One coin in the Trevi Fountain means

you will return to Italy (worked), two coins means you

will fall in love (we'll see), three means you will marry

an Italian(haven't thrown the third yet as I know Laurie will

kill me)- wavering on dangerous territory here

on my second coin....

Zuppa a la Toscana, cheating on Rome for a dish

Piazza del Popolo, next to the spa

I went to for my birthday massage and facial

On a night out, bumping into the Colloseum

The Spanish Steps

Living in Rome means trying to take a

shortcut home at night and getting thwarted

by the ol Forum

Nothing like turning 30 in Rome to make a girl feel young again. Something about the 2,000 year old buildings might have something to do with it. A lot of you were worried about me being alone for my 'big' birthday, have no fear that the ol buildings kept me company and made me feel young.

Birthday - Since I was turning a somewhat big birthday by myself, I decided to treat myself with a facial and massage. There's nothing like having someone rub your face for an hour and then your whole body in the opulence of Roman spas to make you feel like turning 30 isn't so bad after all. That coupled with a new SLR camera, 4 bouquets of flowers, a bottle of hot sauce, and 10 cards that you all managed to get to me all amounted to me feeling like one girl shouldn't be so lucky. Thank you - if this is how my thirties are going to be, I can't wait!!!! I also spent my 30th evening at a Spanish dinner party (as the only non-native spanish speaker) followed by clearing out the dinner table to make a dance party, right in Campo di Fiori, ended with a sleepover with my spanish friend Lidia and waking up to making nutella pancakes. Thirty = So Good

Transport - People always complain about how bad the public transport is in Rome - unreliable, random strikes, doesn't run late at night, etc. I've found a very reliable form of private transport, with my own music choice - my feet. I've partly been intimidated by the public transport and partly not wanted to be smashed into a sweaty pickpocketing metro/bus, and partly just enjoyed being outside so I've basically walked everywhere since I got here. People often ask how I'm getting home and when I say walking, they look incredulous - again the largesse. But what all this walking has meant is 1) Total DOMINATION of the streets, mini cars and motorinos, I'm not scared of you, dog poop on the other hand.....2) I've gotten to know Rome really well and actually where things are in relation to other things. I lived in Boston a whole year before I realized how close certain T stops were to each other and realized it was ridiculous to be taking it certain places 3) I've gotten real good at the passegiato or Italian word for strolling....

Eating - A lot of you have asked me about the food, and yes as you know, it is amazing. But I'm also not on vacation here and I have to stop eating like I am or I seriously may balloon to 250. One friend asked me if I thought prosciutto would get old, ummm no. But I could see pasta getting old, so I'm trying to only have the very best. I eat most meals at home and I've decided that I'm going to conquer Italy one region at a time through cooking the quintessiential dishes of each area. This week - Rome - Bucatini alla Amatriciana. I had planned to feature pictures of each dish, but I got so excited about this first one that I ate it all before I remembered to snap a pic. My friend Giuseppe helped me prepare this one and insisted that he buy the pancetta and pecorino because he wasn't confident I would buy the right one. You'll have to just imagine the pancetta/tomato goodness that it was. Next on my list Minestra di Pasta e Lenticchi - Lentil and Pasta Soup. In the meantime, I cheated and made a dish from Tuscany, aka Olive Garden, see above.

Oh New Zealand, my heart is with you - devastating week with the earthquake in CHCH and I continue to struggle a bit with the adjustment and dreams of the beach and mountains. I couldn't sleep last night so I thought I would try counting sheep, and then THAT just reminded me of NZed again....I had planned to do a post before I moved here comparing NZ to Italy, and potentially that is still forthcoming. It's impossible to compare and yet impossible not to

Lost in Translation - learning Italian is proving more difficult than I wanted, mostly because I work in English all day and the only time I have to speak in Italian is in shops. I am taking a class, and I can understand it, but it still pains me to speak. And even in English there's a bit lost in the difference.....Example A, I decided to tell some Italian friends about my first experience with the Italian mail system since I had heard it was so bad, and I had had a positive experience this last week with Schultz arriving!!! Convo = Me: So I had my first Italian mail experience. Them: Oh no, were they really pushy? I will apologize in advance, I'm sorry I feel like every American has one of these. Me: Oh no it was really easy, and I was quite surprised......Fast forward to them thinking I was talking about my first Italian MALE experience....uh awkward and no. Oh please speed up my Italian speaking ability

Home/Life - In addition to settling into a new country and learning how household things work (aka no water pressure, no dryer (thank you again NZed for preparing me), lighting the stove with a lighter, etc.), this is also the first time I've lived alone and had to figure everything out myself AND be left alone to my own devices. Needless to say, I'm still getting used to it. Landlord is making it easier = complaint about the water pressure and he arranged to come with the plumber before I had to go to work and then gave me a ride to work (he's 80 for those of you that think he's trying to woo me). I have made friends with a homeless guy on my street by giving him my change three days a week = so it's beginning to feel like home. I went to Ikea this weekend for a few odds and ends that my flat was missing and I can confidently tell you that Ikea is the same in every country - very convenient on the one hand, and on the other full of crowds/exhausting/annoying, but you always leave with meatballs

Shopping - I had to leave a few things in NZed including a pair of black boots, so I've been struggling a bit with some outfits that demand them. I swear I've been in every boot store in Rome and have mastered how to ask for them and say my size in Italian and yet NOWHERE seems to have my size in a city that is obsessed with boots. I do love that Italians don't really wear heels because of the cobblestones, added bonus. I went to a big public market the other day to look at bikes, and came home with a pasta/meat/vegatable grinder/maker. I'm not actually sure it does any of those things - again why my shopping needs to wait till I speak better Italian

Living in Rome vs. Vacationing Here - A lot of you love to say to me, "oh you're just like Elizabeth Gilbert", and while I love you, I am not 40 or recovering from a divorce and I am not living here for a month to just parade around Italy. This is my real life (and yes at times it is hard to believe, but it still is). Which means, I have to get up and do laundry and pay bills adnd run errands just like you, and it means getting anything normal done takes me ages cause I don't speak the language and Rome frankly isn't set up for easy living if you're not on vacation. Your other favorite thing to say to me is, "Well at least you live in Italy". Yes, true and don't ever think I don't appreciate it, but life is not all pizza and gelato here. However, it is true that gelato makes everything better. Another thing about living here is that I will be trying to find the easiest route home after a night out, and think I found a shortcut and then get thwarted as I come upon a huge pile of stones - oh right the Forum, guess I have to go around those thousand year old rocks

In short - I love it - I'm getting fat eating so much and enjoying every moment - I'm exhausted, while it's easy to find beauty treatments, impossible to find a house/land phone and other basic items - Italian, I'm trying, but this is going to take more than I thought, But I will not be thwarted - Rome/Italy I will make you my home