Exhausted but excited!

Hello all!

Arrived safely in Rome at about 8:30am local time! Flight was fine but not very comfortable. Slept but not well at all. I kept waking up. It was an Italian airline and I was one of the few Americans on it....so I got my feet wet in the culture! Arrived and found my shuttle driver and other participant who arrived this morning. Dr. and Mrs. Robinson were at Il Faro (our dorm) waiting for us. Two of the girls were also here so after Mario and I showered we went out to explore the city! They have arrived yesterday and the day before so they knew what to do. We took the tram to the historic center of the city and just wandered around for a few hours! We ate lunch at a little cafe and I had a panini....DELICIOUS! The bread and cheese were so fresh...amazing first meal! Then we wandered to a few monuments (Trevi, Spanish steps, Colosseum). Had some gelato sometime in there....AMAZING! I might have some every day!

I walk around Rome and think about how much we take history for granted at home. Maybe it's because America doesn't have anything old. We think 200 years is old.....try 2,000+ years! The architecture is beautiful everywhere! No steal buildings, different colors on every building. It's just beautiful everywhere you look! Looking at something knowing that it was around 2,000 years ago is just a surreal thing. It kind of puts you in your place. It's also kind of fun to be completely out of my comfort zone. Communicating is not always easy! I think they realize we're Americans from our blank, scared looks on our faces haha. I'll have to get a little more comfortable and have more confidence.

Well, we're probably going to dinner soon....(hard to think it's only noon back home! I'm ready for dinner and BED!) I sure will sleep like a brick tonight! Tomorrow we're doing an open air bus tour for the day! We go to the school Tuesday to start working! Can't wait to meet all the kids! Still learning how to use this blog but I'll try to attach some pics to each post! Enjoy! Arrivederci!