Rome via Brooklyn

362 Words, 2 Minutes

Day one was odd. To start, it didn’t even feel like a day, more like two squished together into some horrible Frankenstein’s Monster. I woke up at 7:30 AM EST on the Sunday of my flight, boarded around 6:30 PM, and finally went to bed around 10:00 PM CET. That’s quite a long time to be awake! Although the strenuous endeavor achieved its goal (my jet lag was basically non-existent afterward), I feel like the state that I was in affected my appreciation of my surroundings. I often felt like I was walking through the streets half asleep, admittedly briefly nodding off every time we would sit down (if you are reading this, Professor Yarrow, it is in no way a comment on the quality of your lectures!) However, I believe there was more behind my feelings. 

The city that they call Rome, my friend, I foolishly thought

Was similar to the market towns where we take our lambs;

In the way the puppy resembles the dog, or the kid its mother,

I likened the smaller to something bigger of its kind.

Not so: that city lifts its head above all the others

The way a cypress towers above the trailing yews.

Virgil, Eclogues 1.19–25

This quote by Virgil captures the kind of stupefying power of this city. I had come in expecting to be prepared, as I’ve lived in New York City which has a higher population and feels much more dense than Rome. Additionally, it overflows with cultures from across the world, which I expected would mitigate culture shock. In some ways I was right, but I wasn’t prepared for the historical richness and cultural immersion that hit me in the face. I felt like I was living on a totally different planet; it’s been completely different from any experience I’ve had before. The desire to return home, to return to comfort, briefly sparked in me. As I’m writing this a week and a half in, I’m trying my hardest not to think about my return journey in two weeks. I’ve become so happy with my time in this city and country, that the thought of leaving nearly brings tears to my eyes. But I’ll continue to put them off, at least for a little bit.