Private to Public Shift

Living such a public life is a huge change for me. I knew that my arrival to Rome meant that I needed to make a lot of sacrifices. Let me start by saying that I am an only child and my parents make sure I know that by trying to keep my close as much as they can. I commute to Temple back in Philly so I still have the luxury of being pampered by my mom and dad. As bad as this may sound, my parents would do just about anything for me to make me happy. So at home they gave me the master bedroom (which includes a bathroom) bought me a dog, a car, give me money for clothes and cook me dinner. I always appreciated it, but not to the same extent as I do now that I’m so far away. Even though the food here is awesome, I defiantly miss my mom’s home made meals and the comfort of home in general.


Being an only child defiantly has its benefits (i.e. lots of personal space). My parents are always at work so if I’m ever home during the day it’s very likely that I am by myself. This means that I am free to do anything and can express myself in any ways that I want without being judged or pissing anyone off. This has been the case for my two roommates as well. Rome is the first time that any of us were forced to share our own personal space with someone, especially for such a long period of time. This dilemma contributed greatly to our decision to rent an apartment as opposed to living in a dorm. Here, we each get our own bedroom but have to share two bathrooms. The means that 8 x 10 foot bedroom was the only bit of personal space I’ll have for the next month or so. As soon as the door to my room opens my privet life becomes semi public. As soon as the door to my apartment opens my life becomes very public. As I write this right now I am beginning to realize that I am starting to talk about the different compartments that a hidden away, one smaller than the other and I’m in the very enclosed interior. By the end of this trip I hope that I can learn to be more open about myself to others. Generally, I have a hard time opening up my true self to people. Sometimes it’s even hard for me to open up and let my closest friends in. The only explanation I can come up with is that I have a fear of being judged or that I have trust issues.


This brings me to the next transition from private to public: emotions. An emotion is a very private thing, something that a person usually feels on the inside. As soon as that person lets this emotion slip to the surface it automatically allows their private feelings become visible to the public.

This could easily be tied back to the fact that I am so used to living on my own with only my parents around. If I’m in a bad mood they try to make me feel better or just let me have my space to let me cool down. It is quite different when you begin to live around other people who learned how to deal with emotion in a different way from what you are used to. My mood could easily and seriously affect that of my roommates.


When we look as Rome as a whole, there are many examples from private to public and vise versa. I thought it was very interesting to see the way a homeless person (or family) created themselves a “private sanctuary” in a park. In Philly, homeless people simply find a box with some newspaper and settle themselves anywhere they can. But this particular homeless person’s “home décor” was quite a sight. He had all of his personal stuff hanging on a railing or in baskets in the middle of a public park for everyone to see. In this case a very public location is a place of privacy. I think that in general laundry that is hanging outside to dry is a transition from private to public life. Your clothes (especially undergarments) can call a lot about a person and are very personal assets of one’s life.


Also, I was surprised to see that there were many people with ipods in Rome. Even in America an ipod tends to be a sort of getaway from everything else. When I listen to the music from my ipod I can truly identify with every song that’s on there. I could be surrounded by hundreds of people in a train or piazza but if I’m listening to my music I feel like I’m in my own little world. For this reason, I feel like the ipod or maybe music in general can be a transition state from public to private life. I have a habit of associating almost every song with an experience, person or event in my life so I know that I can get the elicit memories and ponder on something very personally even if I’m in a public spot.

Strange Use of Technology?

It is needless to say that the technology in Rome varies vastly from Philly. Just a simple stroll through the residential areas around here can bewilder the mind of any American’s technologically advanced mind. Unlike the United State, Rome tends to be a little sloppy with the way that they present their electrical wires. The lighting around here in general is shockingly different.


One of the most notable technological/electrical sights I’ve seen here thus far is in our neighborhood here in Rome. It seems that I live in a neighborhood with a sort of ancient gothic theme because the source of lighting in my apartment complex comes from a massive chandelier that hangs from an arched walk way. I was stunned to see this unusual display for two reasons: its beauty and its hazardous potential. This heavy chandelier hangs from a series of cords that, I feel, could snap with a strong gust of wind. Close to the top of the arch are some exposed wires that could cause serious electrical problems if chewed on by some birds. But regardless of it’s danger, it think that it is sights just like this one that make Rome what it is. I appreciate the originality of this beautiful light fixture and an open air chandelier is defiantly something that will be hard to spot in the towns of Philadelphia.

Invisible City

When I heard about this assignment I was actually thrilled because whenever I’m in a new area, whether it’s a new country, new neighborhood or new house, I tend to point out the things that are sort of hidden. The sort of “hidden” things I am talking about would be comparable to a huge scratch on a wooden coffee table that lies conveniently underneath a picture frame or something of the sort. You could still see the scratch if you look closely enough and when you notice it you begin to realize that the picture frame was placed specifically in that spot to cover the flaw. Similar flaws are scattered throughout Rome.


My favorite discovery of this “hidden thing” was experienced within my first few hours here in Rome. In my apartment there sits a lovely marble bench surrounded by beautiful columns and plants. My first instinct was to sit on this cute bench outside of my new home in Rome and admire its elegance. As I sat down with my luggage and started to lean back I noticed that on the other side of the bench there was no floor but instead a very deep staircase which leads to some kind of underground shelter. And oh, yea, did I mention that I’m terrified of heights? So there I was jetlagged, disoriented and in fear for my life. My head started to spin and the first thing that went though my mind was that I was about to fall in there and break my computer, camera, cell phone and lose my passport. This is the exact feeling I get every time I am too close to a balcony or anything else that’s high up without a barrier to keep me from falling down. When I finally got my orientation back, I came to my senses and stood up. All I could think about that day was how quickly this bench would become a lawsuit in America.

What I carry with me!

Oranges are a very good source of vitamin C, something that I haven’t gotten much of in the past 7 days. Back in Philly, I always make sure that I have some sort of snack packed with me when I go to class, the only difference is that here in Rome I don’t notice myself craving food the way I do back home, especially while I’m in school. Although I carry oranges with me at all times in my school bag, it seems as though I’m always too caught up in this new city to actually reach in and snack. Come to think of it, I should really take them out of my bag now that it’s been a week and they’re probably rotting.



Another essential item I carry with me in my bag is a bottle of water. It is so interesting to me that Roman don’t drink water from a bottle all day long considering the extreme heat they are face during these hot months. In fact, I’ve noticed that nobody in Rome eats on the go which, to me, is an indication that people here just don’t really rush to get anywhere! They somehow find the time to stop into a café and grab a bit to eat or a cup of coffee. When comparing this fact to the American way of life where everyone needs to be doing something ALWAYS, its kind of a relief that I’m in a place where people don’t run around frantically and still get things accomplished.


Two of the most important items in my bag are my hot pink Prada pure and my cardigan. My purse holds things that are very important to me (credit cards, money, camera) and I like to make sure that these things are always safe and secure every time I open my big school bag. My cardigan is super important to me because I HATE being cold. The feeling of “cold” is much worse for me than the feeling “hot”. In other words, I would walk across Rome on a hot summer day fifty times before I walk across Broad street in February. It may actually be a small case of O.C.D. or some kind of paranoia but I NEED to have a small jacket with me at all times when I know that it may be or may get chilly. When I got through everything in my bag, it doesn’t seem as though I have anything out of the ordinary or carry strange objects that you wouldn’t find in any other bag. However, I feel as though the things I carry in my bag identify with me and say a lot about the type of person I am.