Roman McDonalds.

Ciao tutti!!

Words cannot express how amazing Rome has been thus far. We arrived on Saturday and it is now Tuesday, but it already feels as if we have settled in a lot. Classes started yesterday and have been absolutely wonderful so far! My Rome Through the Ages and Intro to Renaissance and Baroque Art classes seem like they are going to be so fascinating and I find myself feeling more intersted than usual in class. I always enjoy classes and learning, so much so that sometimes I think I'm a bit odd... However, there's something about learning about subjects while being in the city in which it all happened that is fascinating and I truly cannot wait to learn more.

I knew I would love Rome because I remembered how I fell in love with it last time I was here, however, the moment that feeling hit me again was so fantastic. We were in the cab going from our drop-off spot to our individual apartments and just driving down the street it all came back to me. Seeing the city, how it bustles with modernity yet is surrounded by antiquity and history, it's so amazing. There's just something about this city that I can't put my finger on now to describe it...maybe I'll eventually be able to pinpoint it, but it's just fantastic.

However, no matter how amazing a place is, sometimes you just long for what you're used to - a taste of home. And my roommate and I found that on our first night in Rome. We got to our apartment, unpacked a little bit and then headed out to explore. When it came time for dinner, we both agreed that we were actually kind of tired of eating paninis, pizza and pasta for all of our meals. We wanted something different, and we wanted something like home. What did we find? A sign saying that McDonalds was five minutes away.

Thus, we went on an adventure. We walked for close to an hour trying to find the McDonalds that was somewhere five minutes away. Grant it, if we would have had access to our smart phones, with their Google maps and other apps, we probably could have found it in a matter of seconds. However, that's another interesting aspect of being abroad. It's a total change from what your used to, even down to the detail of cell phones. Being without my iPhone for uses such as a camera and iPod has been interesting, and, in cases such as this one, where it would have been so helpful to be able to Google where the McDonalds was, it certainly makes you appreciate it while you have it and realize how dependent we truly are on technology.

None the less, the hour-long adventure to McDonalds was soooooo worth it. We eventually found it and it was one of the nicest McDonalds I have ever been to. (Second on the list would have to be the Rock n' Roll McDonalds in Chicago!) The menù had some different additions to it...such as a sandwich called "toast" and fried olives... not sure how I feel about that last one. However, I stuck to my usual when I head to Micky-Dee's: chicken McNuggets, fries and a coke. A six-piece meal cost about six Euro, and then each container of katsup cost 20 Euro cents. Yes...they charge for katsup. It's really rare here, so I suppose maybe that's why. :)

It was so nice to have a taste of something familiar. Even though I don't go to McDonalds all that much back home, it was just the same as in the States. I can easily say that I have never appreciated or enjoyed McDonalds as much as I did that night. It was wonderful. :) And it's good to know that it's there waiting for me if I ever need a reminder of home again.

Love and Style,
L.M.