Rome via Brooklyn

Prompt:

What contrasts of new and old did you find aesthetically pleasing?  What contrasts of old and new did you find too visually jarring and/or confusing?  What did you learn on your own about life in Italy?  Perhaps reflect on eating lunch or riding public transportation?  Did Culture Smart! Help? What about the apps?

368 Words, 2 Minutes

Oddly, I found the contrasts inherent in the museum we visited both pleasing and jarring. The industrial, oppressive nature of the power plant juxtaposed with the carefully crafted, detail-oriented nature of Roman art and statues prompted reflection on the changing relationship with art and architecture and the West over the past few centuries. At the same time, I found the aesthetics of the power plant far less appealing than the statues and mosaics, and having the two next to each other stirred an almost uncanny feeling in me. 

Today, I continued my attempt to immerse myself in Roman life. In the morning (~6:45) I walked to a local cafe to order un caffe freddo e un cornetto. I stumbled a bit, but was able to communicate my order to the owner with only a tiny bit of English assistance. He was very welcoming and happily spoke in English when necessary. I took my meal outside and watched people walking by on the stone street. During my meal, a street cleaner drove through and sprayed near where I was sitting. The cafe owner ran out yelling at the driver, then turned to me and smiled while shaking his head. I laughed and shrugged it off.

Culture Smart has been a great resource for better understanding the day-to-day life of Italians, as well as better respecting what they may or may not be accustomed to. The language apps I’ve been using, like Duolingo and Google Translate, have been helpful as aides for quick, conversational Italian, as well as translating and writing I see. However, I now plan to take an actual Italian class in the future. Citymapper has also been a great resource to help me navigate Rome’s public transit, although in general, I would say that aspect has been fairly easy to pick up outside of some payment issues. 

That’s all for today!

– Joseph