Recap Part 2: Gianni and the Round Table

what can i say--everyone loves gianni. and when i say everyone i mean, EVERYONE. normally i don't do the groupie thing but gianni puts the icing on my BFF crush cake. gianni is the student activities coordinator at temple rome. good god he's HILARIOUS! he's absolutely amazingly wonderful and he's madly in love with my name (sade is one of his long time favorite singers) and every time he sees me he sings "your love is king..." holds my hand and twirls me around. but he's no fool. he's naturally funny but very aware that he has the fatal attraction of a friend magnet. so say things to him like "gianni where do you live?" or "gianni where do you hang out?" or "gianni where have you been?" he laughs and goes, "okay." and dodges all of those questions like neo would a bullet.
it's only natural that someone like that would have a seriously amazing range of wonderful italian friends. he organized a "round table" where dozens of his italian friends came to speak and practice their english with us as we asked them questions about italian culture and they asked us things about american culture. this was---two and half weeks ago? but the effects were lasting. it's amazing the things they were curious about like how sex sells so crazily, and why people are in such a hurry to leave their families. in italy, people stay with their parents well into their 30s which is like, blasphemeous in america. and PDA is SO CRAZY over here. it's...otherwordly, romantic but borderline psycho. making out in the park? no. but something looking dangerously like sex on a bench outside by the steps of the villa borghese? yes. very much so. we complained about it and they go "it's beautiful!" i guess it is. the italians have a romance that we just...lack?

and every girl had her eyes on one particular group of outspoken italians (who sat right behind me and my friends!!!!) who were definitely hot and so well dressed it made my mouth drop open. i mean really, italian men don't walk they STRUT. they strut their stuff in tailored pants, snake skin shoes, armani coats, silk gucci scarves, and 100% leather briefcases. not a single hair out of place and shades dark enough that they can see you even if you can't really see that they're watching. honestly, it's impressive

granted, they're not ALL like that. in fact, for an italian man, gianni is rather underdressed compared to the Golden Three that sat behind me. i think it was a monday that this was happening. one question asked was what was our best/ worst experience in rome so far. i had to answer that one (since san lorenzo happened that past thursday) and to my delight gianni launched into a bright eyed explaination about how much he loved my name (brownie points!) which automatically made me the center of attention among the Golden Three. And even MORE so when i talked about what happened to me in san lorenzo. interestingly enough, as if to contrast the worst, that weekend ended up finishing up as one of the best. every italian that i met afterwards were so amazingly kind and so much fun to be around. it made my spirits soar! but the italians there (particularly the Golden Three) were appalled by what i told them. "where were you?!" they asked "what did they say to you?" "how did they act towards you?!" when i told them san lorenzo one of the Golden Three snarled, "they're fools over there. don't go there they're poor and stupid!" i was touched, lol, the general consensus was that i got very unlucky in that altercation indeed.

but i had to made gianni translate to emphasis that i didn't let it affect my opinion of the people as a whole. that made them relax a bit but everyone was generally at a severe unrest. especially gianni being that he suggested that we go there in the first place. OMG, he felt SO bad that i almost wish i never said anything in the first place. but the rest of the discussion went on smoothly and everyone laughed their way to the common area for some mingling. wondering who the Golden Three are? well i'm getting to that. one of them (and the hottest one with stunning eyes and gorgeous lips) was immediately swarmed by girls. like i said earlier i don't do the groupie thing so i avoided him until much later. i loved how he had this wide-eyed innocence about him---you could tell he was oblivious to the effects of his looks. ANYWHO---the first person of the Golden Three that i met was alfredo.

alfredo is a personal trainer who was fluent in english and the one who was especially upset over my san lorenzo story. he his also an event planner in rome who works with all sorts of people with different backgrounds and he couldn't wrap his mind around such ignorance. he called me beautiful (yes, i love him---i really do) and insisted that i didn't let that incident effect me. i assured him it wouldn't. soon after i was entranced by the second of the Golden Three. He was 5' 6" maybe (next to alfredo's 5'10") and was very quiet. he was tastefully dressed in pressed grey pants, black alligator shoes, black and grey mid-length pea coat, black scarf, lightly styled hair, and an impossibly stylish dagger earring. that's the only reason that i remembered so clearly what he wore---it was impossible stylish. most boys in america look like they just rolled out of bed! what the heck was this?! his named was mario and he was a PERSONAL SHOPPER!!!! O_O every girl's dream BFF! his english was very limited but he tried really hard and when he didn't understand or couldn't explain himself as well as he wanted to alfredo translated. he was so little brother adorable. we exchanged names to find each other on facebook.

when they stepped outside to smoke, most people cleared out to take the metro home. me? stuck around. and good thing too, the last of the Golden Three was FINALLY alone. he was amazing to watch from a distance. his face was VERY expressive, his smile was killer and he was just as styling as mario (and alfredo for that matter). how we started talking? too cute: he motioned over to the last of the cake and said, "you want?" when i said no he ran over and shoved the whole slice in his mouth. i started cracking up while he rushed to swallow and said "ho fame!" which is italian for "i'm hungry!" very amazing! he introduced himself as nicola. he just moved to rome three weeks ago at that time (just like me and my friends!). he went to theater school and was an aspiring actor! THAT explained why he was so good looking and had such an expressive face. my god---SO theatric, i loved it. he worked part time as a bartender and was 21. he was very interesting in knowing where i was from, ethnically and showed he was brains as well as beauty with an extensive mental map of africa in his head when i told him i was half nigerian. loved him , honestly.

he didn't realize that i already met the other members of the Golden Three so he had a fit trying to introduce me to alfredo and mario when i already knew them. it was the cutest thing because when he would go to introduce us and i would explain that i already met them he would go, "oh! okay, well i bet you haven't met..." and proceeded to introduce me to all his friends. so as of now i'm friends with alfredo, mario, and nicola on facebook. they're all so wonderful. i hope to meet with them again someday! i'll definitely see nicola and alfredo (michi has already ran into nicola on the metro!!!!) but mario lives in venice so.....

Recap part 2: OVER!!!!