Farewell Dinner-Roma

February 28th

Today we went to visit the charity organization, Caritas Roma and talked to the director of the branch Lê Quyên Ngô Dình who is responsible for immigration a Caritas Roma. This branch of the organization only deals with immigrants mainly from northern Africa from countries like Libya and Egypt. The services that this organization offer are divided into six key areas which are as follow: Peace and reconciliation, Emergencies, Economic Justice, Climate Change, HIV and Aids, Women and Migration. The Roma Branch focuses on helping migrants with food, housing, healthcare, work and legal help; these services are used to help migrants adapt to life in Rome and to help them have a better chance of integration. Caritas also helps to provide migrants with offering Italian courses as well as help in seeking out skills training to boost migrant's chances of integration. It also raises awareness about migration issues in schools. In addition to this they also help people in the longer term, for example, if someone has entrepreneurial aspirations, they help them with proposals and give them ideas for funding and help them find contacts. Caritas is very helpful resource for new immigrants in Rome and will help them settle in Italy and even help them integrate, with the current tension surrounding immigration in Italy it is a necessity for their to be organizations such as Caritas to help.

http://www.caritas.org/ 

Feb 27, 2011 Last Weekend trip in Venice

Unlike yesterday (Feb 26), Sunday morning in Venice was very cloudy, gray, and windy. All of us woke up and rushed ourselves to get ready because we had to check-out by 11:00a.m which we originally thought wasn’t until 11:30a.m. Like this, our day has started as busy as a hen with one chicken. Then we took a waterbus to Piazza San Marco and decided to have a brunch there. Once we got there, the place was very lively that people from all over the world were either participating by dressing up or enjoying the atmosphere of Carnivale by taking pictures with people who dressed up. Even though the sky in Venice was gray and raining most of the time, carnival itself is very sunny day! During Carnivale, Venice is super packed with people that it is hard to see the floor and I was jostled in the crowd and let go off his hand. It is worth it to experience and I would strongly recommend going to Venice during Carnivale although the place is overcrowded. It is so much fun that you cannot experience in other places but in Venice.

We look so ugly ;p

All of us had different appetites; therefore, we decided to split into groups and meet up later the day. So Marissa, Luis and I decided to grab street food but we ended up getting a pasta and risotto which were the worst foods that I have ever tasted! Again, the service was not that good at all. After finishing our unsatisfied brunch, Luis ended up throwing up everything and I had several bites off my plate and decided to order other food. On a slightly different note, after an awful brunch, we went to get our face painted at the same place we had yesterday but with different face paintings on our faces. Once I saw the mirror to see my painting, I felt much better and finally I was able to start my new happy day - all of us did. Then we took another Gondola ride which goes along the Grand Canal which follows different path from yesterday’s. It was much longer in time and finally I was able to see the Rialto Bridge from the gondola! Wait, I thought the gondolier is singing ‘O sole Mio’ for us while he bows and rows a stroke but in reality, the gondolier refused to sing a song and said that very few gondoliers sing while they are rowing a stroke and most of them are just rowing a boat without singing. When I heard that it was a little bit disappointment but we really enjoyed our gondola ride and we took a lot of pictures of us and scenery.

Next, we visited and did very quick tour of Palazzo Ducale and Doges Palace. Both of them were very huge and building itself looks very royal and able to see how wealthy people lived in there by looking at the ceiling, furniture, and paintings inside the building. Then we moved to San Marco Campanile Tower. The view from the top of the tower was amazing and so beautiful that I can see different parts of Islands, people in costumes, and architectures. It would be much nicer if the weather was good. By the time we went up to the tower, it was raining, very windy, and cold that my whole body was shaking so badly. After visiting the tower, we went to San Marco Basilica. It was so crowded that we had to wait for 15 minutes to enter the entrance. Since today was the last day of trip and due to cold and bad weather, all of us were tired so we did a speed tour of Basilica. That’s the end of our tour in Venice then we met up with the rest of our group and grabbed some sandwiches and headed back to our hotel which is Lido Island. Once we got back to our hotel, all of us got our backpacks and hurried to go to the airport and then finally we got back in Rome sweet Rome♥ Oh! Our flight got delayed for an hour so we came back in Rome after the midnight. The weekend in Venice was awesome and we had so much fun!!

Thursday February 24th

Thursday started early and ended late. Natalie and I woke up a four in order to catch a plane to Paris. And after many different forms of transportation (and subsequently sleeping on each of them) we arrived in a city that, for me provided some culture shock. The streets and buildings were huge. The metro system was extensive. The cars were significantly larger. We successfully navigated through the city and met up with Natalie's friend, Brooke, who is studying in Paris for a semester at NYU, and the touring began. After marveling at the aristocratic architecture we headed for a small museum that had once been the town house of the Marmottan family. Seemingly hidden in this suburb of Paris, was a museum chock full of an array of impressionist paintings. The son of Monet had donated his personal collection of his father's works to the "villa" turned museum, and turned out to be a great introduction to Paris. We headed out to see more of the "City of Lights." What struck me the most was the size of the buildings and how majestic they seemed compared to the architecture in Rome. The city sprawled out around us and though the city is beautiful, I found myself missing the quaint, narrow, cobblestone streets of Rome. What I did enjoy was the pastries. The eclairs and paris-breast that Natalie and I saw and salivated over were absolutely delicious. This is one thing that I want to transport back to Rome with me to add to my favorite gelaterie and pinoli cookies. After wandering around some more and getting further acquainted with the metro we dropped off our bags, took a quick nap, and grabbed a delicious gyro before heading out to see how lively the night was. We ended up at an intimate party at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore for the launch party for an intellectual fashion magazine. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling in books ranging from Shakespeare himself, to fantasy, to history. The hallways were filled with lively taro card readers, fortune tellers and people eager to have their palm read. Exiting the famous bookstore, the three of us were confronted with Notre Dame lit up by the night lights. Despite my initial shock and "Romesickness," Paris provided its own allure and showed how diverse and also intimate it can be.

feb 17

Today started off very typical for any other Thursday as we had language class and then service learning. In language class, we reviewed questions and made sure we knew the difference between the “what’s” and the “how’s.” After that, we continued to work on the determinatives in the singular and plural form. Then we were introduced with the indeterminative in both singular and plural and masculine and feminine.

After language the group split and went to our service learning. The refugee center that day was pretty quite, everyone was watching the film being played. I didn’t know what they were playing but it seemed to be a old war movie. My group mates and myself went into the classroom to see if anyone wanted to learn English for the day but since the movie was playing, the attendance was very small, only three people came in. One of them I was able to talk to and find out what problem he had; he spoke English pretty well but couldn’t read or write it. He was educated but not in the English language since he didn’t understand that some letters make different sounds in different words, not like in Italian how if a sound needed to be harder, a letter is added afterwards. I made an agreement to give him a list of common words that sounded differently than they are spelled.

The end the day, it was a start of our last scheduled three-day weekend. Most of the group did decide to take advantage of the extra day to travel and see other parts of Europe or even Italy. Some went to Amsterdam, Greece, Sicily, and others just decided to stay in Rome. I went with the group that went to Amsterdam and it was nice to use a different way to get to Fiumicino as we used to the tram to Trastevere station and took a train for 8 euros instead of all the ridiculous prices we all paid when getting here. There, our flight was delayed two hours and we were able to experience the generosity of airitalia as they gave us free food and drinks. Our plane was filled with American students all headed to Amsterdam too. 

Feb 20th, 2011

Luis, two girls from CHID program, and I went to Athens, Greece for the weekend. All four of us were very excited for this trip because Greece is our dream country to visit in Europe and finally we made it! Getting off from the plane we were exited at the airport, we saw very clear blue skies with chunks of white clouds. My first impression on Greece was “I’m home” which is Indonesia and not only me but also other people thought that they were home, too. Of course, not all parts of the Athens look alike to how my home looks, but there is a similarity which reminds me of home such as nothing antique but simple square buildings of shops and markets alongside the streets and several brand shops and famous café that I saw in Indonesia but not in Rome. People in Greece are very friendly and most of them speak English very well so we had no problem at communicating and asking them a direction. In addition, because of their friendliness and fluent English with charming sales technique, I ended up buying a lot of souvenirs which I usually don’t do. In addition, unlike people in Rome, people in Greece wear very casually and some of them remind me of my grandmother back home.

As expected, Greece was all about white and blue. I was impressed how city looks so white and think that it is very beautiful when I saw it from the top of Acropolis. Again, being as a student in Greece is very beneficial or can save money or spend more money on food and other stuffs because all the museums or main tour sights are free for student. Therefore, we did not spend any money to enter the Acropolis and museums but spent on foods which are gyro, Greek style of pastries, and Greek traditional dishes and souvenirs. While we were in Greece, the weather of Athens was mostly rainy and little bit of sunshine but the good thing was it was not that cold and luckily when we got to visit the acropolis, which is the main sights to see and visit, it was very sunny. After this trip, I thought that it would be better to visit Greece during the summer but Greece was already beautiful itself no matter the weather. By the way, we were planning to go to island for day trip but when we asked people in Greece to recommend which island we should go, and none of them recommended instead asking us “why do you want to go to island? It’s very cold” We decided not to go because we heard there is an 80% chance of rain the following day which we planned to visit any island near Athens. So we ended up exploring Athens more and had lots of Greek foods, especially gyro for 2 euro.

So today (Feb 20, 2011), we got up at 7:30 in the morning, check out, take a cap to the airport, and finally flew back in Rome, home sweet home. By the way, it was hard to say good-bye to Athens, Greece. When I think of my trip in Greece, five things popped up! They are rain, wind, gyro, dogs sleeping in the middle of street, and souvenir shopping. We got back in Rome Center around 2:00pm and as soon as I got home, I unpacked my stuffs and get ready to go to church (Korean Church) at Via Venezia. When service was done, I went to my favorite salad place near Piazza Navona and got chicken salad and ate in my cozy room looking at pictures that I took in Greece and recalled the memories in Athens. Lastly, this trip was full of excitement, experiences, and unforgettable memories J

Monday Feb 21st

Today we had Shara Wasserman, a guest speaker from Temple University come speak to our class. She brought up a lot of interesting issues concerning contemporary Italy and the current Italian society. There were a lot statistics discussed that illustrated Italy’s dire state. One such interesting statistic talked about how only twelve percent of males finish university. Her talk brought a lot of attention to the fact that a great deal must be done in order to solve the crisis going on in Italy.

We then moved into working on our art piece to describe our personal views about Italy. We could draw from our own personal views on Italy, the stories from Multicultural Literature in Italy or depict our own personal frame of reference. Such examples include Brenda’s portrait of herself with the phrase “see past my shades, I dare you” written and depictions of both the Mexican and American flags. In this drawing she was representing the way she saw herself. In Germaine’s drawing, she depicted an eyes with different figures representing the way she saw Italy. In her eye, there was a Vespa, a man praying and a cappuccino. This was a very different way of portraying her views of herself and Italy. An even different way of drawing could be seen by looking at Jenny’s drawing. In her drawing, she depicted the “light beer and peanuts” story that we read about in Multicultural Literature in Italy. There was a young girl confused with her identity with half of her hair straight, half her skin dark and lettering surrounding her portrait. These are all very different representations of illustrating views about Italy and ourselves. After this activity, we had a low key afternoon where we could catch up on things and later individual check ins. In the end, this was a day where we were able to discuss our own personal findings on Italy in a new way as well as hear a new voice and views from Shara. 

Saturday- Feb 19th: A Day in Palermo, Sicily

Today (Saturday) Germaine and I had the entire day to explore Sicily. Sicily is home to high towering mountains and gorgeous beaches. A top tourist attraction of the island is Mount Etna which is the island’s towering volcano. Our hostel was in the center of Palermo, which was one of the largest cities on the island. We wanted to try and stay out of the city as much as possible and see the surrounding small villages but kept Palermo as our base. Our original plan for Saturday was to rent Vespas and explore the island’s small costal towns. We ended up sleeping in a little and then we headed out to rent our Vespas. After getting lost we finally found the place to rent the scooters but by then the place was closed for the afternoon. Instead we decided to wander around and find an open scooter place and make a reservation for Sunday. After three long hours of wandering the city and constantly asking people for places, we decided that our dream of renting Vespas on Sicily might not come true. Most of the places were either closed since it was the afternoon or did not offer rentals during the winter months. The language barrier also made it difficult since many did not understand what we were looking for. After giving up on our quest, we decided to walk along the marina and the park overlooking the Mediterranean. The views were absolutely gorgeous. After the temperature started to drop and the whipping winds from the water started to increase, we decided to head back to our hostel in town and get ready for dinner.

The night before we found that it was very hard to find restaurants in Palermo. We decided to just wander and hopefully we would just run into one. After walking around we took a turn down a small dark alleyway where we smelled what we thought was delicious burgers. The end of the alleyway opened up into a large square that was bustling with people and had outside restaurants galore. Most were offering drinks and kebabs that smelled amazing. We finally settled upon a restaurant off the square that opened up into an alleyway. No one spoke English but we were able to point to other’s food. We ordered a kebab sandwich, kebab platter and fries. The entire meal was absolutely amazing. It was incredible to have food that differed from the pizza and pasta I am so accustomed to eating back in Rome. After enjoying my meal and people watching Sicilians in the square, we headed home. Overall, even though we were not able to fulfill our original plans of renting Vespas, our day turned out to be very successful.

Friday 18th Ny.lon Club!

Today I spent most of my time staying inside while the sunshine beamed through my bedroom window. My eyes are glued to my computer running through the second series of Gossip Girl, typing up my Rione Assignment, and focusing on my research question. I woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday - which was the worst day of my life, it felt like at least, thanks to my multiple trips to the bathroom vomiting. I had taken the wrong medication which made me quite ill. But today was a brand new day and I intended to keep it low-key. I tried my best to adjust myself to my regular eating habits - but it was a ultimate fail because my intake all day was about half of a your regular meal. 

I was anxious to go to this Ny.lon Bar/Club because they were hosting an event that had free appetizers. I received an email online from ShopLondon that was Italian- that was a little difficult. Even after my Google Translation, it was still hard to figure out exactly where this club was. My mission to find this place was an interesting one and I was accompanied by 2 girls from the other program. We were lost for about 20 minutes and ran into some creepy italian men. We finally arrived to the Ny.lon Bar and realized coming 30 minutes after the scheduled time - is still too early! I guess for a moment I forgot I was in Italy. (reference to the fact that italians are ALWAYS late). After being there for a couple of hours - I made the conclusion it was a good night. For 13 euros - I had two glasses of red wine and delicious appetizers. I also bought a dress from the same boutique (ShopLondon) that were at Rising Love the night Manka wore her red mini skirt & I had my thigh high boots. It’s ironic how all three of my blogs - I end up going to a cool event and buying a dress from this boutique. I guess it was meant to be! It was a lovely night out on the town and made me appreciate the creativity/young arts of the Italian youth. Other stands that were at this club had vintage jewelry and this young artist created custom-made shirts for you on the spot! Anything you wanted on the shirt (that had a great fit!) - she can make it! Oh how I love Italy!! 

The Email: 

Buongiorno a Tutti,
Volevo ricordarvi l'appuntamento di questa sera al NY.LON CLUB di trastevere, a pochi passi da piazza Trilussa, precisamente in Via del politeama, 12 per una aperitivo all'insegna della moda, dove troverete il nostro stand Shop In London con tutti gli ultimi modelli.

Dalle 21 verranno servite dallo chef Valerio Montecchiani, oltre al classico ricercatissimo aperitivo, le varie ROMANISSIME sfumature che la pasta può assumere carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe...

Ingresso Libero
Vi Aspettiamo
Dalle ore 19:30 alle 2:00

Buon Shop in London

p.s. verifica la disponibilità del tuo modello preferito sul nostro sito www.shopinlondon.it

Today Margret took us to the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Santa Maria Sopa Minerva. Today, Piazza Novana is a beautiful square filled with shops, venders, bars and fountains. However, in the day of the Roman empire, in place or present day Piazza Navona, was an enormous stadium built for 30,000 fans to watch gladiator battles, executions, and Greek style athletic events. Greek style events were performed naked, making things especially interesting!

In Piazza Navona there are two main attractions: the Fountain of Four Rivers and Church of St. Agnese. St. Agnese church is named after a 12 year old girl and a martyr of Christianity. The king wanted Agnese to marry his son but she refused. Her refusal infuriated him and he began to plan her execution. However, Agnese was a virgin and virgins could not be executed. Therefore, he dragged her to the brothels to be raped. As the story is told, her beauty blinded the men at the brothel and she was not raped. He then tried to burn Agnese at the stake and the flames parted, never touching her body. Finally, he beheaded her. Her bones buried in the catacombs and her skull in the church in Piazza Navona. The church was built in the 1700s.

The Fountain of Four Rivers is another site to see in Piazza Navona. This fountain was designed by Bernini and built in the 1600s. The fountain was constructed to represent the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. There are four men on the fountain depicting the four largest rivers – one from each of the four major land masses of the world. The four rivers are the Ganges River (india), the Nile River (Africa), the Danube River (Europe), and the Rio della Platta (Americas). The statue representing the Americas has a pile of silver under him (South America is popular for their silver) and his arm is up as if he is protecting his face from something. It is speculated that he is hiding his face because of the ugly church in front of him but in fact, the church was built after the fountain. There is also a horse representing the Americas and a lion representing Asia. The statue representing the Ganges River is holding an oar to symbolize the navigability of the river. The stature representing the Nile River has a cloth over his head because no one at that time knew the river's origin. The statue representing the Danube River was touching the Papacy.

After Piazza Navona we walked over the the Pantheon. Most of us had been here before but this time was special because all of our questions about the building were answered. The Pantheon was built in 138AD by the architect Hadrian; he actually rebuilt the building built by Marcus Agrippa. It was customary to rebuilt destroyed buildings in the same place and orientation they had been built on previously. Hadrian was especially respectful to the original architect by maintaining many of the aspects of the original building and leaving the inscription of Marcus Agrippa intact. Hadrian did however want to surprise visitors of the Pantheon. So, he constructed a gigantic dome for the roof. The dome was hidden until the building was opened after ten years of construction. He kept it hidden by installing stairs at the front of the building so the pediment covered the top of the dome.

 The use of the Pantheon is unknown but is thought to be a place where all of the Gods could be worshiped. Another thought is that the Pantheon was a building where emperors could become deified and worshiped. When an emperor was deified a statue was erected of them and put in the Pantheon. These statues are no longer in the Pantheon but have been moved to museums.

Margret told us stories about climbing the dome years ago with her class when she was studying abroad in college. She had pictures of her and her classmates on top of the Pantheon and they were so cool! Margret is such an amazing tour guide, teacher, and person.

Our last stop was at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This is translated to say St. Mary on top of Minerva. Outside of the church is the smallest obelisk in Rome; the smallest of the 11 obelisk in Rome. This obelisk was taken from Egypt and has an elephant as a base with the obelisk supported on its back. The elephant represents a strong mind and the obelisk represents knowledge. The message to be gained from this statue is that it takes a strong mind to know true knowledge.

Today was great, of course, every day with Margret is great! I really enjoyed our time with her and look forward to our next excursion together!

February 15

Today Margret took us to the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Santa Maria Sopa Minerva. Today, Piazza Novana is a beautiful square filled with shops, venders, bars and fountains. However, in the day of the Roman empire, in place or present day Piazza Navona, was an enormous stadium built for 30,000 fans to watch gladiator battles, executions, and Greek style athletic events. Greek style events were performed naked, making things especially interesting!

In Piazza Navona there are two main attractions: the Fountain of Four Rivers and Church of St. Agnese. St. Agnese church is named after a 12 year old girl and a martyr of Christianity. The king wanted Agnese to marry his son but she refused. Her refusal infuriated him and he began to plan her execution. However, Agnese was a virgin and virgins could not be executed. Therefore, he dragged her to the brothels to be raped. As the story is told, her beauty blinded the men at the brothel and she was not raped. He then tried to burn Agnese at the stake and the flames parted, never touching her body. Finally, he beheaded her. Her bones buried in the catacombs and her skull in the church in Piazza Navona. The church was built in the 1700s.

The Fountain of Four Rivers is another site to see in Piazza Navona. This fountain was designed by Bernini and built in the 1600s. The fountain was constructed to represent the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. There are four men on the fountain depicting the four largest rivers – one from each of the four major land masses of the world. The four rivers are the Ganges River (india), the Nile River (Africa), the Danube River (Europe), and the Rio della Platta (Americas). The statue representing the Americas has a pile of silver under him (South America is popular for their silver) and his arm is up as if he is protecting his face from something. It is speculated that he is hiding his face because of the ugly church in front of him but in fact, the church was built after the fountain. There is also a horse representing the Americas and a lion representing Asia. The statue representing the Ganges River is holding an oar to symbolize the navigability of the river. The stature representing the Nile River has a cloth over his head because no one at that time knew the river's origin. The statue representing the Danube River was touching the Papacy.

After Piazza Navona we walked over the the Pantheon. Most of us had been here before but this time was special because all of our questions about the building were answered. The Pantheon was built in 138AD by the architect Hadrian; he actually rebuilt the building built by Marcus Agrippa. It was customary to rebuilt destroyed buildings in the same place and orientation they had been built on previously. Hadrian was especially respectful to the original architect by maintaining many of the aspects of the original building and leaving the inscription of Marcus Agrippa intact. Hadrian did however want to surprise visitors of the Pantheon. So, he constructed a gigantic dome for the roof. The dome was hidden until the building was opened after ten years of construction. He kept it hidden by installing stairs at the front of the building so the pediment covered the top of the dome.

The use of the Pantheon is unknown but is thought to be a place where all of the Gods could be worshiped. Another thought is that the Pantheon was a building where emperors could become deified and worshiped. When an emperor was deified a statue was erected of them and put in the Pantheon. These statues are no longer in the Pantheon but have been moved to museums.

Margret told us stories about climbing the dome years ago with her class when she was studying abroad in college. She had pictures of her and her classmates on top of the Pantheon and they were so cool! Margret is such an amazing tour guide, teacher, and person.

Our last stop was at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. This is translated to say St. Mary on top of Minerva. Outside of the church is the smallest obelisk in Rome; the smallest of the 11 obelisk in Rome. This obelisk was taken from Egypt and has an elephant as a base with the obelisk supported on its back. The elephant represents a strong mind and the obelisk represents knowledge. The message to be gained from this statue is that it takes a strong mind to know true knowledge.

Today was great, of course, every day with Margret is great! I really enjoyed our time with her and look forward to our next excursion together!

February 16

Brenda and I have had quite the day. We woke up extra early to trek to the Rome center in order to shower before class today. Language class was interesting, we learned the seasons in Italian, months, days of the week, and articles.  Laura, Aurora, and I went for a caffe on the break.  After class, Brenda and I received exciting news.  We got a new apartment! After we went through the monsoon to get our tickets for the soccer game, we went to see the new apartment with Stephanie.  Unfortunately the landlord told us we would only have one key for the evening. After seeing the apartment Brenda and I went back to our apartment to start packing half our things so we could move a little before the SOCCER GAME! We each packed a suitcase and headed on our way. Once we got there our key didn't work.  It was pouring and we were so tired that we decided to go see the landlord. We got our other set of keys, and were on our way to pick up Marissa (make a quick stop to Despar) and are now about to leave for the game!! Woo hoo!

February 10th, 2011

Thursday marked the beginning of our first 3 day weekend! The agenda for the day consisted of an Italian lesson and service learning. Aurora presented a lesson about feminine/masculine singular and plural nouns. I loved her approach. She worked off of food items that are found on typical Italian menus. For instance, ‘lo zucchero’ or sugar is singular and ‘gli zuccheri’ is plural.  We were also taught a couple of short phrases such as “lo puoi riscaldare?” or “can you warm it up?” and “e lonatno” or “is that far?” As well as the four seasons and the Italian words for ‘brother and sister’.

After our Italian lesson, many members were uncertain whether to attend service learning due to a strike that many drivers of public transportation participated in. We decided to not risk arriving late to our sites and called our contacts notifying them about the sudden change of plans.

I took advantage of my service learning time to prepare for my weekend trip to BARCELONA with eight other friends J I’m looking very forward to this trip! I’ll have the chance to speak Spanish, devour Hispanic food and relax on the beach! Ariverderci amici!

February 6th, 2010

Amalfi Coast and Sorrento

Amalfi

Southern Italy is host to a diversity of geographical backgrounds. Unlike Naples, where tall-standing buildings and monuments are in a race to cover the sky, the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento offered the opposite.  I traveled with Anthony, Kelsey, Marissa, Marson, Sarah, and Shay. The bus ride itself was its own adventure. We traveled in a ‘greyhound’ bus on narrow roads, where at certain turns only one car could to travel at a time.  The scenery was stunning. To our left the Mediterranean Sea greeted us from a mile away.  To our right the rocky mountain sides greeted us only a foot away from our windows! Our first stop was Amalfi where we all enjoyed a fresh seafood dish.  The local shops on the main road were decorated with lemons, they take great pride in their lemoncello, which originates from Sorrento. After lunch we strolled to the sea and climbed immense chunks of concrete, which we believed were placed there to prevent ships from anchoring near the shore. The depth of the shade of blue of the Mediterranean Sea offered tranquility and relaxation. As we overlooked the sea we couldn’t help but to feel lucky to be studying in Italy and to have avoided the gloomy weather in Seattle.  

After 30 minutes, we jumped on board a bus to Sorrento where we had the best gelato from Gelateria Primavera. The shop is covered from ceiling to walls with pictures of famous people who have visited the shop. There was also a display of important American landmarks carved out of chocolate. Mt. Rushmore with the addition of Barack Obama’s face, a Michael Jackson shrine and many American flags. We unfortunately missed the last ferry back to Naples, but without fretting we took a train. After exiting Naples central station, the majority of the group, dazzled by the ‘saldi’ signs and clothes on mannequins with weird expressions, shopped for the last hour of business. We discovered many sales people to be impatient with tourists. They linger behind their foreign clients, keeping an eye on the items that were misplaced. As well as being rude, they were also short-tempered. The lack of customer service prompted me to only purchase one item, a blazer.

Once at the hostel, we headed out once again to Pizzeria da Michele. A pizzeria known to provide the best pizza in Naples, it was featured in the film Eat, Pray, Love. I must be honest, it was delicious! After a long day, a group of four of us watched a movie and fell asleep. We looked forward to our trip to Pompei the following day. Ciao Amici!

Friday Feb 11th- Berlin, Germany!

Today (Friday) Natalie and I ventured out of Italy to explore Berlin, Germany. Although I am in love with Italy, I was extremely excited to see a different country.  Our morning started off on a rough start since we almost missed our flight due to the train breaking down. We ended up franticly sprinting through FCO towards our gate making it just in time.

Berlin was a nice change from Italy due to the great differences. On our bus ride into the city from the airport we were greeted with large brand new modern buildings and a wide range of restaurants and shops. This was vastly different from the strict Italian cuisine and small winding streets with ancient buildings that have become familiar in Rome. Due to the history involving World War II and Germany, much of the city has been recently redone. Most of the buildings around the city were constructed within the past 20 years. In addition to the modern feel of Berlin, it was also very spread out. Just getting into the area where our hostel was required us to take a bus, a train and then a tram. All of the transportation was amazing. Our bus had butt warmers and the trains were immaculately clean and nice.

Our hostel, called "Raise a Smile," was one of the nicest hostels I have ever stayed at. The hospitality of the staff and the cleanliest of the rooms and bathroom was what made this hotel the best. Upon arriving in the late afternoon, we decided to settle into our rooms and explore the area around our hostel. This area was know for having lots of fun restaurants and bars as well as close to the sites. We feasted on some quality non Italian food and walked around this cute district poking our heads into shops before heading back.

We returned to the hostel and met two people who were traveling by themselves also staying in our hostel. One named Mark was from Northern Ireland and the other named Nick was from Australia. They decided to join us as we went back to that street of restaurants and bars to grab a drink. We first went to this crowed small German bar called "Hops and Barley" that brewed their own beer. Later we headed to another bar suggested by our hostel that served banana beer. We were definitely introduced to a range of different delicious beers. Overall, it was a great day even though the majority of it was spent traveling. 

Rolling Stones & the 2nd hand purse!

Vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. The phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, e.g. “vintage clothing store.” It can also be used as an adjective: “This dress is vintage.” 

Today, in the beautiful city of Rome, I used the term vintage clothing as an adjective while I was talking with Gina Hathorn. I was trying on a ripped up black t-shirt with a print of the Ramones and it made me scream to Gina with excitement, “look at this - vintage, I love it!!”. We stumbled across a warehouse filled with about 20 artists and their collection of vintage clothing. I was in utter love! Like a kid in a candy shop (cliché... I know), I quickly browsed around every booth - searching for the perfect find! I couldn’t believe it. It was as if Rome had a taste of Seattle in a 2 block radius. We wondered a couple streets from the infamous American Apparel because we were there an hour before opening. First of all, what store opens at 3 pm in the afternoon! Such an inconvenience! Personally, Rome should be on the schedule of Gina & Souvonnah! (complete sarcasm). The hour we dreaded while waiting for the store to open ended up being an hour of adventure and discovery! It was an hour of us stepping outside of our box. An hour were we explored, we found, and an lovely hour we enjoyed. I don’t know what it is about Gina & I, but we always end up in some of the coolest places. The art show we went to with Stephanie & Manka was very similar to this place. Kings of Leon playing in the background, surprisingly running into the same boutique I bought my favorite dress at, looking at some used bags, and wicked sunglasses! The best place to kill our dreaded hour before American Apparel opened. The people around us- it was as if we never left home. I never imagined to see “hipsters” (as we call them) in Italy, or in the perfect term - seattleites. We definitely plan on going back to the same area! It was full of life and so many vintage shops! It’s unfortunate it was a sunday, when all the stores are typically closed, because as I peeked through the glass window of almost 80 percent of the stores - everything looked so intriguing. 

Other than our 2 hour adventure in the streets of Rome. I spent most of my day inside catching up on readings and working on our big research project we have coming up this next month. Who says you have to go out and do something spectacular every day? Part of living in another country and trying to adapt to the culture is living the life as an Italian. Hence, not doing the touristy thing every day. Taking a break to enjoy life, catch up, and relax! To get your morning coffee and hibernate inside. Part of living in another country is not being distracted by the big buildings, the endless events, and packed restaurants. Today, I avoided Via Del Corso and I wondered the streets of I don’t know where.  I’m completely content with my day and I’m happy! It’s never a waste to have time to yourself in a beautiful city, even if you don’t necessarily see outside of your bedroom window. I find joy in just knowing i’m living in another country and I’m trying to adapt to it.

SATURDAY 12. FEBRUARY. 2011

It’s my birthday!! Nineteen years ago today, my mother, at sixteen years old gave birth to a child, who was often mistaken as a mistake. And today in celebrating me, I celebrate my mother’s courage to do what many don’t.

I’m in Barcelona! And so far, I love it. Could be that the language is easier or that I’ve taken six years of it and though I don’t remember everything, it feels a little better. We’re staying in an amazing youth hostel and the vibe is laid back. Then again, this whole trip is laid back, while many of our other trips have been very packed with five-day itineraries jammed into two days. I had an awesome donut and croissant sandwich for breakfast that blessed my life then we started our day with some sites. Well first we walked through the center and there were some people dressed in costumes and taking money for pictures. Everyone thought it was a great idea for me to take a picture with this creepy jeepers creepers looking type of guy and they told him it’s my birthday so he made the experience extra special. He put his nasty finger in my ear as he was grabbing my head and shaking me a little. Then he kissed me about two times in the process. As creepy and embarrassing as it was, I’m glad they made me do it. After that, we took the metro and a bus and we went up on this mountain to look over the city and beyond the smog, the view was great. Marson, Brenda, Alex and I went on this lift that allowed us to look from an even higher point. There was also a church up on the mountain and we accidently walked in during mass. We would have stayed a little while longer but about five minutes in they were taking communion and none of us wanted to partake in that. Not that we were against it, just out of respect. I personally don’t know the rules or anything to Catholic communion so we walked out as politely as possible.

Marson discovered a store with all types of sweet and sour candy that is charged by the weight. I thought I deserved 2 Euros worth and I think that is what upset my stomach. After being on a hunt to find the sacred family house and some architecture. We then ate lunch/dinner at a nice place called Catalana where I ate a Spanish omelet that was quite tasty. I also ordered a “Mini Cheeseburger” That was more mini than I thought it would be. They made a cute design on the plate with ketchup and Marson says, “You have more ketchup than you have burger.” He wasn’t exaggerating. Nonetheless, it was a place to eat and when I came back from the restroom, the group surprised me with a piece of chocolate cake that had hot fudge gushing out of it. I couldn’t eat all of it from not feeling too well so I passed the plate around and had everyone take a bite.

When leaving the restaurant, we split into two groups, a few people went on to see some more sites and the rest of us started to head back towards the hostel so that I could buy a jacket, since I didn’t bring one and it was pretty cold. Not to mention that we planned to go out and I needed a jacket. Well unfortunately on our way to H and M I got sick, we still made it to the store in time though and I bought a cute jacket and purse then we headed back to the hostel. Since I still didn’t feel well, I didn’t go out but the day was great overall.

The trip was great. My birthday was a lot different than it has ever been but it was good. Shout outs to everyone who went to Barcelona and made it a great day, and for taking care of me when I got sick! Adios!! Soon to be Ciao!!

THURSDAY 3. FEBRUARY. 2011

The Daily Blog –  3. February. 2011

NAPLES!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for the week late posting, but on a brighter note, Naples was awesome!!!

            Today has been an interesting, yet long and busy day. We all met at the Rome center at 830am. I woke up at 6am but only because I accidently fell asleep at 9pm last night. It was almost like the timing was perfect though because I fell asleep without packing and woke up in just enough time to pack and make sure that everything was in order. Heading to the bus stop things got a little hectic because a few people didn’t have their passports. Though there was a chance we wouldn’t need them, there was also a chance that we would. It was quite nerve racking, I was afraid someone would get left behind, even though we were pretty good on timing, you just never know when Roman traffic is involved. First, it was Brittany who had to run back, then once we got to the termini I believe it was Sarah who then had to catch a cab back to our apartment and then catch the same one back to the termini. A trip that was totally avoidable costs 20 Euros, but things happen and all went well because her and Brittany were able to make it back to the termini in time to make the train. I always sleep while traveling, I am sure there may have been a few nice sites to see but car rides, or any type of ride tends to put me to sleep. As I wake up from a about a three hour or so nap on the train I was questioned by a few people whether or not I was okay, but I was. It just take me about ten minutes to wake up fully.

            We all decided that the “twenty minute” walk to the hostel wouldn’t be that bad since we’re all used to walking anyway. Then once twenty minutes turned into a half an hour then into what seemed to be about forty-five minutes, we began to complain amongst ourselves. Either way, we all survived and were happy to finally arrive at the hostel. Then the girls had to climb seven flights of steps to get to our rooms and found it quite disappointing that we had to pay twenty-euro cents to use the elevator. We later found out that the elevator was free after 7pm and on the weekends. I didn’t climb those steps too many more times, I may be young but going up those steps take some stamina.

            After we settled in we walked around and met Alex who showed us a few things in his hometown and took us to get some coffee and gelato. Well some people preferred one over the other. Then had some amazing pizza. It was pretty big, well a lot bigger than Pizza Hut’s “personal pan” and some of the students were then crowned as the “clean plate crew.” Unfortunately I left a little bit of my pizza and could not be a part of the crew. Then after dinner we toured the fabulous city with Alex. It was our “unofficial tour,” the real tour happens tomorrow. But, we did see the Botanical Garden without actually seeing and we went into what he called the Industrial District.

            The city seems much more different than what I’m used to in Rome, but it’s not so bad, it seems more city like, almost like I’m back in the states. But Rome is home, Naples is just a mini vacay.

bonjourno roma

Rise and shine!!!

Today, Wednesday February 9^th, we had a full schedule of activities. We gathered outside the UW ROME center at eight in the morning. To make our way to the Mosque we traveled by bus and metro systems. Bus 40 to termini was crowded as usual. What surprised most of us was how overly-crowded – my everything on the way of everyone feeling…. the train station was. To make our way into the train we needed to be aggressive and push our way in and to get out push our way out. We shortly discovered that the train station was crowded because of strikes. After, being in everyone’s way, we finally made it to Piazza Popolo to discover that we needed to take another train to reach our final destination – the Mosque. An unfortunate short lasted detour was encountered because we got on the wrong train. We got on the wrong train because there were two train stations – we just happened to get on the wrong one. So we had to back track our steps and head to the correct one. After, what felt like a half-an-hour train ride we arrived at our final stop. We then walked about five minutes to the Mosque.

The architecture of the Mosque was unique and eye pleasing – very beautiful. We/I learned that in Rome, other churches aren’t allowed by law to build higher or be in a visible surrounding as the Vatican. Even though the Mosque was far away from the heart of the city and wasn’t as visible as the Vatican; it didn’t take away from its beauty and its serenity. The inside was decorated with a lovely carpet and gorgeous art work of the ceiling chandeliers and the tiles. However, we all felt the cold rising from the palm of our feet dispersing to the rest of our bodies. We then made our way to the Mosque library – and I was continued to be impressed by their artwork. One thing that Brenda, a classmate shared with me, is that they have separate places for women and men to pray because of the positions in which they pray.

After, our visit to the Mosque we made our way back to Piazza Popolo and we all dispersed for our lunch break. Marissa, MinJi and I decided to walk home and stopped by a Pizza place for our lunch. Our walk home was illuminated by the rays and warmth that the sun shined on us. It was a very pleasant walk home.

After our lunch break, most of us gathered for a walk to the Jewish Ghetto and a tour of the Synagoue and Museum. I, as well as others, didn’t have the pleasure to be part of this tour because we weren’t feeling so well. But, I heard from classmates that it was a very good learning experience and very educational.

Afterwards, we had a couple of hours to rest and recuperate to head out for our group dinner at Luigi’s. We had a chance to practice our Italian – we ordered in Italian. The food smelled and tasted great. I left early with MinJi back to the Rome Center. I walked back home, changed, and then headed out to Trastevere to find Garbo – a gay bar. I walked around for about half an hour – and I still couldn’t find it. So, I decided to abandon my exploration and head back home. I came home to discover that the map, with directions to Garbo was incorrect. I was in the wrong part of Trastevere. All this time I thought, that this self-directed excursion only re-confirmed by bad sense of direction. But, I was somewhat proud of myself that I had followed directions correctly – even though they were far off. And with this…

buona notte,

February 4

Today was one of the most packed days that we have yet had, we spent the morning and early afternoon touring at some of the more important and well recognized sites in Naples. We started this morning off meeting our tour guide Alex in the Piazza del Plebiscito, which today is used as a gathering place for festivals, protest and other large social gatherings. This piazza is flanked by the neoclassical basilica which borrows architectural motifs from the pantheon in Rome; on the opposite side of the square is the Palazzo Reale or the Royal Palace, where we continued our tour with Alex. The interior of the palace that we saw was richly decorated with marble floors and carved ceilings, the palace is also currently the location of the national library. After touring through the parts of the palace we made our way across the street towards the Galleria Umberto I. The Galleria was built during the Risanamento period after the unification of Italy in the years of 1887-1891, by architect Emanuele Rocco and was dedicated and named after the current king of Italy Umberto I. This building serves as a social center with shopping and cafes. After visiting the galleria the next stop was what Alex described as the most important church in Naples, the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo. This church has a long history, construction on this building started in 1584 and finished in 1601, with two subsequent dome collapses in 1688 and 1774 and a fire in 1639 this church has seen a lot of history. After visiting the church we made our way to Piazza Dante where we would be catching the metro to go and get lunch. We exited the metro at the first stop to look at some of the modern artwork that had been done recently with addition of the new metro station. After admiring the art we were back on the metro and heading to Vanvitelli where we were going to be eating lunch that day. Piazza Vanvitelli is was perhaps one of the nicest parts Naples that we visited, I would assume named after the famous Neapolitan architect and engineer Luigi Vanvitelli who practiced during the 18^th century. In the piazza we ate lunch at a restaurant name Tratorria Vanvitelli, the food was decent and the company was great as always. After lunch Alex decided to take us to a ROMA camp on the outside of the city, this was basically at the end of the metro line. After exiting the metro it didn't even feel like we were in Naples anymore, but the even larger piles of trash reminded me that we were still in Naples. After about a thirty minute walk and walking down a road to a dead-end we finally arrived at the ROMA camp which we have seen pictures of before, but being at the camp first hand is completely different than seeing the what has been portrayed to us in literature and photography in class. In the camp Alex took us to meet Dennis who operates a small makeshift store in the ROMA camp, he and most of the other residents seemed very happy to meet us and were welcoming of our presence in the camp. After drinking some water and eating some chocolate we were off for a walk through the projects of Naples for our return trip back to the city center; where we headed to the Castle Sant' Elmo. The plan was to be at the top of the castle when the sun as setting so that we would have a spectacular view of Naples and the surrounding coastal cities and islands. The view from the top of the battlements of the castle was amazing, we could see all of Naples reaching out into the distance, the islands of Ischia and Capri, and the Almafi coast. After visiting the castle we made our way back down the hundreds of stairs to the hostel; overall this was one of the most enjoyable day trips of the program thus far and was full of a wealth of information. I would like to again thank our tour guide Alex for two wonderful days of touring in Naples.

February 6

Today is our last day in Napoli. We packed up our things and left the hostel around 9am to head for Pompeii where we would spend most of the day. We walked the long walk to the train station where we caught the 10am train and our adventure began! There were many Roma people on the train and a young child begging for money. We all gave him some. Later we gave him and his older brother a pack of crackers. They were appreciative and shared with each other. They seemed like good boys.
We arrived in Pompeii about 45 minutes later. As we walked in the first thing we saw were cafes and bars selling gelato, fresh orange and lemon juice and pizza. We kept walked, bought our tickets and headed in. There were a few dogs running around and sunbathing. They were all very nice and we fed them crackers!

We entered Pompeii and it was like traveling back in time. The structures were still in relatively good shape and it was easy to imagine how these ancient people lived their daily lives. The forum, homes, offices, and so on were still intact and if you closed your eyes you could almost see exactly how the town looked before it was destroyed. The architecture was immaculate.

We walked from the forum to the smaller of the two amphitheaters. This was my favorite place in Pompeii. The perfection of the architecture and the marble was so beautiful. The weather today was incredible so we took this opportunity to sunbathe and watch the wild dogs play for a little while. The dogs were all so friendly and at the end of the tour we discovered that they were all up for adoption! After the amphitheater we looked at our map and realized how huge Pompeii was! ...We decided to walk all the way to the other side of the town to the Colosseum. This was a true sight to see. It was much smaller than the Colosseum in Rome but brought just as much excitement and entertainment to the community of Pompeii.

After the Colosseum we walked to the Garden of the Fugitives. The Garden of the Fugitives is the final resting place for many of the victims taken by the volcanic eruption in 79 AD. Resting here are bodies of men, women and children preserved in ash, just as they were the day they died. You can even make out some of the facial expressions of these ancient people.

After the Garden we made our way out Pompeii and headed back to Napoli to grab our bags and a snack before catching the train back to [our much missed] Roma. When we got off the train from Pompeii the group split up – half going back to the hostel to eat and the other half to get pizza where we had eaten the night before. When we got to the pizza place, starving, we found out it was closed – just as EVERYTHING is on Sunday in Napoli. By this point many of us were ready to cry and act like babies – homesick (from Roma), very hungry, so tired of walking, and just ready to crash. The walk back to the hostel seemed to take hours, but we finally made it...and in good cheer!

A few of us grabbed a small pizza and headed into the hostel to get our bags. When we got to the top of the stairs at the hostel we found little J crying and saying her bag was stolen! Everyone was freaked out and confused. I thought it was stolen from the hostel but it was worse: she had been mugged on the street by a man on a moped. He rode up, grabbed the strap to her purse (that was across her chest) and drove off at full speed. There was absolutely nothing she could have done to prevent the robbery or to get her things back. A man working at the hostel advised her to make a police report, which she did with Natalie and Brittany. 

Some of us went to get a quick bite a block from the hostel while the girls were at the police station. I ordered an octopus salad and some greens that are native and very particular to Napoli, Alex had told us about them previously. They are delicious and taste exactly like a mix of broccoli, asparagus, and spinach. Kelsey ordered cuttlefish pasta and it was wonderful.(refer to sites and bites)

After dinner we got our things and caught a cab to the train station. There was only standing room left on the train back to Rome so some of us paid 7 more euro to get first class seats so we could sit and have a nap. I was one of those people. We sat in a little room with 6 seats, 3 seats facing 3. There was a door and curtains and it was like the movies! There was also a man selling cookies and soda! 

Despite some of the rough patches, our last day in Napoli was great. Also, I feel I bonded with some of the group members who I previously didn't know :) Thanks to Julie and Manka for taking us to Napoli!!

A trip to the Vatican

Today started off with a trip to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center for our service learning.  I helped Sandra hand out razors, lotion, shampoo, and other toiletries to the men before tea.  After tea I helped her sort through and hand out clothes and toothbrushes to the refugees.  One refugee came up asking for a pen, something that we normally don’t hand out on a regular basis, but after Sandra saw who it was she immediately gave him a pen.  She explained that the man was named Leonardo and his main activity was writing.  He wrote letters to people back at home, in Africa and sometimes even wrote to Sandra asking her for a few cents in order to send his letters.  The work Sandra does never ceases to amaze me.  Every time I’m there, helping pass stuff out, I’m constantly in awe of her kindness and willingness to give everything that she has to help the less fortunate refugees.

Later we had an excursion to the Vatican museums.  It was lead by Jeffery, who gave an outstanding tour!  When I entered the Vatican museum, I thought there was only one museum, but soon found out there are more than 20!  As we traveled from room to room, Jeffery’s extensive knowledge and passion for this subject kept the class captivated.   I learned so much about the Catholic Church and the history of the Vatican.  I loved seeing all the statues and sculptures.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many statues in one place!  Jeffery led us around most of the museums, stopping at key and important artifacts and giving us the history and backgroud of them.  The highlight of the museum for me was getting to go into the Sistine Chapel.  It was even more breathtaking that any photo I’d seen or image I’d had in my head.  Jeffery’s history of Michelangelo and how he painted the chapel made the experience even more amazing than just seeing it.  Getting to hear what the different panels were and how they told a story really made the experience unforgettable.  Also seeing the differences of the paintings done first to those done last also contributed to the majesty of seeing it.  I can’t image how Michelangelo was able to imagine all the intricate details.  We were also able to see Raphael’s rooms.  Jeffery described to us each wall in the 4 different rooms.  It still amazes me how these great artists could create such timeless pieces of art! 

The final destination of our tour was actually getting to go into the Vatican. WOW that place is enormous!!!  I was in total awe of the beauty of it all. I’ve never seen any place as magnificent as the Vatican.  I feel so lucky to have been able to experience such an amazing place.  Going to the Vatican has definitely been one of my highlights of this study aboard! I will never forget the experience I had today!  I recommend anyone who comes to Rome, must visit the Vatican! 

February 7th

We started the day today with class with Julie and Stephanie. We looked ahead to the week's schedule which is full of excursions! We are so excited for the rest of the week. Next we did a little debriefing of Naples and our thoughts on how the weekend was structured. Overall there were positive feelings about it and the consensus was that a future group should return with a little modifications. After our discussion of Naples we delve into border identities concerning politics, religion, and the family. This tied into our excursion this afternoon which was to the Arch of Constantine, the first emperor who accepted Christianity, and San Clemente Church. We met up with Lila Yawn, an art historian who teaches at John Cabot, who was giving us our tour. She explained us the significance of being a Christian back in antiquity and Constantine's affect on them, allowing them to have their first official church in Rome.

Next we headed to San Clemente Church which is a building with three different layers where the other layers are still visible, or a palimpsest. The first or bottom layer was a the imperial mint, a house and a place of worship for the Mithras religion. In the early 5th century a Christian church was built on top of the factory and some of the frescoes are still visible today. Later in the 11th century the church visible from the street was built. It is a gorgeous church and it was amazing to be there with Lila. Her clear passion for art and history enhanced our experience so much. She possessed so much knowledge and pointed out things that we, as bystanders, would have never noticed. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so glad that we were able to be there. 

Tomorrow's agenda: service learning and the Vatican tour!