« April 2007 | Main

...one last thing

This was too good to not post:

On Sunday morning I was at the Rome airport, on my way back to the USA. I had checked my bags, gone through security and waited in line at passport control. After about a half-hour wait, I stepped up to the desk where the intimidating officer, clad in his shiny-buttoned uniform, glared at me through the glass between us.

"Buongiorno!" I greeted him enthusiastically. One of the best lessons I've learned in Rome is to suck up to the government officials and you'll never have any problems.

"Buongiorno," he began, and then continued in Italian, "How long have you been in Italy?"

"Since January," I said. "I study here."

"What do you study?"

"Communications," I replied. This is when the officer at the next desk chimed in:

"Where? La Sapienza?" He was referring to an Italian university.

"No," I said, "The American University of Rome."

"Ah, up on Gianicolo?" my officer asked. I nodded. These guys seemed pretty friendly for passport control.

"When are you coming back?" my officer continued.

"September."

"Will you go out for a pizza with me when you get back in September?"

This totally threw me off. I stared at him in shock. In fear of making him angry and potentially not letting me go back to the US, I nodded.

The other officer leaned over, "I'll come along, and make sure you bring a pretty American girl for me too!" Unbelievable.

My officer took some official document and tore off the bottom. He slip the paper under the glass window to me with a pen.

"Do you have a cell phone number? Write it down and I'll give you a call." I scribbled down a made-up number. He gave me back my passport.

"Have a nice summer and I'll see you in September," he said with a wink.

Posted by Kelsea at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Summer Break

After yet another long semester at The American University of Rome, my finals are finished, my papers are handed in and I'm ready for the summer.

This summer, however, I won't be dealing with Italian pests or...well...any of the variety of Italian pests. Nor will I be enjoying a creamy gelato or picking up provisions at the open-air markets.

Next week I will be heading back to New England, not to return to Rome until September. I do admit: I'm a bit nervous. The pasta won't be as al dente, the coffee won't be as creamy, and greeting someone with "Hello" isn't half as fun as saying "Buongiorno!"

When I do come back in September, I hope to focus this blog on the English-speaking community in Rome (of course, I will never be able to resist the occasional post about food). If you have any requests on what you would like me to write about, please leave a comment saying what. If you are an English-speaker in Rome and have an idea for a post, please leave a comment as well.

Thanks for reading and have a great summer!

Posted by Kelsea at 3:51 AM | Comments (0)