Catching You Up -- Part II!!!!!!!!!!!

After our first dinner in Rome, Denise and I spent a few minutes chatting with Kennith, Elliot, and Elija and a few other interesting people we met over the course of the evening. We didn't stay out late, though, because we realized that we finally had an opportunity to sleep.

Let me tell you, I am not a fan of these beds. The sheets feel a bit like sandpaper and the mattresses are just about as soft as slabs of granite. I wasn't about to start complaining though. I threw together a few words on DAY ONE of this here blog and passed out. The alarm woke me up about six hours later. Day Two on our schedule promised a busy busy day!!!

Breakfast was served in the mensa at 8am. In Italy breakfast is not the huge hog fest it is in the states. I am not a huge breakfast person, so this suits me. There was some toast, salami and ham (thinly sliced), some cereal, croissants, and juice. Everything was delicious!!

There is something I must say.
The water here on campus tastes like flat tonic.
We drink from the taps here and it is not what you would call tasty--though it is perfectly safe to drink. I may be jumping the gun here, but I absolutely cannot mention the icky campus water without telling you all that the water in the city is the most amazing stuff you will ever drink. 300 year old aqueducts running through the city of Rome are still fully functioning. All over the city there are beautiful rock fountains from which come this ice cold, DELICIOUS water. Please oh please send me water bottles, so I can collect gallons of it when I return to the city. That way I wont be subjected to this nasty stuff. I can't believe this liquid dare masquerade as water in front of us--us who have had the pleasure drinking REAL water....water that tastes like.....like......I'm sorry, there are no words.

Where were we.....ah! Breakfast!
I suppose I should tell you how the mensa is set up. It is very small, considering how many people it accomodates. The line for food (served cafeteria and buffet style) often runs snaking around the room and out the door! It moves pretty swiftly, though, so there is never much loss of temper. I, personally, could never bring myself to do anything that I think might incur the wrath of the mensa ladies. These women scare me. No joke. They do not smile or make conversation. They are quite formidable. We all think they know a fair amount of English, however much they refuse to speak any of it. I'm fine with it if they don't want to speak our language, why should they? We are in their country, their rules apply. I do wish they would be a little more patient with us though. All of the students here are very enthusiastic about learning about Italian culture and WANT desperately to pick up some Italian. The mensa ladies don't seem to be softened by our confused stares and stammers.

Here is the process by which we are fed by these women:
1. Grab a tray (students use brown trays and faculty, staff, and guests use blue ones).
2. Mensa lady scoops up whatever pasta is on tap that day and ladles it into a bowl and puts it on the counter, meanwhile rattling off something in very rapid Italian that sounds somewhat like they are accusing you of murder.
3. You hesitantly reach for the bowl.
4. Mensa Lady says something to you that you can't understand. You stop reaching for the bowl, now wondering if it was not actually meant for you. She looks at you, ladle held threateningly in her gloved hand, and speaks sharply to you again, gesturing at the pasta and vegetables in front of her.
5. You think 'Ok, she is asking me what I want'. You only want pasta. You point to it. She pushes the bowl towards you again. Oh, so that was meant for you. Great. You take it. No problem.
6. When you try to make a break for it further down the line, she starts talking to you, gesturing towards the veggies you didn't want. You cant understand the actual words she is saying now, though there is no mistaking THAT tone. Italian. Catholic. Healthy Food. Guilt. Oh no, you aren't going to eat those vegetables? You're screwed.
7. You nod, gulping, as Mensa Lady, scoops up a hefty portion of steamed carrots and green beans and dumps them onto another plate and shoves it on the counter. You grab it and run, stopping only to sieze a roll on your way to the water.

The moral of today's story : You will eat whatever the Mensa Ladies decide you will eat. Deal with it.

In a little while, I will do my last bit of updating, and tell you about our first trip into the city. At the moment, one of my lovely roommates is starting to snore and I must go "accidentally" drop something heavy so she wakes up.

Ciao!
Mra