When in Rome!

Wow! That's a really good word to start with when I think about my experience in Rome. I was there for 7 days over the New Year's holiday and it was beautiful. I have been to Rome before, but only for 1 day. This time I really got to take in not just the monumental sites, but the people of Rome, too. I couldn't remember if Italians were friendly people or not, but it didn't take very long for me to find out. They are very open and expressive. They lock arms when they "stroll" down the street, they look you deep in the eyes when they talk to you, and they greatly appreciate it when you try to speak their language. I had sort of a "guide" in Rome for the first 3 days. My friend Joseph Mamente. He's from Bare, Italy, which is about 4 hours SE by train from Rome, and he plays soccer, I think probably minor league if there is such a thing. But he didn't speak any English so we had to each buy English to Italian translation books. It really helped me speak better Italian, quickly. It was a wonderful thing to have a non-English speaking person to describe what you are seeing and to give you historical information. I wasn't sure how I would respond to plopping myself, pretty-much alone, in a country where I could at best peck out the language. But I did great and I learned a lot about myself in the process. I recommend everyone should travel out of their comfort zone, both mentally and physically, at least once in their life.