Homeless

THIS WAS WRITTEN LAST FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st

Four nights in Rome, and I am still writing this on a bed that I can not call my own. Though warm and comfortable as I sleep, the fact that it is surrounded by another seven beds in the hostel room has never really allowed me to settle in. My plan was for this to be the last night, but being that my search continues, I booked another instead.

I am far from grieving though. Yes, hostels are less secure and more expensive than a good rent, but the hostel where I am, the Alessandro Downtown is a fine residence. The rooms and bathrooms are clean, and while the free breakfasts and dinners are less than gourmet, they fill the stomachs. What I will miss most is the good social atmosphere. In my short stay, I have made numerous friends, including a young Spanish couple, a university group consisting of an American, a Brit, an Irish and a Scot, some Canadians, a German, a few other Americans, and the Italian and Czech receptionists. Though I have been invited out with them, I regrettably have been unable to do so. Excessive walking throughout the city combined with a slowly fading jet-lag has me consistently crashing before midnight.

I have determined that homelessness can be exhausting, especially when you are attempting to look for a home in location that is foreign linguistically, culturally and physically. For its first few days, my home search in the large city was without success. In fact, it took me until yesterday just to figure out how to search for a rented room in Rome. After searching some websites, I simply began to walk down the street looking for postings, and as I passed a newsstand, my brain finally triggered a promising thought. A minute later, I clutched a large paper with listings for hundreds of rentals, which conveniently sorted out categorically by price and location. Though it was published in Italian, I was able to pick up on all the necessary words. Therefore, I now know the words for bathroom, kitchen, rent… etc.

I have been fortunate enough to have the resources to do it. Without my internship at the embassy, I would have been without a computer, phone or Italian translator. However, attaining this position was quite the process. Arriving Tuesday afternoon in the rain, the embassy’s logistics manager and chauffeur drove me immediately and unexpectedly to the USUN mission. I was then introduced to everyone during a staff meeting, including Ambassador Vasquez, donned in nothing more than sweaty pants and a tee-shirt. Aware of my fatigue, my supervisor told me to go to the hostel and that we would venture to the main embassy the next morning. Unfortunately, I still had to wait a few more hours for the chauffeur, who was out driving others around. Sure enough, I spent the next day at the other embassy, finishing up necessary security processes. At the mission, it also got me my own wrap-around desk, complete with a phone and computer. Without these necessities, I never will be able to find a room.

Sifting through the hundreds of listings in the paper, I gathered my list of potential living arrangements. I attempted to make a few phone calls, but quickly realized that I required help. Two Italian speakers at the mission were kind enough to help, pointing out translations I overlooked (“for girls only”) and calling up potential buyers. Originally, I was looking for my own little place, a monolocale, but no one wanted a renter for only three months. There was typically a one-year minimum contact. I visited one, and it was cluttered with junk and lacked a bed. I was assured that it would all be cleaned up. “When?” I asked legitimately. “Only a few weeks.” “Arrivederci!”

After this experience, I just started looking for room rentals. I have already looked at two of these, and they were quite nice. Both reasonably priced, both with older women, both providing with my own room and bathroom and use of kitchen. The main difference between them is that one was quite a ways out of town while the other is a few blocks north of the Vatican. Tomorrow I look at two more, one at a B&B and another near the Pantheon. If the latter is adequate, it would be a great find, since it is in the very center of the city. Though I should not get ahead of myself, I am quite excited about that one and hope I will be living in it Sunday.

Despite how sore my feet have become from all of this running around, I have still made time every evening to go for an extensive walk. Rome is huge, but certainly walkable. I get lost frequently and end up in the most amazing locations, some widely known and other not. My walks have taken me to the Coliseum, St. Peter’s Square, the Monument of Vittorio Emmanuel II as well as numerous adorned basilicas and small cobblestone roads that remain free of crowds. Even though going to look at rooms in different neighborhoods has been draining, I must admit that it has given me an understanding and appreciation for the layout of Rome and its transportation systems. This will surely benefit me as I continue to explore this enchanting metropolis.

Well, it is now very late, and I am quite exhausted. This is as late as I been up so far this week; maybe I have overcome my jet-lag after all. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Let’s hope that something turns up! God Bless!