Rome via Brooklyn

1,552 words, 8 minutes read time.

Long story short, on the day of June 12th, 2025, I got the exclusive Odyssey experience(condensed) while I was on the second day of my period. It is one-of-a-kind experience indeed, I mean, how many times could an individual get lost in a foreign country, menstruating, exhausted, sweaty, sticky, and carrying their luggage??

Things are civil before the “ten-year journey back home(the hotel)”. 🚬

On the train heading to Naples, I was determined to gather enough dining information and ultimately come up with a list of food to try out while I’m in Naples. I am aware that I won’t be able to see and try out everything in Naples with the few available hours; besides, I need to prioritize my physical condition before anything from the list, or else I won’t be able to enjoy it in an uncomfortable state. I cut down my list to granita🍧 and lobster pasta; if not, the granita alone would make me happy.

My first impression of Naples is the mix between Hong Kong and the Bronx, based on the crowdedness of the residential buildings and the necessary improvement in urban hygiene. Is weird but also refreshing(?) to see dog poop(maybe it could be something other than a dog?) on the street, in different colors and sizes. Lol😆, the poop situation reminded me of the neighborhood I grew up in. Some of the dog owners are irresponsible. I love to see both the “good” and the “bad” side of a country, from online media and in-person experience. It brings humanizing perspectives, which provide opportunities to help us learn and imagine the reality of living here. As tourists, most of the time we are experiencing the “good” side, what this country is most famous for.

The lunch was great! I got the Patanella pizza, with ham, potato and provolone cheese. Is the potato that is calling me, I feel like it has been ages since the last time I ate carbs. 

I thought I had overcome the dilemma of “minimum AC to protect the artifacts”. I would say the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli might be the hottest museum we’ve been to. But I would definitely say the most heated-up room is the Secret Room. When looking at artifacts from different time periods, it is always useful to remember the differences in people’s beliefs and values and how they would change over time. In this case, the difference lies in interpreting the meaning and representation of the male genitalia – apotropaic. The male genitalia not only represents one of the many symbols of apotropaic, but a particular reaction, laughter from the viewers, can also be considered apotropaic. To be fair, I found some of the artifacts, particularly in this room, to be funny. Is funny to think people back in the day would put in hard work to create these.

My original plan after the lecture was to explore a few areas in Naples, at best, I might even find myself a nice restaurant and try out the seafood pasta that I have been thinking about since the morning. But unfortunately, my body was not feeling it; the heat and the cramps were no joke, so that is when I decided to head back to the hotel with Isabel, following our TA(as suggested by Professor Yarrow), Patrick.

We thought that, by following the TA, it would be the fastest, safer, and convenient way to the hotel. Womp womp, it was far from that.

I will skip the part where he decides to leave Isabel and me to pick up luggage on our own. However, I do have to say that Patrick does not show interest in conversation or information sharing on topics related to Italy in general.  On the way to the train station, I asked Patrick about a recommendation for granita. I also asked about whether this kind of food held any significance in the area and other food he would recommend. Sadly, he did not elaborate further after simply answering with a “no” and an “I don’t know”. The conversation just dies there, the air feels a little bit stiff afterward. I do understand and respect that people have different comfort levels when it comes to verbal communication, but in this case,  it kind of turns down the excitement of studying abroad. As in, I would rather learn from someone who shows engagement.

The worst part of the “Odyssey” begins when Patrick leads us onto the wrong train. Which resulted in us being stuck in Poggiomarino, with no clear solution to the current dilemma, but the endless regret of my own decision-making. 😭

I should take part in the responsibility of us being stuck in Poggiomarino. I was tracking on the map to ensure we were heading in the correct direction: our train’s path runs above  Mount Vesuvius, whereas the correct path should’ve run beneath Mount Vesuvius. I did not speak to Patrick at the time when I noticed something was off I put too much trust in him because our class had a great TA last time, so I thought to myself that the new one would be just as great. What can I say, live and learn.

On top of that, we are lucky enough to wait at a small bar next to the train station. Surprisingly, Patrick offered us something from the bar. Due to the Intolerable temperature, I select a popsicle to cool myself down and also absorb some much-needed sugar. Just then, a guy stares at me the whole entire time in a creepy and disturbing manner. That’s it, chat, first time getting SA in Italy.

Did I mention how all of our phones are on the verge of dying when we are trapped in Poggiomarino? Not gonna lie, I was on full alert when Patrick decided to walk off while using my power bank to charge. It is reasonable, the last time I trusted him, it got us into a trapped situation, and now we are waiting for who knows how long for the correct transportation to come. I kept thinking of different kinds of “what if” scenarios: what if he ran away with my power bank in a situation where both my and Isabel’s phones were dead? What if we are trapped in here for the night? Are we going to miss out on tomorrow’s lecture?

Erm, yeah, I was on the edge of freaking out. In the worst case, I’m ready to walk back to the hotel(a 2-hour walk).

To be honest, I was neither upset nor mad at Patrick when we were stuck in Poggiomarino(I would definitely complain about it afterward). My mindset was like: “Welp, things turned out abruptly. Figure out a reliable solution would be more beneficial for both Isable’s and my own mental/physical states. If it is necessary, I will throw a fist later.”

Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did. By the time we FINALLY made it to Pompeii, immediately after we walked out of the train station, Patrick turned around and said to us and I quote, “Do you guys know where the hotel is?” Which I find to be shocking?? Like, excuse me? What do you mean you don’t know where the hotel is💀? After we responded to him with confirmation, he then proceeded to ask: “Do you guys want me to walk you to the hotel?” I can clearly see and hear the reluctance in his tone and from his facial expressions. Like, come on, we are all adults here, if you actually wanted to, you would do it without asking. It is obvious that you don’t want to do it, but at the same time, you want others to deliver that message for you. Buddy, learn how to use your words; it is not that hard.  Because in my opinion, making sure the students get to the hotel safely, aka at least watch them step into the hotel, is part of your job. 

Isabel and I “turn down” his escort proposal. At this point, the polite way is to say bye and wish each other safe, but guess what he said? To this day, my eyebrow twitches when I think about it: “Ok, I’m going to get dinner now.” And that is it. 

Getting us on the wrong train? Is okay, people make mistakes. Not providing a reliable solution after we got stuck? Is okay, I understand people could get overwhelmed in a situation like this, especially when you are a TA. Indirectly draining all of my energy, as a result, I lost the opportunity to interact with the restaurant cat? I 100% BLAME PATRICK. IF IT WEREN’T HIM, I COULD’VE HAD THE CHANCE TO PET MIMI, THE CAT AT THE RESTAURANT. 😭😭😭