Something I had never had before coming to Italy: gelato!

Favorite Roman Architecture: St. Peter’s Basilica

Why I like it– put me into an absolute awe when I walked in; the amount of detail put into everything as well as the mathematical proportions done to make you feel like a doll in a dollhouse are amazing

History: built on the site of the Peter’s grave; made in honor of Peter who was chosen by Jesus to have the keys to the kingdom of heaven, upon whom Jesus would build his church. In about the year 300, Constantine started the construction and was used until about 1500 when Pope Julius II decided to rebuild it bigger and better.

Favorite piece of art: David

Description: David from the biblical story of David and Goliath, one of the most famous pieces of art in the entire world done by Michelangelo. This is the replica, but it is still my favorite!

Today was comprised of a lot of travel and a lot of sadness for leaving. All of us were trying to find a way to get left behind. I tried to pay Mr. Hesting to “forget” me, but he sadly said no. All of the sadness comes from this being one of the best trips I have ever been on. I have traveled throughout my life, and this trip is definitely up top. I learned so much about life in general, not just the stuff we learned in the classroom. Anytime you are exposed to a new culture, you take a little home with you. I’m hoping to make all of the kindness that is a part of Italian culture part of my everyday life. This trip reminded me that Seminole, Florida, is not the entire world. There is more to life than getting good grades in school so I can go to college, even if that is what takes up most of my attention. Part of the American culture is to keep moving so you can make the best for yourself. While this definitely has its positives, it also has had some negatives. It has made me forget about the little thing in life, especially family. Just the simple act of sitting down at a table for dinner instead of at my homework desk could make a world of difference. This trip has made me refocus my life to see the really important things. It also reminded me how much I love to travel. We all know how short life can really be, so we need to see the world while we can. I want to travel before I get older and I am constricted by things like work or family or whatever. I always learn a little bit more about myself on these trips. I see my strengths and what I should work on for my weaknesses. It also is so nice to be around new faces. I genuinely enjoyed all of the other students and the teachers on the trip. I also became stronger in my faith. Even though I am not Catholic, all of the basilicas, artwork, and even atmosphere made me feel God’s presence. Overall, I have no negatives to say on the trip and feel extremely blessed for the opportunity.

Today was our last day in Rome and I couldn’t be more upset. However, it was still just as amazing as all the other days. We slept in a little and then headed out to see anything that we wanted. Since it had been closed due to mass the last time we had gone to see it, the Pantheon was our first choice. Like many other pieces of ancient Roman architecture, the outside is very deceiving on what the inside will look like. The outside is relatively simple: made of bricks and a big dome. It is so different on the inside. The intricacy itself is amazing, with so much thought and detail put into every aspect. Then, when you think about the time period it was made in, it leaves you in amazement on how they possibly could have built this. To this day it is the world’s largest dome. Michelangelo tried to make St. Peter’s Basilica the largest, but miscalculated.  The pillars holding the structure up to disperse the pressure deserve attention! Each pillar is about 5 meters wide and like 5 stories tall! How did they make each one the same size and perfectly round?? The genius of the Roman Empire will never cease to amaze me. After the pantheon, we went to the best gelato place in Rome, with over 150 flavors. I tried to take a panorama of all of the choices and it took three panoramas put together. Our guide then took us to an old church of the monks. It had a slightly odd twist to it, however. Some of the rooms are decorated with human bones. Even if it sounds creepy, it was actually kind of beautiful in its own way. The message behind it was that this life isn’t permanent; it is simply a bridge onto the next life in heaven. Very cool, but still kind of creepy in the fact they had to dig up all of those bones (and there were a lot) and then sit and make designs out of them. Afterwards, we went to the park in the heart of Rome (ironically in the shape of a heart). It feels so secluded in one of the busiest cities on Earth. You can even ride horses there! It also had one of the best views of Rome.

When we were done, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our last dinner. We went up in the hills to where Josh lives in Frascati. We shopped a little and then went to honestly the best dinner I have ever had. It was brought out in staggered groups, and it was so good it was ridiculous. Plus we got to meet Josh’s perfect little family, including the two cutest kids I have ever seen. Over the delicious dinner, we talked about all of the things we had learned and all of the things we loved about Italy. After some market shopping for last minute presents, we got on the train to leave. I professed my love for Josh and we were on our way. The whole day showed that even though we are miles away from where we are from, it felt like home in Italy. If people just realized that we are all not really that different, it would be a better world.

Today, to switch things up, we went to Florence. We got up early and went to a train station that can only be described as hectic. If I spoke Italian it would probably be less confusing, but since I don’t, I was very confused. A little lesson I learned on this trip is that I should learn the basic numbers of a language before I come. Every time I go to a market or shop, I always say, “Quanto costa?” which means how much. They then reply in Italian how much it is, which I have no idea what they are saying. You would have thought I would have learned to stop doing that, but I still do it every time. But, I digress. The speed train to Florence was amazing. It goes about 150 mph, so the trip is only about an hour and a half. The view was absolutely stunning, with the hills and mountains of farmland and small, scattered towns. However, I fell asleep about 5 minutes outside of Rome once I had moved to my own cubicle across from a really creepy family who stared at me every time I woke up. It’s probably because I’m a very unattractive sleeper, but whatever.

When we got to Florence, our tour guide met us and we immediately began the tour. She showed us some beautiful places around the city and then took us to a lunch where we got to watch our pasta being homemade. After, we had some free time to wander around one of the street markets. We then met our guide to go through the Uffizi museum. The most famous piece of Venus coming out of the shell was absolutely stunning. Our guide was very knowledgeable about what she was telling us, so it made it much more interesting. After the museum, we were allowed to roam for about an hour, in which time we shopped at some more markets. We met back up with our guide to go to dinner at an American diner, where I had the most delicious cappuccino milkshake ever. We got back on the train to Rome where I actually got to see the scenery in full. We met Josh back in Rome and he took us back to the hotel, where it took no more than five seconds to fall asleep. The day showed me that each individual place may have its own unique feel and small twist on culture from town to town, but as a whole, you can feel the pride each citizen has for their country. It really is inspiring. America has a lot of pride after things like the Superbowl or a natural disaster or the like, but sometimes we forget how much we love our country. It is refreshing to see a country who has pride, but not too much that it feels superior to others. If more countries were like Italy, I believe the world would be a better place.

Today was the real beginning to the end of our trip. We are finished with class, so we started the day at 8 and with the tours. Mike took us to a wide variety of Rome’s locations, both well-known and off the beaten path. We went to see the Trevi Fountain, and it didn’t even seem real. It is in so many movies that it just felt like a replica, not that I could actually be there. I through my coins in and made my wishes; one of the coolest parts of the trip by far. There are about 1,000 churches throughout Rome, so it’s practically impossible to see them all, so it’s really nice to have a guide show you all of the most spectacular/important of them. Each one was very unique with its own purpose, style, and quirks. However, each in its own way absolutely amazed me. The intricacy of the architecture and interior paintings and decoration can put any critic into silence. In one of the basilicas, there was a hole in the wall that when the light shines through it, the light shines on what zodiac sign will be in the sky that night. How cool is that??

The effect it has on you is overpowering. One, you are amazed something that impressive was made so long ago. I have no idea how they were able to make buildings so big and able to last until today. You can feel a whole new, holy atmosphere when you walk in. It sounds cheesy, but they really do impact your life. Also, they stories that go with them are so amazing! To hear the stories of the saints each is made for is fascinating! It just adds to the amount of history within Rome. After going to the basilicas, we went to see the pantheon, but it was closed for the holiday. We went to see the fountain of the four rivers, which was beautiful. We then went to the Spanish Steps, which were amazing. They had a great view of Rome from the top. It also had a bunch of name brand stores around, like Prada and Gucci, which are every girls dream to go into. We even rode on a Prada elevator, which isn’t something you hear every day. We went back to the hotel for a little break, then headed to dinner. After dinner, we headed to St. Angelo’s for some fireworks inspired by Michelangelo. It was one of those moments that reminded me how lucky I was to be on this trip! Today showed how culture can originate in one place, and spread around the world with the unique twist of each culture, to create something that can make the world seem a little smaller. In this case it was fireworks, but it can really apply to anything. Just some more life lessons from Rome!

Sadly, we are starting to feel the end of the trip approaching. We had our last day of class today, discussing the role of women and their rights in our respective countries. It is amazing to see how lucky I am to be a woman who lives in America, compared to the rights of women in countries not as lucky. Well, to me it seems lucky. To many others, that is simply their culture and it would be wrong to change it to what Americans have. The main thing to be kept in mind is that the main issue with most topics is all about perspective. What is right to some is not to everyone else. We said goodbye to our classroom and a final farewell to the awful stairs that reminded me how out of shape I am. We said goodbye to Fabrizio in the café who would help us with our Italian. We went back to the hotel and got ready for our afternoon off. Naturally, with a predominately girl group the choice was easy: shopping. We went to the section near the Vatican that has all the super fancy shops where I want every piece of clothing, but would have to sell some kidneys to afford them. Although, it was a really cool experience to see the high fashion of Europe, even if we couldn’t afford it. We actually shopped in the little street markets between the expensive stores, where I got to experience a very snappy man who would not hear of me haggling with him. Overall, it was just another way for us to experience the culture of Rome and see how much it has attracted so many nationalities, which are able to mingle with each other with no conflict. If only the rest of the world could be that way!

After a nap and some dinner, we headed off to the Vatican Museum. I may have said multiple times already that what I saw put me into a silenced awe, but none compared to the wonder I felt today. So much history is within that museum. The intricacy itself is something to be amazed at. Once again, that something of this marvel is something the world as a whole can come together and enjoy it. Of course, no night would be complete without gelato! Another amazing day in Italy!!

In today’s class, we talked about embassies and their purposes, including their pros and cons. Seen in the fact I slept through five alarms this morning, I was extremely tired today and fell into a deep sleep during the 10 minute break between classes. After being shaken awake, we began our UN discussion on drug trafficking.

We went back to the hotel after lunch where I promptly fell asleep again until we left for the Embassy. Sticking with classic Roman Time, we arrived a little late. I’ve never felt more like a tourist than when security told me no pictures, so sadly we have no pictures of the embassy. We went through security and went inside and met the new foreign relations woman who went over the basics on foreign relations. It was such an interesting field!! I think I can speak for the whole group, that everyone there will be looking closer into the field! International relations are really involved in our everyday life. Our diplomats keep our relations with other countries up, without the general population even knowing it. Things as simple as dinners are so important in keeping relations healthy. Also, all of us would like to live all around the world as part of our career; duh.

Josh then asked us if we wanted to go back to the hotel or go explore the city. We picked the obvious answer: of course we’ll explore! It honestly was the highlight of the trip so far. We were able to see the hidden beauty of Rome; the parts not visited by tourists but still awe inspiring. Josh showed us the actual smallest country in the world, The Knights of Malta, unlike common belief that it is the Vatican City. It actually depends on one’s definition of country, but technically the Knights of Malta is the smallest. We couldn’t go inside, but we looked through the key hole, where it looked like Alice in Wonderland in the tiny country.

We walked through a beautiful basilica on the side of the road and Josh told us the legends of Rome. We went to the Mouth of Truth and the medieval church next to it. Another thing I love about Italy: these Italian men are so complimentary. They call me princess!! I never want to leave!! We went back to the hotel (took another nap) and went to our favorite restaurant next store where Cheyenne professed her love to our waiter. After, we walked around the city just looking at the little wonders that are hidden on the street. Those are the moments I know that I never ever want to leave Italy!!

After many nights of sleeping in what felt like an ice box, I finally had a great night sleep once we figured out we had set the air conditioning to the snow flake setting. Today in class, we discussed the topic of genocide. It was actually very interesting to hear the details of genocides that usually do not get the lime light, like in Serbia. It occurred to me the extent of how difficult it is to end genocide. It is a mental change of the people, and most of the time nobody comes out happy. I feel like it was a valuable lesson I learned here that I never expected to. After lunch and some unsuccessful shopping due to “one size fits all” lies, we got on the bus to the Jewish ghetto. Even just the bus stop was historic! It is on the site where Julius Caesar was murdered! Our guide, Agnus, took us to the square where the ghetto once stood and explained how the Jews got to be there. She showed us an ancient theater that had been used through ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and early 20^th century by Mussolini. It just showed how much history is within this city, most of it yet to be found!

She took us to the synagogue, which was equally as beautiful as all of the churches in Rome. It definitely was the most unique too, with a rainbow dome and stars on the ceiling. Overall, it was a very moving experience to hear of the hardships of the Jews from a Jewish person in a European city that was effected by the injustices against the Jews; also that the synagogue survived the Nazi occupation! It was amazing to see the wide variety of nationalities that came to visit the synagogue. It shows that everyone cares about the injustices against the Jews, not just the Jews themselves. It shows we are one world and are concerned for each other. It left everyone feeling a sort of somberness. However, as we all have learned in Italy, Gelato can bring up any mood!

Finally, the best way to end a day is to sit in your room and watch the Italy v. Spain qualifier game. Go Italy!!

Today was, yet again, an amazing day!!! In class we had our first model UN about the subject of global warming at my insistence. As a future environmental engineer, this is one of my favorite subjects. I would be representing Japan, who believes environmental concerns need to be addressed, but has put many other issues over it. Not too much debate arose because all agreed that something needed to be done, but that it was unrealistic to believe it came before issues such as poverty, human trafficking, or child labor domestically. It is always refreshing to be surrounded by students who are also passionate about learning. This taught us a very valuable lesson about international relations: some issues take precedence over others, no matter how hard it may be to put them down on the list of things to do. After yet another delicious lunch, and a very nice compliment on my Italian pronunciation, we took a break before heading out on the rest of the day’s plans.  We met our tour guide, Mike, at the St. Peter’s Basilica and he started to give us some info as we waited in the “security” line. I mock the word security because even if you set off the metal detector, they tell you to keep walking, really losing the point of making us stand in the line in the first place. However, I digress. Once again, the Basilica put me into awe. After explaining all of the intricate symbolism and eye tricking sizing of the Basilica, we were allowed to wander around by ourselves. It honestly was the most humbling place on Earth. It was designed so you would feel how small you are compared to God and it completely worked. After walking through “The Door of Death” which depicts ways the Disciples were killed, we started our journey to the top of the dome. The beginning steps are tilted, and from there gradually the passages get smaller and smaller until you have to use a rope to pull yourself up the stairs. However, the view from the top made all the wheezing worth it. You could see most of Rome from the highpoint. We stayed up there for a while taking it all in, until we started on the even-more-difficult-than-the-way-up climb down.

After a very yummy pepper spaghetti, we decided to get gelato and go shopping. My taste buds were not ready for how amazing the gelato would be! After forcibly pulling myself away from the gelato store, I got to take my first try at haggling in Italy. I am such a softie, that without my roommate Cheyenne, I would have just given them all of my money. Altogether, today just keeps making my appreciation for this trip even higher. Each activity we go on teaches me more about International Relations than a classroom could ever do. Today taught me of the influence religion can have on cultures throughout the world. The St. Peter’s Basilica is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, and is a pilgrimage for many people from around the world. The number of languages we hear a day is astounding, showing all of the nationalities and cultures that come to Rome for the same reason as us: to see the beauty of Rome.  A common religion, or any part of culture for that matter, can either bring many different people together, or cause them to disagree over many issues.

After a night of much needed rest, we woke up and headed over to the university. I’m not a usual morning person, seen when someone asked if I wanted coffee, tea, or espresso and my answer was simply yes, but I was really looking forward to the first day of class. We went over the basics of international relations, including the things we thought led to conflicts and the basis of what all relations entail. After going over this and picking our countries to represent tomorrow, we opened the discussion to any questions we had on religions in general. We got into deep discussions about choosing religion and questioning your own religion to make it stronger. After class and a wonderful lunch (what else would be expected?), we went back to the hotel and got ready for the rest of the day. Josh took us on the Metro, which is 200x cleaner than the trains in America that I have ever been on, much to Josh’s surprise. As soon as we stepped out of the metro station, there it was: the Coliseum.

It absolutely took my breath away. I had stated since the trip began that the Coliseum would be my favorite part of the trip due to a deep love of history. The thing we had seen for years in movies (“Are you not entertained??” was quoted many times throughout the tour) and in textbooks. It was so easy to imagine the history that had taken place in the place I was now standing. After taking enough pictures to fill a lifetime, we made our way to the Roman Forum. Everything around us had a big part in history. From Mussolini’s summer house, to an emperor’s private entertainment fields, one could definitely see why the land had been so sought after. The different time periods of history combined made a place that just left you in awe. We heard of all the different structures that one stood on the grounds, and were shocked to hear all of the present day city of Rome is covering the rest of the ancient structures. The moment that really made me realize I was in one of the most amazing cities on Earth was when we saw the grave of Julius Caesar, and the podium where Mark Antony in Shakespeare’s play is said to have professed the famous words “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me you ears.” After reading Julius Caesar and now seeing these sites, I was completely humbled by the opportunity this trip was giving me. These experiences also showed me how some countries are not only home to some of that county’s most valued culture, but sometimes the entire worlds. Culture is becoming more globalized, and we need to keep our relations going at the same pace. We all have a right to treasure these amazing sites.