In the meantime...

I am currently in the middle of writing a long post on religion (or lack there of) in Rome, but in the meantime, I thought I would share a few pictures from the past week.

 Where's Waldo?? I don't know, but apparently they are looking for him in Italy as well.

Guess I did not need to bring my own Usborne Sticker Dolly books for the girls. They can just get them at the bookstore here!

Snapped a few photos of the photographers waiting outside of Berlusconi's house. The guy in the white shirt decided to pose for the photo.

The entrance to Berlusconi's house.

Just one of the many lovely churches in Rome!

The monument commemorating the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. On the other side of the road is a monument to the 1970's terrorist attacks in Rome.

I love Pizza!!! 

The Colosseo at night = Amazing!!

And the final two are just for fun, and because Giulio is adorable!

Happy Halloween!!!

What I Miss from A to Z

I have hit the one month mark of being here, which is incredibly hard to believe! I feel as though I have just arrived, and that I have been here for forever all at the same time. I truly love Rome, but that is not to say that I have not had to adjust to things. Trying to fit into another family is definitely tricking. Also, finding my way around rome and navigating the bus and metro systems are not easy either. But so far I am having a blast figuring everything out!

I have found a favorite coffee spot!

Its just a couple blocks from the apartment, and I love the atmosphere, the coffee, the food, the Sunday brunch, and the sweet people that work there.

I have learned to make coffee the Italian way...with this little contraption.

I will most definitely be bringing one of those home.

I have learned to embrace wearing leggings as pants. They totally rock, and I wish I had like 5 more pairs.

I have also made some new friends! I met a couple girls from church and they are great. One of them is actually from GA! Please continue to pray that I would meet some more girls as well, maybe some other au pairs to hang out with during the day.

I found a church I really like. It is called Breccia and is a really small Italian Evangelical church that meets on Sunday nights. The whole service is in Italian, but I really enjoy it and am picking up more than I thought I would. I still may go to the English service at Rome Baptist Church on Sunday mornings, if nothing else than just to meet people!

Though I have gotten to do so many great things, there are also things I miss from back home.

Other than my family and friends whom I miss so much, I miss...

a. oatmeal...all i want is some instant quaker oatmeal

b. skim milk

c. protein...specifically chicken

d. cake...I mean gelato is great but I really want some Ashley Mac's strawberry cake.

e. my own place to have friends over

f. vegetables that are not cooked in with pasta

g. whole wheat pasta...that is a foreign concept for the family I live with.

h. peanut butter

i. pumpkin spice lattes and anything pumpkin spicy cause it is now fall.

j. clothes dryers

k. Wal-mart (we really have no idea how cheap stuff is in the US. I spent 6 euro on hair spray...yikes!)

l. Publix (when I get home this may be the first place I go, there are just soooo many options).

m. my blackberry

n. pilates classes at Dawson

o. my little red car (not that i would want to be driving it here, but I miss being able to get in my car and drive places

p. a microwave...heating up things is much more difficult without it

q. American sized coffee...how I miss going to Starbucks or O'Henry's and ordering a tall cup of coffee that stays warm for longer than 5 minutes and takes longer than 7 to drink

r. Football...I mean American football. I miss hearing people talk about it and greeting one another with Roll Tide or War Eagle on game days

s. Mexican food. I could kill for cheese dip and a Cocina Superior margarita

t. my own bathroom...sharing with kids is harder than I thought haha

u. just having cereal for dinner...with skim milk

v. Cheddar cheese

w. knowing where I am going...Roman streets=confusion

x. funfetti (yes this is the second time I mentioned cake on this list)

y. being able to wear running shorts and a t shirt and not feeling underdressed (Roman mothers are dressed to the nines when they take their kids to school. I take the girls to school with no make up, running shorts or leggings and a t-shirt. I don't fit in.).

z. No smoking...everyone smokes here, and I do not know how the entire country of Italy does not have lung cancer

So maybe I miss a few things...but I love a lot of things too!! And you would too...so come visit soon, and when you do please bring me some oatmeal. :)

To Do and Not To Do

There are several does and don'ts I have learned the past month in Rome, so I thought I would share!

Don'ts...
1. Don't under dress your child if it drops below 80 degrees. They need at least two jackets. Why? I have no idea.
2. Don't pay any attention to traffic laws. If the light is red, you can still go. If there are people crossing the street, its okay. If you accelerate, they will run out of your way. Oh and yielding...yeah, like that every happens.
3. Don't expect to find skim milk. Everyone drinks latte parcealmente scremata...which is basically like 1 or 2%. And you can really not get a Cappuccino with skim milk.
4. Don't eat the peel on your fruit. Make sure you peel it off before you eat it. This includes apples, pears, and just about every fruit there is.
5. Don't tip....unless you are at a really nice restaurant and then just round up your bill to the nearest dollar. That totally rocks. Talk about a money saver when you eat out.


Do's....
1. Do eat pasta, cheese, or bread all the time, because they don't make you fat in Italy (I wish).
2. Do have wine at lunch. Everyone does it.
3. Do feel free to stop into the gelateria in your business suit on your lunch hour.
4. Do hang your laundry out on the line...how else are you going to dry it
5. Do wear a scarf even when it is 90 degrees outside cause there is this tiny spot on your neck that if the wind touches will give you a cold. Oh you had not heard of that either....hmmm.

That's all for now....but I am sure there will be more to come!

All is Right in Computer Land

Well, thanks to the handy Apple guys here in Rome I officially have a working computer. Granted, I do not have anything on my old hard drive, but I am so thankful to have my computer back. Plus, I got an operating system upgrade with the hard drive which makes it even better!

This means....picture time! Thankfully, all my Rome pictures were still on my cameras, so I did not lose those photos.

Side note, I also am now a big fan of Openoffice.org. This is a free word processor that is really similar to Word. Of course, the best part about it is that it is free! Which is awesome because Microsoft Office for Mac is crazy expensive in Italy. I highly recommend you checking this out the next time you are in need of something like this!

Back to pictures. Here are a couple more sights I have visited in Rome!

The Trevi Fountain!

Now, I know you cannot really see it, but there are always hundreds of tourists around it. I am gonna get a better picture when there are not as many people, and of course I have to throw a coin in it so I can be assured I will return to Rome one day.

The Pantheon

This building is amazing. It is almost 2,000 years old and sits in the middle of this lovely square in the center of Rome. The dome on top is open (actually now it has a glass covering) and the way it is built the sun shines through it and you can tell what time of day it is. Like most churches or basilicas in Rome, you need to have your shoulders covered to enter. Another cool thing about the Pantheon is it is free!

Inside the Colosseum

I may walk by the outside of the Colosseo every day, but I have only been inside once. It really is quite extraordinary. I went in on a free day, so I did not take a tour, but hopefully I will do that soon. The Colosseo was built in the 1st Century AD. It was the sight of everything from Gladiator fights to naval battle reenactments. 

Speaking of reenactments....Here are a few shots of some of the reenactors that set up camp in the park across from my apartment. The whole scene to me was a perfect example of what Rome is....the juxtaposition of the old and the new.

Before Jess left we also walked to Villa Borghese which is at the end of Piazza Popolo. From there, you can see a beautiful view of the Roman skyline including the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. 

Rome really is quite an amazing city!

A Wednesday List

So, I have basically had a lazy morning today after taking the girls to school. And because of this, I had some random thoughts I decdided to share.

1. I get my computer back today!! Praying it works, and I can get back to using it.
2. Yesterday, Giulio and I played with some turtles at the park. They were awesome
3. My new favorite food is toast with nutella and bananas...do me a favor and try it today. I mean right now.
4. We had meatballs and french fries for dinner last night. It was suprisingly good and suprisingly un-Italian.
5.  I have read three books since I got here. At the rate I am going I am going to read everything in my Kindle by December...then I don't know what I am giong to do.
6. It is still really hot in rome...like 85 degrees everyday.
7. I am tired of sweating.
8. I also really want to know what is happening on Glee, The Vampire Diaries, Parenthood, and Gossip Girl...Any crazy updates?

Off to get my computer!!
Ciao for now!

Lessons Learned

Let me just say that blogging is a whole lot harder than it looks. I have learned that I am horrible at it! Of course, that fact may be compounded by the fact that my hard drive on my mac crashed, and so, I have been computerless for several days. Word of warning: back up your data. Don't be like me and think that your computer will never crash. That is unwise, and I have learned my lesson. I have also learned that electronics are a heck of a lot cheaper in the US than in Italy, and for that reason, I am taking donations to the Buy Alyson a New Hard Drive Fund. Soon you will find a donate button on my blog if I can figure out how to do it (just kidding...but seriously).

 Anyway, other than that rather unfortunate occurence Rome has continued to be wonderful. I have had massive amounts of coffee, gelato, and pasta, and am relatively certain that I have gained like 20 lbs. Okay thats not true; maybe 5, but still when you go from hardly ever eating pasta and never eating white bread to having both every day you start to feel a bit fat. Interesting fact: there are two different kinds of mozzerella, buffalo and cow. If you come visit, I will let you be the judge of which you prefer. The family prefers buffalo, but I think I still prefer cow. And yes, there are buffalo in Italy, who knew?

Jess, the girl who was the au pair with this family before me, has been in Prague since Thursday, so I have been experiencing what it is like to be here by myself. It really has been great except for the computer fiasco. Basically what I do is get up everyday around 7:00 or 7:15, have breakfast with the family, and then help get the girls ready for school. Then, the girls and I make the roughly ten minute walk to their school, and I drop them off. From that point I have till about 4 o'clock free each day to do whatever I want. Then at 4, I get Giulio into the "pram" a.k.a the stroller, and we head to pick up the girls. Then we spend about an hour and a half at this park called Colle Oppio which is between the school and our apartment. Then, we head home, bathe Giulio, feed him, and then have dinner all together. Its really not a bad schedule!

Hopefully, I will be able to make some friends and be able to spend time with them during my free time!

I will post more pictures soon including pictures of the Colosseum, views of the city from Villa Borghese, and a few pics of the gladiator camp that has set up in front of our apartment for the war reinactment they are doing today. Yeah, I thought that was a bit weird too.
Ciao for now!