Temple University Athletics
Phil Bartocci Blog: July 1
7.1.08 | Football
Junior Phil Bartocci (Scranton, Pa.) is studying abroad during the first summer session at Temple's campus in Rome. During his time in Italy, the wide receiver has shared his adventures (and photos) with Owl fans in a weekly blog. This is his final blog while in Rome. His last blog will appear next week upon his return home to Pennsylvania.
July 1, 2008
Ciao! As my time here dwindles down faster and faster, I am doing my best to do everything I can. It is almost sad to know that in less than a week, it is back to reality. I have been here for five weeks, and I feel like it has been a day. Ok, now here we go with this week's adventure. I ended up staying in Roma this weekend, so it was quite relaxing and a lot of fun. I absolutely love this city, and I was happy to explore it more and more on some free time.
School is pretty much intense now. The two finals that I have are on Thursday, and they are going to be pretty tough, especially my art history final which is worth 100% of my grade. So a little bit of stress has kicked in these last couple days, but I won't let it ruin any of my little time left here. School, in general, is a fun atmosphere. Summer classes are a lot more laid back than normal classes, and probably even more in study abroad classes. I have much to look forward to if I get an A on my Italian final, because if I do, my teacher said that she will let me drive her smart car. How cool would that be? See, I can't really drive a stick shift, but I have tried once with my friend Brittney Sue Hoffman from the lacrosse team. Let's just say it was an experience. However, I have made lots of friends here, and some of them have cars, and I was allowed to drive around just the other day. It was cool to be behind the wheel again (even if I was stalling out every now and then). I was driving what is called a panda. It is a little guy, but then again so is every other car in this country. So I was glad to say that I got to drive a car in the craziest city for driving. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time! (Even when I stalled!)
This past week I have tried to just take in some of the sights and appreciate where I am and where I have lived for the past five weeks. Rome is such a spectacular place, and I am going to miss it a ton. I get e-mails and messages from people telling me to make sure I enjoy every last moment, because even many years down the road, there isn't be a day that goes by that they don't think about that wonderful summer. The funny thing is that I am still here, and not a day goes by that I don't think about some part of my trip. I don't even want to imagine what it is like when I get home!
Since most people travel on the weekends, there are only a handful of people that stick around the Residence. On Friday a bunch of us hit up the beach. It was a very nice and relaxing day, and I only had to travel about 15 minutes. After the beach we decided to all pitch in some money, and I would cook for about 10 people. I felt a lot like my dad! As you guys know, my dad is a phenomenal cook, and he could always cook for large groups of people. I have to say, it is quite difficult preparing a meal for hungry people who haven't eaten all day. But I took on the challenge and had a great time with it. We had everything from chicken and this crazy vegetable salad to six bags and six jars of sauce and everyone's favorite appetizer here-- tomatoes and mozzarella. If I have learned one thing about food in this country, it is that the tomato is absolutely used on everything in the entire world. No matter where or what you order, the tomato is not far. I was excited to see that my friends all liked the dinner, and everyone was very appreciative. But I do have one thing to say: Watch out, dad! I think I may be catching up to you in the cooking game; however, I will agree on one thing that my dad and I have in common: I don't think we bake that well! My mom definitely has us beat there, and she is quite the cook herself. She is the cook who definitely cooks more for quality than quantity, and she's a great baker!
My weekend was a blast, and I got to check out more and more this awesome city. Last week when I was in Sorrento, I met some kids that go to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. These guys were awesome, and they made sure to let me know that they were coming to Rome this weekend. I was more than happy to be their tour guide and show them the hot spots around town. You see, these kids are a group of traveling actors that perform all around Europe. I don't know what could be cooler than that! My two main friends that I met were named Fergal Titley (he was from Dublin) and Scott Well; we just called him Scott from Scotland. They were just so happy to be in Rome, and we all had a great time.
At night I took them to an Irish pub where Fergal paid 6.50 euro for a pint of Guinness. He was very disappointed and made sure to let me know that the only real Guinness is brewed in Dublin and shipped out to only two or three countries. Everything else that the world gets is brewed in Morocco. So the rest of the world is getting jipped! Also much to my surprise, he told me that the famous beloved song "Danny Boy" (which I always thought was like a national anthem over there) was not liked or sung by any of the Irish people. What a surprise! I have been misled this whole time! He then explained that one reason is because they think that an American actually wrote the song, and so they dismiss it as being Irish.
So my time here is almost up, and I still have so much left to do. I still have to see the inside of the Colosseum, and I still have to see the Vatican museums. The pope is basically my next door neighbor, and I still haven't seen the inside of his place. I guess it was just one of those things that you put off, because it is so close and you figure that you will get around to it, but I just haven't yet. So we will see how well I can juggle the rest of my time.
Just some random facts and suggestions about Rome: Romans are very worried about what they look like, and I can honestly say that I have not seen one obese person in the past five weeks. I don't get it! These guys eat all carbs all the time, and they are all fitting in these tight clothes! It is a really cool site to see, but it is definitely mindboggling. But then one late night when we were all walking back to the Residence, it made perfect sense. There was a fruit truck with about 20 Italians eating there, and it was quite late at night. Then I put it all together; instead of going out having some drinks and then going to get McDonald's or Chinese like Americans do, these guys are eating fruit! Not a bad idea! Also, beware of the gypsies! YES, they are real, and they are everywhere! Borat would definitely not be happy with all of these gals and neither are the Italian people. You just have to try and ignore them whenever you see them with their babies. Finally, I have fallen in love while I was here...with the Donner Kebab! This Turkish greatness has been a pleasant surprise for me over here. In American we would call this a "gyro" which is that amazingly awesome leg of meat that they shave off and mix it together with vegetables and give it to you in a wrap. I highly suggest these amazing treats, and I hope I can find a good place when I get back to Philly.
Word of the week: Pomodoro - this word simply means tomato. I normally like tomatoes, but now I look forward to going home and experimenting with them. My favorite appetizer dish here that is served everywhere is pomodoro and mozzarella which is called calabrese. It is heavenly!
So thanks for listening everyone, and I hope you have enjoyed my blogs! I am sad to know that I am leaving soon, but I am excited to go home and see my family and all my friends. Then it is back to reality.
Ciao amici! (Goodbye friends!)
Filippo (a.k.a. Phil Bartocci)
