It was raining persistently for the last two or three days. It was cold too. People were saying that it would snow this weekend, but all of the local professors said that was unlikely.
My day started in the rain. I headed to campus this morning to take my first Italian exam. It went pretty well. As I finished, I started down the staircase and glanced out the window. There, I found my friend "Red Bull" Nick (he's always drinking a red bull when I see him and he never stops smiling). We just stood and stared. It was beautiful. Like I was seeing snow for the first time!
We could see the kids in the Jewish school across the way looking enthusiastically out the window as well. They looked so happy!
I went to my favorite pizza shop and got something to eat. The shopkeepers were hanging out the door with me and talking joyfully. He looked at me and said something in Italian about snow being beautiful, I think.
I ran back to my apartment as quickly as possible to grab my camera. Kids were playing in the streets. Adults were standing outside their shops, smiling, looking dumbfound.
As I looked down the street, I could see people sticking their hands out of windows and doors. It was like the whole town was mystified by it.
I got my camera and went into the Pantheon. Watching the snow fall gently through the oculus and into the center of the rotunda was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It felt as though the building I were in had complete control over nature. It beautified what was already beautiful.
I walked back to campus and took pictures (snow towards the end) along the way. It wasn't until an hour later that I realized I couldn't feel my feet, hands, nose, or ears. I was cold. I went home and changed. A new change of clothes inspired me to actually make it to my next class, the Roman Sketchbook.
We were meeting at a museum, I guess. Only five people made it. He said it wasn't worth it and that he would buy us all cappuccinos for making it to class. After the coffee, my friend Daniel and I went to the museum to draw anyway.
One statue was really spectacular, so we decided to draw it. At least, try.
I didn't do all that well. Unfortunately, before I could try again, the museum director came around and told us that we had to leave since they were closing early. Employees were worried about getting home. She felt bad so she gave me her cell phone number and said I could call her this weekend and get another entry ticket for free. It wasn't until I got home that I realized, "Holly shit! I have the cell phone number for a director of an Italian national museum!" That's pretty cool.
We went back through Piazza Navona on our way to the Pantheon. It was all so beautiful. At this point, it was also pretty funny. Romans have no clue what to do about snow. They all have umbrellas for some reason. Some are pushing the snow off their doorsteps with brooms. Everyone stops driving. This town is completely unprepared for snow.
The Roman government issued a state of alert and closed all schools, museums, and public attractions for the rest of the day and possibly extending into tomorrow. Our school cancelled classes after 14:30.
A snow day in Rome. I never would have guessed it.
