Looking back I’m sure I’m not the only who can say that this trip has changed me in one way or another. Through this trip, I discovered that when you go out of the country for the first time and get to experience a new culture in person… it has a way of changing your views of the world.

Before we left, several people had tried to warn me, or give me a heads up about what traveling abroad is like, but you really can’t understand it fully unless you’ve experienced it for yourself.

Italy sparked several profound changes in me, the most moving of which happened on the plane ride over, and would go on to be reiterated almost everyday. When caught in a routine, going to the same places and doing the same things everyday, it’s easy to lose  sight of what an amazing world we live in. The first time I looked out of the plane window as we were taking off, I found myself speechless; I couldn’t stop gaping out at the beautiful world below (even if we were just leaving Atlanta).

Seeing the world from above can have a rather life-changing effect simply because you see everything for what it is: small. Everything is so small and yet all of it is important, no matter how small it may be, or it may seem. But despite it all, even the small things have a way of taking your breath away.

Throughout the entire trip we got to see and experience things that most of us will probably only see this one time in our lives, which is still amazing since most people will never be able to experience it for themselves. With this in mind, it was easy to get a little overwhelmed with all of the wonders that we were able to experience in one day. We’d rush throughout the Vatican Museum just to spend twenty minutes in the Sistine Chapel. Yet, even though it was overwhelming, and it was rushed, it was still an incredible experience. And in those few moments that we were allowed to rest, and let it all sink in, all you could really think is, “Wow… I was just in the Coliseum.”

Sometimes it wasn’t the grandeur of the building, or how old the item in question really was, it was the fact that you were in Rome with a group of some of the most amazing people you’ve ever known, and it was enough to take your breath away.

I personally believe that, despite all of the wonderful things we had seen previously, our last day in Rome was one of the best because it gave us the chance to finally sit back and take in everything around us. For the first time really, we were given the chance to let our trip sink in.  It was a wonderfully amazing way to end the whole experience.

We began our day by hopping on a bus and traveling to a large park in the city that was once the front yard of a very wealthy Italian family. The first adventure for many of us was that of the rowboat. The picture above depicts rather nicely the fact that pretty much all of us were new to this rowing business, but despite our struggles, we still had a great time looking silly and bonding with our rowing buddy. However, after twenty brief minutes, our little adventure came to a close.

After the rowboats we split off into our own little groups to further explore the massive park. The group that I happened to belong to went off in search of a “pup” park that was located on the grounds. Sadly, we never found the pup park. Instead, we did find a large, overturned tree next to the lake that looked ideal for climbing, and climb we did. This also led to the discovery that Corey must be part monkey because he practically ran up the side of the tree and had us all laughing at how funny he looked perched on top of the highest point of the tree.

Our day ended in a wonderful little town right outside of Rome called Frascati where our tour guide, Josh, was an extremely fortunate resident. While we were there we took a brief walk around the markets to finish up any last minute shopping we had for family and friends before we met up at seven to go to dinner. Although the food, in my opinion, was the best we had enjoyed on the entire trip, the view of the countryside was really what made this dinner special. As we ate some simply amazing veggie-balls made of eggplant, mozzarella and some other heavenly ingredients, we were able to look out at the mountains, the farms, and even far if off in the distance, Rome. It was the perfect time, and the perfect place to reminisce about everything we had done and seen.

Despite our initial sadness that our trip was coming to a close, we were able to marvel at the fact that it had even happened; that we came, we saw, and we conquered.

Compared to the first two days we spent in Rome, Wednesday turned out to be much more relaxed and fulfilling.

After another lesson at the University on Judaism, and more debating in International Relations, we walked with out tour guide, Jill, to the Vatican Museum.

It was astonishing really just how much art the Vatican owned. In a way, it really seemed to emphasize just how much power the Catholic church had back in the day. When you look around you and see all of the breath-taking wealth that the Church possesses, it really just makes you take a step back and think “wow”. It was truly an honor and privilege to be able to see it all in person with your own eyes.

Out of all of the sculptures, architecture, and paintings, I really found the Greek mythology pieces to be one of the most interesting, namely because they were of pagan symbols inside of the Vatican (of all places!). You learn something new everyday I suppose.

After walking through the museum for an hour or so, we finally made our way up to the Sistine Chapel. To be honest, I don’t really know exactly what I expected it to be like at first. I mean, in this one room was some of the greatest pieces of art in all of the world. In a way, the walk up to the Chapel was moving in and of itself simply because it had a humbling effect on me personally. After years of seeing pictures of Adam (seemingly) inches away from touching the hand of God, and knowing that in just a few moments, I would be looking up at the original, painted by Michelangelo himself hundreds of years ago for the first, and probably last, time in my life… it really made me understand just how truly lucky I was to be there. But no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself for what I was about to see, nothing could have prepared me for the waves of wonder and awe that came crashing onto me as I walked through those doors.

Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful, so mind-numbingly, breathtakingly, beautiful. At the time, I think I was a too overwhelmed to really be able to take in what I was seeing. With this in mind, I thought it was kind of curious that I had a greater sense of curiosity about everything I was seeing for the first time instead of being overwhelmed emotionally like our dear Sparkle Eyes. All I seemed to be able to do was look around trying to take in everything in the few minutes we were allotted. It was an overall incredible experience, one that I hope never to forget.

When you see art that really moves you, like in the Sistine Chapel, it really has a way of changing your perspective on things. As you look up at it, you just find yourself wondering, “Can the world really be such a horrible place when we have amazing things like this? Or is it just us losing sight of the bigger picture and why we’re really here when all we seem to let ourselves see is all of the pain and suffering in the world.” It just fills you with a sense of wonder, and a desire to want to explore the world so that you can experience more of the magic that has been hidden away

Class:

At promptly 8:30 am we left our quaint little hotel in Rome to go to our first day of class at the local university about ten or so minutes away by foot. After a little fiasco that involved Mr. Hamacher forgetting which floor we were supposed to get off on from the small underground tunnels, we finally made it to the university. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the luscious foliage and beautiful architecture that constantly surrounded us on campus. (It turns out having an amazing view of the city from your classroom window can be rather distracting).

In our World Religions class we went over a brief overview of Christianity which turned out to be extremely beneficial later that day when we explored St. Peter’s Basilica. Our lesson in International Relations mainly consisted of each country in our Model UN conversing amongst each other as we began the process of coming up with solutions to our four world-wide dilemmas: nuclear weapons, the Middle East, foreign aid/refugees, and global warming. It was very interesting to try and represent a country that you’ve never been to while thinking of what might be in its best interest and how that choice would then directly affect the other countries involved.

Castel di Sant’Angelo & St. Peter’s Basilica:

The Castel di Sant’Angelo was an extremely fascinating building because of how old, and how diverse of a history it had. Being able to walk around in a castle that was built between 123 and 139 AD is overwhelming in a way because you get to imagine it at the height of its glory with soldiers in gleaming suits of armor patrolling its borders in the blistering heat. It’s a wonder how they could survive the heat for so long when we feel overwhelmed in shorts and tank tops.

Directly after our tour of the Castle we walked down to St. Peter’s Square which, in and of itself, can be a little overwhelming. However, the Square itself is plain and ugly compared to what lays inside. Unfortunately, that experience had to wait until we climbed over 340 stairs to the top of the dome. Every single step, every single ache and pain was worth what lay at the top of those stairs. A simply gorgeous panorama of Rome lay spread out across the land in every direction we looked and simply took one’s breath away. Pictures will never do that view justice.

After the long trek back down the stairs we had the immense privilege of seeing the inside of the basilica. It didn’t matter what kind of religion you belonged to, or what your views of life happened to be… after you walked through those doors, your definition of “beauty” changed forever. Every image on the walls, which appeared to be painted murals from the ground, was composed of tiny, glass tiles. The amount of patience, talent, and beauty that lay in this one building was truly overwhelming. Each statue and mosaic looked as if it was about to move at any moment; they were so life-like.

Out of all the marble and gold, the most amazing piece of art, to me at least, was on the far east wall. A simple, alabaster window that depicted a dove surrounded by orange rays of light looked down on the crowd of people while casting a heavenly, golden light upon the ground and sky. Our tour guide Jill told us of an amazing occurrence that happens every year at Easter due to this window. As you walk in through the front doors from the Square into the Basilica, you would find yourself looking at thousands of haloed individuals. Around this time each year, the light comes down upon the crowd in such a way from the alabaster window that each person is crowned with a golden halo of light. This one fact alone gives me enough reason to want to come to Rome again just so I can see it.

There is no way for me to accurately describe to you just how moving of an experience this day has been. No words will ever be able to describe the beauty and the power that lay within the walls of St. Peter’s. I personally believe that it is something that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime if they have the means to. As of this moment, it has been the most incredible experience of my life and I will remember it for the rest of my life.