Hi again!

 

I have been in Italy for two weeks now. There is still so much to see and experience, but I am starting to settle in. Here in Rome, I am living in an apartment with four other Pitt students. We are all here for the same program, Pitt in Rome, and were assigned this place to live.

It is definitely different from the typical apartments in Pittsburgh, but I really like it. A big adjustment has been the fact that most of Italy does not use dryers to dry their clothes. We have a washer, but we must hang our clothes to dry. I had never realized how convenient it is to throw my clothes into the dryer at home after washing them until now.

Another big adjustment has been the time difference. Rome is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the United States. Sleeping the first few nights was definitely a challenge and made the days feel exhausting, but I have adjusted now and have no problems.

Our apartment is located in Trastevere, which is a part of Rome that already feels like home to me. We have a 20 minute walk to school, and I love being able to see this beautiful part of the city everyday. In my opinion, the best part of the walk is crossing the footbridge over the river and being able to see the Vatican in the distance.

I am having so much fun and learning so many things here. Even though Rome already feels like home, I can’t wait to continue to explore and learn more about this city and Italy as a whole.

 

-Shannon O’Brien