Day 3: REPUBLICA!

There are three forms of love here en Roma...love of country, love of culture, and love of companion. All three of there "c's" were well represented in June 2nd's celebration of Italy's founding as a republic. In the words of Dr. Sebastian, "Italy is a baby in terms of a republic." Thank you Benito Mussolini. 

As a reference point Pete Sutcliffe (Left), the Englishman serial killer, was born 65 years ago on the day of Italy's birth as a republic. Dante must have something to write about that. Possibly along the lines of Sutcliffe residing on the 478th Level of the Inferno. Those folk across the English Channel just don't know how to love one another like those of Forza Italia. Thus, we see the Italian citizen's love of country portrayed so well during today's celebrations.

Second, the love of culture. This is most represented in the parade of each and every military unit in Italy. Namely, the running rebels much mimicking the wig hairstyles of Kiss. (Above)


    Lastly, and for sure most importantly, is the love of companion (Left). We all know how "rome-antic" (snare-snare-cymbal) this culture is. Even wile waiting for the parade to pass, couples basque in the opportunity to show some PDA. A scene taken directly out of the notebook, made each of us want to go "awwww" when the cute couple snuggled next to each other under a laser beaming sun. That quickly became just awkward when organs of the digestive system started to transplant from one to the other. Nevertheless, the couple completely blocked out the screaming fans at Madison Square Garden, and took center ice for a thrilling match of tonsil hockey............................




Actually...The buck doesn't stop there, no matter what age...all Italians love their individual signs of affection. Kathryn and Lauren, who would have thought that by only three days in, each of you would have found your 401k- white picket fence husband in Rome?

Rest of the day was pretty sweet. Al Roker as a less than firm hand shake and Trastevere  is the place to be for local night life. 

June 1st, 2011, Day 2- Everyone, put on your walking shoes

The title says it all...a 9:00am report to the "map room" started off our day. Dr. Sebastian was less than cheery this morning, after being awoken by a rather rowdy and potentially intoxicated group of students from another fine educational institution...When in Rome?

Anyway, a day in Rome is not complete without trips to Castel Sant'Angelo, The Vatican, Trastevere, Piazza del Popolo, Vittoriano, Trevi Fountain. The combination of all these sites within a five hour span was absolutely remarkable. For the first time, I questioned "How is it that the Romans were able to build structures to last perfectly for centuries upon centuries, when us Americans can't seem to built a structure able to withstand a tropical depression?" The "day" concluded with a mondo sized Margherita pizza in Campo de Fiori, along side Chris, Jacob, Michelle, and Kathryn. Michelle, your camera is still lost at the restaurant...just kidding, but I did made you think you lost it again. Check the front part of your purse one more time just to make sure it's there before the four Americans frantically search the restaurant while the "yoga-mime" is asking up for tips.

After dinner, we decided to just go right ahead and see all of the sites me saw during the daytime, at night. Only this time, we decided to climb The Spanish Steps, a set of steps behind the Vittoriano, and concluting with the steps at Piazza del Popolo. Exhaustion? Yes. Worth every step taken? Yes. Sitting atop each set of steps brought a whole new perspective of the city. As Dr. Keating in Dead Poet's Society says, "We must constantly see things from a different perspective." No fact is more true in order to gain understanding of an entire culture or even in the simplest form of daily light such as changing a light bulb. Thus....this entire month-long experience is now titled as, "Views from Above and Below: Seeing Things from A Different Perspective."

Observation una: The evolution and the mixture of new and old. All around rome, it is impossible to miss a Roman Era building or an area of archeological remains. Many of times, these areas are right next to each other. One example, a Ducatti Cafe next to the remains of what was to be a early center of worship. Another example of old-new I saw was in the farmacia (Pharmacy). To the left, we have a very basic sign pointing out the farmacia. Nothing neon or LED, just your basic red cross and "farmacia." During whenever that sign was first arisen, I would imagine that all of the farmacias would have an identical sign much like the signs and colors of one's local farmacia today in Rome. To the right, is a modern LED style cross and farmacia sign, which illuminates to the extent that literally a mile away, one can see the sign at night. Modernization

This photo below is just rather peculiar, and is the first of three wine bottles of particular leaders. Notice our friend Pope John Paul II to the left of Cuba's Che Guevara. The other two photos depict sets of bottles of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Can anyone try to tell me the wine bottle message this shop owner is trying to say?

Here's a link to what our journey today was like, roughy. Highlight and paste into URL bar.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Via+Marcantonio+Colonna,+21A,+Roma,+Italia&daddr=Castel+Sant'Angelo,+Lungotevere+Castello,+Rome,+Italy+to:Vatican+City+to:Trastevere,+Italy+to:Campo+de'+Fiori,+Via+del+Pellegrino,+Rome,+Italy+to:Trevi+Fountain,+Via+delle+Muratte,+Rome,+Italy+to:Via+Marcantonio+Colonna,+21,+Roma,+Italy&hl=en&geocode=FUWAfwIdmzq-ACnZytsH9mAvEzH-VvhIwttkbw%3BFTRkfwIdAjm-ACHkpiCCaZhhug%3BFbFgfwIdkxi-ACk9LdRXCoklEzHAfjqymk8JBA%3BFVMmfwIdjzW-ACkJYD_DPmAvEzE5vCicsrMYmQ%3BFWZGfwIdnk--ACFK6P5KUrENNQ%3BFTRbfwIdC3u-ACGqSISI4x2Wwg%3BFUWAfwIdmzq-ACnZytsH9mAvEzH-VvhIwttkbw&mra=ltm&dirflg=w&sll=41.899658,12.471886&sspn=0.030282,0.065489&ie=UTF8&ll=41.898891,12.47077&spn=0.030282,0.065489&z=14

May 30th/31- Day....1?

"You guys! We're gonna be here for A MONTH!"- Michelle

At some point in time, each person in the Rome 2011 Study Abroad trip had this thought come across his or her mind. Maybe not as emphatic passionate, and excitement filled as Michelle Rau's announcement to the Fiumicino train station, but we've all come across this thought. For me, this is the beginning of the longest period of time and the longest distance away from home that I have ever been. Scary. For a month, I'll be 7 hours in the Gregorian future. Okay, that's pretty cool. It was cool to get on Skype with my sister at 10:45pm in Rome, and she shows me the front door to our house and it was still light outside. So, I turned my computer to the window of the common area, and she saw a pitch black sky. Just a cool thought. 

As far as what the day was like, on May 30th,I woke up at 7:30am in Mandeville, Louisiana. My day ended and finally an opportunity to sleep at 11:00pm on May 31st, in Rome. Within those 34 hours, a short flight to Toronto. In Toronto, I figured out that Canadians would 1. Not be sufficient traffic police for their inability to adequately  shuffle herds of cattle  through the customs area 2. If we had Canadians working the borders in the States, Obama's immigration agenda would no longer exist. The lady whose line I was directed to clearly hated her job, or really loved it. I was asked a series of questions and follow up questions about my LAYOVER in Toronto. I thought she was kidding when she questioned why I booked a flight to Rome through Toronto, but no..For a second, I seriously thought she wouldn't let me in. But God prevailed, and Cruella Deville let me in. 

The next 10 hours, not important. I slept the entire flight to Rome, and awoke to a Roman sunrise from my 32K window. Just kidding. Air Canada inhitbeted my ability to sleep with way too many awesome free movies. My playlist: Limitless, The Mechanic, The Rite, and almost all of Gnomeo and Juliet (more like five minutes at the beginning of the flight until I came to my two decade's old senses).

Arrival in Rome: Thanks Fiumicino for almost losing my luggage. My bag was literally the last bag to come out of the carousel and was fifteen minutes from the previous bag birth.....that's tight. Luggage trouples behind me, I was greeted by a group of 8 other Loyola peoples. So, we headed to St. John's. Around the uppy, downy, and windy structure that is the Termini. I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but way too much effort was put into this underground system.  I'll stop there for now. It's 8:36 am on June 1st, and orientation is in 24 minutes. Quick synopsis on the rest of yesterday: 

PIAZZA DEL POPOLO!