Just Hanging Around

Sitting in Trastevere

When I arrived in Piazza del Maria in Trastevere with my two roomies I decided I should drift a little to find a place that I felt comfortable sitting in for two hours. On our cab ride to the Piazza we passed the river so I decided I would go to the river to sit. Little did I know, the river was a good 25 minute walk from where I was, and being in heels made it seem like a whole 50 minutes.

I found a place that seemed nice. The spot was along the river, I was in between the serenity of the river and the noisiness of cars and scooters driving along the road.

7:00 pm
I’m sitting here on a ledge along the Tevere. On one side of the ledge it is quiet but on the other it is noisy. I see a man by the river that is just sitting on a ledge with his feet hanging off. He is the only person I can see for miles. He seems to be relaxing just watching the river and taking in the fresh air. A few minutes later he gets up and leaves. Now, it is just me, the cars and the river. There aren’t many people around here which makes me kind of the nervous. The restaurant I see in front of me is closed and everything else looks like a residential area. There are empty tours buses parked along the road. I wonder if this is where they come at the end of the night when their work day is over? This makes me even more nervous. I’m not sure I will be able to sit here for an entire 2 hours.


7:20 pm
There is a man coming my way. He looks a little sketchy. He is the only person who I have seen in 20 minutes which worries me a little. Who is he? Why is he here? I’m trying to be subtle by observing my surroundings as if I am studying the trees, the architecture and the river to get a closer look at him. Is he a gypsy man? I can’t tell. Without a doubt, I hear, “Ciao Bella, Buena Sera.” I pretend I don’t hear anything and make no eye contact like I was told. I start taking pictures of the buildings in front of me to look occupied. I’m beginning to wonder this spot was such a great idea.

7:30 pm
Another bus just pulled up. Now I’m really starting to think that this road is intended for buses to park along and as time passes I’m doubting that I will see more people walk by. It feels a little strange being alone. For the first time in weeks I am really alone, like completely by myself. I’ve gotten so used to traveling in a pack that I forgot what it feels like to be completely alone. The one thing I miss about being alone is being on my own schedule. For the past three weeks, me and my roommates have had to pace our days according to “our” schedules. Since we live off campus, we go to classes together, go home together, eat together, go food shopping together and do pretty much everything together. This feels weird for me sometimes because these are things I usually do on my own.

7:40 pm
Not much has been happening aside from the cars and scooters driving frantically as they always do here in Rome. Sitting here alone has made me this of home and how at this moment it feels twice as far away. I am no longer home sick but and missing everyone at home. 8:00 pm
It’s really hard for me to just sit back and relax now because things at home aren’t so great. Part of me feels like I should be home with my family but the other part knows there is nothing I could do. Being here at this moment makes home feel twice as far away. I’m worried about what will happen to my little cousin. He is so little and helpless. I’m scared to think about how he must be feeling not knowing what is happening to him. He is the closest thing I have to a sibling since I have always been an only child. It breaks my heart thinking that something this terrible is happening to him. I can’t really enjoy my time anymore because part of me feels guilty having fun while he is so helpless. My parents say I should stay positive for his sake and I’m trying.

8:30 pm
There have been a total of 5 people to walk by here in the past hour and a half. There was the sketchy man, a couple and two women who looked like mother and daughter. It’s getting kind of dark and I’m getting a little more uneasy about sitting here. I think I’m going to drift some more to find myself a taxi stand.
Buses

View of the Street

2 out of the 5 people I saw