NUTELLA!

Today was the first day of classes. My first class was at 10:30AM, I left my apartment at about 9:30 just to make sure that I made it on time. My professor for my first is from London and I think he is going to be pretty cool. The class is Ethical Theory in Business and I actually think I am going to enjoy it quite a bit. My second class for the day was my Italian 101 class…and it was a little scary. We walked in and the professor just started asking us all of the questions in Italian. I looked around and most of the class, including myself, just had that open mouth, deer in a headlight look on our faces. The funny part about it is that he just kept talking in Italian and didn’t repeat anything in English. Luckily one guy in the class actually knew a little Italian and started answering the questions and then we all just king of copied him.

After class we started on our way to the tram to take the number 8 home. We got there and were waiting for a little bit before it pulled up. Let me take the time now to tell you a little bit about how the public transportation system works here in Rome:

Basically if you are going to use any form of transportation it is partially based on the honor system. You can buy a ticket at any Tabacchi (which is kind of like a convenience store) and then when you get on the tram, bus, or metro there are little machines that you stick the ticket in to validate it. But nobody ever really checks to see if you are doing this. At random times, the Carabinieri will get on and check everyone’s tickets and those who don’t have them or don’t have theirs validated will get fined 50 euro.

Anyway, I was the only one with a bus ticket in my group, so we all walked on the bus and looked all the way in the back and there was a Carabinieri standing in full Carabinieri attire in on the other end of the bus, so everyone immediately went right back out the door. And then we all walked home.

We have spent many a conversation discussing whether or not it is worth it to spend your money on getting tickets for the bus and came to the conclusion that it is just a risk you are either willing or unwilling to take. Some people get by the whole time just staying attentive and making sure not to get, or stay on the bus, tram, or metro with a Carabinieri on it. And some don’t.

After we got back, I went to the grocery store and got a few things for breakfasts and dinners and bought my first jar of Nutella. I just want to say that Nutella might be one of the greatest inventions in the history of man…I only hope I can contain myself and not skip dinner every night just to leave room for more Nutella. But seriously if you haven’t tried it, it’s available in the states and you should definitely go get yourself a jar (David, I know you understand what I’m talking about).

This is Nutella, one of the greatest substances known to man.