There are five days left until I fly to the Hague for the Model UN Conference, and I'm starting to freak out a bit. I'm prepared, but I'm still freaking out. Because that is what I do. At least that hasn't changed.
On another note, I am starting to miss the US more and more. I know it's the culture shock, the spiral that happens before it's time to leave, but apparently knowing that is the reason isn't enough for it to stop. I miss having my own car and driving. I miss grocery stores that have everything, so I don't have to stop at four different places to get everything I need. I miss stores that are open past 8pm. I miss Castleton, badly. And most of all I miss my family and my friends.
But enough of that, because in three weeks I'll be home, and then I'll start missing Rome. I know I'll miss being in this city, having all this freedom to do almost anything I want. I'll miss my friends here, and those in the ISA program, since most of them are spread all across the US. I'll miss being able to fly to another country for a weekend, without breaking the bank or being on a flight for 7 hours.
Week One of the Four most stressful weeks of my life (up to now) is over. I have my Italian Presentation, Italian Oral Exam and Italian Final exam left. I have a final exam in Intro to the EU. I have a final paper, an extra credit paper, and a final exam in IR Theories and Cases. And finally, I have an extra credit paper and a reflection paper in the MUN class, after the Conference.
Today was supposed to be the trip to Ninfa and Sermoneta. My roommates Hannah and Hannah were going with me, on the ISA trip. We had to meet ISA at 9:30 by the school, about a ten-fifteen minute bus ride once the bus shows up. We intended to leave the apartment at 9AM, to make sure that we were there on time, but no one was ready yet, as we were eating breakfast and making sure cameras, Kindles, etc were charged for the bus ride. We made it out the door at 9:15, got to the bus stop at 9:20, and proceeded to wait until 9:45 for the bus to actually show up. We got to the school at 10:00AM on the dot, and ISA had left. None of us had cellphones to call them to let them know we were running late, and even though we had said we were definitely going, they didn't wait past 9:45 for us. It is very frustrating not having a cell phone here, for that exact purpose. I'm mad that we didn't leave early enough, that we missed it. I was so looking forward to just spending the day in a huge garden, and I wasn't able to go because we were late.
Hannah, Hannah and I went to get pastries after words, because it's hard to be sad with an Italian pastry in front of you. While we were sitting and eating, this woman was walking her huge, fluffy white dog, who was very interested in us because of the pastries we had in front of us. She let us pet him, and we were attempting to talk to the dog in Italian. A man was trying to get by us and the dog on the sidewalk, and the dog either really doesn't like men, or just that one in particular, and tried to tackle him to the ground. It was so strange, because he was so calm and sweet with us, and then so vicious the next second. He went back to being calm after the man got away and the owner apologized. We had to leave to catch the bus, which of course showed up right away this time.
Later that day, another roommate Cassandra and I went to Campo di Fiori to do some shopping around that area. There are tons of boutiques and shops, with really nice clothing and shoes and jewlery. I needed a pair of black ballet flats or basic sandals, to wear at the conference, because I forgot mine at home. I mistakenly thought I was size bigger than I was, so I didn't get anything because I thought they were too small. But I'll go back on Monday after class. While we were waiting for the tram to go back to the apartment, we saw another dog, who was a mix and was so sweet. The owners were closing up their flower stand, and let us pet their dog. His name was Rocco, and he was so sweet. He just loved being pet, he sat right down between me and Cass and was so excited. We had to leave because the tram showed up, but I was so happy I got to pet two dogs today! I miss my chocolate lab Cali so much, so it was nice to be able to get some dog therapy in.
Until next time!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Is there a pause button I can hit?!?
I keep thinking I've had the most stressful and busy week of my life, and then a new one starts. I apologize for all the late posts, once again. This post is about April 7th-12th.
As of April 12th, I have 30 days left in Rome. This absolutely insane. On one hand, I'm excited to get home, to see my family and my friends, to come back to Castleton in the fall, and to finish college. On the other hand, the idea that I won't be in Europe in 30 days is terrifying. I've gotten very used to my life here, all the small hassles and the slowly disappearing language barrier. I'm able to hold conversations, but there are still a lot of vocabulary missing for me.
Other than the fact the I'm almost finished this semester, I've been thinking a lot about my MUN class. Our final deadlines for position papers was the 13th, but I uploaded mine on the 12th, just to be safe. I had been working on these papers for the last month, so for them to be finally done and turned in is nice.
I've also been named Head Delegate for our Delegation. Our previous Head Delegate has to fly home and will not be able to attend, so I stepped up and was voted the new Head Delegate. Ellen, the previous Head, was auditing the class as this was the third time she had taken it. She was just doing it to be able go to MUN again, and as a result, wasn't very active as our Head Delegate, but I have been stepping up over the past three months, and now it is my official title.
My teacher isn't a hundred percent sure what it means officially at the conference to be the Head Delegate, but unofficially I'll be checking in to make sure everyone is in their committees, make sure everything is running smoothly, calm down people when they get stressed out. Luckily, it's all stuff I'm good at.
I am starting to think that after college I want to have a career that allows me to use the skills I've gained in this class. I would like to do something with diplomacy, but probably not with the UN. I respect the UN and all it does, but it is unfortunately not as effective as it could be, at least for the General Assembly. I think I want to work for an IGO or NGO that does make progress, in a significant way. I want to be part of real change that actually helps the world.
The closer we get to finals, the more projects my teachers assign. They're all listed in my syllabi, so it wasn't unexpected, but still all at the same time. This is my schedule for the next four weeks:
As of April 12th, I have 30 days left in Rome. This absolutely insane. On one hand, I'm excited to get home, to see my family and my friends, to come back to Castleton in the fall, and to finish college. On the other hand, the idea that I won't be in Europe in 30 days is terrifying. I've gotten very used to my life here, all the small hassles and the slowly disappearing language barrier. I'm able to hold conversations, but there are still a lot of vocabulary missing for me.
Other than the fact the I'm almost finished this semester, I've been thinking a lot about my MUN class. Our final deadlines for position papers was the 13th, but I uploaded mine on the 12th, just to be safe. I had been working on these papers for the last month, so for them to be finally done and turned in is nice.
I've also been named Head Delegate for our Delegation. Our previous Head Delegate has to fly home and will not be able to attend, so I stepped up and was voted the new Head Delegate. Ellen, the previous Head, was auditing the class as this was the third time she had taken it. She was just doing it to be able go to MUN again, and as a result, wasn't very active as our Head Delegate, but I have been stepping up over the past three months, and now it is my official title.
My teacher isn't a hundred percent sure what it means officially at the conference to be the Head Delegate, but unofficially I'll be checking in to make sure everyone is in their committees, make sure everything is running smoothly, calm down people when they get stressed out. Luckily, it's all stuff I'm good at.
I am starting to think that after college I want to have a career that allows me to use the skills I've gained in this class. I would like to do something with diplomacy, but probably not with the UN. I respect the UN and all it does, but it is unfortunately not as effective as it could be, at least for the General Assembly. I think I want to work for an IGO or NGO that does make progress, in a significant way. I want to be part of real change that actually helps the world.
The closer we get to finals, the more projects my teachers assign. They're all listed in my syllabi, so it wasn't unexpected, but still all at the same time. This is my schedule for the next four weeks:
- 4/13: Composition in Italian due, as well as write-up of how the oral presentation prep is going.
- 4/14: Turkish Minister Presentatino - Extra Credit for Two Classes
- 4/15: Memo due for ECPO course, worth 20% of my grade
- 4/16: Debate in IA 200 on Feminism from an Int'l Relations POV
- 4/16: Lecture given by FAO to promote their MUN in September, which I won't be around for, but FAO may have info/be able to answer questions of mine for my MUN
- 4/17: MUN Class, full day of mock committee, must know all Parliamentary phrases, esp. since we have a guest that day. Second Draft Resolution is due, on agriculture and food security
- 4/18: ISA trip to Ninfa and Sermoneta, which I may pass on since it's a week away from MUN
- 4/21 or 22: Oral presentation on Food in Italy, throughout it's regions.
- 4/23-4/27: MUN Conference in the Hague.
- 4/28 or 29: Italian Final Oral Exam
- 4/30: IA 200 Term Paper Due (completed by 4/29)
- 4/30: IA 360 MUN Reflection Paper Due (completed by 4/29)
- 4:30-5/3: Trip to Ireland
- 5/4: Last day of classes
- 5/5: Study Day for Exams
- 5/6: ECOP Final Exam
- 5/7: Italian Final Written Exam
- 5/7: IA 200 Final Exam
- 5/12: Fly Home
This is in addition to all my classes, which will still meet and have regular homework assignments, and anything that will come up with the volunteer club and cultural immersion. It's just a lot all in the next few weeks. But on the 12th, when I come home, the only thing I have to do is fight jet lag and slowly unpack. It will be bittersweet to leave, but I am so looking forward to catching up on sleep.
Easter Weekend
April 3rd-6th
As you may be aware, Easter is a big deal in Rome. Holy Week started on Monday, March 29th and ended on Saturday, April 4th, with Easter on the 5th. Many "pilgrims" as they're called come home to Rome for Holy Week and Easter Weekend, as well as a larger than normal influx of tourists, as the weather is finally starting to get really nice.
I was already excited to be in Rome for Easter, because my roommates and I managed to reserve four tickets for Easter Mass at the Vatican, to hear the Pope speak. My roommate Hannah is a devout Catholic so she was excited for the service, but the rest of us were more interested in being there and seeing everything.
I was also excited because Jenn flew in on April 3rd, to visit Rome and to go to Mass with us! I got to show her around my home for the past months and show her all the things I've fallen in love with over here.
Friday night we went on a walking tour, very similar to the one I went on during my arrivals week. We started by waiting for the bus for about 15 minutes, which Jenn was a little thrown off by, as that doesn't really happen in Berlin. We finally made it to my school, which unfortunately was locked all weekend because of the holiday. We continued walking up to the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, which has the amazing view of the city center, and I pointed out the buildings that were lit up that I knew the names of.
We walked down through Trastevere, to get to the Ponte Sisto bridge. We stopped about half way across, because that is the first point to be able to see St. Peter's Basilica.
We continued through Piazza Farnese, Campo di Fiori, and Piazza Navona, and stopped to get pastries at this one really good shop my roommates and I go to visit every month or so, since it's far away. We ate our pastries in Piazza Navona looking at one of the smaller fountains, and continued on the the Pantheon.
The Pantheon is close to Via del Corso, which is a major shopping street in Rome, starting near the Spanish Steps, and ending at Piazza Venezia, where the Altare della Patria or the Altar of the Fatherland is. Piazza Venezia is also where Tram 8 ends and starts up again, and how we were getting back to my apartment.
As we were walking towards the Altar of the Fatherland, I explained some of the controversy around it. It's construction destroyed a large part of the ancient Capoline Hill, as well as being thought of as pompous, conspicuous, and too large. It doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of the buildings that are built there, due to it's color and the architect style. It's also in Piazza Venezia, which is where Mussolini gave many of his speeches, and Tourists call it the "Wedding Cake", because of it's appearance and because it's built from white marble, while Romans call it "the typewriter," "zuppa Inglese" (English soup) or "pisciatoio nazionale" (the national urinal). Despite all this, it's still a magnificent building to look at, especially at night when it's all lit up.
We made it back to my apartment, and planned to get up early to do the same walking tour, to see everything in the daytime. However, college students generally don't get up early unless they absolutely have to, so Jenn and I didn't leave my apartment until about 11:30am. We went back to Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, to properly see Rome from above. Not all the buildings are lit at night, so in the daytime it was easier for me to point out the buildings. We were able to see the Altar of the Fatherland, some of the buildings in the Foro on Capoline Hill, to name a few. There are a lot of Basilicas in this area of Rome, but I don't know the names of most of them, but I was able to identify what was a church or not.
When we got back to Campo di Fiori, the market was still underway, and Jenn was able to get a little touristy shopping done. I helped her haggle a bit, because 1) Jenn doesn't speak any Italian and 2) there was no way I was letting her pay full price for rosary beads and a scarf or two. Jenn told me that in Berlin they don't really haggle, but in Rome you have to, otherwise you would pay 10 euro for something that the seller bought in bulk for 50 cents to a euro each.
We also walked to the Coloseum, which is about a ten minute walk from the Altar of the Fatherland. We didn't tour it but we did take pictures and look at the Foro, which we passed on the way back.
Saturday night Jenn, one of my roommates Hannah (Marie), and I went to dinner at Cesare al Casaletto, which is a very good trattoria right around the corner of my apartment. I had read a review of it on RevealedRome, which highly recommended it. We ordered an antipasti of fried gnocchi in a calcio e pepe sauce, which was sooo delicious. For Primo, I ordered rigatoni in a meat sauce, the Italian name of which is escaping me. Jenn and Hannah both ordered alla Carbonara, but with different pastas. We skipped secondo, as we were pretty full at that point, but we all got dessert. I had Tiramisu, Hannah had Panna Cotta ai frutti di bosco (with mixed berries), and Jenn had Creme Brulee.
Sunday we had to get up very early. Our tickets said to arrive at 7:30, to have a good chance of getting seats. I think we got up around 5:30, and we made it to the bus stop by 6:15ish. We met up with Sarah, who is in the ISA program with me, and is also from Ohio, around Cincinnati. We of course waited forever for the bus to show up. We had checked the weather earlier and it was supposed to pour on Sunday, which it did once we arrived at the Vatican. While in line, we happened to be right behind some fellow New Englanders, who come every year for Easter in Rome. They were from Manchester NH, near UNH. It was just really cool to run into someone who was from the same general area as me.
We did get seats at the service, and ran into another AUR student who one of my roommates and I know pretty well, and she ended up sitting next to us. Sarah and I, after being rained on for an hour, decided to go and find ponchos for our group, as we hadn't bought them earlier before we went through security. We paid way too much money for a ten cent piece of plastic, but we were a bit drier. Finally, the service started at 10:00, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but we all left at around 10:45. We were all cold, miserable, and soaked to the bone, because the ponchos we were wearing eventually weren't helpful anymore, and Jenn didn't have one, because she didn't want one. Even my roommate Hannah Jacobs, who is the very devout Catholic, wanted to leave, because 1) it felt like a touristy thing to her, not a religious service, and 2) she wasn't sure if they would do Communion, which is an important part of a Catholic Mass.
So we all left, Hannah J was able to make it to her church that she's been going to, and the rest of us warmed up. Because of all the rain and how cold it was, Jenn wasn't feeling good at all, and slept for the rest of the day. I felt really terrible, because she got sick in my country, but she kept insisting that she was overdue for a cold. Luckily, she felt a lot better in the morning. Unfortunately, she missed Easter dinner, which all my roommates helped to make. I made roast beef, but the only ones at the Supermercato were about 1.5 lbs, so they cooked way quicker than a regular roast. I had anticipated that, and pulled it after an hour, but it was still too much time in the oven. So they were a little overdone for my taste, but still tasted very good.
Monday there wasn't enough time to do anything but get Jenn to the airport, as she, like myself, like to be there minimum two hours before our flight takes off, in case there are last minute changes with the terminal or airport security takes forever.
Overall it was a very good weekend, with the rain unfortunately making Sunday less fun. But I'm still glad Jenn was able to come and to see everything, even though she got sick at the end. But again, it was awesome to have a friend visit, and to show Jenn Rome.
*I have more pictures on my actual camera, which I will update this post with later on, when I have more time. Hassle me about it they aren't up in a week please.
As you may be aware, Easter is a big deal in Rome. Holy Week started on Monday, March 29th and ended on Saturday, April 4th, with Easter on the 5th. Many "pilgrims" as they're called come home to Rome for Holy Week and Easter Weekend, as well as a larger than normal influx of tourists, as the weather is finally starting to get really nice.
I was already excited to be in Rome for Easter, because my roommates and I managed to reserve four tickets for Easter Mass at the Vatican, to hear the Pope speak. My roommate Hannah is a devout Catholic so she was excited for the service, but the rest of us were more interested in being there and seeing everything.
I was also excited because Jenn flew in on April 3rd, to visit Rome and to go to Mass with us! I got to show her around my home for the past months and show her all the things I've fallen in love with over here.
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| The street sign for my road |
Friday night we went on a walking tour, very similar to the one I went on during my arrivals week. We started by waiting for the bus for about 15 minutes, which Jenn was a little thrown off by, as that doesn't really happen in Berlin. We finally made it to my school, which unfortunately was locked all weekend because of the holiday. We continued walking up to the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, which has the amazing view of the city center, and I pointed out the buildings that were lit up that I knew the names of.
We walked down through Trastevere, to get to the Ponte Sisto bridge. We stopped about half way across, because that is the first point to be able to see St. Peter's Basilica.
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| Blurry iPod photos are the best |
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| Selfie on the Ponte Sisto |
We continued through Piazza Farnese, Campo di Fiori, and Piazza Navona, and stopped to get pastries at this one really good shop my roommates and I go to visit every month or so, since it's far away. We ate our pastries in Piazza Navona looking at one of the smaller fountains, and continued on the the Pantheon.
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| My pastry, a raspberry cheesecake thing. It was multo bene. |
The Pantheon was closed for the night, because it was around 10pm by the time we got there, so we just sat and looked at it for a while. I told Jenn about how the ground outside the Pantheon isn't the original ground, because as Rome got older, they rebuild over old roads, buildings, and Piazzas. They had started excavating around the Pantheon, which is when they discovered that it used to have steps leading up to the entrance, not one like it currently is. I explained that the construction of Rome's underground is taking so long is because every time they start to dig out a new area for a new line, they come across a road or a building or a vase, and have to experts in to make sure it isn't some long lost artifact before they continue. As a result, Rome only has two subway lines.
The Pantheon is close to Via del Corso, which is a major shopping street in Rome, starting near the Spanish Steps, and ending at Piazza Venezia, where the Altare della Patria or the Altar of the Fatherland is. Piazza Venezia is also where Tram 8 ends and starts up again, and how we were getting back to my apartment.
As we were walking towards the Altar of the Fatherland, I explained some of the controversy around it. It's construction destroyed a large part of the ancient Capoline Hill, as well as being thought of as pompous, conspicuous, and too large. It doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of the buildings that are built there, due to it's color and the architect style. It's also in Piazza Venezia, which is where Mussolini gave many of his speeches, and Tourists call it the "Wedding Cake", because of it's appearance and because it's built from white marble, while Romans call it "the typewriter," "zuppa Inglese" (English soup) or "pisciatoio nazionale" (the national urinal). Despite all this, it's still a magnificent building to look at, especially at night when it's all lit up.
We made it back to my apartment, and planned to get up early to do the same walking tour, to see everything in the daytime. However, college students generally don't get up early unless they absolutely have to, so Jenn and I didn't leave my apartment until about 11:30am. We went back to Fontana dell'Acqua Paola, to properly see Rome from above. Not all the buildings are lit at night, so in the daytime it was easier for me to point out the buildings. We were able to see the Altar of the Fatherland, some of the buildings in the Foro on Capoline Hill, to name a few. There are a lot of Basilicas in this area of Rome, but I don't know the names of most of them, but I was able to identify what was a church or not.
When we got back to Campo di Fiori, the market was still underway, and Jenn was able to get a little touristy shopping done. I helped her haggle a bit, because 1) Jenn doesn't speak any Italian and 2) there was no way I was letting her pay full price for rosary beads and a scarf or two. Jenn told me that in Berlin they don't really haggle, but in Rome you have to, otherwise you would pay 10 euro for something that the seller bought in bulk for 50 cents to a euro each.
We also walked to the Coloseum, which is about a ten minute walk from the Altar of the Fatherland. We didn't tour it but we did take pictures and look at the Foro, which we passed on the way back.
Saturday night Jenn, one of my roommates Hannah (Marie), and I went to dinner at Cesare al Casaletto, which is a very good trattoria right around the corner of my apartment. I had read a review of it on RevealedRome, which highly recommended it. We ordered an antipasti of fried gnocchi in a calcio e pepe sauce, which was sooo delicious. For Primo, I ordered rigatoni in a meat sauce, the Italian name of which is escaping me. Jenn and Hannah both ordered alla Carbonara, but with different pastas. We skipped secondo, as we were pretty full at that point, but we all got dessert. I had Tiramisu, Hannah had Panna Cotta ai frutti di bosco (with mixed berries), and Jenn had Creme Brulee.
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| The Fried Gnocci in Cacio e Pepe sauce. So. Good. |
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| My Tiramisu |
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| Hannah and Jenn |
Sunday we had to get up very early. Our tickets said to arrive at 7:30, to have a good chance of getting seats. I think we got up around 5:30, and we made it to the bus stop by 6:15ish. We met up with Sarah, who is in the ISA program with me, and is also from Ohio, around Cincinnati. We of course waited forever for the bus to show up. We had checked the weather earlier and it was supposed to pour on Sunday, which it did once we arrived at the Vatican. While in line, we happened to be right behind some fellow New Englanders, who come every year for Easter in Rome. They were from Manchester NH, near UNH. It was just really cool to run into someone who was from the same general area as me.
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| Selfie when we were waiting in line. We were wearing our Sunday best under our coats |
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| Sarah took an actual photo of Jenn and I after seeing the struggle with the selfie. |
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| Our lovely view from our seats |
We did get seats at the service, and ran into another AUR student who one of my roommates and I know pretty well, and she ended up sitting next to us. Sarah and I, after being rained on for an hour, decided to go and find ponchos for our group, as we hadn't bought them earlier before we went through security. We paid way too much money for a ten cent piece of plastic, but we were a bit drier. Finally, the service started at 10:00, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but we all left at around 10:45. We were all cold, miserable, and soaked to the bone, because the ponchos we were wearing eventually weren't helpful anymore, and Jenn didn't have one, because she didn't want one. Even my roommate Hannah Jacobs, who is the very devout Catholic, wanted to leave, because 1) it felt like a touristy thing to her, not a religious service, and 2) she wasn't sure if they would do Communion, which is an important part of a Catholic Mass.
So we all left, Hannah J was able to make it to her church that she's been going to, and the rest of us warmed up. Because of all the rain and how cold it was, Jenn wasn't feeling good at all, and slept for the rest of the day. I felt really terrible, because she got sick in my country, but she kept insisting that she was overdue for a cold. Luckily, she felt a lot better in the morning. Unfortunately, she missed Easter dinner, which all my roommates helped to make. I made roast beef, but the only ones at the Supermercato were about 1.5 lbs, so they cooked way quicker than a regular roast. I had anticipated that, and pulled it after an hour, but it was still too much time in the oven. So they were a little overdone for my taste, but still tasted very good.
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| Our centerpiece flowers for Easter dinner |
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| It's traditional in Italy to give chocolate eggs in Italy instead of an Easter baskets like at home. My egg is the far right. |
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| Our Easter dinner! Roast beef, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, carrots, and bread (not on the table yet.) The flowers got moved to the end of the table :( |
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| Our traditional Italian Colomba Cake (Dove Cake), which we named Carl. This one was a yellow cake with custard in it, instead of the very traditional one with candied peel and almonds in it. Carl was not very tasty. |
Monday there wasn't enough time to do anything but get Jenn to the airport, as she, like myself, like to be there minimum two hours before our flight takes off, in case there are last minute changes with the terminal or airport security takes forever.
Overall it was a very good weekend, with the rain unfortunately making Sunday less fun. But I'm still glad Jenn was able to come and to see everything, even though she got sick at the end. But again, it was awesome to have a friend visit, and to show Jenn Rome.
*I have more pictures on my actual camera, which I will update this post with later on, when I have more time. Hassle me about it they aren't up in a week please.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Post-Midterms and Day Trip to Assisi
*I am sorry this is so late. This was supposed to be posted on March 27, but wasn't finished then, and then I got busy with school again. So there will be quite a few posts over the next few days.
So I got my midterm grades back. I did alright on Italian, I got a B overall, which was amazing since I walked out of that exam very upset thinking there was no way I had passed it. I misread a 25pt question on my ECPO exam, which made me lose all the possible credit for that question. It asked about the political layer if the European Commission, and I answered it with the Eurocracy layer. Just a misunderstanding but it severely lowered my grade on the midterm. And in my IR Theories and Cases Class I passed, but I still have a lot of room for improvement.
So I got my midterm grades back. I did alright on Italian, I got a B overall, which was amazing since I walked out of that exam very upset thinking there was no way I had passed it. I misread a 25pt question on my ECPO exam, which made me lose all the possible credit for that question. It asked about the political layer if the European Commission, and I answered it with the Eurocracy layer. Just a misunderstanding but it severely lowered my grade on the midterm. And in my IR Theories and Cases Class I passed, but I still have a lot of room for improvement.
On the plus side, I got a 92!!! on the ECPO quiz we had on Wed. and we're starting presentations in IR Theories and Cases, so those should help bring my grades up.
On to the Assisi trip! (Date of trip March 27th)
I had to meet the rest of the students who were going on the trip at the arches by my school at 7am. Luckily, the buses start as early as 5:30am here, and are usually on schedule when it's still early in the morning.
Once we got on the buses it was about a two and half hour drive to Assisi. I kept dozing off, but the view out the window was very pretty. Italian countryside is so much different in Vermont. Out of nowhere a mountain range will pop up in Italy, but the trees are all wrong, there aren't really oak and pine trees here, and definitely no maple trees. But the mountains were still really beautiful.
We arrived in Assisi around 10am, and got ready to go on our tours. Our group was large enough that they split us in two, and the group I was in was led by an older gentleman. We went into Basilica di Santa Chiara first, which is the church that holds the San Damiano Cross, which spoke to St. Francis of Assisi, to tell him to rebuild his church, as it was in shambles. This cross was one of the first pieces that Prof. Scott showed us, so getting to see it in person was so amazing. Whether you believe the story or not, upon seeing this cross you can totally understand how it would appear to speak to you.
In Assisi, no pictures inside the churches are allowed, as they damage the paintings and crosses, so I don't have many pictures from my trip. I will post the ones I did take later, either updating this post or creating a separate one.
Next was a walk up the main street to Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. Inside this church is Giotto and Cimabue's paintings, which are so amazing and beautiful and I can't believe I got to see them in person.
Afterwords, we had a few hours of free time. I split off from the group and did some souvenir shopping, because Assisi is filled with all sorts of little shops, and is in the Umbria region, which is known for it's pottery, among other things. I was able to get gifts for almost everyone on my list, I just have a few people left now!
Because there isn't a lot to do in Assisi, I just walked around and saw everything before I had to meet back up with the AUR students when it was time to leave.
Until next time!
I had to meet the rest of the students who were going on the trip at the arches by my school at 7am. Luckily, the buses start as early as 5:30am here, and are usually on schedule when it's still early in the morning.
Once we got on the buses it was about a two and half hour drive to Assisi. I kept dozing off, but the view out the window was very pretty. Italian countryside is so much different in Vermont. Out of nowhere a mountain range will pop up in Italy, but the trees are all wrong, there aren't really oak and pine trees here, and definitely no maple trees. But the mountains were still really beautiful.
We arrived in Assisi around 10am, and got ready to go on our tours. Our group was large enough that they split us in two, and the group I was in was led by an older gentleman. We went into Basilica di Santa Chiara first, which is the church that holds the San Damiano Cross, which spoke to St. Francis of Assisi, to tell him to rebuild his church, as it was in shambles. This cross was one of the first pieces that Prof. Scott showed us, so getting to see it in person was so amazing. Whether you believe the story or not, upon seeing this cross you can totally understand how it would appear to speak to you.
In Assisi, no pictures inside the churches are allowed, as they damage the paintings and crosses, so I don't have many pictures from my trip. I will post the ones I did take later, either updating this post or creating a separate one.
Next was a walk up the main street to Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. Inside this church is Giotto and Cimabue's paintings, which are so amazing and beautiful and I can't believe I got to see them in person.
Afterwords, we had a few hours of free time. I split off from the group and did some souvenir shopping, because Assisi is filled with all sorts of little shops, and is in the Umbria region, which is known for it's pottery, among other things. I was able to get gifts for almost everyone on my list, I just have a few people left now!
Because there isn't a lot to do in Assisi, I just walked around and saw everything before I had to meet back up with the AUR students when it was time to leave.
Until next time!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Visiting Jenn in Berlin!!
(Dates in Berlin were March 6th, 7th, and 8th)
The weekend of March 6th-8th, I went to Berlin to visit Jenn. I had bought my plane ticket for Friday night, because of my Friday class, but my class ended up being cancelled that day. My flight was purchased through Alitalia, but actually being flown by Airberlin. This will be very important later, I promise.
As a person who has a rather irrational fear of flying, I have appeared to have signed up for a lot of flights this semester. But my flight went fine, obviously, or I wouldn't be typing this. I sat next to a nice German couple, who didn't speak any English, (which for me is always fine on a plane. I like the quiet.) I got some nice pictures of the sunset on the plane, and then the plane touched down around 7:30ish, and Jenn was waiting outside the gate.
After we dropped of my carryon at Jenn's apartment, we went back to the center to get dinner, which was Doner for Jenn and Turkish pizza for me, as I'm a bit less adventurous. But I did try the Donner. It was alright :) We walked around for a long time, because I only had a short amount of time in Berlin and I wanted to see everything. We went to the Brandenburg Gate first, so I could see it at night when it wasn't mobbed with tourists.
Then we went back outside, since we weren't going to pay to tour the museum. We didn't have enough time or money. But it was nice that they put some stuff out for everyone to see.
After Checkpoint Charlie, we ended up in Alexanderplatz, where we saw the World Clock. It was really cool, especially since it was accurate.
After the Berlin Wall Memorial, Jenn and I went back to the Brandenburg Gate, and to the government building in Berlin.
We got up bright and early Sunday morning, so I could make my nine am flight back to Rome. My flight back was actually two flights, which is where the difference between flying with Alitalia and Airberlin becomes very important. My flight out of Berlin, to Catania, Sicily, was flown by Airberlin. I was through the checkout line in five minutes, (even though I had to check my carryon, because the miniature Berlin Buddy Bear that I bought weighed a lot,) through airport security in another ten despite the long lines, and waited to board my flight outside my gate. They board the back of the plane first, so since I was row nine I had to wait until the end to board. We took off on time, without a problem.
We landed in Catania, and we had to wait to depart the plane because the bus transport wasn't available yet. We finally get off the plane, on to the bus, for it to drive 10 meters and deposit us in front of the doors for baggage claim. *Facepalm* I know they can't let us walk on the tarmac, but I was a bit irritated, because I only had an hour and twenty to catch my connecting flight. My bag was checked all the way through to Rome, so I left baggage claim and went upstairs to recheck in for my flight. The lady at the Airberlin desk said I would need to find the transfer desk, which appeared to be nonexistent in this airport. So I went to the Alitalia check in kiosk, and inserted my passport to print my boarding pass. It tells me I don't have any flights scheduled with them. So I got into the longest line to figure out what was going on. My connecting flight was supposed to leave at 12:30, and it was currently 11:40. I wasn't freaking out on time just yet.
Luckily for me, I had not chosen the 12:10 connecting flight option. I say luckily, because it wasn't my turn in the queue until 12:20. I found out my flight was delayed, with the new takeoff time of 12:45, and got my new boarding pass. I got in line for airport security, and finally got to my gate at 12:40. I was even able to help someone who only spoke Italian find their gate, while I was in line. No one sits while they wait to queue, so the man couldn't see what gate we were all in line for. I was able to tell him in Italian that it was gate number 11, with the destination of Rome. He thanked me and walked off. They didn't start boarding the flight until 1:15, but they did get every passenger on the plane in twenty minutes, and had wheels up in thirty. I finally landing at FCO, helped another person who wasn't sure where his bags would be arriving (this man spoke English though, so it was easier to explain), got my own bag, and headed off to the train that would take me back to my apartment.
Ciao!
The weekend of March 6th-8th, I went to Berlin to visit Jenn. I had bought my plane ticket for Friday night, because of my Friday class, but my class ended up being cancelled that day. My flight was purchased through Alitalia, but actually being flown by Airberlin. This will be very important later, I promise.
As a person who has a rather irrational fear of flying, I have appeared to have signed up for a lot of flights this semester. But my flight went fine, obviously, or I wouldn't be typing this. I sat next to a nice German couple, who didn't speak any English, (which for me is always fine on a plane. I like the quiet.) I got some nice pictures of the sunset on the plane, and then the plane touched down around 7:30ish, and Jenn was waiting outside the gate.
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| So much Wanderlust. Somewhere over Nuremberg, if I remember correctly |
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| Waiting for the Sbahn to head back to Jenn's apartment |
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| On the Sbahn |
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| We found a bear! Oh my! |
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| It's really dark, but this is me in front of the Gate. |
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| Jenn in front of the Gate. |
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| We found another Berlin Buddy Bear! |
Saturday morning, we set out for a cafe for breakfast, and then Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall. While we were waiting for the Ring, we saw a vending machine...
...that had Skittles, which we took a picture with obviously. Jenn and I know how much you love Skittles Prof. Chill. So we bought a bag, and they were delicious!
We finally got to Checkpoint Charlie, but I forgot to get a picture of the actual Checkpoint. Before we walked over, we ducked into a museum that had some relics up.
Then we went back outside, since we weren't going to pay to tour the museum. We didn't have enough time or money. But it was nice that they put some stuff out for everyone to see.
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| I went full on tourist in Berlin. Not ashamed. |
After Checkpoint Charlie, we ended up in Alexanderplatz, where we saw the World Clock. It was really cool, especially since it was accurate.
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| I made Jenn get in on most of my selfies, because she doesn't post a lot of pictures.. ;) |
Our next stop was Berlin Norbahnhof, where the largest section of the wall is still intact. We started at the Ubahn stop on Bernauer Straße, and walked down towards the Norbahnhof stop.
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| They put posts up to represent the outer wall, facing West Berlin |
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| One of the sections of the inner wall, in the Death Strip |
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| A representation of a guard tower in the Death Strip |
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| One of the tunnels leading to West Berlin |
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| A house that was destroyed because it was too close to West Berlin. They saved this to represent all the houses that were destroyed for the construction of the wall. |
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| Jenn called me a creeper for taking pictures of kids, but I was careful not to get their faces. I just think it's sort of fascinating in a way, that children are playing on the foundation of a home that was torn down. They've managed to have fun in a place that, for a long time, was a very dangerous place. |
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| Jenn told me this tunnel was built by the guards, to intercept those trying to escape through other tunnels. |
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| A representation of a church that was destroyed because of its proximity to the wall, and the fact that it was mostly attended by East Berlin civilians, but was in West Berlin. |
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| A sculpture, to represent the families and loved ones who were on opposite sides of the wall. |
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| Inside the church. I didn't take many pictures, unlike every other church I've been in so far. It felt weird, like this place was especially sacred. I think the cross in the back is the original, but Jenn wasn't sure. |
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| They kept a section of the Death Strip completely intact (although hopefully they've removed the mines). There were cracks, so you could see in between. |
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| They put iron rods vertically and horizontally, to stop people from getting through the wall. |
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| But it didn't stop them from trying to get through anyway. |
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| The idealistic view through the hole in the wall |
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| There is supposed to be a cross here, to commemorate the World War II victims. I'm not sure what happened to it, and Google doesn't appear to have an answer either. This person's blog has a great picture of what it looks like though. It appears they took the same walking tour I did. |
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| Some of the sections of the wall were placed in the center of the Death Strip |
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| A picture gallery of those who died because of the wall |
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| A model of what East and West Berlin looked like. It's backwards here, because I took the picture on the wrong side. The left is actually East Berlin, and the right is West. |
After the Berlin Wall Memorial, Jenn and I went back to the Brandenburg Gate, and to the government building in Berlin.
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| The backside of the Brandenburg Gate |
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| Part of the government building. |
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| Another part of the government building. |
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| The sunset outside of Jenn's apartment, on Saturday night. |
We got up bright and early Sunday morning, so I could make my nine am flight back to Rome. My flight back was actually two flights, which is where the difference between flying with Alitalia and Airberlin becomes very important. My flight out of Berlin, to Catania, Sicily, was flown by Airberlin. I was through the checkout line in five minutes, (even though I had to check my carryon, because the miniature Berlin Buddy Bear that I bought weighed a lot,) through airport security in another ten despite the long lines, and waited to board my flight outside my gate. They board the back of the plane first, so since I was row nine I had to wait until the end to board. We took off on time, without a problem.
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| Leaving Berlin. I can't resist taking the airplane pictures. |
Luckily for me, I had not chosen the 12:10 connecting flight option. I say luckily, because it wasn't my turn in the queue until 12:20. I found out my flight was delayed, with the new takeoff time of 12:45, and got my new boarding pass. I got in line for airport security, and finally got to my gate at 12:40. I was even able to help someone who only spoke Italian find their gate, while I was in line. No one sits while they wait to queue, so the man couldn't see what gate we were all in line for. I was able to tell him in Italian that it was gate number 11, with the destination of Rome. He thanked me and walked off. They didn't start boarding the flight until 1:15, but they did get every passenger on the plane in twenty minutes, and had wheels up in thirty. I finally landing at FCO, helped another person who wasn't sure where his bags would be arriving (this man spoke English though, so it was easier to explain), got my own bag, and headed off to the train that would take me back to my apartment.
Ciao!
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