Observations on Roma

con·tra·dic·tion n
1. something that contains parts or elements that are illogical or inconsistent with each other
2. a statement or the making of a statement that opposes or disagrees with somebody or something
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Rome is the center of chaos and contradiction. It is a city that is so closely tied with its past that the present must fight in order to be noticed. The heart of Rome is minutes away from ruins like the Foro Romano and the Colosseo, moments away from the La Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain. The past is alive, art and architecture from every era loom around each corner. Centuries of history all mingle together. And yet with the past everywhere there is still a distinct Italian culture that is unique to today.

cul·ture n
1. art, music, literature, and related intellectual activities
2. enlightenment and sophistication acquired through education and exposure to the arts
3. the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people
4. a group of people whose shared beliefs and practices identify the particular place, class, or time to which they belong
5. a particular set of attitudes that characterizes a group of people
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Rome is alive, a melting pot for people from every walk of life, a cacophony of different languages and cultures all harmoniously coexisting. The Italians strut their streets, aware of their culture, their lifestyle and our attempts to assimilate. We stand at bars quickly gulping down a café, jam onto packed buses pushing and shoving, gesture wildly as we speak as though we are true Italians. Foreigners all attempt to melt into this culture because we are drawn to the life and vibrancy that surrounds us.
im·i·tate vt
1. to copy somebody’s behavior, voice, or manner, especially in order to make fun of him or her
2. to use somebody or something as a model, attempting to copy an existing method, style, or approach
3. to be or look like something else
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

We try to imitate the Italian style. Mold ourselves into cookie cutter shapes of the cool kids we see sauntering down the streets of Rome. We wear the clothes, laughing as we try on the baggy, underwear-showing, jeans of the younger Italian girls. Smirk as we walk into jewelry stores and see the rows of raver bracelets and big, shiny jewelry frequently worn by the younger Italians. We stumble around the cobblestone streets in our new Italian boots and tights. In this sea of style you see the Americans: flip-flops in Winter, Ugg boots and short skirts at the Vatican. You wonder if you look like them? How well are you hiding it? Do the clothes make you Italian? Constantly questioning how well you fit into this unique culture, how well can you imitate? Then you see those who have lived here for long enough they assimilate the clothing, the Italian strut, the hair – trying to become perfect models of Italian culture just like you want to be.

age n
1. the length of time that somebody or something has existed, usually expressed in years
2. one of the stages or phases in the lifetime of somebody or something
3. the age at which somebody is legally considered to be an adult
4. condition of having lived many years
5. age or Age a period in history, especially a long period or one associated with and named for a distinctive characteristic, achievement, or influential person
6. age or Age a relatively short division of recent geologic time, shorter than an epoch
7. a level of development equivalent to that of an average person of the stated age
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Rome is ageless city. This timelessness is present not only around every street corner, but in every Italian man and woman. Italian women seem to have no set age. Although they may be old they have a spark that keeps them young for decades and the younger generation have a maturity that enables them to walk around with their head held high and a sneer on their face. The men never seem to mature. They still stare like boys who have just hit puberty no matter their age. They drool like dogs from across the room and point and gesture wildly in any girls’ direction. From the younger boys you hear the cries of “bella,” “bellisimo,” “amore.” From the older men there are the frequent whispers of adoration and nods and gestures to their friends. Italian women are pillars of maturity: hard, distant and unapproachable. They live in their own shell, closed in from too many sexual advances. The Italian men refuse to grow up, living at home sometimes well past college, yelling and jeering on the street corners at any girls that crosses their path. The men and women appear to be raised on different planets and yet share the same streets, classrooms, jobs and even city.

glam·our or glam·or n
1. an irresistible alluring quality that somebody or something possesses by virtue of seeming much more exciting, romantic, or fashionable than ordinary people or things
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Rome is not all glamour. The streets are dirty and grimy, although every 12 hours the street cleaners appear and sweep the streets with their witches’ brooms. Minutes after the streets are freshly cleaned the trash begins to pile again, the cigarette butts litter the ground and the trashcans start to overflow. At night the streets fill with the younger Italian crowd, who jeer, sneer and yell at the Americans. They stand outside my big, green door and break bottles, chant communist sayings and from time to time riot in the Campo. Graffiti covers the walls of many buildings, a mixture of American and Italian sayings and swearwords. Italians have such a love for their city and culture and yet they disrespect the city they live in. At the AS Roma games the stadium reverberates with Roma cheers, Roma pride bubbles over the edges of the colosseum. But, when you leave you see the youth tagging buildings and the crowds dropping their trash on the ground.

filth n
1. dirt or refuse that is disgusting or excessive
2. something considered extremely morally objectionable or obscene, for example, coarse language or explicit descriptions or depictions of sexual activity
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

But, the greatest contradiction of all is that while this city is grimy, the younger crowds can be menacing and troublesome, people can be rude and pushy there is never a moment that I do not feel safe and in love with this town. There has not been one moment in my trip that I have not rejoiced at the inconsistencies of this place. That I have not simply laughed at my grocery store being closed at five for no reason or smiled and waited patiently in line at the Post Office for an hour and a half. Rome teaches you to slow down, to learn to smile at contradictions, laugh at closed doors, revise schedules and never once complain. Rome wants you to fall in love with this lifestyle, to embrace the three-hour dinners and long walks through the crowded streets. Rome asks that you choose to slow down and appreciate life and learn to live it to the fullest.

love n
1. an intense feeling of tender affection and compassion
2. a passionate feeling of romantic desire and sexual attraction
3. somebody who is loved romantically
4. a romantic affair, possibly sexual
5. strong liking for or pleasure gained from something
6. something that elicits deep interest and enthusiasm in somebody
Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.