Checked In

Totally not going to lie right now, I had a bit of a break down right after I posted my first post. Between being super tired and having lugged my duffel around unnecessarily, I was feeling a bit crazed. Then, I added to my own misery (because the best thing to do when you're feeling emotionally distraught is to become a masochist) I started freaking out about where I am going to go when I check out Friday morning. All the while I kept thinking "How do I get out of Italy as fast as I can?" Between the Italian speaking people (all of whom I was positive kept looking at me and thinking, 'another dumb American'), and my computer crashing right after I finished publishing my last post and me thinking I was now completely cut off from everyone, I was getting a little stressed.

Fortunately, I have now checked in and my hostel is AMAZING!!! Key cards to get into the room and bathrooms, very clean and the staff has been incredibly helpful so far. They told me where to go to get an adapter for my computer (the only problem having been it ran out of battery), and later they're taking anyone who wants to go on a free night walking tour of Rome. I still haven't decided if I'm going to do this. I've now been up for over 24 hours and am thinking I might turn in early so I can get up and go tomorrow right away. And bonus, I've now gotten a chance to change my underwear and let me tell you, there is nothing like a fresh pair of panties waiting to get into a bundle to make a girl feel refreshed.

I have to say, despite the hormone crisis, I have had some time to think about the city and it is honestly beautiful. Some of the cliches we think of are so true: motorcycles lining the streets, roads with just enough room to drive a very small car down, Italians walking hurriedly with one another speaking in sexy Italian, the sound of cars speeding by, constant honking, are all true. But at the same time, I haven't run into anyone who believes me to be an arrogant American. I'm staying in a 6 person dorm, and right now it's me and two guys. Both are very nice and thankfully not embarrassed to be sharing a room with a girl (too bad if they were because that's how it goes here). I have no clue if the other beds are going to fill up at all. Another bonus of the day: there's an elevator. I only used it to bring my luggage up, but when I came back from getting my adapter, I thought, "Hey, I've been going to the gym every other day for the last 4 months so my cardio is good, I'm going to walk the steps." Six flights of stairs later and I'm thinking I'm going to cancel my gym membership.

Alright, well, I think I'm going to stop blogging for today. I am going to get my camera out and take some pictures of the street from my window.

P.S. I'm heading straight to Cinnque Terre after Rome. Any suggestion on hostels would be appreciated.