I’ve taken enough trips to Italy now that I’ve got a system down for getting over jetlag. What I haven’t quite figured out is how to get my body to adjust faster to the Italian custom of drinking coffee every morning. You see, I’m not a coffee drinker back home, but I’ve grown to really enjoy Italian coffee, particularly a cappuccino in the morning.
Alas, coffee has an effect on your digestive system. Add to that the heat (90 degree temps every day) and the long bumpy bus rides (at least an hour to get anywhere in town from our campus location), and my stomach ended up fairly queasy Thursday morning.
Nonetheless, I headed out with my class to Centro Astalli in the morning. Centro Astalli is the Jesuit refugee services center. Our guide Chiara explained the many ways they help the refugees in Rome: language lessons, soup kitchen, showers, a post office (so that they can have an address so that they can apply for asylum), and outreach services to schools to help teach about the refugee crisis.
Pope Francis had visited during his first year, and we got to sit in the same little chapel where he did. They do amazing work at Centro Astalli, and it was great to talk with them.
The chapel at Centro Astalli
After the visit, we had a short time to visit the Vittorio Emanuele Monument and then took two buses back to campus. It was an hour and a half long trip back, and my stomach was not enjoying it very much, so I had a light salad lunch back at school. Then we had class in the afternoon.
In the evening, my stomach was feeling a little better, but I didn’t want another long bus ride, so a classmate (who’s been having swollen ankle issues) and I went to a local pharmacy to get her some help. Then we walked to a nearby restaurant, where we had a nice fish and potatoes dinner. The university is in a very residential neighborhood, so this was an authentic Italian restaurant with just Italian spoken. I also got to try suppli, a fried rice ball with cheese, which my Italian teacher told me I absolutely had to eat while in Rome, so if anyone sees Mario, tell him I had the suppli and it was delicious!
Suppli!
