Feeling HOT, HOT, HOT!

I'm realizing one of the most important things I'm going to have to do this summer is learn to stay in the shade and drink more water than I've every drunk before. My mom will know what kind of statement that is...let's just say I tend to be a "heavy drinker" of the clear stuff anyway. Though the temperature is quote "not that bad", it has been close to 30 degrees celcius on average (that's about 85) and humid like you wouldn't believe. I am (excuse me, this is kind of gross) sweating like crazy all the time, except when I go to bed at night. Thankfully a good breeze comes through my window every evening and I also recently was given a fan by the owner of the apartment in which I'm living. It helps a lot.

As many of you have been wondering about it, I thought I would take this opportunity to give you a quick tour of my apartment. Like most indoor spaces its a bit difficult to photograph, but in general the size feels quite generous, even with (eventually) 9 people living there.





















The living/dining area is featured in this series of photos. You enter the front door and walk down a small hallway into the main living/dining area (you can see the entry hall sort of in the middle of the 4th picture) . We have 2 small futon couches, a small tv and stand (which I can't figure out how to operate), a large dining table with adjacent shelf for dishes and other kitchen wares, 2 small refridgerators and a full kitchen. The ceilings are about 15 feet high (maybe higher) and the entire floor is covered with a red tile. It all feels very Mediterranean.

My bedroom is small but comfortable, with 2 single beds and a loft with a 3rd bed, a sort of closet with some shelves for storage, a small desk and an adjacent bathroom complete with the smallest shower I have ever used (yes, it is smaller than the one I used in the Yellow Hostle). The shower is also kind of funky in that you enter on the corner and there are 2 small doors that meet and seal with a magnetic strip and rubber seal. I am discovering that in Rome, in general a lot of stuff can be crammed into a very small space when needed. The landlord has been asked to remove the ladder up to the loft while Carin and I are in the bedroom so we can push the two single beds together...with the ladder the configuration is impossible. If he doesn't come and do it I may have to do a little remodelling myself ;-).

The other 2 bedrooms in the apartment have 4 beds each and each room has access to their own bathroom. None of us spend much time in the apartment except to sleep, both at the end of the day and in the early afternoon for "siesta". Here, Italians work from 9am-1pm, then take about 3 hours off for siesta, then work again from 4pm-7pm. Its a good system, especially in this weather. An afternoon nap does wonder to recharge you for another several hours of hoofing around in the hot sun.

Yesterday we did a tour of the Jewish Ghetto of Rome, and today I did my first guided walking tour of the city. I'll write more about that tomorrow as I'm writing this during my siesta time and I sure could use a little breather. We're doing more walking around this afternoon, visiting the 3rd of 3 potential sites for our studio project, a "Museum of Memory". I'm learning more and more every day about what will be expected for the project and I'll tell you all more about it when I have a very clear understanding of what we plan to accomplish.

I'll see you tomorrow!