When in Rome... Do as the Americans Would Do?

I was in Rome this past weekend and was excited to get some shopping done. Little did I know, it was the perfect medicine I needed for my homesickness. Where I live, there are no tourists let alone anyone I can converse with in English. I don't enjoy being in cities flooded with tourists but I also found comfort in Rome in blending in with the crowds rather than sticking out like a sore thumb. Rome gave me the perfect mix. I was still in beautiful Italy but amongst Americans and Italians. I would have preferred a little less of the tour groups taking over the streets but it felt nice to be lost in the crowd and doing my own thing without anyone staring or pondering in curiosity. I was able to converse with the people in the stores, bars and restaurants in Italian but I was also able to help any tourists who were lost in English. I finally felt like I was back in my comfort zone.

I believe that I am truly settling into my new hometown and do feel more comfortable and know more people and are a little more confident with speaking Italian, but Rome was such a different dynamic. A dynamic that I was more use to and it meshed with my life in L.A. We even went to Hard Rock Cafe to eat and that made me feel even more at home. It was filled with practically all American tourists, menus in English with descriptions in Italian, waiters speaking both languages, and All-American food. It made me realize how much I have settled in Italy and that I have truly made it my home and also the things that I miss back in the States. I felt like I got the best of both worlds.

I am happy to say that I am grateful for my life. That I adore both places and have come to realize what is most important to me and what I need to truly appreciate in life. I have realized that it isn't wrong for me to not want to fully blend in with the Italians because I should be proud that I have come from a different background. I value the fact that I have three different cultures that I can pass down to my kids. So, I'm sure a lot of you are thinking why would I be eating at Hard Rock Cafe when I am in Rome when I can be eating yummy, delicious Italian food, but I have the fortune of getting it everyday and was missing some good all-American food. =) So I did as the Americans would do, not the Romans...

How ironic, many go to Rome to see the monuments and museums, I went there and found my piece of America I needed.... =)