One Day at a Time

At the Spanish Steps, built in the 1700's. These steps connect the Piazza di Spagna to the Piazza Trinita dei Monti

Lots of opportunities to stop for coffee!

As I approach my seventh week of living in Rome, I've started to settle into the city. I have moved into my long-term apartment, and with the help of my AMAZING parents I've explored my new neighborhood, finding places to eat, shop and gather necessary household items.

Having dinner on the patio at our airbnb

My school year has started and I've had the pleasure to meet and work with incredible colleagues and students. Here are some pictures I took of the school's campus!

AOSR has a lot of outdoor learning spaces!

There is a courtyard between the three buildings on campus; the elementary building, the high school, and the Villa (upper administration and where other middle/high school classes are held).

Outdoor walkways that connect the school's buildings

My classroom door :)

This building on campus is called the Villa. Before AOSR was founded, this building was an apartment complex. Today, some classrooms have balconies and are uniquely shaped as they were once bedrooms and living spaces.

But as time goes on, I am reminded that this is not a vacation. Moving to Rome has been quite an adjustment process... I said goodbye to my Dad after the first week of being here, and then to my Mom as her month with me came to a close. It definitely feels odd that I am no longer 5 miles away from them.

In starting a new school year I am searching to find my role in this new community… I'm adjusting to a new age level of students (middle and high school) that brings new challenges and forces me to step out of my comfort zone... I'm also adjusting to the new subjects I am teaching, choir and drama, and desperately trying to stay just one step ahead of the game.

And when I’m not focused on school, I am trying to acclamate to the cultures and norms of a new country… figuring out (what feels like) odd hours that stores are open, because restaurants don’t serve dinner until 8pm, hardware stores are not open on the weekend and some shops don’t abide by the hours they post on their window, making it difficult to schedule errand runs… being aggressive at the deli counter to place your order, because if you wait in “line” you’ll never get to the front… living in a country where English is not the primary language, and that no matter how much Italian you learn, you can never seem to learn the right words you need to use that day :)

And then there are challenges that a small town girl faces when moving to the big city… Waiting and waiting, and then waiting some more for a bus that was scheduled to arrive 20 minutes ago…. Constant blisters on my feet from walking EVERYWHERE (I did not bring the right shoes for this). This list goes on and on.

It is exhausting. There are often days where I go home and go straight to bed, but lie there restless and awake because I can’t stop thinking about all the things that didn’t go right that day and what I could have done better.

This is why I’m doing this, I keep telling myself. I chose to move here to be challenged, to learn, and to grow as a person. The hard days must be days where I am learning and growing a lot, right?! :)

As I sit here enjoying my first cup of coffee in my new apartment, I also think about the small victories I’ve had so far… buying groceries at the farmer’s market with no English… helping a stranger buy bus tickets (because tickets are not sold at bus stations, but rather at Tabacchi stores)…. Successfully taking the metro to get across the city to attend a social event with colleagues… a student complementing how positive I am in class (even when inside I feel like a total failure!) As difficult as the road has been so far, I have to remind myself to take it one day at a time and to appreciate the small victories. I look forward to the challenges I will continue to face and how I will grow each day here. Arrivederci for now!