Tindering through Testaccio
Testaccio, Rome: September 25, 2014
Ciao amici!
So let me preface that I know when people hear the word “Tinder” (it probably is a legitimate universal word now according to Merriam Webster) it gives off somewhat of a questionable connotation. ‘Tindering’ has become synonymous with hooking-up or one night stands, despite its best marketing efforts to position itself in a more ‘positive’ light. I swear I am not trying to convince Tinder to hire me to run their PR campaign, BUT I would be pretty damn good at it. As an early adopter of the easiest dating app you’ll ever use, I had both good and bad experiences tindering. My very first Tinder date really opened up my eyes to the power of Photoshop and the date ended with a lost (insert your own interpretation here) iPhone. But even after a few missing phones, credit cards, etc, I would definitely argue that you could find love in that hopeless place. Fast-forward to Rome, Italy.
So in between bopping from apartment to apartment and neighborhood to neighborhood (don’t worry we have something locked down for ALL of October before finally securing a PERMANENT place come November) Ellie and I had some free time before starting classes and private lessons. Although if we did resort to renting a room in the House of God as my mother suggested, I would TOTALLY be down if it meant sharing it with this guy:
Literally, I could be hashtagged #blessed. I’ve got a lot of Sundays here, so it should only be a matter of time before me and big PAPA close talk.
Not to digress, let's get back to Tinder in Roma. For those of you who know me and my story telling abilities, I tend to (100% of time) get completely sidetracked, so bear with me if you are still reading this.
So when Ellie and I first got here, I thought in our attempts to house hunt, we should think of really creative and alternative methods to secure our dream apartment- as it became quite clear early on that Italian rental agencies, classifieds, CRAIGSLIST (especially) were not very reliable. At. All. And with our free time before classes began and free wireless we had available to us, Tinder seemed like the obvious place to easily match with locals and immediately harass them about where they lived, how they found their apartment, how much they paid in rent, and what amount was too much to pay in certain areas. Not to mention Tinder is SO fun- like who doesn’t want to ‘keep playing’ when they get a match? Side note, everyone on Tinder Italia wanted to practice English, which was PERFECT, because we needed to learn how to teach anyway! With the lack of ‘friends’ to text on a daily basis here in Italy AND the fact that I now have to re-learn how to use the T9 keyboard on a flip phone (#TBT FOR REAL), Tinder was a nice outlet to retreat to on my iPhone. Until of course, the majority of responses ended in inappropriate use of otherwise harmless emojis and ‘I live with my genitori’ (parents). Regardless, what is nice about Tinder in Italy is that you do not need to wait more than 1 minute for a (insert weird emoji here) or some response- Italians LOVE to chat! Your matches want get the convo started ASAP! And not just a creepy conversation or a why don’t we meet here, now, late night... but Italians I’ve matched with genuinely are SO friendly and did dole out advice and recommendations with nothing in return!
CUE COSTANTINO. So, last Monday I matched with a 26 year old named Constantino, who originally from Naples, is now studying law here in Roma (according to his Tinder blurb). His photos were cute enough and he seemed normal. I asked him where my friend and I could see live music, something Ellie is very passionate about- literally she has been to every music festival under the sun. The last concert I went to was a One Direction concert (thanks Kingsley!) with a group of tweens meant to be ‘chaperoned’ Constantino responded under 30 seconds that he was actually GOING to a concert that night and asked if we wanted to join, giving us directions to Testaccio, a part of Rome notorious for its late night discos and party scene. To be honest, I definitely thought the only ‘live’ show Ellie and I would be catching in Testaccio (and Italy in general) would be in a strobe light, fog filled, neon-glow-stick-attire-required night club.
AND SO THAT IS WHAT I DRESSED FOR!
We ended up in what appeared to be an abandoned parking lot. A dirt floored, barbed- wired space, with a few pop up bars and food stands constructed of cardboard and recycled materials. Performing was a band called the Gang of Four- a British punk rock band from Leeds, who Constantino referred to as ‘old punks’ with ‘new content’ – I decided easiest to wikipedia them myself. Constantino’s Neapolitan accent led me to believe for most of the night that we were listening to ‘Dumbledore’ or ‘Ganglefore.’ I was pretty disappointed when I finally realized we weren’t listening to a band named after my favorite Harry Potter character. Regardless, the whole evening and punk rock experience was TOTALLY worth the extra effort on our part to meet new people and find the happening, alternative spots for live music. And even though I would 100% prefer to catch Enrique Iglesias with guest Pitbull in concert next go around ,when in Rome literally, I am definitely stepping out of my comfort zones.
To sum things up since it is getting way past my bedtime- I totally give Tinder a thumbs up or a swipe right (pun intended) over here on this side of the Mediterranean.
hoping my Tinder dates end up like this couple outside my bedroom window- AUGURI! CONGRATS!
And like I said last time, I am going to try and update ya’ll as best I can via this blog with hopes that SOMEONE will read it! Also hoping it will help ME remember my time here.
BACI! (Kisses!)
