You Only Live in Rome Once (YOLIRO)

As I sit here eating a slice of cold margherita pizza, the only thought that comes to mind is: today was a struggle. Welcome Week Roman style is rough on a college student, but when the wines so good you have to forge ahead (that’s code for peer pressure from Avery)!

With the weather being a little less than ideal, we’ve divided our time between The Abbey Theatre Irish Pub and our apartment bedrooms. Casey and I finally made it to a TU sponsored event this morning, but between being hung-over and getting lost, we arrived 45 minutes late. I also debated crawling into a hole and dying, but settled for wearing my sunnies indoors instead. Luckily, our advisor is cool and still helped us out / fixed Casey’s laptop.

on the struggle bus.

So what do 20-somethings studying abroad in Rome do at night? They drink. Literally, everyone and their mother will be out in the piazza at night with a drink in hand. There is no open-container law in Rome, meaning the Metro, sidewalks, and everywhere else is fair game for having a glass of wine or bottle of beer. College students come from everywhere to be here as well. We’ve met kids from all across the States, all over Australia, London and more.  It’s always fun to hear the mix of accents and the different slang. My mother said my dirty mouth would shock the Romans, but I don’t hold a candle to some of the non-American people we’ve met! You would be proud, Mama!

Beautiful!

We were told being openly drunk in Italy was frowned upon and very rare… this was a complete and total fabrication. People are drunk, and they are happy about it! Still, I think we’re all excited to be sober soon. Tonight is the final night of unofficial Welcome Week partying, with a TU planned excursion to a medieval castle on Sunday!

Some highlights of the nightlife so far include:

- On a street near the Trevi Fountain, Laura met an attractive Italian student and hit it off! After exchanging information, she received a facebook message from him reading, “Are you the true Laura of the Trevi Fountain?” Swoon.

- I met an Australian guy!

- We fell in love with a pub and now have a go-to place! We like the bartenders and they know how to make Red Headed Sluts.

- Danielle slept on the floor for a bit and Tom dressed up in my Phillies sports bra and panties. It was ridiculous and the photos are NSFW… or ever.
Besides drunkenly galavanting through the streets, we've also managed to see some beautiful sites and eat some delicious food. Here's the latest round up of photos documenting our experiences: 

Funhouse bathroom mirror! Wahou!

and that's how things progressed last night.