I probably wouldn't have been able to eat it having seen its head), and it was the most delicious pork I have ever eaten. They also served us grilled vegetables, fresh bread and mozzarella.

THEN....THEN....there was a DONKEY RACE! What! I got unreasonably excited. I guess every year this town holds this festival where the younger teenage boys race donkeys up the main avenue...yeah. My camera died right beforehand, so even though it sounds like I'm maybe making this up, I swear it happened.

Yesterday was our first day of Italian class! It's about a 20 minute walk from the Cenci. We have to walk right past the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. My teacher's name is Mira, and it was so much fun. We practiced the alphabet and pronunciation. I just wish the class was longer and more days, but it's really good. I spent the rest of the day running errands and spending a ton of money, but most of it was a one-time expense, like a cell phone and art supplies.

I'm definitely getting more settled in - learning more about our location, how to get places, cooking a little more. Also got my studio space all set up, which is a relief.

That's about all for now!