"Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life."

My four month study abroad experience has come to end and I am preparing to board my United Airline Flight tomorrow morning.  My bags are packed, the sheets have been taken off my bed, the refrigerator cleaned out, a last semi-warm shower has been taken, and American cell phone numbers have been exchanged.   I can still remember like it was yesterday, entering this quaint little three bedroom apartment in the heart of Rome and thinking this is my new home.  I lived on Via Gregorio VII, 44.  Before leaving when asked why I chose to come to Rome I really did not have a clear answer.  I have studied Rome in Catholic school growing up and I have heard the stories of “when in Rome…” but to this day I can still can not pin point what exactly drew me back to the Rome pamphlet time and time again after searching other countries.  Now that I am on my return, I can say what Italy means to me and what Italy has taught me.  Depending on where you stand in life in goals, aspirations, and dreams Italy will be different.  I believe that Italy will be a different place for everyone who visits.  Over the summer when I was on the phone with my Dad he said to me, “Malia, you have no idea what you are about to experience.”  I responded with the “I know I know.”  I was wrong.  I will share with you some of the biggest things I have learned even though it is hard to express in words.

The biggest lesson I have learned is probably that no matter what I do in my future to not let fear stop you.  Now, I don’t mean to just deny the existence of fear because I am confident it will show up later in life whether I like it or not.  But this time I will be ready as it makes my heart beat faster, my palms sweat and my throat dry and stand up to and tell fear I am going to do what I am going to do anyway despite my fear and that you Mr. Fear can not stop me from doing what I need to do.  Fear can almost be viewed as a thief and if I let it get to me it will steal away many experiences in life.  Leaving my comfortable lifestyle in California to come to a foreign country, not knowing any one, let alone not speaking the language was enough fear to have my stomach flip upside down.  Yet I have learned that sometimes  you have to give up everything to leave yourself enough space to let in the very thing you didn’t originally have space for: a different self-concept, an alternative perception of the world, the ability to slow down and take life at a reasonable pace.  I have learned that once you leave something you are getting something else instead.  I have enormous potential to grow when I allow myself to experience things that are unfamiliar and that sometimes the need for security keeps us trapped in a world where too much is known to us, which does not give the explorer in us room to move.

I have learned that there is good and bad, efficiency and chaos, beauty and ugliness in every culture. By experiencing another culture I have learned to appreciate what is good and sacred in my own American society.  For example, the quality of education I have received, freedom of speech and to do what I want in life, and well in the summer air conditioning just to name a few.  I can also notice the bad as we overuse food pesticides and have a television/video game crazed culture.  As I land on American soil tomorrow I will never be so proud to be an American.  I love America!  Traveling around Europe I have realized that there is such much of the United States I have yet to explore, starting with San Diego.  I have learned that things that I thought I REALLY needed well those things a really just conveniences.  By not having a clothes dryer or a shower that I can turn around in…my clothes still dried and I was still able to maintain be clean.  I have come to the conclusion that God did not give sunshine to get tan but to dry laundry.

I learned that I am capable of confronting scary things of traveling like being a foreign country completely lost and pulling out a map to figure out the bus and metro system, or a social engagement where no one spoke our language. When my friends and I stuck it out and succeeded, we not only gained the satisfaction from what we accomplished but also the ability to confront the next scary thing with the confidence that we will succeed.   I have learn how to make myself comfortable. When you put yourself in a situation that’s unfamiliar and have to learn to adjust, you gain a kind of confidence. I know you can live in a country where everyone speaks a different language and learn to communicate. I know I can be completely lost in an unfamiliar city and use maps, taxis and metros to find your way home. I can decide to book a flight to Prague, pay for the ticket, take the plane, go to Italy and make it back home all on my own. Traveling, you learn about your independent self. I have been extremely lucky and have met some of the greatest relationships.  I plan to cherish the relationships and of course we will be on the phone together talking about our

Now living in Rome, I definitely did not become one of the locals by no means.  In fact, as I leave I am still unable to speak the local language and make cultural mistakes but I have learned that if I remain humble and with enthusiasm I will be embraced warmly.  Sometimes I had no idea what was going on in certain situations but with a smile on my face and a positive attitude I did not need to understand which brings me to my next lesson.  As a student, I am often expected to make sense of things through my text books and homework assignment.  But being immersed in a new culture I will come across things that I simple do not understand, and trying to understand everything is impossible.  Studying abroad has taught me to live with mysteries and the beauty of an unanswered question.

Four months later I am departing from Italy to go back home and  I leave behind countless memories, a lifestyle I loved, and a new environment that gave me the opportunity grow. When I arrive back in the US I am sure I will experience the peace of returning to my language, home, old friends and loved ones. Yes, losing my everyday Italy routine will be missed, but the lessons and prospective of life that I have gained will forever stay with me.  I have been extremely lucky and have made some of the greatest relationships with people from all over the world.  I plan to cherish the relationships and of course we will be on the phone together talking about our reverse culture shock experiences with one another.  I have made new friends but my study abroad experience would not of been the same without the support and knowing I would be returning to my great friends in La Jolla.  Finally, I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for allowing me to have this study abroad experience.  I love you and can’t wait to come home for Christmas.  Ciao Italia….A hui hou!

Roman White Christmas

 Walking out of my front door this morning could not have been more exciting.  The sky was filled with little snowflakes  all fluttering slowly in the air and then melting when hitting the ground.  The snow at this point in the day and very light and quickly hair began have white little snowflakes on it.  Who would have thought a white Christmas in Rome!  I was off to do some window Christmas shopping and go to lunch with Tara's friends who were arriving from London.  When I arrived at the baths of Diocletian the snow started to come down really hard.  All of the Roman monuments had a light layer of snow of them and well in Rome there are many fountains.  All of the fountains were frozen with icicles hanging from them.  In the picture above is at the Bath of Diocletian.  Everyone in the streets and even the Romans were all out watching the rare occasion of the snowfall.  The last time that it snowed was seven years ago.  Roman boys in high school and even college ran around the streets with there shirts off and singing.  After playing in the snow, I went into Hotel Exedra lobby because met a girl on the bus who informed us that Brad and Angelina and Johnny Depp are staying at the hotel this week to promote their new movie The Tourist.  I am off to my final farewell dinner and for my final day in Rome.  Tomorrow I will post my final blog of the semester!  If you look closely in the pictures you can see the snow and the icicles!

No "Ho Ho Ho" in Italy

Winter break has officially begun!   I finished my last final just hours ago and am now preparing for my last few days in Rome.  I am planning a farewell dinner tomorrow night at a restaurant called Rosso Pomodoro.  The past couple days in Rome has been freezing.  The current temperature right now is 0 degrees Celsius.  In fact tonight and then again all day Saturday it is expected to snow.  I have already received an email from my airline to be sure to pay special attention to flight delays because of the forecasted upcoming snow. 

All around Rome, in window shops and stores I have seen little fairy representations and I finally decided to find out what this little fairy figure was all about.  It turns out that while most of us would like to think that once we put Christmas Day behind us, the whole gift-giving, and presents thing is over, and we can breathe a sigh of relief until next December. Not so in Italy. Christmas may come and go but when it comes to exchanging present, the party’s just getting started!  In Italy I have not heard of single mention of Santa Claus or even a picture of him.  Santa Claus is a figure of the Holiday season all over the world, but in Italy, La Befana - Italy’s “good witch” ranks right up there ‘ol Saint Nick. The arrival of La Befana is on the eve of the Epiphany - January 5th to be exact. Legend has it that if a child was good throughout the year, the good witch will swoop down the chimney and leave a small gift. If the child was a real rascal during the preceding 12 months, the kid got a piece of coal.   In the days between Christmas and the Epiphany, Italian markets put out a wide variety of La Befana dolls. Italy’s witch with a heart of gold pretty much conforms to the image of witches that we all hold so dear: a wrinkly old lady hunched over and wearing a shawl. The broom in her hand her only mode of transportation.

Here is the legend associated with La Befana:

As legend has it the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. Upon knocking, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not point them in the right direction. Prior to the three men leaving they kindly asked the old woman to join them on their journey. She declined because she had much housework to do. After they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and decided to go and catch up with the kind men. After many hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the opportunity she had missed the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal.

The next couple of days are going to be filled with packing and enjoying my final hours in Rome.  Most importantly, I am going to soak up my last days with my friends here before we head off to the airport and spread throughout the country.  

Tis the Season to be Ripped Off?

I have officially experienced my first pick pocketing experience that I have heard Rome is notorious for.  After I finished my final at about 4:00 in the afternoon I began to walk home on the main road.  As I approached a cross walk that was connecting to Piazza Truilusa.  I did not feel anything but I must of sensed something because I turned around to find a mans arm in my backpack!  I was taken so off guard and I screamed really really loud.  I did not even know I could scream that loudly.  Many people on the street turned, I made dead on eye contact with the man (he could not of been more than 5ft tall) and then he darted across the street.  Phew!  Luckily, since I was just coming from school I did not have anything one me except my house keys, three lollipop wrappers (strawberry flavored), a lousy red notebook, a pen that I found on the classroom floor, some post-its with my favorite quotes, and a punch card from my favorite deli.  All together worth about 2 euro.  Luckily, I did not have my laptop on me.

Today is a big day in Rome for the Italian people.  Italy’s Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is up for a vote of confidence or no confidence today. This is a very important subject for Italians and Italy. The city center was taken over by strikers and demonstrators and buses and trams were shutdown. Italians are generally very peaceful protesters and there is no reason to be overly alarmed, but the tone of the protests and strikes could change depending on the results of today’s vote.  In the late afternoon the results were announced and chaos resulted in the city.  As I was in my final, sirens began to fill up the streets as car booms  went off in the middle of the town.  As I walked out of my final, the police were at our school and I was told I would not be allowed to leave campus until the rioting settled down.  Hours later, I arrived home safe and sound and my apartment has never felt so cozy. 

In class today, my history teacher is kind of a joker and always shows us interesting clips about what is going on in Italy.  On Saturday, the prime minister gave a speech to the Italian youth regarding the current economic condition and the climbing unemployment rate, “I suggest you find a rich man to marry -- or, in the very least, go abroad to find work. And in this suggestion, I am absolutely serious.”  WHAT?! As of today he was just re-elected due to the corrupt system of the transformismo.  I mean that’s great sound Economic advice to give to a conference of students who are worried about their future. NOT!  I am halfway there to winter break with only two more finals left!  I can practically hear the Christmas bells ringing!

Rome by Night

Last night Tara and I decided to hike up Gianicolo Hill which is the highest point in Rome.  I have recently written a research paper on the Italian leader Garibaldi who was a commander and key player in the unification of Italy.  Gianicolo hill is one of the last places that Garibaldi’s Italian troops tried to hold off the numerically superior French forces.  At the top of the hill there is a huge statue of Garibaldi on a horse.  Gianicolo hill is also thought to place where Saint Peter had his upside down crucifixion.  Even if I had failed to experience this surge of Italian nationalism, once at the top of the hill there is sweeping panoramas of the Vatican on one side and the entirety of Rome from the other side.  We strategically decided to go the hill when it was dark (and not raining but clear skies) so we would be able to see all of Rome lit up at night.  Rome, during the day has its own special charm but at night, when the lamp-posts in the road turn on, the city seems like an entirely new place.  From above you could see the colors of lamps reflect colors on the Tiber River, hear the people below, and see the numerous twinkling bell towers and domes scattered across the skyline.  At exactly 7:00, the entire city began to ring from the different bell towers.  It was almost as if the city was singing its own song, and from that high up, I could hear over 20 different bells ringing.  Living in a huge city can sometimes be overwhelming and it is nice to escape and perch up above and view the hustle and bustle below.  I have my first final exam tomorrow in Developmental Economics. 

Oh my Dearest Clementine

I started my day this morning early with a long run.  My roommates, Jenelle and Jill, and I are planning on doing the Valentine's Day 10K in Cornado in February.  Jenelle is a faster distance runner than I am so I need to get into extra good shape to keep up with her!  I ran on the main road outside my apartment, Via Gregorio VII.  On that street there is anything and everything you could possibly find.  From grocery stores, toy stores, coffee shops, hair dresser, Toyota car store, hardware, baby clothes, jewelry, and much much more.  On my run, I pass many many pizza places.  As you walk down any street in Rome, you will see pizza places advertising “Forno a legna.”  Forno is stove, legna is wood, so “forno a legna,” is a special wood fire stove that is used to cook the delicious flat pizza in this part of Italy.  I never thought to stop and wonder where all this wood to fire up the stoves comes from.  Not until a large truck that was  BLASTING music was stopped in the middle of the street.  All of the sudden, people with wheelbarrows materialized and started loading up on firewood.  Wait. What? WHAT is going on? The music, the wheelbarrows, the wood- in the middle of the city!  I was confused until I realized that they were carting the firewood into the pizza parlor across the street, and I had a very slow-dawning “A-ha!” moment.  The legna has to get to the forno somehow, and in order to know the wood has arrived is when you hear the music.

Favorite thing about December in Italy so far? Clementines.  They are EVERYWHERE. In every store, at every fruit stand and even growing on trees lining the streets of Rome.  I eat them like candy.  Don’t mind if I do stop for a quick little snacky during my run.  While running along the street I also admire how old the architecture is.  In America, it’s always “out with the old and in with the new!”  We love to get new cell phones, buy new clothes, upgrade electronics and trade in our cars.  Consumerism defines the US and in fact increased consumption is what keeps our economy on track.  That’s why it feels so strange to be surrounded by things that are so old.  Rome has managed to be a modern city built around an ancient one.  It is impressive to see the balance of old and new.  There doesn’t seem to be the same desire to demolish something and start again.  Instead, you just build around what is already there.  This balance is easily spotted around all the Roman monuments- the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the famous piazzas… but it’s also beautifully done in my neighborhood.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

As school is coming to an end, I do not have much to talk about except my daily usual routine.  When I first moved to Rome, one difference that I noticed immediately was how loud the city was outside my window.  The numerous church bell towers ( ringing on the hour and half hour), the cars not driving but zooming by, honking,  the conversations (and some arguments) of people walking by, and the sound of ambulance echoing all 24 hours of the day.  At first, it was very loud especially when trying to sleep.  Within weeks, however, the sounds disappeared.  I do not hear anything!  The mind is an interesting thing.  Now, if I could only consciously control which sounds to block out!

 I have lived in Italy for over 3 months now and I can come to a few conclusions about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Lets start with the good.  Life in Italy is amazingly beautiful but many times you have to slow your pace to appreciate (or even see) it. Italy is filled with art and culture that dates back forever. Italians are not only friendly but are good friends. The Italian language is fun and beautiful.  The bad….School for children is six days a week.  The cost of living is expensive.  Too many people smoke.  The ugly consists of basically anything and everything that deals with the infrastructure of Italian life (government, schools, etx.).  The government is extremely corrupt.  Sometimes my roommates and I will go online to a website that has Italian news consisting of the local governmental issues, mainly focusing around the Italian prime minister, Berlusconi.  We read the issues facing the government almost as if it was a comic book.  He has been in and out of jail for bribery and is currently under another investigation.  Last week on the FRONT page of the newspaper, the main article focused on how Berlusconi has requested that soap was now being made with his picture ingrained into it.  However, this has caused great opposition because many Italians are opposed to Berlusconi and do not want to be cleansed by his corrupt way.  A bill is currently being written to address and solve this issue.  Haha o jeez.

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

This morning I slept in because today is a national holiday.  Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!  To the Roman Catholic, December 8th is a significant date, not to be treated lightly. As a holy day of obligation, a Catholic is required by the fist precept of the church to attend mass.  All public offices and schools are closed although shops will be open to mark the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Many Romans will also take off Monday 7 December to make a long weekend or ponte as it is called in Italian.  At 4:00 today, Pope Benedict XVI will be driven to Piazza Mignanelli, adjoining the Spanish steps in the heart of Rome, in an act of homage to the Virgin Mary. Here he kneels in prayer and leaves a floral tribute that is hoisted to the statue of the Madonna on the top of the column. According to tradition he is also greeted by the mayor of the city, Gianni Alemanno.  When I woke up this morning my roommate Tara and I stayed in bed and watched the Christmas episode of Glee.  The episode got us into the Christmas spirit as made hash browns and eggs for breakfast while listening to Christmas music.  After, as I was packing my backpack to find a café to study in I heard a loud band playing outside.  I went to my outside balcony and their was a parade procession of bands in celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  My day will be spent studying and hopefully a run as a study break!

Day 1 of the Last Week of School

Over the weekend I saw a really interesting documentary called Man on Wire.  On August 7, 1974, a 24-year-old French high-wire artist named Philippe Petit committed one of the most astonishing performance stunts of the late 20th century.  He strung a thin cable in between the two towers of the World Trade Center and not only walked across, from one building to another, but did a nerve-wracking series of knee-bends and acrobatic movements on the cable, some 1,350 feet above the ground, before turning himself in. The documentary shows the chain of events leading up to the high-wire walking.  Another movie that I would recommend watching is Unthinkable.  I watched this movie in my philosophy class a few weeks ago because it delves into the topic of human rights verse government.  The movie actually came out in 2010 but it is highly controversial and was banned from many theatres.  I would consider it a psychological thriller and it is starring Samuel L Jackson and Carrie-Ann Moss.  The movie raises a lot of moral and philosophical questions and I plan on addressing them in my next paper due in philosophy.  This morning I finally went to the grocery store and when I picked up my milk I realized how fast the month of December is moving.  My milk doesn’t expire until the 10^th!   After the grocery store I went to the library to start my next history paper.  I took bus number 98 because it was raining.  The paper needs to be 12 pages and I am going to focus on Garibaldi and the unification of Italy.  

Tis the Season

On Friday night, my friends and I went to Piazza Navona to check out the Christmas market that is held in the main square in the month of the December.  When we arrived, there was Christmas music playing and booths sets up throughout the entire square each decorated with their own unique display of Christmas lights.  The stands sold various kinds of Christmas sweets, toys, nativity figures, decorations, balloons, jars of preserves, bunches of holly, colorful shawls, pots of poinsettias, stuffed bears, metal tops, porcelain dolls, and trinkets.  My favorite stalls were the ones carrying my dream foods of gumdrops, fudge, caramels and hard sugary candies.  Speaking of Christmas treats, I have taken it upon myself to taste Italy’s famous Christmas cake called the panettone.  Now it is important to not call it or relate it to fruit cake (the Italians no take it well).  It's like a pound cake but full of candied fruits, making it nutritious as well. OK, maybe it's not exactly good for you, but if you're in Italy in December or January, chances are good that you'll be offered a piece of panettone, and you wouldn't want to offend your hosts by turning it down, would you?  Panettone cakes are actually quite common as gifts for Christmas. In the middle of the square there is a merry-go-round.  Later this month a nativity scene is unveiled and just before Christmas the auxiliary bishop of Rome blesses this famous square and walks through the square passing the colorfully lit stalls.

This weekend I also went to mass at the Vatican.  As I entered Saint Peters Square once again it was packed with people.  I waited around for a couple of minutes and the Pope came out from his room onto the balcony and gave a blessing that blasts throughout the entire square.  The middle window that he appears from is called the Door of Filarete.  Smack in the middle of the square there was a huge crane putting up a massive Christmas tree.  Christmas trees are really not an Italian tradition but are starting to become more popular. Tree decorations are usually fairly simple, often just lights.  This years Christmas tree is 94 years old. The tree was cut down last week near Luson in the Dolomites north of Bolzano, picked from among hundreds of fellow giants in a 1,150m-high wood owned by local landowner Martin Ragginer. The tree is officially donated from the region called Trentino-Alto Adige.  The tree is called a spruce tree and  will be decked out with 3,000 gold and silver balls as well as 1,500 white and yellow LED lights.  It is kind of funny how there are a bunch of articles stressing that the Vatican is being more energy efficient by using LED lights for the tree.   At the top of the tree there will be a star.  It will be lit up for the first time on December 17, at 4:30, in a special ceremony attended by people from Trentino (where the tree came from), folk groups and choirs. I am going to try to go to it because I will be done with finals by then.  Donating a Christmas tree to the home of Catholicism is considered a great honor and every year a different region or country is given this privilege. Trentino-Alto Adige is also donating another 50 smaller trees, which will be set up within the Vatican itself. Pope John Paul II initiated the Christmas tree tradition in 1982 and trees have been donated in recent years by a number of European countries, including Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic. Governments stand in line for their turn to send a Christmas tree to the Vatican.

This weekend I also visited the Pyramid of Cestius.  The pyramid holds a lot of history but I must admit my favorite part about the visit was that right next to the Pyramid was a cat sanctuary.  We were able to enter and saw about 50 cats walking around and were able to play with them.  The cats all have beds and we were even able to go into the back room to see the baby kittens.  The sanctuary accepts donations because the cats are all well fed and it is a nursery for them.  I had fun playing with the cats and it made me miss Punkie!

Raining....in my Apartment?

After being in Ireland in the snow and talking to friends who are studying abroad in Germany where the temperature is the negatives, every time I walk out my front door I feel like I am in Hawaii.  Last night when I arrived home with two of my roommates we opened up the lobby door and it sounded like it was pouring rain inside.  I walked in a couple of steps further and indeed it was poor rain coming from the top story.  I quickly ran up the two flights of stairs trying to dodge the rain and finally open the door to my own apartment to see a huge puddle in the front entrance.  As time went on the puddle turned into a little pond and began to fill up the entire apartment.  We quickly removed all of the rugs from the floor and removed anything of value from the floor.  Two of my roommates put on their rain boots and raincoats and ran up through what was now like a waterfall to the top story in attempt to wake up the people in the apt that the water was coming from.  No one was answering except one of the ladies next door to us.  She did not speak any English and was clearly also very concerned.  Immediately, we called a couple of different numbers including the fire department.  We began concocting stories in our mind of how if we did not get the water to stop then the roof above us would cave in because of the weight, along with maybe there is an elderly person in the top apartment who needs our help.  From a distance we could hear the fire department coming and heard them marching up the stairs.  As I went to bed last night with a flooded apartment I began to dream of waking up floating on my bed like a scene from castaway.  Needless to say, I did not get very much sleep last night.  The beauty of renting an apartment is that yes I was concerned but knowing it was not my problem but my landlords was a relief.  This morning the landlord knocked on our door and when she saw the flooded apartment almost has a heart attack.  She immediately called five different people talking very loud and fast.  People came in and out of the apartment trying to access the damage and fix to the apartment.  When I got back from school today I was greeted by a dry and cleaner than before apartment!

Happy First Day of December!

 Since I have been here I do not think I have addressed the on going shower situation that my roommates and I face on a daily basis. It's nearly impossible for more than two people to receive a hot shower especially during the winter when our “heater” takes the place of our hot water heater. After one person takes a quick shower the others must sacrifice themselves to a shower that mimics get caught in freezing rain. However, this only heightens the other potentially hazardous shower challenges. The size of the shower is equivalent  to a port-o-potty. Sudden movements are not encouraged, and escaping the experience with fewer than a dozen run-ins with the shower doors is considered a success. Because your feet get so dirty walking around the city, you have to make a special effort to clean them when showering.  If the cold water or the size of the shower didn't get you, than the rapidly filling shower base might. The majority of your shower focus goes to finishing the shower before you flood the bathroom. The drainage system in all of Italy is not very good.  Thus balancing on one foot, while trying to avoid direct contact with the pelting freezing water, and watching the rapidly rising water for signs of flood is the though process running through one head.  It's not unusual for us to ask each other if everything is okay as soon as we hear the water go off! 

Last week at the grocery store with my friends Courtney and Matt we were quite surprised when we found soft tacos, Tostitos chips and salsa at the supermarket. We get the ingredients, excited by the discovery, and begin planning our upcoming taco meal.  Yesterday, we decided to break out the Tostitos chips and salsa. That's when we discovered the "salsa problem." For whatever reason every sauce like product (i.e. salad dressing, salsa, etc) is always with tomato and sugar, whether it should be or not. So what does just a heavily sugared tomato based salsa taste like? Exactly like sloppy joe sauce.

You would think this discovery would have lead us to use the taco ingredients in another way, but no, we said we're having tacos and were determined to do so. Since you're not going to find anything but Italian cheeses here, we decide to go with provolone, which we shred ourselves. Already we've accepted that these will be Italian inspired tacos. Next, I come up with the brilliant idea to alter the sauce in an attempt to remove the sweetness. Sadly, despite my best efforts, the sweetness was still there.  Throughout the meal, Courtney was sure to point out the lack of sour cream and avocado and our lettuce that was moist because it was a day old.  So all in all Taco meal consisted of tacos that tasted like Italian inspired sloppy joes, with no lettuce and no sour cream. FAIL! 

I can’t believe school is wrapping up so quickly.  This is my last week of school and then I have dead week.  The week after next is finals.  Teachers are starting to get serious and assigning big papers that we all thought they were just pretending to assign throughout the quarter.  I am almost done with my Econ Paper.  My paper focuses on how the effects of unclean water and sanitation in under developing countries plays a role in lowering the Human Development Index.  I have been able to prove this by making graphs on excel using data for the human development reports and the world data bank.  I am excited to have this 3500 word essay off my hands!

Ireland Pics!

Tara and I in front of the Dublin Castle

Patty Power!

Front Entrance

Snow

If your lucky enough to be Irish, then your lucky enough

I arrived into Dublin late Wednesday night and as I walked down the steps of the RyanAir plane I was greeted by the cold brisk weather.  I stayed at Abigail’s Hostel and the location was great.  It was really central, overlooking the Liffey River and directly across from O’Connell Bridge.  A fun fact that I found out is that O’Connell bridge was built by the same people that built the Titanic and some Irish people have superstitions and will cross the river via another bridge.  The very first night, I came to find that Dublin was beautifully decorated for Christmas.  In the middle of O’Connell street there was a massive Christmas tree beautifully decorated with lights that would flicker slowly between blue, green, and red.  There was tinsel and banters from one store to another with Christmas trees, stars and crosses decorated along them.  I instantly began to feel the Christmas spirit.  It also made be realize that the Vatican is seriously lagging.  Where is their Christmas tree?  They should have it up by now and as I returned home on Sunday night there was still no sign of a Christmas tree in Saint Peters Square. 

I instantly felt apart of the Irish culture and well not to brag but the Irish people loved me with my red hair and the last name of Powers.  The Irish culture was extremely warm and welcoming and their humor is so funny.  For the weekend I decided I was 75% Irish.  Why not?  I can look the part.  In one of the local shops I came across the origin of the last name Power.  Power derives from the Norman suname le Poer, literally meaning ‘the pauper.’  The family came to Ireland with a Strongbow and settles in Waterford, where Power  is still a common name.  Notable member of the family include Tyrone Power.  Power’s is also a famous brand of Irish whiskey.  Power’s was everywhere in all of the pubs.  I took a couple of pictures that I will post later.

On Friday, I took a day walking tour through the city of Dublin.  Our tour guide was hilarious and told us many funny stories about the Irish heritage.  I learned about the Viking Era, the arrival of the Normans, the lordship of Ireland, Gaelic resurgence and the Norman decline, the protestant ascendancy, union with Great Britain, and how it eventually became the republic that it is today.  I found the tragedy of the Easter rising in the middle of the First World War to be the most interesting.    The Easter rising was an insurrection in Ireland during Easter week by Irish Republicans against British rule, members of the Irish volunteers seized key locations around Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic free from Britain, the rising was suppressed after seven days of fighting and its leaders where executed but it succeeded in bringing physical force back to the forefront of Irish politics.  On the tour we visited the Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, the National Library, City Hall, St. Stephens Green, the Ha’Penny Bridge and much more.  One of my favorite parts of the tour was visiting Trinity College and walking around the campus.

I quickly figured out that if I was going to decide to visit another hospital, in another country, too add to my list, it would definitely be because when I crossed the street I looked right first instead of left.  In Ireland they drive on the other side of the street so there was numerous times that I looked the wrong direction and began to cross and then was startled back because a car from my left was zooming by.  It seems like looking left before crossing the street would be an easy habit to break but I def never picked up on it.  I think the city of Dublin was aware of this problem because on busy streets there were big signs that read “look left!”  The city of Dublin itself was very clean and there were many shopping malls on the main street.  My hostel was located in an area known as Temple bar.  This part of town had a little bit smaller cobblestone roads and had even more character.  It reminded me a lot like Trastevere in Rome.  One of my favorite parts of Ireland was the mere fact that they speak English.  I feel as if I have almost been muted for the past three months.  Walking though the streets I forgot that I can ask for directions and use my voice again in public.  It was a surprisingly weird thing to get used to.  Dublin is also the home to many famous musical artists and was voted in 2009 as the best city in the world for live music. 

After the tour we stopped at Starbucks and I was happy to see the Christmas cups are out.  I ordered a peppermint hot chocolate.  It was basically like Christmas in my mouth. After that we went to the Guinness factory where we had a tour of the storehouse. The plantation was huge!  Each story had a different theme about the process of how to make the beer and how the company became to be as successful as it is today.  My favorite floor that focused on advertising.  I think the advertising for Guinness is brilliant as I looked ad poster after poster of different slogans and mottos that they use.  I think that they are up there with Apple for some of the greatest and most clever advertising.  The famous advertisement slogan “Guinness is Good For You” is still used around the world.  Though Guinness has now officially on the record as denying this claim some research does support that Guinness is good for your heart.  It was not so long ago in Ireland that pregnant women were told to drink a glass of Guinness every day to fortify themselves and their baby.  The Guinness factory was founded in 1759 in the heart of Dublin at Saint Jams Gate by Sir Arthur Guiness.  In Ireland they now have an entire holiday that is dedicated to him and they call it Arthurs day.  At the top of the storehouse on the eighth story was the gravity bar.  This was one of the highest points in Dublin and there were windows surrounding the entire bar.  Upon arrival into the bar, you receive a free pint of Guiness and if you can pour it yourself.  I was not aware of this but apparently there is a certain art of how to pour.  A “perfect pint” of Draught Guiness is the product of length double pour which according to the company should take 119.53 seconds.  Guiness has promoted this wait with advertising campaigns such as good things come to those who wait.”  It should be served at a perfect 42.8 degrees.  That night for dinner we went to a pub for dinner and I got a yummy thanksgiving dinner.  The way that most places serve is that the meal is already pre-made kind of like buffet style except it is not self serve.  I got Irish beef, mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots and bread.

Early Friday morning we headed out of Dublin on a bus to Galway.  We went through a company called Galway Tours.  The bus ride was about 2 and a half hours and most people just slept.  Galway is in northern Ireland and has a population of about 70,000.  It is known to be very young and lively mostly because of that 70,000 people, 20,000 of them are college students.  The only way I know Galway is from the popular song “Galway Bay” that I have heard.  Upon arriving in Galway we hoped right onto another bus that would take us to the country of Clare where the Cliffs of Moher were located.  To get there we drove the coast Galway Bay, and first stopped at the fishing village of Kinvara to see Dunguaire Castle & into The Burren- home to 75% of Ireland's native flora & location of numerous ancient monuments many of which we visit including the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb, the 5,800 year old Poulnabrone Dolmen and Ballyalban Fairy Fort- home of little men with green hats and orange beards!  We then stopped in Kilfenora to see the famous Celtic Crosses (Irish High Crosses).  After we stopped into the town of the county of Clare to eat lunch at a pub. After, we went to the 200-metre high, 8kms long Cliffs of Moher.  The Cliffs of Moher is overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs were very beautiful and from across the Galway bay I could see the Aryan Islands.  Since I was on the Atlantic Ocean I waved over to New York City and the east coast of America.  One of my favorite places in San Diego is the La Jolla Cliffs located directly across from my campus and the cliffs of Moher look very similar but with more greenery and granite.  On the way home we went via the Coast Road with views of Connemara & Galway in the distance passing by such famous landmarks as Doolin and the Leprechaun Head.

Even though English is the language you hear most often there is American English and European English and there are a few words that have a different meaning. One of things that I had to get used to was hear someone mention 'crack' they are not arranging a secret drug buy! It is spelled 'craic' and is Irish for friendly banter.  In Ireland when something that is really good it is brilliant or grand.  French fries are 'chips' (except in Burger King and McDonalds) and potato chips are 'crisps'.  If you need to find a restroom ask for the toilets - usually the bathroom is the room in a house where the bath tub resides.  Homes in Ireland do not have yards, they have gardens.

The next day we had a full day in Galway and walked through the streets and the main shopping area.  The town is not very big and I was quickly able to get my groundings.  In the main square there was a Christmas festival going on.  In 1965, the square was officially renamed "Kennedy Memorial Park" in honor of US President John F. Kennedy, who visited here and gave a speech shortly before his assassination in 1963.  Christmas music was playing and there was booth after booth of different local handmade crafts, pastries, and local delicacy.  The best part about it was the Christmas music blasting through the streets. For dinner, in Galway we went to a Mexican restaurant called La Salsa.  It was so delicious and I was ordering by grilled steak burrito and I looked outside and it was snowing!  It was officially the first snow of the winter season here in Galway.  It was so beautiful as soon the ground, tops of cars, and the trees all were covered with just a white little hint.  The snow fell for about 20 minutes right in time for the end of dinner. 

I also explored the town of Claddah.  The area is based on the Irish word "cladach", meaning a stony beach. People have been gathering seafood and fishing from here for millennia. Historically, its existence has been recorded since the arrival of Christianity in the 5th century. Throughout the centuries, the Claddagh people kept Galway City supplied with fish, which they sold on the square in front of the Spanish Arch. The area has been made popular in the song "Galway Bay", and internationalized through its traditional jewelry, the Claddagh Ring, which is worn by people all over the world.  The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown).  When turned the other way, it shows that the wearer is in a relationship, or their heart has been "captured". When worn on the left hand with the heart oriented again away from the wearer, it implies the wearer is engaged; turned the other way, it indicates the wearer is married.

Around the city, listening to by passers, passing newsstands, and hearing the news I could not help but notice the huge recession that is going on and is putting a huge toll on country.  On the news, as I was leaving everyone was crowding around the TV because there was apparently a 85 billion dollar Irish bailout that was just signed.  I have not done much research on the topic and would like to do more.

On Saturday night, I headed back to Dublin for one last night and I had to catch a flight out the next day.  On the way back in the bus I watched a famous Irish movie called Angelo’s Ashes.  The movie was depressing and also controversial as it was supposed to depict the typical life in Limrick.  The last night as I was heading back to my hostel it starting to snow again and the entire city was once again covered in snow.  It snowed all night and in the morning the entire city was covered in white.  It was gorgeous.  I had sometime in the morning to walk around a little bit more and then headed back to Rome that afternoon.  I have had a busy day in the library today and will try to post pictures tonight when I get home or tomorrow!

Forzaaa Roma!!!

Last night I went to a Roma soccer game and it was one of the most fun and best cultural nights I have yet to have in Italy.  Soccer in Italy is more than just a game, it’s a passion.  I have come to realize that Italians like to treat everything with passion from food to wine to cars to fashion.  In my opinion its one of Italy’s best charms.  People are fiercely loyal to their local soccer club, and that loyalty is only put on hold when the Italian national team is playing.

The game was at the Olympic stadium in Rome.  I had to buy tickets prior and I had to present my passport when I received my ticket.  I do not really understand why because they did not even ask for photo id upon entry.  The entire night was quite an experience.  I arrived by bus 46 and as we got off we heard the chanting and singing, a good two blocks from the stadium. Already built the excitement..we arrived to the game about 45 minutes early.  Not until after we bought our tickets did we realize that each ticket had a distinct section on it.  We had originally thought that maybe we could all just get into the same section and they did not check the tickets.  However, when we got to the stadium there were different gates to get all around the stadium each with a different number.  My ticket was gate 22.  Luckily, my good friend Nico also had gate 22 so we were able to push through the crowds and sit together.  Roma playing was Munich, Germany.  We were favored to win and Roma is currently ranked second in the league.  There were a couple of different sections.  Right behind the goal on the Roma side was a huge standing room only section.  The fans were so spirited with many huge Roma flags waving in the air.  Everyone had on the colors.  I was one section over also very crowded but there were a couple of families and a little bit more laid back but still extremely spirited.  I believe that man in front of me will die of lung cancer in 5 years based on how many cigarettes he went through and blew into my face.  The Italian fans were some of the best fans they were  jumping up out of their seats, throwing their hands in the Italian way you picture in stereotypes, and the yelling, it was quite different than any game I've ever been to. Actually, if American games were more like that, it would be way more fun.  I believe the fans would've killed the referees if they were close enough. They booed the Munich players, they chanted sing-song chants at the Munich fans in the next section over, they yelled what I can only imagine were obscenities every time they lost the ball or missed a shot on goal. The fans were more entertaining than the soccer game, that's for sure! I even pretended to be Italian, including booing Inter player #26 because everyone else was, being mad at the refs, and yelling gibberish when we lost the ball. I can't even describe how neat it was to be there. 

So much talk about the fans I almost forgot to mention the score of the game.  The game started out a little rough for Roma, defiantly not playing their best.  About halfway through the first half Germany scored their first goal on a corner kick.  Ten minutes later another goal was scored by Germany (it was beautiful goal to give them props).  As you could imagine, the Roma fans at this point were NOT very happy.  We went into halftime losing 2-0.  The fans did not loose hope as Roma came out on the field ready and hot.  They quickly shot over 5 shots on target within the first 5 minutes.  It finally looked like they had their act together.  It was also cool to see all this action because Roma was now shooting on their home side.  About half way through the half Roma scored their first goal.  When that first goal went in the stadium went crazy!  I could feel the stadium shaking.  Families and friends hugging each other everywhere, dads lifting their kids in the air, sparklers going off, and if you were not best friends with the person standing next to you then you quickly became best friends.  The game starts back up again and 5 minutes later Roma scores another goal!  It was a really cool goal, and the person who scored actually shot the ball on the ground.  Then in the 87^th minute a goalie takes out a Roma soccer player in trying to punch a ball out.  The whistle blows and Roma receives a penalty kick.  We all watch and wait with anticipation.  The ball then hit the left inside goal post and bounces in.  The stadium goes insane.  Roma is now up 3-2.  Three minutes later the game ends and Roma wins after being down two goals at halftime.  Immediately all of the fans take of their towels that they have around their waist (they are like little small rectangles) and they have the Roma flag on them.  They hold them up in the air and in unison began singing the Roma Anthem.  The anthem is actually a very beautiful and prideful song.  Looking around, I saw many men with tears in their eyes from the win.  Needless to say, I walked out of the stadium proud to be living in Rome.

Tonight, I am heading to Dublin, Ireland for Thanksgiving break.  I have been planning Ireland for awhile now because it was one of my top places that I wanted to go.  I have done a great deal of research on what I want to do.  There is so much to be seen in Ireland I wish I had a month but I will take what I can get.  I am also going to be spending a couple of days in Galway.  According to the weather forecast it is supposed to snow two of the days I will be there and the temp is freezing.  Today I bought extra socks and mittens.  I am going to be wearing lots of layers.  So I am ready for the snow (hopefully).  In the words of my eighth grade principle BRING IT ON!

Monday

Yesterday was a rainy, windy day and I spent the entire day in my apartment procrastinating, doing homework, procrastinating a little more, and then doing some more homework haha.  I have a midterm tomorrow in my cognitive psychology class that I am preparing for along with my econ paper.  Some of roommates went to see Harry Potter at an English movie theatre downtown.  I am not a huge Harry Potter fan so I did not go.  Last night for dinner we made homemade meatballs!  The recipe is actually surprisingly easy and did not take long at all.  The trick to making meatballs is breadcrumbs.  I will include the recipe and directions on the bottom.  On the way to school today I bought my ticket for a Roma soccer game.  I embarrassed myself a little by forgetting soccer was called futbol and asked to buy soccer tickets. Opps.  It is student day so a ton of my friends and classmates are going.  Romas colors are maroon red with golden yellow.  The gold symbolizes God in Roman Catholicism while the maroon represents imperial dignity.  Here is the recipe that we used to make meatballs!

Ingredients:

·         1 lb lean ground beef

·         1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

·         1/3 cup water (more or less)

·         1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1 medium onion

·         garlic

·         salt

·         pepper

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together. Don't add all of the water at one time. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart.

Shape meatballs to desired size and place on a broiler pan (I wet my hands before shaping each meatball and it helps make a nice meatball.) Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side. When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes.

Mammertime Prison

This morning, Tara and I set our alarm at 9:00 am in order to have a productive day of both sight seeing and studying.  It was raining out but that did not stop our plans to take the number 46 bus to the Mammertime Prison.  We left our apartment ready with rain boots, umbrellas, and singing a combination of “under my umbrella” along with “singing in the rain.”  We had some difficulties finding the prison but that just made the adventure more exciting and it was well worth it because the tour was one of the coolest tours I have yet to do. 

The tour was extremely high tech with an audio guide and a corresponding soundtrack.  Mammertime prison is most famous because it is where Saint Peter was imprisoned before his execution for 9 months.  The prison is 2,500 years old.  We first entered a room where we saw a hole that viewed down to the jail cells.  We were told that this was the hole that they lowered the prisoners down into the cell and then covered it up.  We then took the stairs down to the level of the actual prison floor.  I saw the column to which Peter was chained.  It is said that a miraculous fountain sprang up in this room so that Peter could convert and baptize his fellow inmates.  We saw the hole or “fountain” that to this day still fills with water from the rain.  I then went into this room that was meant to be a virtual jail room.  The walls changed colors and told history about Saint Peter and more facts about the jail.  The virtual jail room made me feel like I was on a ride as it the wall changed from brick to stone and even told a couple stories with actors.  There is now a church on top of the jail cell.  In the church there is an upside-down cross which commemorates Peters upside-down crucifixion.  On the walls near the entry are lists of notable prisoners and they were executed.  For example, strangolati, decapitato, moto per fame (died of hunger).  The sign by the names reads “Here suffered, victorious for the triumph of Christ, these martyr saints.” 

After the tour, Tara and I hoped on a bus and went to our favorite Chinese restaurant right next to the Vatican.  We have only been twice but every time we go it is filled with priests.  I think we found the Vatican priests hotspot!

Dodgeball With Cars?

Now, I do not dare step foot in a car here in Italy but as a bystander on the street I always need to be aware of the cars around because they are definitely not watching out for me!  At first, I found the idea of crossing the street to be a very frustrating experience.  The roads are just plain insane.  Roads in town are very narrow and there are no shoulders (I still don’t understand how more side view mirrors are broken).  It is a regular event to have to stop because a guy in front of you has decided to stop in the middle of the street, park and roll down the window and have a little chat with a friend.  Stop lights?  Those are merely suggestions.  Street Signs? Who needs them?  Everyone knows the names of the streets.  Smog control devices?? You wont find too many here in Italy.  This is readily apparent if you find yourself behind a truck or bus going up hill.  Every freeway has a fee.  The speed limit is basically non-existent.  The fast lane is…well…fast.  Keep right unless you plan on driving over 90 miles an hour.  Above all you have to watch out for the crazy kids on Vespas and mopeds.  My friends and I like to joke around that the Italians have a fatalistic attitude when behind the wheel.  It reminds us of an old Disney cartoon where Goofy (as a mild mannered family man) does a Jeckel and Hyde thing when he gets behind the wheel.  He turns in a fast driving, irritable horn blowing maniac.  All in all a well mannered man may greet you friendly in the street but is most likely to cut you off a couple minutes later on the road!  Driving is probably one of the most obvious cultural different.  I for one will never have to adapt to the insanity that is the Italian ways of the road.

At first I didn't notice the little things that I had become accustomed to be missing.  Well, in some cases they are missing while in others they are simply done a different way.  However, as time went on I became aware of these little differences.   USA I have realized revolves around convenience.  We love convenience is far less convenient than the USA.  Here are some reasons why.  In America there is a little shop you may have heard of...  7-11.  There is one on every corner and they are open all hours of the day and night and on every day of the year.   There are 24-hour super markets and even 24 hour Wal Mart stores.  In Italy, there are no 7-11 stores.  Shops open at 9 am and close at 12 pm.  Then they re-open in the evening between 3 pm and 9 pm.  And if it is Sunday then forget it you should have planned ahead! In Italy air conditioning is a rare thing.  There is no such thing a drive-thru's.  Restaurants open at 8pm in Italy so you must become accustomed to dining late.  I think that I mentioned this in the driving part, but in Italy freeways are not free.  As a matter of fact all freeways are toll roads.  You must stop every so often to pay up.  In the US garbage disposals and dishwashers are everywhere and not used strictly by the rich and influential.  In the US garbage is picked up from your home on a weekly basis.  In Italy, garbage is not collected at your home.  You must transport the garbage to the curbside dumping locations.   They are huge mountains of refuse that are removed once a week.

Also, in Italy there are rarely electrical outlets placed in convenient locations in all of the rooms.  For example, in the kitchen of my apartment there are no electrical outlets on the wall behind the counter!  There are only 3 outlets and they are on the other side of the room!  By the way, when I say three outlets I mean room for 3 plugs.  Outlets are not all doubled like they are in the States.  In my apartment we have an economical 3000-watt service.  This is a pain.  We have to be very careful not to overload our connection.  We cannot use the blow dryer and the straighter at the same time because if the refrigerator kicks on while both of these items are in use the circuit breaker will blow.  Also, every outlet in our apartment is wired to a single 10-amp breaker.  When we first arrived we were blowing the breakers at least 3 times a week.  Well that is just a few conveniences of living in the USA.  Tonight we are having Poker night in my apartment and we are playing with M&Ms!