The Whole Schmageggi

What a whirlwind past two days these have been! Dad and I arrived in Rome on the 26th but still everything was moving relatively slow because we had only to see the city. No matter what youre doing or what your schedule looks like, Rome is always crazy and its always overwhelming. So, when I moved my bags into my new apartment on the 28th, things really got started on a whole new level. Not only juggling Roman life and moving in, meeting roommates, attending orientation, but also thinking about classes and trying to create a community here for myself. On the 28th, none of my roommates moved in, the Italian renter was still moving out, and the place seemed a little bit disappointing. It was an exhausting day where we were shuffled from one room to another to fill out forms and get things taken care of and it ended with me feeling discouraged about my time here. Then, yesterday the other two of my roommates came! One of them, Irene, is from California but is Italian born (as are her parents) and is fluent in both Italian language and culture. Her mom is a chef in California and her dad lives in Milano. The other of them is Christina, who is from Bulgaria! She and Irene are pretty different people but I think there are threads that tie us all together and that we will have a good time this year - we already stick together and lean on each other a lot and I hope we continue in that way.
Today I take my Italian placement exam at 3:00 and that will determine whether or not the classes Ive been taking are of the caliber that JCU offers in Rome. Clearly, Italian taught in Italy will move faster and speaking will be of more importance but I dont know where I line up yet and will find out fairly soon. I have exempted from my math and english exams so those are just one less thing to worry about! On Friday I register for classes and get books, etc. and on Monday I actually begin them! Im excited because the class sizes here are between 8 and 20 people but normally closer to the lower end, so I should meet lots of people in those and really have lots of attention from professors.
Things are looking up but this morning my dad left for home again and that was sad for me. I feel like we had a great time together and he has helped me out so much! I know that it would be possible for me to have come here without him but so much harder and more overwhelming - I think Id have been in tears for the first few days, at least. I waited all summer for him to arrive and it seems like he was only here for a second before leaving, but at least I get to see him in a few months when I go home. Mom will get here in one month and I hope that by then I know things better.
OH! Last night, in the Piazza of Santa Maria in Trastevere (a church) there were these two people who did a dance with two fire balls each and it was awesome! Dad and I call that piazza, which is the main one, The Circus because there is always something or someone completely bizarre there! One time, we saw two really old hippies there and often there are performers and tourists and so on. I guess it sort of represents Rome and the university - extremely diverse and sometimes very random or hard to figure out.