Archives: March 2008
Mon Mar 31, 2008
Easter and Spring Break
The Italian “Buona Pasqua” Easter events were quit memorable despite the very cold and rainy weather. I was glad to avoid the rain in Rome, and the crowds of people in the Vatican and stay in Ariccia to attend an Easter Mass at the domed circular church of the Assunta, by Bernini, across the street from the Palazzo Chigi were we go to class. The service was beautiful, and the few things I could understand from the priest’s message were truly inspiring. Then Monday afternoon it was off to the airport to travel for a sunny and warm spring break in Malaga Spain with my boyfriend and travel buddy, Alex Mitchell.
In Malaga I stayed in the most amazing hostel, The Melting Pot Backpackers Hostel, and was treated like family for my entire stay. Malaga is an exciting and beautiful city rich in culture and history. During our visit we went to the Alcazaba and the Roman theatre, the Gibralfaro Castle, and the Museo Picasso Malaga which is home of over one hundred of Picasso’s most famous works (Malaga is also the birthplace of the great artist). We also enjoyed the abundance of incredible Topas bars that Spain is famous for.
From Malaga, we took a sight seeing adventure through the coastal towns of southern Spain and Andalucía until we arrived in Tarifa, where we jumped on a fast ferry to Tanger, Morocco. This is where the most excitement begins! Visiting Morocco has been the biggest adventure of my life, and something I will always remember. From Tanger, we took the Marrakech Express and arrived in the “Red City” near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Marrakech has a beautiful old city “the medina” that contains the city square “Djemaa el Fna” where the famous souks are located.
It was incredible to see so much and to feel so far from home. Morocco is wild and eye opening. It is filled with many things to ponder on and to learn about. Being a Human Development and Family Studies major, I couldn’t help but to see the differences in the role of the family and in the roles of men and women in this culture. I felt an appreciation for the beauty of the Arab world, and curiosity for the things I cannot understand as a westerner.
Here is a picture of a man whom I bought Moroccan slippers from in the souk market. He is a Moroccan Berber and his family is from the mountains. I learned here that part of the experience of agreeing on a price for the shoes is to sip on a complimentary cup of mint tea. What a great way to make a purchase, huh?
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Wed Mar 19, 2008
Oh! Were half way there :(... Oh Livin on a Prayer!
This past weekend was our halfway point here in Italy. It is amazing how fast the time has flown, but at the same time I believe we have accomplished so much since we first arrived in Ariccia. We have all become world travelers, and we still have over a month left to travel!
This past weekend many of us traveled to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. It was a short trip, but well worth the effort. Saturday was spent exploring Dublin. Although it rained all day, we made the most of the time and the weather we were given. We went to the Guinness Factory and learned about how they make their beer…we felt like we HAD to taste some (it was delicious!). Since it was St. Patrick’s Day, bands were playing all over Dublin. It was fun to sit, drink a Guinness, and listen to the Irish band play. Later in the evening, we joined others at an Irish pub and celebrated being in Ireland by drinking black and tan’s. It was definitely a fun night!
Lauren, Amy and I are touring the Guinness Factory.
This week many of our families are here visiting. It is exciting to meet everyone’s families, boyfriends and girlfriends. Yesterday we visited Frascati to see the beautiful villas. We were able to go inside the Villa Aldobrandini with Prof. Francesco Petrucci. Today we visited the “Bernini” primary school in Ariccia. All of the children were so excited to see and meet us. Some classes even prepared poems to read for us in Italian and English. I enjoyed visiting an Italian elementary school and singing songs with all the adorable children.
My boyfriend Philip and me in front of the Villa Aldobrandini.
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Mon Mar 17, 2008
Wait, I thought they spoke English in Ireland...
Being abroad for a month, I have become accustomed to listening to languages I can’t understand. Whether on the metro or sitting at a restaurant, I have gotten used to draining out conversations around me because I have no clue what is being said. I have been around Italian, Hungarian, and Spanish speaking people for the last month and I have been ecstatic about my trip to Ireland this past weekend. While I had been looking forward to the St. Patty’s Day celebrations, fish & chips, and well, BEAUTIFUL Ireland, I was mostly anxious to hear English!
When I arrived, I continued to answer questions with “si” and say “grazie” rather then “thank you.” When it finally hit me that I can speak English, I found myself talking to the Irish very slowly, as if they couldn’t understand me. But then I realized that I needed them to talk slowly to me because they talk so fast! It was so odd to finally be hearing my own language and still be in complete confusion as to what they are saying!
Jenny, Lauren, and I with our free pints at the Guinness Factory
Dublin at sunset
While Ireland was amazing, it feels so great to get on a plane back home…when home is Italy! I can’t help but smile when I can say “grazie” when going through customs, it truly feels like home. Mi amo Italia!
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Thu Mar 13, 2008
The Holy See
Città del Vaticano
Yesterday, we went on a field trip to Vatican City where we visited the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the first time I have been to these places so I had quite an amazing experience. It is so different actually seeing in person the art you’ve always seen in books. Nothing can compare to the feeling of awe you get when you are standing in the presence of such masterpieces as are housed in this tiny state. It is remarkable to think that at one point a statue was just a chunk of stone and a painting was just blank canvas or wall. Then one day, along comes an artist such as Michelangelo or Raphael who completely transforms that stone, wall, or canvas into something so full of life and emotion.
Interior of St. Peter's Basillica
First of all, we went to the Vatican Museum where we saw many statues, tapestries, paintings and frescos. Then we went through the Stanza of Raphael, the four rooms with frescos by Raphael. Next, we went to the Sistine Chapel where we admired the beautiful ceiling and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel was completely different than what I had imagined it would be, and seeing it in person helped me gain a greater appreciation for it. Finally, we went inside St. Peter’s Basilica. The interior was so beautiful with all of the colorful marbles and gold. My favorite things in St. Peter’s were the Pieta, the Thrown of Peter, and Alexander VII’s tomb. I feel like I learned a lot on the field trip, and I am so glad I got to see some of my favorite artist's work.
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Sun Mar 09, 2008
Under the Tuscan Sun
Delightful, peaceful, charming, and heavenly are a few words that would describe how I felt during my last weekend getaway. A few girls and I decided that we wanted to end our first month in Italy doing something different. We wanted to have a "stress free" weekend as much as we possibly could. We did not want to have to worry about transportation, finding cheap meals, where to stay, or even what we would do for entertainment. Could this even be possible? Almost sounds like it could be too good to be true. A weekend where all we had to do was blink and everything would be taken care of for us? Surely not, most would think, but our hopes soon turned into a reality and we were off to a little town in Tuscany called, Vicchio.
"Le Due Volpi" is the Bed and Breakfast that we went to, and Heidi and Lorenzo were the happy couple who owned this enchanting place. They greeted us at the train station with open arms and took us on our merry way. I knew immediately from the moment I stepped inside that it felt like a home away from home. The fire was blazing and dinner was hot on the table. All of us were in amazement and even one of the girls traveling with me said "I think I could cry I am so happy right now!" The next couple of days were filled with cooking classes (I made Tiramisu!!), a visit to the local library, playing scrabble, going to a flea market, trying truffles for the first time, a lesson on all different kinds of wines, going for a hike, and picking lettuce from there garden! We also got to experience two baby earthquakes!
Lorenzo and Heidi truly made us feel like we weren't study abroad students for a moment and made us feel a part of their family. With my major being Human Development and Family Studies I am always comparing and contrasting family life in Italy to ours in America. Getting to actually live with an Italian couple was such a great hands-on learning experience. This adventure has definately been one of the highlights from my trip so far. I feel so lucky to have had this refreshing weekend and am already thinking about when I will make my next trip out to see my new friends at "Le Due Volpi"!
Alex and I are making Tiramisu!
This is a picture of our wonderful hosts, Heidi and Lorenzo, and all my wonderful traveling buddies!
More...
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Tue Mar 04, 2008
Go Roma!
It is unbelievable to me that we have been here for almost a month! The experiences I’ve had here have been amazing. Learning about the culture and going to different sites have just been unreal. I have grown to love our little town of Ariccia. The people have been so friendly. The restaurant employees have mastered communicating with us and our small amount of Italian. Surprisingly, many of the locals know English. One of our favorite places to eat is the porchetta stand, where we have been so many times, the owner knows us by name. Porchetta is the specialty here in Ariccia. It is a pork dish where the pork is smoked and filled with delicious herbs, like rosemary. It is usually served on a sandwich. Here is a picture of John, Austin, and I enjoying one of the delicious porchetta sandwiches!
This past weekend I got to go to a Roma soccer game! It was so exciting! Almost as much as an Auburn football game. Austin, Ty, and I went to the game and immediately knew we needed some Roma flare. So we all bought scarves. Everyone going into the game had them on, and we soon found out why. Before the game began, a Roma song played over the speakers, and all the fans held up their scarves towards the field. It was awesome. Roma ended up winning 3 – 0. They are currently ranked number two, so it was great to see them play.
Here is me, Austin, and Ty at the game with our scarves. They look a bit like Harry Potter, but we fit in, nonetheless!
We aren’t even half way through with our trip, and I already know I am going to miss it when we leave. This has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever been through, and I know there will be many more before I leave!
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Sun Mar 02, 2008
The Grand Tour of a Religious Experience
A very important part of the Italian culture is their religion, Catholicism. Being raised in a small southern town, I grew up knowing little about the Catholic Church. I had decided, before coming over to Italy, that I was going to learn all that I could about the culture, the lifestyle, and the religion. As the past few weeks have gone by, I have learned much about the church, how some of the rituals came to be, and the significance of many ideologies. This week has proved to be very beneficial in my search for knowledge of the Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, we visited the Park of the Monsters. A man in honor of his wife, who had passed away before, built this park. Walking through the park allowed us to see another side of religion in Italy. The whole park had a very pagan feeling and the sculptures and their meanings enforced that idea. There were mythological creatures such as a three-headed dog, ogres, Hercules, mermaids, and a temple of astrology.
This is a picture of a group of us at the temple. Behind the columns (l-r): Kendal, Amy L.
The guys (l-r): Ty, John. Top row (l-r): Amy D., Amy N., me Bottom Row (l-r): Katie F., Rachel H., Jessica V.
On Friday, our group went to Assisi. This is the home to Saint Francis and the Franciscan order of monks. We learned about Francesco’s life, beliefs, and teachings. One interesting fact was that he grew up in a wealthy home, was the “king of the party”, and slowly began to conform to the man, as he is now known. He also studied the way Christ was and wanted to be as much like Christ as possible. Towards the end of his life, he was blessed with the stigmata, as about Christ-like as it gets. As we went into the Bascilica dedicated to San Francesco, it was breathtaking. The frescoes depicted the life he led and full of bright and vivid blues, golds, and reds.
The third church is under the other two churches and holds the tomb of San Francesco. It is very dark in the room. Torchere lights dimly lit the stonewalls and the monument around the tomb. The spiritual presence was so strong—I get goose bumps thinking about it. Sitting in there to pray was an experience I will never forget. I instantly felt lifted, blessed, and full of grace.
This is a picture of the Basilica.
Saturday also turned out to be an interesting turn in my spiritual journey. A group of us had the pleasure of going to a vigil held by Pope Benedict XVI. It was an international prayer session of the rosary for the students studying abroad. There were churches linked via satellite in Washington D.C., Equador, Spain, Brazil, and France. Not being Catholic, I had no idea what and how the rosary works. I went with a few friends before the mass, bought a rosary and a book that explains everything. There were about 2-3,000 people at the vigil. It was interesting hearing the prayers in Latin, watching the nuns and priests worshiping. We delightfully joined in as the congregation began chanting for the pope. We had NO IDEA what they were saying, but enjoyed participating in the clapping.
My first trip to the Vatican had to documented on film!
And a touch of home to top off the weekend… After the vigil, the six of us met up with another group and went to the Hard Rock Café. Although it took two hours to sit down and another two to eat, it felt like home. We all danced to the music and enjoyed every bite of our American foods!!!
If you are reading this, please pray for us! We are loving being here, missing home and family, and finally adapting to the culture. Please pray that we will get the most out of our trip and have the experience of a lifetime!
Ciao!
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