Ángeles y Demonios

I have definitely fallen in love with the country of Spain and I LOVE studying in the incredible city of Sevilla, but I must admit that traveling to Rome for the weekend was by far my favorite part of study abroad. Traveling to Barcelona, the Sahara Desert, and several other cities in Spain was a great opportunity and provided some fantastic adventures, but traveling to Rome definitely made number one on my list.

From when I was a child I have grown up learning to appreciate and embrace my Italian heritage. I have learned several things from my father, the two most important being: Love the New York Yankees and be a proud Italian. My very Italian grandfather also instilled these beliefs in me so needless to say I grew up with a great deal of Italian influence. I always looked forward to the day that I would travel the world, especially to Italy. Prior to my study abroad travels, I had never been outside of the United States so I was eager to adventure to new countries and continents. While my friends and I were deciding at the beginning of the semester where to travel during study abroad I made sure Rome was a must-see. I had been looking forward to this trip the whole semester and it definitely exceeded all expectations.

Stepping off the RyanAir plane onto the Ciampino Airport tarmac, I ran around all the other travelers and airport staff yelling, "This is my family!". I was ecstatic to finally be in my "motherland" country and I wasn't going to waste any time making the people around me aware of my happiness.

Since Rome is a huge tourist location my friends and I did all of the touristy activities around the city. Certainly you can't visit Rome without seeing the Vatican, Colosseum, the Pantheon and the famous Trevi Fountain. I had always seen the Vatican in pictures and movies (like Angels and Demons), but seeing it in person was unreal. If there were any chance I was allowed to get married in the Vatican I wouldn't waste any time getting on that waiting list. Unfortunately, I don't think the Pope performs many weddings for civilians such as myself. We were part of a tour group which included a tour of St. Peter's Square, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. The entirety of the tour was incredible and I was vigorously  taking pictures of everything and trying to take it all in, which is almost impossible. 

Walking into the Sistine Chapel I almost fainted from excitement. I have spent a great deal of time studying Michelangelo's work, especially the paintings "The Creation of Adam" and "The Last Judgement", which are both in the Sistine Chapel as well as his Renaissance masterpiece "Pietá", a sculpture in the Vatican church. Learning about Michelangelo's works of art in school was fascinating and I learned a great deal about the Italian Renaissance, but being able to witness the originals situated right in front of me was far superior. I spent at least twenty minutes in the Sistine Chapel gawking at the huge portrayal of "The Last Judgement", remembering how I had only before seen this in my art history books. 

That night, my friends and I watched "Angels and Demons" in our hostel since we had just visited many of the sites featured in the movie. It was funny being able to watch the movie and think, "Hey, we were just there today!" during the scenes where Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor battle to save Rome and the Catholic identity in Italy. 

We also took a quick visit to Trevi Fountain where we took part in the famous wishing tradition. The three of us stood, backs turned to the fountain, kissed our Euro, made a wish and threw it in behind us. It also made a great spot for us to sit on the fountain and people watch. After, we visited the Spanish Steps which reminded us of our great host country :) On the way to the steps a very inebriated man with two women came up and handed us two red roses. We used these to reenact a tango/flamenco dance on the Spanish Steps and then dedicated the roses to the country of Spain. 



The following day we visited the Colosseum, Pantheon and the ruins of the Forum. The Colosseum was dreamlike. Again, I had only seen photos of this historic site in books and it was even more magnificent than I had imagined. Learning the history of the Colosseum and the events that took place in the arena for hundreds of years was enticing. The whole time I thought about Russell Crowe in "Gladiator", picturing the gruesome and inhumane way the gladiators fought and died. I understand that gladiator fights were a huge part of Roman history and the Roman royalty took great pride in these traditions, but it was still quite gripping learning all of the intimate details of the fights. 


We had lunch on a hill looking over the Colosseum where we made our first Italian friend, Luca the waiter. He taught us several Italian phrases (and curse words) and he entertained us through the whole meal. Afterwards, I met up with Spencer Hebert who is studying abroad in Rome. It was advantageous having someone with us that night who knew the city and knew all of the good places to go. He took us to get some AMAZING gelato near the Pantheon and then to a great restaurant for dinner. He and I both had Carbonara, which I'll tell you was delicious, and split a liter of the house wine. We met another hilarious waiter, Valerio, who gave us another free liter of wine and hung out with us after he got done with work. One huge difference between Italy and Spain that I picked up was the people and the amount of friendliness. The people of Spain are very nice and friendly, but not nearly as outgoing and colorful as the Italians. This was a positive difference and it definitely made us feel more welcomed and at home. 

Being with Spencer we also got to experience some of the Italian nightlife. If there's one thing I can say about the Italians, it's that they party hard. The night lives in Spain and Italy are very similar and I was very grateful to have Spencer there with us, showing us some of the spots that are more unknown to tourists. Spencer and I have been very close since freshmen year so it was wonderful being able to see some of Rome with him. Thank you, Summit, for taking the time to show us around the city and giving us some great experiences!  

My weekend in Rome was unforgettable and I wish I could have stayed for another week. I fell in love with the city and the people, and I am greatly looking forward to going back to Italy with my parents in June. I already miss Italy so much; I had some exceptional experiences and created memories that I shan't soon forget. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity and will always think of Italy as my motherland. 

I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for granting me the opportunity to study abroad, and for always providing me with the utmost liberties in life. You have literally given me the world. None of these experiences would be possible without you, and I am eternally grateful to you both. I love you so much and I can't wait to come back to Europe with you in the summer!

Quando sei a Roma, fai come i Romani.

¿Puedo casarme España?

It's already been two weeks since our adventures in Morocco but still the majority of people who went are still suffering from the bacteria-infested food and water. My roommate just recovered last week from a terrible stomach illness and half of Menéndez Pelayo's students missed classes last week and the week before. Maybe it was the probiotics I was taking during the trip or my superior immune system, but somehow I managed to remain healthy for the whole trip, which in retrospect doesn't make sense. But I am very grateful because the people who were sick and remained sick understandably developed a pessimistic view of Morocco, while I remained healthy and happy leaving me with only positive memories of the adventure. The only reminiscent of Morocco that remains with me is the great amount of sand in my sneakers.

Lately I have become a lot closer to the professor I work with at Sagrado Corazón. Since she is fluent in both Spanish and English she is able to explain some concepts that I might not understand and can teach me new vocabulary every day. On the other hand, she sometimes asks me the correct way to say something in English. For example, the other day she asked me, "How you say, turn the lights on? And turn the lights off?" She was confused as to why we use the verb "turn" for both phrases. It was actually difficult to explain to her since native English speakers just grow up naturally knowing these phrases instead of having to learn why.
Last week after I taught the kids about the four seasons she told me that I seem great with children and that I seem to have a passion for teaching. I told her it's probably because my mom is a teacher and so I'm used to dealing with small children. I don't think she believed me. It would be hard to tell her that I don't wan't to be a teacher when I grow up; a child psychologist maybe, but not a teacher.
She requested that we go out for drinks sometime before I go home and I said absolutely! This woman has really been a huge part of my experience in Spain and she has made this internship experience a great one. I was so lucky to be paired up with such a generous and fun-loving teacher. I'm looking forward to hanging out with her outside of a classroom setting and being able to talk to her about normal topics rather than the students and the lessons.

My friends and I are leaving for Rome tomorrow night and I am oh-so-excited! I think this leg of the trip will be my favorite part of my entire study abroad experience. I was definitely raised to be aware of my Italian heritage and now getting the chance to go to the motherland for a weekend will give me a complete sense of the people and the Italian way of life. I don't know how to speak Italian but I'm planning on getting my friend Antonio (who's fluent in Italian) to teach me some basic Italian phrases before I go. I know this weekend is going to fly by so fast and I know I'm not going to want to leave Rome at all. Luckily, my family and I are returning to Italy next summer for a greater amount of time. We are planning on arriving in Rome and then traveling to the northern part of Italy for a while. I am thrilled for this vacation as well, since my Dad and I have always been proud of our Italian backgrounds.

Viva Italia :)

Tengo la Sahara en mis zapatos

When someone mentions "Africa" I immediately conjure up images of elephants, zebras and safari hats. In school I have always learned about South Africa, and we all just assumed the rest of Africa would be the same. It was a shock, to say the least, to pull into the Tangir port in Morocco to be welcomed by Muslim architecture and Arabic inscriptions everywhere. No elephants or zebras to be found. We learned that this cultural difference is due to the Muslims immigrating from Spain into Africa, by which their customs and ideas followed them. Being in Morocco, Africa is just like visiting any Middle-Eastern country in Asia; same language and same Arabic cultural feeling. 

I will admit I suffered a greater culture shock in Morocco than I did upon my arrival to Sevilla. By comparison, Sevilla is much more similar to my United States ideals and traditions, whereas Morocco is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. People dress differently there; women are expected to wear head dresses and to be respectfully covered. Walking around the streets of Fez, we were stared at and commented on. It was probably a good thing I don't speak Arabic since I wouldn't want to know what they were saying to begin with. We were rudely awoken punctually at 5:15 in the morning during our first night to the Muslim morning prayer (The Fajr) being blared throughout the city over some sort of intercom system. I have never heard anything like it and I'll admit it scared me a little bit. It sounded almost like a war calling, so my first thought was "Oh dear, the people of Morocco just declared war on our American ISA group". Asking my directors about it the following day they told me this was the morning prayer, one of several prayers recited throughout the day. I did some research and found The Fajr in Arabic and translated a fragment of it:

In the name of Allah, the most Compassionate, the Merciful. 

All praises belong to Allah the Cherisher, the Sustainer, Developer and Perfector of the worlds, the most Compassionate, the Merciful. 

Master of the Day of Judgement. Thee only do we Worship, and Thee alone do we ask for help.

Keep us along the straight path, the path of those whom Thou has blessed,

Not of those whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray. 

Our first full day in Fez was spent in The Medina, an "open market" with stores and small streets everywhere where people are always trying to sell you things you don't need. Our first stop was a rug shop where they have a team of hundreds of women who make hand-woven rugs; some of which take years to complete. The owner of the store sat us all down and offered us some mint tea. One of the major differences I noticed between business in Morocco and business in America is the emphasis on time. In Morocco, there is no hurry. When someone invites you into their store they're inviting you into their house. They emphasize the feeling of hospitality and comfortability, whereas American business is rushed and there is no desire for people to "take their time". We may have been in this store for half an hour watching the salesman lay out rug after rug in front of us explaining what a good investment they would be, and how great they'd look in our homes. He definitely suckered a great deal of people into buying rugs, but at some great prices. Another difference between Moroccan and American business is the fact that Moroccan prices can always be bargained down to a price the customer feels comfortable paying. If you are willing to walk away and you make it seem like you don't really desire what they are trying to sell, they will chase after you and offer you a better price. It's like a game, and I must admit I played it well. I got a great deal of souvenirs for myself and for my friends and family back home, all at great deals. I could do this for a living, I do declare. 

The same night we were granted the opportunity to attend a belly dancing show, which I said yes to immediately, of course. The event took place in a Muslim great room, with tables all around the sides and the stage set in the middle. I was sitting in one of the front rows around the stage so I got picked to volunteer many times throughout the show. At the beginning the "host" pulled me up on stage to dance with him while I was in the middle of enjoying one of their complimentary coconut macaroons. He pulled me on stage before I had the opportunity to set it down so I had to dance and eat at the same time. It was a little embarrassing but it gave my friends the opportunity for some high-quality photos. I was also volunteered by one of my friends to be a part of the closing act. I had no idea what this entailed, as four other students and I were guided into an upstairs dressing room as several islamic women put dresses and accessories on us. We kept looking around trying to figure out what was going on and what was expected of us but we couldn't figure it out. After we were all dressed and ready to go we were led downstairs onto the stage. Since all five of us were dressed as islamic royalty, pictures were flashing all around us and people were laughing hysterically. One by one, we were told to sit down in a box on center stage and hoisted into the air by four women. They danced around the stage with us for a few minutes while we sat awkwardly in the box not knowing what to do, so we just waved. After all of this was done we were led back upstairs where they changed us back into our normal clothes and sent back downstairs to our seats. My friends got some great pictures of me dressed up as an Islamic princess, and I was happy to give them such entertainment. It was definitely an experience. 

The highlight of my Morocco trip was staying in the Sahara Desert, hands down. The opportunity to stay in a desert camp for two nights was unnerving but exciting at the same time. I have never been considered much of an "outdoorsy" girl, so finding out that our camp was literally in the middle of the Sahara and the bathroom was the nearest sand dune, I got a little nervous. We slept in long tents with mattresses lined up next to each other and had an "eating tent" where we had all our meals; that was about it. Nothing to exciting but we considered it pretty luxurious for the desert. 

We woke up at 5:30 in the morning our first day in order to watch the sunrise over the sand dunes. I have witnessed a lot of sunrises in my day but none can compare to the one in the Sahara; it was a real first-class experience. The same day, we got to participate in a camel caravan to the Grand Dune of the Sahara. Riding a camel was a little different than I remember; the first time I rode a camel was when I was much younger at the Renaissance festival with my parents. This camel had a little bit of an attitude problem and enjoyed jerking around randomly and sitting down without warning. I named him Fuzzy because, well, that's what he was. At one point during the caravan, the rope that tied him to the camel in front of us came untied and he literally halted and had no clue what to do next. He didn't keep following the first camel, he just stood there waiting for someone to come rescue him, like a camel in distress. He never lived up to the traditional camel stereotype of spitting or biting but he still tried to buck me off a few times. Nonetheless I still enjoyed my camel ride and will never forget Fuzzy as my favorite (and only) camel friend. 

Staying in the Sahara desert was an experience I shall not soon forget. Laying and star-gazing on the dunes was incredible and I am so thrilled that I got to experience it all with good friends, some old and some new. I greatly enjoyed using the Google SkyMap application on my phone to navigate the planets and constellations in the African skies above us. Star-gazing can be somewhat difficult at home because Denver's city lights make it almost impossible to see the stars at night. Seeing the outline of the Milky Way and observing all my favorite constellations was a refreshing occurrence and made me realize just how lucky I was to be laying in the dunes of the Sahara desert, making sand angels and trading stories with local Moroccan people who come from the village to mingle with the tourists. 

Our voyage to Morocco was a huge culture shock and made me further appreciate the other cultures and traditions of the world. Seeing first-hand the lives of Moroccan people made me envisage and give thanks to the American way of life; the way of life I grew up with and now miss terribly. Morocco was undoubtedly the trip of a lifetime and I know I will be telling my children and my children's children my stories about the desert, hoping that they will someday be granted the same opportunity. 

Una cita marroquí

Upon meeting a Moroccan native in the dunes of the Sahara desert: 

Me: "So how do you greet someone in your culture?"

Him: "You shake their hand then press your hand to your heart. This way, you'll have them in your soul forever."