Waking up seemed to be a difficult task thanks to jet lag, but the excitement for what lied ahead helped me get through the sleepiness. Earlier this morning, I made sure to eat a filled croissant and drink a few shots of espresso to prepare for the day’s adventures.
First, our day began with a bit more cardio than any of us were expecting. Matteo decided that to get to our first destination, we would take the “shortcut.” Well, the “shortcut” included a series of giant staircases a few blocks from our hotel. Many of us (including me) were not quite wearing the correct foot attire to walk up the stairs comfortably. By the time I reached the very top of the last staircase, I not only realized how out of shape I was, but how much my feet were going to hurt the rest of the day. It’s okay though, I (kind of) forgive Matteo for this mistake.
Once attending our first media visit (a lecture at the American University of Rome), I was pretty impressed with what Andrea Bini had to say about Italian media and how it compared/contrasted to American media. I realized how sexualized women are in Italian media and how America wouldn’t be able to get away with sexualizing women to that extent, as much as it still happens back home.
After our lecture was over, we got to tour the Colosseum and the Forum, both beautiful and full of rich history. This was my favorite part of the day, as I was overwhelmed with the beauty and detail of the Roman architecture that I was surrounded by. Both of these places have captured my heart, and I already can’t wait to one day go back and admire their beauty and history even more.
