Rome via Brooklyn

318 words 2 minutes read time

I woke up early and had my usual breakfast of water and yogurt. I commuted with my roommates, and the bus was packed! I quickly learned that I did not particularly enjoy visiting the area around the Colosseum. Extremely hot with little to no shade, a majority of the time.  The day we visited the Colosseum was the second time I had been there, and it was interesting to experience it with a more historical perspective. Going in, there was a super cute Seagal walking around on the ground, security going through stressed me out, so that was a plus. The stairs of the colosseum were very steep and narrow, so I was definitely watching my steps. Viewing the Colosseum for the first time, I had thoughts about its inner workings, Christian martyrdom,  the building materials, and ticket pricing, among other things. This time around, I thought about the lengths to which humans go for spectacle and how technologically advanced they are. They were able to build this and have been maintaining it over time. It’s always amazing to see how Italy prioritizes the conservation of its archaeological sites. The pulley systems were fascinating to witness, and learning that the gladiators didn’t necessarily fight to the death was definitely a correction of misinformation I had been told. After visiting the Colosseum, I went to get Gelato with a couple of people from the study abroad program, and it was delicious. I switched it up and got mango. The mango gelato sadly landed on my brand-new white skirt; thankfully, I was able to get it off without even leaving a stain. Then we went shopping, which is one of my favorite pastimes, mainly since I enjoy buying items that have a story or meaning behind them. After that, we all headed to our respective apartments. I personally had to decompress from the heat and show my mom my haul.