I have arrived!!!

I'm in Rome! It is so amazing and beautiful here and I just don't know where to start.

My flights were completely uneventful, but I have to say Heathrow has a really weird set up. When the plane landed we were let off onto a bus which took us to the terminal. I don't know if Terminal 5 is still a work in progress but it was really weird. My flight to Rome was only 2-3 hours and I slept through most of it because I didn't really sleep on my long-ass flight from Seattle to Heathrow. In comparison to Heathrow the airport in Rome seemed kinda ghetto. Heathrow had a bazillion fancy shops and everything looked brand new and shiny. Fiumincino was kinda dingy and worn down by comparison.
All my fears about my debit card not working were unfounded. I was able to get money for my taxi fare and hostel pretty easily although I do seem to have a 200 EU limit on how much I can take out. The drive in was crazy.... everything they say about Italian drivers is true. That guy drove fast!!!
I was completely lost the entire drive in and was a little nervous when he pulled up to a deserted street. But I found the door to my hostel, they rung me in and all was well. I was so exhausted when I arrived that I thought about going straight to bed (it was about 7pm) but decided I needed to eat something first. The nice desk lady gave me directions to a closeby food place where I got a pizza like thing on foccaccia with prosciutto and cheese. It was basic but good and even though I tried to order in my extremely limited Italian, the girl behind the counter answered in English and saved me from embarrasing myself. I really hope I pick it up quickly because there is so much going on around me and I want to follow it all.
I came back to the hostel and crashed pretty quickly after that. I have two Spanish girls in the room with me who seem to understand English but aren't too talkative. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was so dark in my room I was afraid that if I got up I wouldn't be able to find the door. So I just laid there and eventually fell back asleep.
Breakfast was basic but with good, strong coffee. The women at the hostel (it's women only and in a 17th century convent) seem to be half Italian and half from elsewhere. I have to admit it was nice to hear some English. It made me feel a little less isolated.
I have no real plan for the day today (my birthday) except to wander around and try not to get too lost. Tonight I will go out for dinner with my professors. Hopefully I'll finally experience some quintessiential Italian food.
I've been taking pictures but I don't think I'll post them until I move into my apartment on Monday... until then!