On to the Next

The end of November marked the first week of Advent. The change in liturgical season welcomed the spirit of preparation, as the streets of Rome were lined with delicate lights, big festive trees were put up in the city center, and the evenings were met with the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers and seasonal tourists.

In accordance with the essence of the changing moment, I took residence in a new apartment. My three month lease at the petite apartment of Via di Santa Maria Maggiore was up the first week of December. The invitation arose, thanks to cousin Mario, to move in to an apartment owned by a cousin (on Mario's maternal side, not the Calabrese side) from Cersosimo, the mother land of my family. A few weeks back, I made a visit with my cousin Vincenzo to see the apartment and meet Mario's aunt, uncle, and cousins. Though I wasn't initially planning to move, this new invitation seemed to have all the right marks.

*Perhaps at this point I should illustrate a diagram of my family tree, or maybe one of the population of Cersosimo, which for the sake of ease I will claim as entirely family.

So here I am, now, in a lovely apartment in the zone of another great basilica, the Cathedral of Rome, San Giovanni in Laterano. This zone is a perfect balance of residential and commercial. Unlike the previous zone, which was very touristy, this area prefers locals. To my convenience, I am near to the San Giovanni metro stop (of Line A, the main one I use) and to a multitude of bus options for my route to school and other parts of town. Additionally, I am a short walk away from the tram that takes me to the residence of one of the private lessons I give.
My street is calm and well-secure since it is off one of the main streets. Our building is set back a bit, behind the front building of the complex. Since we are on the sixth floor, the window views are rather lovely. The surrounding buildings present an array of colors, which are complemented by the blue skyline that greets the straight lines of the edifice tops.

There are many benefits to the change, which include a significant drop in rent cost and the opportunity to acquaint myself with a new zone of localities to stumble upon in my new routes. And as the most significant feature of the move, I am now living with two other women, one a "cousin" (Mario's cousin on his mom's side) originally from Cersosimo, and the other a student from the same southern region, Basilicata. Speaking Italian at home is advantageous, of course, for my language acquisition. Though I enjoyed living alone, I consider this change to be multifold in its benefit. It feels like living with family, as we are very comfortable with one another. It is especially comforting to talk about Cersosimo and laugh about the dialectal words, which are familiar to me from home and are native to Mariana. She and her brother Saverio (another relative to add to the list) had a good laugh when we reviewed the various terms with which I was familiar. They were quite surprised to hear the old language of Cersosimo coming from Los Angeles.
Saverio and I have agreed to a language exchange, Italian for English. Saverio is in his thirties, and his study of English is limited to his high school years. I will leave it at that. On occasion, while gathered around the dinner table, we have a "lesson." It may be more fitting to call it a comedy session, as it usually results in laughter.
Anyway, it all makes for a healthy living space.

My room here is very spacious, about the same size as the entire apartment of SMM. I have a wide bed to myself, lots of natural light from the tall window, sufficient storage space, a bookshelf with plenty of availability, and open space for proper airflow, something that was lacking in my previous residence.

As for transportation, I am now two metro stops closer to where I teach. This allows me also the option of walking, necessary during the frequent occasion when the transportation company is on strike.
What was a ten minute walk to arrive at the Angelicum is now a twenty-five minute bus ride. Though the convenience of the prior path was nice, I am enjoying seeing the city a bit before beginning my day at school. And, as long as I manage to get up in time for an early arrival at the university, in time for morning Mass, I am able to beat the morning hour bus traffic. Otherwise, it can make for an anxious start to the day. One would think three doors on a bus would allow for smooth exiting from the vehicle. In reality, however, when people are packed like sardines within the narrow channel of the bus interior, getting off is quite the endeavor. Morning dialogue with the fellow bus-rider is typically limited and goes a bit like this:

"Scende?" ("Are you (formal) getting down?").
And the next person replies either, "Sì," which implies, "get out of the way."
Or one replies, "No, la prossima," which means, "No, the next one." In other words, "be prepared to move soon."

So it goes, September 8: the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, marked my departure for Rome. And December 8: the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, designated my beginning anew in this home. Anointed occasions, as I see them.