The Italian Journey

Today is an exceptionally beautiful day in Rome. All days are beautiful - but this morning I went on an early run in just shorts and a t-shirt and still was incredibly hot. Later while walking to our field trip we were in short-sleeved shirts because it was that hot. Meanwhile all the Italians are in their winter parkas, hats and tall boots. They really don't know what they've got here. The weather (and the constant SnapChats) is a constant reminder of what I am not missing at Marquette- aka a full blown Wisconsin winter complete with blizzards and negative temperatures. Not so much as one inch of me is even close to wanting to go home.

Over the last week in English we read The Italian Journey, a famous travel narrative by well renowned German genius Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. We went on a field trip this morning to La Casa di Goethe, the hotel that he stayed in while he was in Rome. It's located on the Via Del Corso- so needless to say Kelly and I window shopped the whole way there and the whole way back. It's her birthday too so we did some real shopping on the way home! The museum itself wasn't all that interesting to me.. With the exception of the copy of the portrait done by his painter roommate Tischbain I felt like his literature and letters painted a much better picture of his time spent in Italy than the tokens of his travels that are housed there. It's a wonderful collection- but I feel like itleast for me I'll always feel more connected to something I can read than something I can see.

I decided to blog about this first and foremost because I feel like the opportunity to experience museums like this is definitely an advantage to being a study abroad student as opposed to a vacationer. I would never have taken the time to visit this museum had my time in Rome been limited- but because I have the blessing of extended time I can take the time to see things that are outside the standard guidebook. So blessed for that. Secondly, I was incredibly moved by The Italian Journey. The novel reinforced my belief that I have chosen the right place to study abroad. The more time I spend in Rome and the more I read about others' travels to Rome, the more I am convinced of this fact. It truly is one of the most important cities in the world, not only for its architecture but also its historical significance. I wanted to share some notable lines from Goethe's work that, despite being written in the 18th century, are relevant to the modern world.

There is one part in his narrative that he is arguing with a friend about a chapel Raphael has painted. His friend argues that the composition of the sibyl is poor- he attributes this to the fact that Raphael had limited space in which to perform. Goethe counters him claiming, "the space which the architecture gave him never worried Raphael in the least. Indeed, it is one of the greatest proofs of his genius that he could fill any given space in the most exquisite manner." He connects this artistic talent to life further asserting, "in art, as in the natural organism, it is precisely within the narrowest limits that life manifests itself most completely." This quotation has been in the corners of my mind ever since I read it- the idea that it is often under the strictest of restrictions that life finds a way to be its fullest self.

Goethe also comments on the constant encounters one has with history while in Rome. He asserts, "the observation that all greatness is transitory should not make us despair; on the contrary, the realization that all past was great should stimulate us to create something of consequence ourselves, which, even when, in its turn, it has fallen to ruins, may continue to inspire our descendants to a  noble activity such as our ancestors never lacked." This quotation has given me a perspective by which to travel Rome. Each day that I am traveling I am constantly encountering not only magnificent present structures, but also the entire history of mankind and the structures that laid here before them. It's incredibly unique to see the way in which an entire street curves because once, centuries ago, a successful general built the first permanent stone theater. By walking along it, where the Porticus would have been, one reaches the place in which Caesar was killed- now riddled with cats. It's incredible and completely a testimony to Goethe's comment that while in Rome all that one realizes is that greatness is transitory. The first permanent stone theater and all of its historical significance hardly remains. The legacy of that successful general, Pompey, who celebrated three triumphs is visible only in the unusual jutting out of several homes along a curved street. However, Goethe insists that one should not mourn over this transition of greatness, instead, he insists one should use it as motivation to create his or her own greatness. He truly was a genius.

Another interesting thing about Goethe is that his purpose in traveling was escape and rebirth. He believed that while he was in Italy he would become changed. Throughout his travels, he attempts to become a new version of himself by traveling incognito and trying to recreate himself as a painter. In the end he finds that he is a writer, just as he was before he left. In class we talked a lot about this concept- that often people travel (or study abroad) because they are trying to escape or change. However, sometimes travel is more about solidifying and discovering who you already were rather than becoming something entirely new.

Altogether his writings have already heavily influenced my perspective on study abroad. Which I'm certain was my professor's intention in having us read these narratives early on. Loving every second of this opportunity! Can't truly comprehend that this is actually my life and I'm not just narrating it for someone else.

Other tidbits- found a McDonalds here. Of course. It's incredible. They have gelato McFlurrys that we are still waiting to try. They also serve alcohol there which is a bit unusual and I don't even think necessarily would go with my chicken nuggets all that well. We also wandered to the Spanish Steps a day when we went to pick up our books. And here is the Tiber River from my run in the rain the other day. The water may not be all that blue but you cannot stand next to it and not feel its power and significance as the initial central commerce point for Rome.

Hands down the best weekend of my life to date- in Florence, Lucca & Pisa.

Frequently the girls at home point out how often I say that things are the best time of my life- or the funniest. Which is so true. I always do say that it was the best weekend of my life or the best night. I can't help it! This past weekend is no exception. It was hands down the funniest, best weekend of my entire 20 years. I can't remember the last time that I laughed until I couldn't feel my face, breathe, or talk. Yet I could not even count the number of times that happened this weekend. I certainly have hilarious friends at home- made evident by the group message Emma, Cosmo, Kyle, David and I have maintained since we have left that often prompts the people around me to ask what I'm laughing at when I'm looking at my phone- but there is really something else about traveling with people that just gives you so many more new experiences to laugh about. This list includes but is not limited to the bus driver leaving us in the middle of a highway roundabout, taking the train home for free, celebrating our free ride with McDonalds, almost buying a homeless man a train ticket, getting slightly electrocuted, and staying in an unheated hostel.

I traveled with friends- Kelly, Meghan, James, Paul and Hunter to Florence, Lucca and Pisa. Coincidentally, all 6 of us are Marquette students although none of us, with the exception of Kelly and I, knew each other prior to this trip. After all the time we spent together this weekend we did put together that we in fact do have a few mutual friends who never did us the justice of introducing us to each other, but other then that we really did not know each other at all. Suffice it to say "WE ARE MARQUETTE" was said about 100+ times this weekend and we all regretted not having brought along one of the cheesy flags they asked us to bring and post pictures with. I mean not really regretted- since we chose to write it on a finished wine bottle and take pictures with that instead. Seemed more fitting. I am so grateful to have met these new friends on this trip. Not only because we had a great time together traveling and will continue to do so this semester, but also because I can look forward to more years of time with them when we do, sadly, return to Marquette. It makes so much sense to me now while so many older Marquette alums I know still hang out with other alumni, even ones they did not know while they were in school. There is just some kind of unique connection to us that allowed us to click so easily in spite of not knowing each other in the least.

We started off the weekend by leaving early Friday morning for Florence. I should start by noting that my friend James is actually from Florence. He spent most of his adolescence living in Florence which not only made him an awesome tour guide but his fluency in the Italian language was about as vital to our trip as Paul's cooking. Upon coming up to a "Firenze 6 KM -->" sign, the bus driver calls out "FLORENCE?!" and asks us to get off the bus. In the middle of the highway. Needless to say he didn't need to speak English to see that we were confused. While he pulled our luggage out of the side of the bus he explained to James in Italian (I mean seriously it's an invaluable ability) that we would have to walk up the highway and take a bus to Florence. Entirely not part of the plan, but we've quickly learned that Italian bus drivers are on their own schedule and aren't as tied to a route, times, or a drop-off location as American ones are. Ultimately we walked behind an actual hitchhiker up the highway to wait for a bus, practically in tears from laughing so hard that we had been dropped off on a highway roundabout.

I kid you not.

We spent the rest of the day touring Florence- and the best way that I can describe it is that it felt like you were looking at one of those pop-up picture books you had as a kid. The detail on the Duomo and the Baptistery is so intricate that it looked like a storybook. I lack creativity as well as artistic talent- therefore I left the picture taking to Meghan and Paul, both of whom are quite gifted. So these pictures of the sights are really taken by them. 

The first one is the top of the Duomo, the second the Baptistery doors that are the Gates of Heaven, and the third is the picture that I think best shows the storybook quality to the structures. I loved it so much. 

So of course we also went in to see the David. I could not say enough about it. Even knowing to expect it to be immense and impressive I was still utterly blown away by how big it is. We actually stood there just looking up at it for about 25 minutes before I finally nudged the rest of them to say we should get going. We didn't. We stayed there 15 minutes longer. We were truly just marveling at it- Paul actually captured the look on mine and Meghan's faces pretty well as we looked up at it. He also was brave enough to take a picture- where as I, a rule stickler by nature was much too scared. Even if the only consequence was a somewhat small woman yelling "no picture" moderately harshly. Paul also came up with the best interpretation of the David's face- we all agreed once he said it that David is asking God, "Did I do the right thing?" It seems ridiculous to think that marble eyes could show you a soul but really that's the magic of the David.

We also went to the Ponte Vecchio. My parents had told me about the newlyweds that go there and lock a lock around a certain part of the bridge then throw the key into the river. It really is an adorable sentiment to lasting love. What was especially cute was the differences between locks people had chosen. One couple had locked their $2 Target padlock right next to a Chanel one. It was too funny. My personal favorite was this one- and again have to thank Paul for taking an adorable picture of it when I asked him too. God never fails in surrounding me with amazingly talented, kind people.

We were at the bridge at right about sunset- could not have asked for better lighting as it was gorgeous to look out over the water. The bridge is also lined with jewelry shops- something the boys loved as much as the girls. Hunter picked out a $79,000 dollar watch while the three of us girls just stared at all of the jewelry. 

That night we went to an incredible dinner at one of James' favorite places. Never have I ever laughed so hard. Some of the highlights other than the food were Paul proclaiming "I'm not really a wine guy" as he literally empties a bottle. Or sarcastically turning to Meghan and saying, "I don't have a sassy face." This picture was taken at that exact moment..

Meghan and James' faces say it all. Not only does Paul have a sassy face- it is the only face he has. And he is a wine guy. 

We went out to the pubs that night and actually just sat around a table for a few hours laughing and talking. I can't say it enough- never have I had such a good time with people. I can't even stop laughing at things as I sit here trying to type this. 

Florence was the time of my life. So many great memories from just about 24 hours. Whatever they say in life about doing things with the right people, it's completely true. 

The next morning we went to Lucca on the train. Lucca is a very small town that is best known for the fact that it is essentially a walled fortress. In the past the town continued to build walls of various consistencies and sizes in order to protect themselves against enemies. Despite their heavy layers of defense, they have never once been threatened by an enemy. As it stands, Lucca is the kind of place that builds walls against people that have no intention or desire to hurt it. Some metaphor huh? So anyways- it was very quiet and didn't have as many of the renowned sights that Florence had. Rather we spent the day bicycling around the ramparts on top of its walls appreciating the view. Breathtaking really. The Apennine mountains were snow-capped and we spent about two hours biking around just marveling at how beautiful they were. The bike ride also affords you a better view of the small town. 

So. Much. Fun.

We had a hostel to stay in for that night too- and given the small amount of nightlife Lucca had to offer (looked to be about one bar) we decided it'd be fun to cook dinner and then just stay in. We really decided this would be fun given the discovery that Paul is an incredible chef- officially deemed Paulatouille. We went grocery shopping and I kid you not he cooked a delicious 5 course meal. The rest of our contribution was mostly eating it whenever his back was turned. So unbelievably delicious. So much was eaten before and during this meal that we did not even get to the ratatouille he had made. And I can genuinely say that I have never had so much fun cooking a meal either. If these pictures can even give you the slightest indication of how much fun we had then I'll be happy.

The second picture is all the food we had bought- all of the girls had our tote bags filled with food. Too cheap to buy the bags to bring them home which nearly caused James a panic attack that we would attempt to bring home groceries without bags. Ultimately it was the funnest night of my entire life. 

Annndddddd still the weekend wasn't over. Hard to believe with all that we had done but the next day we headed to Pisa. I wasn't expecting to be impressed by the Leaning Tower in the least- in fact it wasn't until we got there and saw it that I realized I had pretty much been expecting to see the CatDog house. Which goes to show that a pricey education can't buy you common sense. This also proved to be true about Push/Pull doors that designated Push in English.. Right Meghan?! We walked around there- had a hilarious time laughing about the Asian tourists that were taking the typical Leaning Tower picture on the Baptistery- went to church right next to the Tower which also happened to be incredibly beautiful on the inside- grabbed some pizza and headed back to Florence to try to make it back home to Rome.

For a funny final story about our attempted return to Rome. So Kelly and I actually did not have tickets for a Sunday night bus, ours were mistakenly done for Monday night. However- we were kind of planning on winging it and hoping that James could argue our way on given the casualness of the buses in Italy anyways. We figured the only way it wouldn't work out was if the bus was completely full. However the other four did have tickets for that night. So we made it back to the highway roundabout and were standing in the dark.. flag down the bus as it gets off the ramp and what do you know - the bus is full. And also does not have four seats open for our friends who did have legitimate tickets. Long story and lots of rapid Italian yelling between James and the bus drivers later- we ended up in a free taxi headed back to the Florence train station for a free train that would get us back nearly two full hours before the bus. We celebrated with McDonalds. Perfect weekend.

The length is extreme I know- if you made it to the end then you are probably either one of my Grandma's or my Mom- so in that case- I love you! I miss you! This week is almost over already- we have no big plans for this weekend other than trying to get ahead in some homework because I will be heading to Dublin and Galway the following weekend! And so begins about two months of nonstop travel. Sleep is for the birds.

Tuscany wine tasting!

Our first weekend in Rome after orientation- two of our roommates came up with the idea to go to Tuscany for a wine tasting. Naturally everyone was on board for it, so we got a pretty good size group to join in on a Bus2Alps day trip.

The trip was to two different places- first, Montepulciano. The wine cellar we toured used to be a torture chamber. It was a bit creepy but ultimately the woman who led the tour wasn't as informative and mostly allowed us to just look for ourselves- therefore we didn't take much away from it other than that many past torture weapons look like modern day kitchen supplies. We tasted three different red wines and a few cheeses- the one I particularly remember was the pecorini. We also tasted the salami they make in house which was very good as well! This is a few of my roommates, Meghan, Kelly and Olivia tasting the wine! We in no way learned anything factual about wine but we had a great time tasting nonetheless.

We also had some time to walk around in Montepulciano which was gorgeous. The views were magnificent, and absolutely not captured by a camera in the least. We looked out at them as we walked up, and I truly mean up it was incredibly steep, to the Piazza where part of one of the Twilight movies was filmed- which was not too exciting for any of us as we all agreed that Robert Pattinson could not have even been as attractive as this view.

We then got back on the bus and traveled to Montalcino, which is actually the only place in the world that produces Brunello di Montalcino. Apparently having tasted this particular wine at the actual vineyard is supposed to impress wine experts- unfortunately the closest I have to wine experts in my life are my Mom and Mrs. Pratt- who would rather spend time drinking it than being impressed by it. Regrettably I did not buy my Mom a bottle, although I did waver. Either way- it was a wonderful experience and we got to see how and where they make the wine. This is our whole group of girls tasting the wine there-

The bus ride itself was very scenic- Italy has some beautiful mountains. Tuscany was every bit as beautiful as I expected it to be.

This same weekend I went to dinner with a few new Marquette friends that I've met since being here. We went out for dinner and were quickly shuffled to the basement of the restaurant- something we were laughing about as we were headed down the stairs and found it even funnier that there was another group of Americans who had been seated in the basement as well. The dinner was so much fun- Meghan and I quite literally laughed until we cried over a fighting for dessert moment, and the food was so good, as it always is. We always make these plans to take pictures of our food when we order, but we never remember to take the picture until all we have is an empty plate in front of us. 

We also tried the chocolate bar- something everyone who comes does and for good reason. It was far and above the best shot I've ever had in my life- and definitely something my sister would love. The glasses are pure chocolate and then you can fill them with whatever alcohol you want and they add chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles. The bar is meant to be inappropriate as well- which made putting an entire glass made of chocolate in your mouth at once even funnier. Definitely something that my sister would love. I actually don't think you that you Jess could take any other kind of shot again if you ever tried this one. So maybe stay away for a bit. 

Ultimately I love my study abroad experience so far. It is so much fun- I have met so many incredible friends in such a short amount of time. The University keeps telling us that two weeks is the time that this wears off and you suddenly realize you're actually here for four months. However we're quickly approaching the three week mark and I have no desire to be anywhere near Marquette or Illinois and its freezing cold temperatures! I'll take my run in shorts and a t-shirt this morning with some light rain over that anyday.

 

Beginning my semester in Rome!

Despite initially telling everyone that I was in no way starting a blog, especially after teasing Nicole copious amounts for her own, I decided after this weekend that I needed to.

As we traveled, we talked quite a bit about how difficult it is to truly explain this experience to anyone through pictures and Facetime. However, I figured by not doing a blog I wasn't giving my best effort at attempting to share it with everyone. In so many ways it feels like you just want to be able to give this experience to others, the same way I always tell Kelsey that I wish I could just give her the memory I have of her coming up to me at the pool with all of about 6 teeth and saying "Hey I'm Kelsey! From the All-Star team!" There doesn't seem to be a satisfactory way to genuinely share how much something means to you with the people you love, so this blog is going to be my extra effort to do so.

Two and a half weeks ago now I landed in Rome! Representatives from the American University I am attending here, John Cabot, picked up Kelly and I and brought us to our apartment. I live on Viale De Trastevere, Trastevere meaning "across the river" in Italian. We are about a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute tram from the Tiber River, for those that know a little bit about the geography of Rome. I share an apartment with 8 other girls, a mix from Madison, Marquette, Rutgers, Boston College, Iowa, and one who is an Italian-American degree seeking student. While 9 girls sounds hectic, even to us, I have been very fortunate to have been placed with great roommates. We all get along very well, and I love coming home at night after class because some of my roommates can really cook.

I live with all of the girls in the top two pictures, and most of the ones in the third and fourth are my roommates as well. We have had such a great time going out together, as well as you can see staying in one night to watch Silver Linings Playbook. We've really settled in nicely together and I'm feeling extremely blessed to have gotten so lucky. 

Right away the first few days we had some orientation events for school. But we spent most of our days exploring and just trying to orientate ourselves a new city. Those of you who know me best know that I will never succeed in knowing directions while I'm here, as I still easily get spun in Downers anywhere that is not Main or 63rd, but the rest of my friends were and I just try to stay close. Kelly and I did, to probably no one's surprise, get horribly lost the first night. It's especially funny now that we see truly how far away we were from home. During that adventure though, we did manage to find our way to the Trevi Fountain. It was late at night and absolutely beautiful to see it all lit up. 

I've spent most of my time the first few weeks adjusting to a new school. John Cabot is very small, the entire campus is two buildings, a huge relief for me especially. The classes are amazing so far. It seems absolutely ridiculous to say that my favorite part of studying abroad is the studying, but actually I have incredibly smart professors from all over the world and am very happy with how it turned out. I'm taking art history, which will essentially be 45 hours of guided touring around Rome with a very passionate professor who deems many of the structures to have a 'sexy bit.' She has no shortage of information and stories on the background of everywhere we go to visit. It's definitely a class to look forward to. I also really like my Italian teacher- I already promised Marco that this is the woman he would want. We're picking up the language quickly just from ordering, shopping, and attempting to eavesdrop on the tram rides- but she is a great teacher which makes the long class go by more quickly. I'm also taking business ethics, which has been particularly interesting because at Marquette the majority of students come from the Midwest- generally Wisconsin or Illinois. However here, the students are not only from different countries, but also from all parts of the United States. It adds a lot more diversity of opinion to the classroom, which is particularly interesting for an ethics course. My english class is by far my favorite- further reinforcing my belief everyday that I will end up in an english related career despite my pursuit of a Marquette business degree. All in all, I love school. Per usual. 

This is an extremely long post- had to catch everyone up on the basics of my study abroad semester. I'll post more later about our weekend travels. I miss everyone at home dearly. I could not be happier that my two Grandmas received iPads for Christmas this year. It has made communicating with them convenient and more frequent. Not to mention more adorable because I get to see them on FaceTime. 

Also- Happy Birthday Nicole! I love you!