Final Reflection Since the month of December is an especially busy month, the 31st came swinging by much quicker than I anticipated. With only a few days left before my flight to Italy, I started to pack and gather any important information and documents that I needed. Though I was extremely excited to finally visit Rome, I also felt a little nervous. I was most nervous about traveling to a country I have never been to with people I have only met once. I was also worried about the possibility of not getting along well with the others and that I would be left alone to explore Rome on my own. Being unusually bitter and pessimistic about leaving on New Year’s Eve and missing the festivities, I made my way to the airport and little did I know that I was one of the fortunate beings that would gain such an incredible and memorable experience in Italy. After traveling for what seemed like forever, we finally arrived safely to Rome. We were all very tired and ready to sleep. However, that all changed when we were driven to our hotel. Once we were in the city, I was wide awake and stared out the windows trying to take everything in; as if this was my only chance to see the city of Rome. Also, the way our driver drove kept me alert because I was not used to what we would call reckless driving in America. Everyone in the car had a worried expression and just hoping to make it to the hotel safely. As we sped through the Rome and I held onto my seat, I was still able to see some historic looking buildings and museums. Finally arriving to our very welcoming hotel, I prepared for bed so I can be well rested for all the adventured filled days ahead. After exploring around all of Rome the first day, everything about the city and me actually being there all seemed surreal to me. All the little streets, buildings, alley ways, and cute cafes with outside seating looked like I was walking in on a huge movie set. I especially loved how detailed and ornate the historical buildings and structures were. I probably could have started at a wall for hours and still miss details that were painted or carved by the artist. Speaking about attention to detail, I really enjoyed visiting the Vatican Museum and Saint Peters Basilica. There was so much to see inside of the Vatican Museum, with long hallways and rooms of various sizes filled with intricate artwork, statues, and beautiful ceilings; I took my time to walk through each room to see what it had to offer. I did feel though that it would have been helpful to have a tour guide or an audio guide to explain to me what I was looking at. The Sistine Chapel was much smaller than I thought it to be. I was imaging something much bigger in scale, as well as the famous Michelangelo painting of “The Creation of Adam” to be much larger. This could be because when I see the picture online, on television, or as a painting by itself; the picture is blown up or would be looking at it at a much closer distance. Because it was smaller than I imagined, I actually had trouble locating the painting, also because it was among many others on the ceiling. Out of all the churches and cathedrals we visited, Saint Peters was my favorite. The large vast scale and all of the artwork and statues really blew me away. I tried to take pictures that would show the high ceilings, long hallways, tall statues, and detailed artwork so I can show my family, however photos are absolutely nothing compared to what I saw in person. When I come back to Rome, I would love to climb up to the top of the cathedral to see all of Rome. Another one of favorite sights to visit was the Colosseum and the Imperial Forum, especially since these places were iconic to Rome. It was great to see ancient ruins preserved while the surroundings were being rebuilt and developed. I was amazed to see that some of the pillars were still fully in tact even after all these years. I was quite sad that the Trevi Fountain was under reconstruction. Though I did not get to toss a coin into the fountain saying I will return, I know that I will one day be back to visit Italy. Out of my whole trip, visiting Florence was the highlight. I was again blown away by the scale and the ornate detail of the Duomo, Santa Maria Cathedral. The whole entire building was covered in intricate patterns and statues; it was another building where I could stare at all day just to take everything in. For this cathedral, we all paid and waited in line for about two hours to climb 463 steps to see Florence from the top of the Duomo. I must say, it was all worth it. The views were absolutely breathtaking and I felt so accomplished after climbing that many steps. Since waiting in line to climb to Duomo took a large chunk from our day, we were not able to visit the Uffizi Museum. I would love to go back and visit the museum since it noted as one of the oldest and most famous in Europe. I would also like to take more time to walk around the Central Market and look at all of the different items they sell. On our trip to Pompeii, it was great to learn so much about the ruins and history of the city. I really enjoyed having a tour guide to tell us how they lived and how they utilized their knowledge and ability to survive and live long ago. Through the guided tour, I was able to see ancient graffiti, script, faded paintings, signs, how homes and stores were addressed, churches, and many others. Even though it takes a while to get there from Rome, I would go back to visit the museum to see the ancient artifacts and more molds of the people. Though I love Italian food, especially pasta, I was getting tired of eating the same kinds of food every day. I was really surprised to see that Italians eat pasta and pizza and other simple carbohydrates yet they are skinnier and smaller than Americans. Even though I was ready for a change, eating the way the Italians do was all part of the experience. I noticed that they like to keep their dishes simple with a minimal amount of ingredients and their typical choices of protein were pork, veal, or more unusual choices, such as rabbit. Surprisingly the rabbit was good and did not taste gamey at all. Like they all say, it tastes like chicken. When we met up with the Italian exchange student, Alessio, we asked if the way we were eating was how Italians really eat. He nodded and said that he pretty much eats pasta every day for lunch. He even mentioned that he usually cooks at home and that his pasta is the best. We then joked with him saying that we should have him cook dinner for us every night. I really enjoyed making pizza on the last day at Eataly. It was a great last day activity and bonding time for everyone. Even though I was still very full from lunch, I ate my pizza and the other delicious treats that our cooking instructor made for us. Their diet is completely different from the way I eat at home, so it is nice to be back and eat my fresh fruits and vegetables. One thing I was change about this trip would be to add more small lectures throughout the trip. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the Colosseum and Pompeii before we visited the actual site and I would have liked that for the other places as well. Also it would have been helpful to incorporate Italian lessons everyday so we can learn it and use when we are out. This way we can practice what we learned. I also would not have minded going to the University every day to have our lectures since it was such a beautiful campus. However, I do understand that this would not be possible since the students were back in school and using a classroom everyday might have been a conflict. Other than that I truly enjoyed my time in Italy and I would like to thank you Michael for this amazing opportunity and all of your great surprises and gifts you gave to us throughout the trip. This was such a great learning experience and what better way was it to start off the New Year. I hope you rest well before the new semester starts and I hope to see you around on campus. If not I will keep you posted about Swan Lake. Grazie!!
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:01:10 +0000
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