Firenze

Apologies for the lack of a post last week. There really wasn't anything new to update on, and I kept meaning to post something, but I never got a chance to sit down and write. It's two weeks before midterms and my teachers are just piling on the homework and information before them. I've been super busy.

This weekend however, I am not doing homework or walking around Rome, taking everything in, because I'm in Florence for the weekend! Because of my Friday class, myself and MariaJose, another ISA student in my class, had to take a train to Florence instead of riding the bus that ISA provides. We got to the train station early, so our train platform hadn't been announced yet. We were waiting for it to show up when an information guide (or so we thought) came up to us and showed us the paper version of the train departure schedule, and showed us to the platform. MJ and I were both very grateful, until she started asking us for money, but she was chased of by one of the Termini station guards. However, we never actually saw the platform that our train was actually departing from. The train that was at Platform 6 was the same type of train, same destination and everything, it was just leaving eleven minutes after. However, MJ and I did not realize it was the wrong number until it left and the train number was flashing on the screen that we were on the wrong train. Luckily, the train conductors didn't make us pay for new tickets.

We finally got to Florence and dropped our bags off at the hotel, and met up with Andrea, one of the ISA Rome staff who is super helpful. He met us in front of the fake David outside of the Uffizi Gallery, where the rest of ISA was. We went inside and saw so many beautiful paintings, by Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo, and one by Michelangelo. They were all paintings I had studied in Italian Renaissance Art last semester, so the tour guide wasn't able to give me any new information about them, but it was still amazing to see them in person.

I haven't had time to really stop and really look at the Duomo, and Giotto's bell tower, but I have walked past them multiple times already. It's breathtaking, and the Duomo is soo huge, it's larger than life. Brunelleschi really wasn't messing around when he designed it and built it. Tomorrow we get to tour the Duomo and climb to the top of the bell tower (413 steps...) or the dome (436), as well as visit the Accademia Gallery to finally see the real David!

I'll post again when I return from Florence, to make up for last week's post, and to share pictures.

Ciao!

Pictures from the Vatican, as promised

The introduction of pottery among the common items of daily life, of the Neolithic Period in Syria-Palestine.

Apoxyomenos, depicting an ancient Greek athlete scraping off the oils used to anoint the body before competitions with sand and a spoon, called the strigil.

A sarcophagus, depicting a battle between Greeks and Amazons, with the leaders Achilles and Pentesilea.

The close up detail of Achilles and Pentesilea. It amazes me how much detail the artist is able to use, I can't even begin to imagine how long a piece this detailed would take to complete.

Apollo del Belvedere
Johann Joachim Winckelmann: "of all the works of antiquity that have escaped destruction, the statue of Apollo represents the highest ideal of art." 

Laocoön was said to have warned his fellow Trojans against taking in the wooden horse left by the Greeks outside the city gates. Athena and Poseidon, who were favoring the Greeks, sent two great serpents to kill Laocoön and his sons.

The Belvedere Torso, which inspired Michelangelo, Raphael, and other greats

The ceiling in the Room of Heliodorus, of the Raphael Rooms

The ceiling in the Room of the Segnatura, in the Raphael Rooms

The School of Athens, in the Room of the Segnatura

Raphael painted himself into The School of Athens. He's the one in red with the black beret.

Raphael also painted Leonardo da Vinci into The School of Athens, disguised as Plato 

Raphael did the same for Michelangelo, disguising him as Heraclitus

The Disputation of the Sacrament, in the Room of the Segnatura 

Everything up to this point was beautiful, but nothing was as breathtaking as the Sistine Chapel. I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I stayed in the Sistine Chapel for at least 30 minutes, just taking everything in and trying not to bawl. It was much more emotional than I expected it would be for me. I'm not overly religious, but I have wanted to see these paintings in person since I first learned about them in high school. Taking Italian Renaissance Art last semester gave me the background and the ability to truly appreciate the paintings. The few pictures I was able to discreetly take don't do the paintings justice. They are breathtaking and detailed and larger than life, and I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to see them in person. It's one thing to learn about them, to see slides and pictures of the paintings, and something else entirely to be able to be in the same room as them, to see them in person, and to just experience it in real time.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling

The Creation of Adam

The Last Judgement

*I don't feel guilty for taking the pictures in the Chapel, as I researched why it is "banned." The TV/Media company who sponsored the restoration of the paintings had owned the exclusive rights to document the paintings, but those rights had expired three years after the restoration. As long as the flash isn't on, no damage is done to the paintings.

Ciao!

So Wednesday night, I booked a flight to Berlin for the first weekend in March to visit Jenn in Germany. I spent quite a few hours searching for flights, because we had originally planned to meet up in Paris during our spring breaks, but the flight and hostel stay to Paris alone would have been about €200, not to mention how much it would cost for food, transportation, and all the touristy things, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. So I will have to go to Paris another time.

I didn't end up getting to go to the RetakeRoma event, because around 3am on Sunday morning I woke up and was sick, until about 6am. I slept on the couch, because I didn't want to wake my roommate up each time had to leave the room. I think I got food poising from a little fruiterria around the corner from my apartment, a few of the strawberries I had eaten tasted a bit weird, and even though I stopped eating them, I still managed to get sick. So I will definitely be going to the next event, because I was really upset that I wasn't able to help out.

I had my first test in Italian 102 on Thursday. I wasn't confident going into the test, but I think I might be okay. A lot of the verb endings still trick me up, especially the irregular verbs. Each verb and noun has a different ending based on the form of the sentence. We're also doing past tense with verbs, which means I need to know if the verb uses avere or essere, and then figure out which form of avere or essere needs to be used in front of the verb. It really isn't that difficult, it's just memorization, but I still struggle with it.

I'm really enjoying my ECPO class, the Introduction to the European Union class. My teacher is Aldo Patania, who is a very interesting character. He lectures in class, and then at the beginning of the following class, he has us close our notes and then he "picks our brains" to see if we actually learned it, or if there is something that was unclear. I'm learning quite a bit about the EU. We've gone through the different types of integration, from horizontal when a member joins the EU, to vertical when an idea/concept is added to the focus of the EU. We've also talked about the four stages of economic integration: Free Trade Areas, Customs Union, Common Market, and Economic and Monetary Union. The only way for the EU to integrate further would be politically, which many countries are against. My teacher told us that Federalism is "the f-word" of Europe. But regardless, it's a good class. Even though I think my teacher is a bit of a neo-liberal when it comes to economics.

In the MUN class today, we practiced informal caucusing and consensus building in class. We, in the scenario, had to determine which of two crises the General Assembly was going to create a resolution for. The first crisis was ISIS threatening to behead another hostage, unless they received the ransom. The UN resolution would require all governments not to pay ransom for hostage release. The second crisis was about climate change, and that one of the principal obstacles to addressing are the structures of governance, even though there is a growing consensus scientifically that it is a real problem now. The UN resolution would define the way forward that addresses structural weaknesses in our system of governance at every level to address climate change. We as a group came to the conclusion the climate change was the issue that needed to be tackled first, after quite a bit of discussion. I'm getting more and more excited about the actual conference, the more I learn about India and the more we practice.

I'm also going to the Vatican tomorrow. I'm very excited to finally see Michelangelo's paintings, and to tour the museum. I'm going by myself, as most of ISA is travelling to Venice for Carnevale on Saturday, but it's probably for the best, because seeing a Michelangelo in person is a big deal for me, and I want to be able to just take it all in, without having to worry about wasting anyone else's time. I'll probably post a separate picture post from the Vatican.

Until next week!

Non riesco a pensare a un titolo...

Ciao!

I've started part of my cultural immersion this week. I signed up for the Volunteer Club, and we had our first meeting yesterday during lunch. We  discussed what sort of organizations we'd like to assist this semester, and three ideas seemed to be the most popular. The first is Retake Roma, an organization/group of people who go around and remove old posters and graffiti in the area. They leave the nice graffiti, like the one I posted on this blog, but take down the tags/ugly graffiti. So on Sunday, I'll be helping to clean up Piazza Rosolino Pilo and the surrounding area.

The second idea the Volunteer Club had was to help out with a local dog shelter, by walking the dogs, playing with them, cleaning up kennels, etc. I'm very excited about this one, because I miss my chocolate lab Cali and playing with surrogate dogs will help with that hopefully.

The third idea was to help L'Associazione Peter Pan Onlus, an organization for families of child cancer patients. The Co-presidents of the Volunteer Club are attempting to reach out to this organization, but it looks like we would be helping the children with English, by reading to them and visiting them certain days of the week.

We're also planning a bake sale around midterms, and the money for that will either go to the dog shelter or Peter Pan Onlus. Last year, they were able to raise almost $500 for Aura's House, to help sponsor a girl in the Philippines emergency education fund.

I also think my Italian is getting slightly better. I'm still struggling with all the different forms of verbs, but my vocabulary is getting bigger, and I'm able to use phrases I learn in class at the grocery story and at the bus stop when people ask me for directions. I'm glad I look like I know where I'm going, but I don't really know how to direct people, since I usually don't understand where they want to go. Non lo so is becoming one of my most used phrases.

I also found out today that in the Model UN conference, I will be representing India, in the Environmental Commission. My classmate Beatrice is also representing India, but on the Human Rights Council, so some of our country research will be similar, but with a different focus in the end. My other classmates are representing South Africa, Mexico, Sweden, and one classmate, who has been to an MUN before, is representing New Zealand on the Security Council.

Until next week!

Adjustments

This is the first week that I have started to feel the culture shock that Ana prepared all of the study abroad students for. I find myself missing the ease of having a dinning hall available almost all hours, or being at home with a fully stocked kitchen, with all the utensils/equipment that I need to cook. Just a bit of frustration with "living on my own," but not unmanageable.

Classes also started this week. I am registered for five classes: ITL 102 - Intermediate Italian Two, ECPO 204 - Introduction to the European Union, IARE 302 - Islam and Politics, IA 200 - International Relations: Theories and Cases, and IA 360 - Special Topic: Model UN. Originally the last two classes I wasn't registered for, but I switched into them after attending my Ethics and Global Policies class, which seemed like the intro to ethics class that I've already taken, and the All Roads Lead to Rome religion class, which I found out was a course taught by SEVEN different University of Miami teachers, who flew out to teach this course in Rome. I didn't think having a different teacher every other week was going to help with the adjustment, so I transferred out of it.

I'm excited about all of my classes now, but I am most excited for the Model UN class. The class is required to attend a MUN conference, and the teacher (who's last job was working with the UN World Food Program, as the Country Director and Representative in Ethiopia and Mozambique) has chosen the conference in The Hague, Netherlands, in April. I have wanted to attend a MUN since I was in middle school and one of my classes attended the International Day of Peace in 2007 at the UN Headquarters in NYC. In the MUN, I will be a member of the General Assembly, a member of the Human Rights Committee, or a member of the Environmental Committee. I'm not sure which one I'll pick just yet, as I don't know what country I will be representing.

My Islam and Politics class is making me wish that I hadn't rented the book we used in World History II last year, Destiny Disrupted. I remember all the general information when my professor is lecturing, but not exact details. Maybe there's a kindle version. And my Intro to the EU class is really fast paced but so far very good. I've been told by AUR students that most resident students wait until their senior year to take macro economics, because it's only taught by him. But they also said that he's a good teacher, as long as you come prepared and are willing to work. So it should be a fun, challenging course.

The view from the rooftop terrace of the American University of Rome 

The zoom on my camera is amazing. The tallest tower is the Santa Francesca Romana Church, about 4 kilometers away.

The Wedding Cake, or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland)

Oh, one last thing. Just when I thought I had my main bus route to and from school down, I'm proven wrong. I take bus 44 both ways, and it's nine stops to school and ten on the way back. I was riding back to the apartment, and had gotten off to go to Todis, a supermarcato on the bus route. When I got back on, I was standing near two school children who were talking, and I was listening, to see if I could recognize any of the words that these children were saying. I was so focused on how much larger their vocabulary was from mine, that I didn't notice that we went right by the stop I'm supposed to get off the bus. I didn't even notice until the bus was turning off the street, which doesn't happen before my stop. So I got off and looked at the sign, and the bus had gone seven or eight stops before I realized it. Luckily, I was able to find my way back, but it was a bit nerve wracking as I was by myself, and in an area I haven't been in before, without internet or a phone. Always a blast. But at least my life is interesting.

Until next time!

Arrival and Orientation Week

January 19th and 20th

My trip started with my father and I driving to Montreal for my flight to Rome, with Air France and a layover in Paris. Both my checked bag and my carry-on were underweight! I kept setting the metal detector off, so I was patted down both in Montreal and in Paris. Other than that, everything else went as planned.

During the layover in Paris, I met up with seven other ISA students who were taking the same flight into Rome as I did. The flight got delayed because of fog, so we got into Rome a bit later than scheduled, but ISA was still there to pick us up. Because we flew in from the EU, our plane landed in Terminal 1 instead of 3, which is where ISA pickup was scheduled to meet, but they surprised us and were waiting outside baggage claim for us.

ISA had hired drivers to carry us and our luggage to the apartment, giving us a chance to settle in, go grocery shopping, etc. The car ride was terrifying, because our driver was on his cell phone the entire time and didn't seem to want to stay in his lane. Myself and another ISA student named Jessica were in the very back of the van, and we were sure that we were going to die before we even got to do/see anything. We finally got to the apartments, where a group of people helped us bring in our luggage and showed us how to use our keys and walked us through the apartment. I had been awake for 27 hours by that point, so none of the details are sticking out in my mind.

ISA had told us to meet them downstairs in the lobby of our building by 6:30, so they could take the 8tram with us into Rome, to the last stop near the Trevi fountain. We had dinner, which was amazing! The first course, Primo, was a pasta sampler dish, which was very good. The Secondo and Contorno was Saltimbocca Alla Romana (veal topped with prosciutto and sage, and paired with roasted potatoes). Dolce was tiramisu.

After dinner, we had to take the 8tram back to our apartments by ourselves. One of the ISA directors led us back to the trams and "accidentally" put half of us on one tram and half on another. We all made it back safe and sound but it was a little nerve racking since we didn't know for sure what stop it was to get to the main road, to lead us back to Antonio Bennicelli where the apartment is.

January 21st

ISA/AUR had scheduled an orientation for 10:30, so myself and two of my roommates, who both happen to be named Hannah and are from central Ohio, left around 9:45 so we could be a bit early. We knew we had to take either the 44 bus or the 870 bus to get to AUR, but we could not find either of the bus stops to get on. We walked all over the nearby streets with the little maps ISA had given us, which weren't very helpful because the neighborhood we live in is cut off of the map. We finally found the stop for the 870 bus around 11:15 am and got on, but it didn't ever go north of where we boarded the bus, it just kept circling. So we got off when we were near our apartment and went back upstairs to call ISA and look up the 44 stop again. It turned out to be on the next street over from the main street near our apartment, so we all felt pretty stupid for not seeing it and figuring it out. We got to AUR around noon, where Vera, one of the ISA directors met us outside the gates of the school and helped us get started on filling out our student IDs and permit to stay forms. We then went to ISA's office to have the orientation we missed, but luckily we weren't the only group of students that got lost that day.

At 2:15 ISA had planned a walking tour of Rome, so myself and Hannah Squared had lunch at a little pizzeria, which was molto delizioso. We met back up with the ISA students and started our walking tour. It was amazing to see everything that I had learned about in middle and high school, and some of the things I had learned about last semester in my Italian Renaissance Art History class, like all the piazzas, the Pantheon, and all of the arcades and columns.

The View from Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

Graffiti near the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola. It reads "It is the hour of getting drunk! For do not be tormented slaves of time, be drunk always! Of wine, of poetry or of virtue, as you please.

Tiber River

A street near the Palazzo Farnese

Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navona

The Pantheon 

Sculpture of Christ on the Cross inside The Pantheon

Raphael's Tomb inside the Pantheon

Close up of the tomb 

The Trevi fountain is under restoration :(

But they put this up so I could still have my Lizzie McGuire moment :)

Ciao!

If I had planned better...

... this would have been the first post. It's sort of the About Me page, why I'm studying abroad and who I am.

About the blogger and the study abroad program:

• I am a 20 year old female college student who is about to leave the United States and study abroad in Italy for the next 17 weeks.
• I am in my last semester of my junior year at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont.
• As a Global Studies Major at Castleton, I am required to study abroad for at least 15 weeks and become culturally immersed in the country I will be living in.
• Becoming culturally immersed is the key part of this study abroad experience. I have to be an active participant in Roman culture, to experience more than just the college and my apartment. Here is a link to an article that explains this idea really well. 
• I plan to become culturally immersed in a few different ways:
• 1) Find a language partner. The American University of Rome (AUR), the school I am attending, states on their website that they have an existing program for this purpose, which I plan to use.
• 2) Sign up for a cooking class, and if time/money permits, a painting class. I want to learn how to cook authentic Italian foods, and I want to improve my painting skills. (I can't think of a better place for either!)
• 3) Volunteer my time while I'm abroad. AUR has a few opportunities for students to get involved in the local area, and there may be some in the neighborhood I am staying in as well.
• When I return to Castleton in the Fall and start my senior year, I will be enrolled in a Capstone Seminar, where I will prepare a presentation and a paper that connects my education at Castleton with what I learned abroad through my cultural immersion.

Why Italy:

• I chose Rome for my study abroad for a few different reasons. 
• First is that I have always wanted to visit Italy. Italy has drawn me in since I was little. There is a whole list of why: the amazing food and flavors that are authentically Italian; ancient buildings that exist to this day; the language sounds beautiful; the Vatican; the Renaissance period with artists like Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Giotto, and Bramante; the sights from tall towers, looking over the entire city. My grandfather and his partner Joe go to Florence every eight years or so, and I have always dreamed that I would be able to go to Italy on my own someday. I had considered a transfer year when I was in high school, but I instead skipped my junior year and graduated early. Italy just made the most logical sense for my study abroad when I transferred to Castleton.
• Second was the courses that were available to me, and their ability to transfer back to Castleton. I am taking three political science classes, a religion course, and a foreign language course, which will apply directly to my Global Studies Major and my Political Science Minor. These courses will give me a first hand opportunity to learn about the European Union while living there, to learn about the global impact from different countries foreign policies, and learn about religion and culture in a country that has a huge influence on both. 
• Third is best described by my blog title, which is "il cuore non sbaglia." This literally translates to "the heart is not wrong." However, its English counter proverb would actually be "The heart sees farther than the head" or "trust your instincts." Rome is a gut instinct. It feels right.