Reflections

As I have been home now for about a week and a half I had a lot of time to reflect on the trip. When I first arrived back home I was in a period of deep thought. I was really relecting on the differences America and Europe. My parents and my sister thought I was depressed but I was really just reassessing a lot of the things in America that I had taken for granted or never even noticed before. I literally lived in my basement working out for the first few days because I had not been to the gym in a little over three months. All the pasta and wine had begun to catch up to me as my clothes were fitting differently. The ironic part of all this is that when I arrived back home my parents had prepared spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. That was possibly the very last thing I would have chosen to eat had I made the decision of what was to be served for dinner.

There have been several things which I very much miss about the states. It has been so nice to workout and eat a combination of protein with all my meals. It has also been very nice to drink huge classes of “tap water” without having to refill a glass eight or nine times in a meal. The addition of unlimited amounts of ice cubes into my water was a welcoming feeling as well. The ability to make my clothes fit again thanks to the use of the dryer, a rarely found European luxury, was pretty exciting as well.

There are several other things I very much miss about Europe. For example, the use English in place of the Italian language is a little weird. I found myself being very caught off guard by people speaking clear English in my every day life. I kept avoiding the urge to use words like “grazie,” “prego,” “ allora,” “dispiache,” and several others. Although it is worth mentioning that I have officially inforporated the word “ciao” into my daily vocabulary. The adjustment has been a bit uncomforting.

I think the thing I miss most about Europe is the people. Both the people with whom I spent the entire three and a half months with and the everyday locals. The people I lived and travelled with are some of the most incredible people I have met. I think this is due to the fact that many of us shared a common bond before we ever arrived abroad. We all desired to travel and learn and to have fun. I can honestly say that I accomplished all of these things thoroughly, in a way that compares to no other period of learning and fun in my entire life. As for the locals, I learned a lot from them. I think the thing that sticks with me most about Italians and Europeans in general it their general desire to enjoy everything they do in life. They do not just enjoy certain things, but they make an effort to enjoy all the things they do on a daily basis whether it is considered to be a leisure activity or a work activity. I think is these two things that make the adjustment back to the American lifestyle so different. You are dropped into a group of people in a place you have never been before and you are forced to survive and build relationships. Once you have successfully built these relationships you are then removed from them and forced to carry on with your “old” lifestyle. This is difficult. Similarly, you are forced to go from a place where quality is stressed over quantity in every aspect of life to a place where achievement and quantity of accomplishments are the sole meaning for existence in life. These changes make it a serious challenge to adapt back to the American lifestyle without facing some sort of slight depression or sadness. Luckily I have rebounded pretty quickly and I am looking forward to meeting with some of the friends I have made on the trip in the next few weeks.

The Last Night

Friday night was our last night in Rome. It was a very productive night as we tried to do everything that we had not done as well as revisiting/retrying all the best things and places in Rome. After basically an entire day of shopping with Taras, Greg, Cyle, Frederic, and Keith, on via del Corso, I was able to complete the last of my x-mas shopping and pick up a few nice things for myself. I had an interesting experience during my last purchase. Everyone had split and head back to our apartment to get ready for dinner. Keith and I found ourselves in the middle of an accidental haggling battle. I had stopped in a shop to check out some different prices and styles of an item that will remain nameless (because x-mas is a week away). In trying to do some pricing and some style comparing of other shops in which I had looked, the lady began to lower the price in the attempt to sell me. What she didn’t realize is that I had no money on me so I continued to tell her I liked the item but had no money. She must have thought I was trying to get her to lower the price because that is exactly what she did. Eventually she had lowered the price so much I told her I would only buy it if she sold it for a 100 euro. She called me back into the store as I walked away to lower the price to the 100 euro level that I asked for. Keith and I looked at each other and realized we had the opportunity to purchase something at the price of 100 euro down from 165. She claimed that business was slow and she really needed to sell. She would only cut me the deal if I paid her in cash without leaving the store. Keith and I combined our money and were still short so he ended up sprinting to the nearest ATM (there isn’t one) on Corso while I stalled in the store.

After finishing up the shopping we went to Alfredo’s for dinner. The group of us with whom I consider myself to be very good friends was there: Greg, Cyle, Mark, Frederic, Keith, Kristin, Shelby, Bri, Joel, Matt, Kali, Lindsey, Lara, and Eda (There were a lot there so sorry if I missed anyone). This was one of the best meals, if not the best meal, I had during my trip abroad. They served us an enormous amount of food: bread, salad, steak, pasta alfredo, tiramasu, wine, and water. The meal was delicious and we took our time eating it to socialize and remenisce on our trip abroad. We talked about the high points and the low points of the trip and enjoyed each others company for a while. Some of the group went to Campo di Fiori to catch up with Cicca and Marco. I chose not to go because I did not want to get involved with the emotional aspect that consumed much of the group.

Instead, Keith and I sat outside “the red bar” and drank some of our favorite drinks. We relaxed and talked about some future plans and ideas for reuniting the group back in America. Some ideas that came up included renting a lakehouse for a week and taking an RV road trip from the east coast to the west coast. Meanwhile, we smoked cigars and fielded calls from members of the group who were wondering where we were.

The night later led the boys of Campo Marzio to Giolitti’s, our apartment’s favorite past time. Mark and Ryan tried the gigante and both finished with pretty serious head and stomach aches. (the gigante is 12 euros worth of gelato for those of you who don’t know). Cyle and I tried using up all of my meal tickets on expensive desserts to find out that they are not accepted on the desserts we bought (thanks for paying and sorry about that Cyle). We then went back to our apartment and cleaned like crazy and packed all of our stuff.

The last stop of the night was back over to the Borgo Pio apartment where we sat around for a few hours, until the early hours of the morning. We told stories and spoke about the plans for meeting in the future. We eventually headed back to our apartment in time to round up the last of our stuff and catch our cab. Cyle, Greg, Keith, and I ended up staying awake the whole night.

Arrividerci

The last few days of my stay in Rome have been pretty emotional, good and bad. The mood has changed. In a weird way many people who have not made the most of the trip are beginning to realize that their chances to make the most of it are diminishing. I have begun to figure out ways to use up my meal tickets because I had $170 worth with only six days to go. I have been eating out with more than any other time during my trip abroad.

I completed the majority of my Christmas shopping in the past few days, ecept for my sister (Girls are impossible to shop for – especially girls that are your sister). It was easier this year than any other because of the daily market in Campo Di Fiori which has very discounted vendors selling everything from dips, olive oils, crackers, pasta, and spices to scarfs, tee shirts, hats, jackets, and purses, to condiment holders, flowers, wine openers, and fruit stands. I literally bought gifts this year for people whom I have never bought gifts.

Rome has visibily transformed this week. The are more and more Christmas decorations put up daily. The small cobblestone streets are lit overhead by an array of lights just above the first floor level of the major areas. There are snowflakes and stars painted on the walkways in front of a few of the local stores. There is an ice skating rink set up right next to the Tiber in proximity to the Castle St Angelo. There are light covered Christmas trees in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Vatican.

Final exams were a little brutal considering the fact that it was my last week in Rome and all I really wanted to do was spend time with my friends and visit the things and places that I had not yet. Final exams were relatively easier than the mid-term exams had been. All except for good old Carlo Carleo and my History of Western Philosophy exam (for those of you in the class you will know exactly what I mean). This was my last exam and completing it was a total relief.

Once the exams were over, there was the last cocktail which was at the Perfect Bun. The entire group showed up and everyone had this anxious excitement which suggested that everyone knew it was the last night. This was the last night to be with these friends we had made which had become some of our best and to also sightsee and visit some of the places (clubs/bars) that we would not be back to for a while. The emotions were obvious as many people were hugging and crying as we left.

The after party was at Campo Marzio and everyone came over to drink and dance so we could all be together one last time before going out. Our place was the party scene for a while but eventually we moved the party to the bar on the backside of our building. We had referred to the bar as “the red bar” all semester because it was lit up with a bunch of red lights. I still do not know the official name of the place. Afterward, we ended up going out to Anema and then some ventured off to Coyote before the night was over.

Amsterdam

This city shocked me in so many ways. First off, the weather was bitter. It was so much colder than it had been in Rome or in any of the other places I have been. Secondly, the city was gorgeous. It easily ranks in my top two visits in terms of aesthetic beauty. Thirdly, prostitution and marijuana smoking are openly accepted and legal in the country. Fourthly, there were literally more bikes than people. This is no joke. On the local tour, the guide told us that there are actually more bikes than people. You have to be more alert about staying out of the way of bikers than of cars or other vehicles. Lastly, the food there was unreal.

I had no real expectations when I arrived in Amsterdam. On the arrival flight, I began to doubt my choice to take the trip. The flight was the most turbulent of any that I have ever been on (On a side note, Ryan Air and Easy Jet, the only two airlines I have flown with abroad, are easily the two most nerving airlines to fly on). Not to mention, some man caused a huge scene on the plane ride. By huge scene I mean he was standing up in the aisle yelling and pointing, in Italian, at one of the femal flight attendants. Her body language suggested she was nervous and angry with the man. The exchange moved from the middle of the plane to the back of the plane to the front of the plane. The chatter on the plane grew louder as people began to focus their attention on what was going on. Just when the scene subsided, turbulence shook the plan hard while the pilot seemed to struggle to steady if for landing.

This made me a little uneasy but I was pleasantly surprised by the city from there on out. Even with the cold and windy weather it was pleasant to hear people speaking English. This made it easy for us to find our way to the hostel. On the walk to the hostel, we could see all sorts of lights and beautiful architecture all around us. There were these outdoor urinals that they set up on the weekends to prevent public urination.

I got to see the Ann Frank house, the old church, the new church, and the Heinekin factory. My favorite was the tour of the Heinekin factory. The tour was packed with people. There was some informational stuff and some interactive stuff that gave a history and some information about the brewing process and the founding of the beer.

The food in Amsterdam was very Americanized. I need to mention first that I ate the best Pad Thai I have ever had. The falafel was very good and the meat in the Kebab’s was worthy of three of my meals during my trip. There were several bakeries that sold such goodies as cream filled croissant with sugar glazed fruit and whip cream on top. If I were to admit to eating it I would say that it tasted so good but made me feel sooo unhealthy afterward. There were a lot of fast food places including, of course, McDonald’s and Burger King. There were an unnecessary amount of Chinese restaurants.

Not only was the city beautiful it was more quiet and more civilized than any other I have ever been to. There were sooooo many bicycles. I think the tour guide told us there are 4 million bicycles and only 3.7 million people. The country literally figured out how to control crime and violence. There are an average of only 17 deaths a year. This is seemingly due to, in an odd way, the fact that the government openly accepts and taxes marijuana and prostitution. This generates an additional 3 billion dollars of revenue per year that the city uses to please and protect its citizens. I have never seen anything like this city before.

December in Rome

Here are some pictures that I have wanted to put up. Here are two pictures of the Spanish Steps, the outside of my apartment, the sunset at Villa Borghese, the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, and some biking pictures with Taras and Keith.

November in Roma

These last two weeks of school have been pretty brutal. I had four, ten page papers that I handed in, two presentations and a final exam. I have been doing very little besides school work. Last weekend was fun. I signed up for the bike-share program at the Spanish steps. I now have a pre-loaded bike rental card which allows me to take bikes of any of the local racks. I used up about 17 hours of bike riding in the past five or six days. It was a little intimidating to ride on via dell corso and piazza del popolo. The best part about it is that you can see so much more in a day’s time.

This week in my Baroque Rome class we toured two beautiful churches. The first is the Church os St Ignatius which has an incredible dome and the second is a church right by school that has one of the most impressive paintings I have ever seen on the ceiling (this is known as a fresco). This week I also got to go inside the Colloseum. The inside is incredible and I gives you a greater appreciation for the age of the surrounding buildings. We had a bunch of guests stay at our place in these last two weeks. Frederik had his two friends over, Keith had his three friends over, and Greg had his friend over. This may or may not have been a good idea. Although I want to mention that I did get all my work done and I got A’s on all my exams, I went out every night to be sure to show the guests a good time.

The Thanksgiving dinner that was sponsored by the school may have been the best thanksgiving meal I have ever had. There was like four or five courses of all sorts of rare cuisine. The food included some traditional stuff like small slices of pizza but also included some rare baked ravioli appetizers and rice and potato balls. The seafood dish was incredible. The turkey was stuffed with some sort of sausage and both meats are in the top two of any I have ever had. There was an open bar which included champagne and wine in unlimited amounts. The meal was delicious and very filling.

I have been having all sorts of camera issues. The one I brought with me is eating up batteries so fast that it makes no sense for me to use it anymore. Instead, I have been charging my phone and using the camera on that. The problem is that this eats the battery so fast. I have thrown up some old photos of some old trips and other stuff here.

Paris

Paris, Paris, Paris. I don’t really know where to start here. The city itself was beautiful and enormous. It was kind of a combination of well-restored historical architecture and more modern European architecture. The city was very relaxing. The Eiffel tower was a lot taller from the top than it looked from the bottom. It made me reconsider the idea of skydiving. The city was beautiful.

The nightlife was decent although we really only stayed out one of the three nights. Keith, Bri, and I had drinks at a few bars. The Havana club was the nicest and most modern of them all. This was also the night that one of my friend’s passport got stolen. She had to rebook her flight and I offered to do the same so that she would not have to travel alone. The process ended up being rather simple but was quite a hastle in figuring out the details. The extra night was well worth the stay.

Because of the passport shenanigans I had to rush to see the sights. Luckily the extra night gave me a chance to go back and see more of the stuff. I saw the Louvre and the Eiffel tower both during the day and at night. The Eiffel tower is amazing when it is lit up. The Louvre is enormous. Seriously it’s monstrosity is overwhelming.

I visited several other sights with my group. We saw the Pantheon which is a larger version of the Pantheon in Rome without the dome. We also saw the Cathedral of Nortre Dame. The inside is enormous and the style of art was much different than the churches in Rome. We saw the Sacre Couer. It sits high above the city on a hillside and the view from there is awesome. This church and the Eiffel tower were overwhelmingly infested with immigrants trying to sell you all sorts of souvenirs.

The St. Christopher’s Hostel was one of the nicest I have stayed in. The hostel had a bar on the bottom floor and people staying here pretty much never sleep. The first two nights, our group took up nine of the ten beds in our hostel room. After rebooking the flight, to stay with my friends and help her get home, we had a group of strangers who kept me up all night. Not to mention there was music blasting outside our window for the few hours when the hostel-goers were quiet.

On a different note, the police force in Paris is strict. We found out that it is not impossible for six or seven police officers to jump out of a van and search you because they think you might be causing trouble or that you are being too intoxicated. We also learned that it is not impossible to get kicked out of a bar for having a little too much fun. Names will remain nameless but this memory is one that I had to be sure to put in here somewhere. (Sorry mom and the rest!)

The food in Paris was delicious. I ate my first banana and Nutella crepe which was incredible. I ate a ton of baguettes because the breakfast at the hostel was free and this was one of the two items on the breakfast bar.

One of my favorite parts about Paris was the shopping area. In this area there were a ton of very inexpensive clothing shops. I bought my first ever leather jacket which I looove. I also bought a new pair of classy brown dress shoes. Keith and I were overwhelmed by the selection of clothing along the strip. This was the same strip where a lot of the sex shops were and where we saw the Moulon Rouge. I also bought a scarf and a new winter hat here as well. Thank you Uncle Ron!

Public transportation in Paris was expensive. Each ticket was only good for one way on the underground. This added up quickly as we travelled all around the city for four days. We were buying tickets in bulks of ten. On the very last day I found out that there is a pass for three euro to travel for 24 hours. Instead I spent almost 20 euro on buss passes. Live and learn.

Overall, the trip to Paris was awesome. I am so glad I went. I could have gone without the difficulty of a stolen passport and rowdy hostel-goers but the trip was very enjoyable. My favorite night was the last one. It was very calm and Bri and I got to see a lot of the sights that we had missed the day before.