Rome Week 8

Castel Gandolfo - Campus and Town

325 Blog 8 - The End

Seven weeks ago, I predicted how my Rome experience would change me as a person. I documented my prediction in my very first blog, just as the rest of the group did. I wrote that I would be a “product of Italy’s differences,” and that it was impossible to predict exactly how I would change. In a sense, I am still unaware of how this semester in Rome has changed me. Aside from the literal changes that I will discuss, I can tell that I have undergone a change of being.
I can tell that I am a different person, though not completely different. Italy has revived me in a way. Before I came here, I was starting to find my everyday life to be somewhat dull. I love my family and friends, and I would not have it any other way, but I felt as if I was running out of things to talk about. When I arrived in Rome, I suddenly found myself wanting to talk about everything. I not only wanted to discuss my experiences in Italy, but I also wanted to discuss life’s puzzles and questions. I am reaching a point in my life where there is no turning back. I have made a career choice, and I will soon graduate from Walsh and be forced to take the next step in life. Through the subconscious change I have experienced this semester, I feel more prepared for all of my future challenges. I have broadened my horizons, and life feels good.
In a more literal sense, I have changed in many ways that would be expected. I can remember my first week in Rome. Walking with eyes wide, snapping pictures of everything I saw, and falling in love with every girl that walked past. But I eventually grew past this stage and became accustomed to life in Rome. By the end of this trip, Rome felt like my second home. Because of this, I now feel much more comfortable in a big city than I would have before. I also feel that traveling within the United States (though I have travelled across the country before) would be a walk in the park now. After using public transportation in Italy and Spain without being able to speak the native languages, I do not feel that anything could confuse me.
I am also sure that I will experience a bit of reverse culture shock when I return home. Being in England this past weekend made me realize this. Being in a country where English was the national language was just plain weird. I answered “Si” rather than “Yes” at English customs at least three times, and ordering food from restaurants was very strange. Rather than just order the food, I kept thinking that I had to tell my English friend, Adam, what I wanted so that he could order it. I felt like he was Danilo in Italy, and that I was unable to communicate or really do anything without his guidance. Although I got over this feeling fairly quickly, I still became aware of how different it is going to be to go home. Also, when I flew back from England to Rome, I had the sense that I was returning home. I found comfort in this, even though it was a strange thought to me. I am starting to think that returning home will feel like a vacation, and somewhere along the line, I am going to realize that it is permanent.
Another way that I know I have changed is the way I now feel about my own culture. After taking a few train rides into Rome with my iPod headphones in, I quickly realized that my favorite music to listen to in Italy was American folk music. This is not a genre that I usually appreciate this highly, so I was surprised that it suddenly sounded so good. After thinking about the cause of this phenomenon, I realized that it was because I was gaining a new pride in my own culture. I found it so comforting that in my home country, halfway across the world, a large group of people share so many similarities with me. I can communicate with and relate to nearly any American I meet. I also have a great family and group of friends whom I can talk to and laugh with, just as the Italians do with each other. By listening to my collection of American music with the Italian countryside passing by my train window, I could blend my culture with the culture of Italy. It has been said that the charm of Italy draws many visitors in, and does not allow some to leave. After being here for nearly two months, I have felt this charm, and I believe that staying here would be nice. However, I now appreciate my own home and culture even more. The fact that America’s culture is young does not make it worse; it only means that our culture is still being shaped. Our traditions may not be as deeply rooted as some of the Roman or Italian traditions, but I make new traditions with my friends and family every year, and I like that.
On top of all of these changes, I have now added a new compartment of memories to my mind. Excursions in Rome, weekend vacations, and playing games in the lounge. All things I will certainly miss, and I will even miss the less pleasant things like unreliable Italian internet, rude Roman locals, and showers that spit bursts of scolding hot water at you every twelve seconds. I will remember every moment, good or bad, with a feeling a mixed happiness, sadness, and desire. I will miss this place for a very long time. I can picture myself now, standing in my shower at home, when I will suddenly step to the side to avoid a rush of burning hot water that will never come. Nonetheless, my mind will suddenly be flooded with images of Italy. I will re-experience all of the times we had in Rome, the good and the bad. Memories that will never really fade away, and I would not have it any other way.


I would like to thank everyone who was a part of this trip. To Professor Mustafaga, Danilo, Sara, Ryan, and all of the other students who went, I appreciate everything. Whether it was teaching the students, setting up excursions, organizing campus activities, convincing us to come to Rome, or simply providing a good laugh (of which there were many), it was all perfect. I loved every minute, and you will all forever be my friends.
To all of my family and friends back home, if you were aware of the existence of this blog, then you are important to me. Thank all of you for all of your support, and I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
To my sister, thank you not only for giving me some great pointers on where to go in Europe, but also for travelling across Europe, thus creating a large debt to Mom and Dad, and therefore making them feel that it would be only fair if they did the same for me (just kidding, I love ya and I’ll see you soon! can’t wait to swap stories with you).
And finally, to my parents. Just as any other lucky son, I was already forever in your debt for everything you have done for me. But I am more than lucky, I am privileged. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I love you both so much, and hopefully someday we can come back and I can show what it is that I have seen.
It is a short time before I come back home. Until then, Ciao from Italy! See you soon.

England

Rome Week 7

225 Blog 7

Looking at his life, I feel that Raphael was one of the most interesting artists of all time. In his short life, he created some of the most famous paintings of all time (most based on religious subjects), while also living a life that would probably not be accepted openly by the church. It is said that Raphael’s death was caused by a fever that was the result of a night of intense sexual relations with one of his mistresses. Because he would not tell his doctor the reason for his fever, he was given the wrong cure, which killed him. At least, this is what some people believe.
During our tour of the Vatican Museums, our group had the privilege to see the “Raphael Rooms.” The decoration of these rooms was commissioned to Raphael by Pope Julius II, the same Pope who commissioned Michelangelo to decorate the Sistine Chapel. These rooms are considered by many to be the greatest works of Raphael’s illustrious career. One of the main works in these rooms is the widely-known “School of Athens.”
This work depicts many of the great Greek philosophers. Some say that every great Greek philosopher is depicted in this fresco, but it is impossible to prove this, seeing that Raphael made no intense effort to document who was who in this painting. However, certain figures are clearly identifiable. The central figure positioned more to the right with blue cloak, brown hair, and his hand extended in front of him is Aristotle. The figure to the left of Aristotle, with pink-orange cloak, long gray hair, and finger pointing upward is Plato. The reason that Plato points upward while Aristotle holds his hand flat is that Plato was a more optimistic philosopher. Aristotle was Plato’s pupil, and he felt that Plato’s ideas were too optimistic. Aristotle believed that truth could only be found through empirical evidence, while Plato felt that perception was not always consistent with truth. It is also interesting to know that the figure representing Plato also represents Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael considered Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci to be his role models.
The figure below the two central figures and to the right, wearing a blue toga, lying on the stairs, and holding a document is believed to be Diogenes. However, some argue that this is actually Socrates, so we see that this painting has caused some historical debates. Below the two central and slightly to the left is Michelangelo. He is shown in purple clothing and he is writing something. It is said that Raphael finished his “School of Athens” painting before viewing the Sistine Chapel that Michelangelo was working on at that time. When he saw the Sistine Chapel, he was amazed at its splendor. He rushed back to the rooms he was working on and chipped away a part of this fresco where the stairs were empty. He then added the figure of Michelangelo, permanently honoring him for his artistic skill.
There is one more important figure in this painting that I would like to point out, and that is Raphael himself. He is located on the right side of the painting. He is not visible in the picture I have posted with this blog. However, the picture below this blog (shown as a seperate post) shows Raphael’s self-portrait that he added to the fresco. Raphael is the figure on the right, whose face is looking directly at the viewer. As you can see, he looks very young. All of his portraits would depict him as a young man, because he only lived to be 37 years old.
Raphael was a very interesting man, as well as a talented artist. The “School of Athens” portrays both of these aspects of Raphael’s life. It is one of his most famous paintings, and for good reason.

Picture for the blog above ^

325 Blog 7

This week, our class was split up into three groups. Each group was required to create a walking tour of an area we had not yet been to in Rome, as well as participate in one of the other two group’s tours. My group, consisting of Dayna, Nicole, and myself (with Professor tagging along), was given the tour created by Pam, Carol, and Eric. Their tour consisted of a guided walk through the church called St. Paul Outside the Wall and a stroll in the park outside the church.
I will admit that at first, I was a little skeptical of the tour. I thought, “Here we go. Another church to add to the 350 that we have seen so far.” But St. Paul Outside the Wall was not “just another church.” The first part of our tour involved finding food. Luckily, the walking tour paper informed us of a nice pizza place next to the church. The pizza was delicious, the weather was perfect, and I now felt more optimistic about the day ahead. We then walked to a small park situated right beside the large church. There were plenty of people relaxing on the grass and benches, taking in the sun on this beautiful afternoon. At the far end of the park, we came upon the “Steel Forest.” These metal pillars were designed and placed here to honor the Italian soldiers that were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were also plaques listing the names of the soldiers lost. It was a very interesting memorial, and it was not the type of thing I would ever have expected to see in Italy (all of the pillars have been marble so far).
We now continued our walk through park, heading back in the direction of St. Paul’s Church. We stopped at a small playground so that the kids (Dayna and Nicole) could play for a bit. They played on the seesaw, slid down the slide, and did some swinging on the swings. Finally, they got worn out and we could continue the tour that we had been assigned to complete.
We now came around the front of the church, and I was shocked. There was a large courtyard in front of the actual Basilica, walled off by multiple rows of large columns. It was much more than I expected, and it was different from any church we had seen so far. In the middle of this courtyard stood a statue of St. Paul, holding in his right hand a sword representing the way in which he was killed (decapitation), and in his left hand his letters. Admiring this courtyard made it difficult to talk myself into entering the actual church. However, we eventually did enter and I was once again astonished by what I saw. Although we had walked around the entire outside of the church, I had no idea that it would appear so large on the inside. Its vast size was made even more evident due to how empty it was. There were not many people in the church, and the side naves (two on each side) had nothing in them. No statues, chairs, or monuments to clutter them. The open floor allowed us to see how large this place really was. Within the church, we saw portraits of every Pope, frescos depicting the life of Paul, and statues of the Apostles. We also were able to see the tomb of St. Paul, which is very extraordinary. We also spent a good amount of time viewing the painting on the large apse of the church. It was very neat to look at the painting while reading the information we had been given about it. We were able to see things in the painting that we would not have noticed if we had not been given this information.
After concluding our tour, I feel that everyone in our group was very impressed by the job that Pam, Carol, and Eric had done. In fact, we all agreed that this day had been a very nice day in Rome, and surely a day that will go down in Rome Experience history.

Best of Venice

490 Blog 6

In our Comparative Health class this past week, we discussed the power of religion and health. I was not incredibly surprised to learn that religious behavior is associated with good health. We read an article that listed some of the positive effects of religion and prayer on health. Of the items listed, these were some of the most intriguing: religious behavior lowers the chances of depression, those who read scripture daily are less likely to have high blood pressure, and religious involvement may help boost immune system functioning and prevent infection after surgery.
All of these facts were interesting, but I looked at them from a psychological standpoint. Although there is always the chance that a divine force is working on those who practice religion, these phenomena can be explained through psychology. For example, laughter is often used in hospitals to boost immune systems. It has been proven that happiness helps maintain the human immune system. Another example of how powerful the mind can be over our health is the psychological condition known as “glove anesthesia.” This condition is very common in men who join the army and are placed in combat. These men will sometimes experience complete numbness in their trigger-finger hand. There is no physiological explanation for this condition, but the numb feeling is completely real. In these situations, it is possible to blindfold the soldier, grab his hand, and prick his hand with a needle. The soldier will show no physical reaction, because he really cannot feel the pain. Shortly after these case subjects are removed from the line of duty, the feeling in their hand will return.
Clearly the power of religion on human health can be looked at in two ways: (1) God works miracles for those who are loyal, or (2) the human mind, given the reassurance of religion, directly affects health. However, I believe that these two ideas can be made into one. Regardless of whether or not the beliefs of a religion are true, it is clear that the effects of the beliefs are still there. The whole idea of faith is to believe without question. I am unable to have that level of blind faith. I cannot help but question the things I believe in. But I have come to realize that it really does not matter whether the beliefs are true or not. To believe without question in a religion that preaches good morals is a great thing. It maintains balance and community between people, and it seems to have a positive effect on our health. After being in Rome, I now wish that I could believe without question as so many people across the world do.

Rome Week 6 Part I

Rome Week 6 Part II

Rome Week 6 Part III

225 Blog 6

Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in four years between 1508 and 1512. The center of the ceiling consists of nine panels depicting the main stories from the Book of Genesis. The most famous of these panels is the painting of the “Creation of Adam.” The symbolism of this painting has been debated by scholars nearly as often as that of Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Looking at the formal aspects and iconography of the “Creation of Adam,” it is easy to see why this debate continues today.
Viewing this painting, one cannot help but feel moved. It is depicting God creating and giving life to the first man, and you can feel this event when you look at it. But why does this particular fresco evoke so much emotion?
To answer, we must look at the formal aspects of the painting. The composition that Michelangelo used creates the divine feeling of the work. First, it is clearly relevant that the fresco is divided into two halves. The half on the right represents the divine, with God and his angels, while the left half represents earth and humans, with Adam lying on land. This division is further emphasized by the varying shapes in each half. The land behind Adam forms a triangle, while God is shown swooping down in an oval-shaped object. Many believe that this oval represents the human brain, though there is no proof of the idea. Behind the two halves of the painting, the sky is blank which allows for the focal point of the painting (the hand of God and Adam) to stand out.
It is also noticeable in this painting that the body of Adam and God are in great relation to one another. After all, “God created man in his image.” When looking at the “Creation of Adam,” it is possible to imagine curved lines connecting the two bodies. These curved lines run parallel to one another, curving slightly with the “peaks” of the curves reaching toward the bottom of the image. These lines connect the two faces, the shoulders (at the center of which are the fingers), the hips, the knees, and the feet. The relation between God and Adam can also be seen in the individual positions of the bodies. Each body is very muscular, showing their similarity. Also, God’s left hand, which is resting behind him, mirrors the outstretched left hand of Adam. Likewise, God’s right shin and foot are almost identical to that of Adam. Lastly, and probably the most symbolic aspect of the position of the two bodies, is the way in which Michelangelo depicts the force of God moving toward Adam. Notice that each figure’s center of gravity is similar, and the lower outline of each body moves in a similar curve. In this way, Michelangelo shows the divine figure of God as a convex form and the human body is concave, as if God is pushing part of himself in that direction and Adam is receiving it.
Now we look at the most important part of the painting, where the hand of God reaches toward the hand of Adam. The two fingers almost touch, but not quite. Despite this, there is a feeling that a current is flowing from God’s fingers through Adam’s. This is produced partially by the position of the bodies, but also by the depiction of God’s hand being more “alive” than Adam’s. The hand of Adam is limp, a symbol that could be taken many ways. However, I feel that it allows the viewer to feel the life travelling through Adam. When I look at this image, I can imagine life flowing through Adam’s body from his right side toward his outstretched hand. I can feel that at any moment, the life that God breathes into man will suddenly reach Adam’s outstretched hand, and he will be able to raise his index finger to touch the mirrored finger of the Lord.
Many have said that Michelangelo was not a great painter, and that he was a much better sculptor. I agree that he was a great sculptor, but after viewing the Sistine Chapel, and the “Creation of Adam” in particular, I must say that I disagree with Michelangelo’s critics.

325 Blog 6

This past week our group had the privilege to be a part of a papal audience. We sat in the front row on the left side of the Pope. We were about twenty yards away from him during the ceremony, and at the end he passed right in front of us. Walsh University was announced as one of the special guests from the English speaking countries, and the Pope waved to us when we stood and cheered.
In class, we discussed how the papacy is both Roman and universal. Each year when the Pope begins his Christmas and Easter addresses, he says, “To Rome, and to the World.” So how is it possible that the papacy is both Italian and universal? We discussed in class the idea that the American culture often limits us to an “either/or” philosophy, while Italians are more easily able to see when something has qualities of “both” sides.
Throughout the papal audience it was easy to see how the Pope, his address, and the Vatican itself maintain the traditional Italian atmosphere, while also producing a feeling that the church is addressing the entire world. Both sides are very visible in many aspects. For example, the Swiss Guard walks out before the Pope arrives. Four guards come out of the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica. They then split into two pairs, one to guard each side of the Pope’s seat. However, it feels that this traditional act is more ceremonial than functional. This is because despite these four guards, carrying only swords and lances as weapons, there are also about forty Vatican guards in suits standing around the stage. It is pretty apparent that these “secret service” guards are responsible for the real protection of the Pope in modern times.
There is also the fact that although a majority of the papal audience was in the Italian language, they also addressed the audience in about eight other languages. The Pope himself spoke each of these languages, saying roughly the same thing in each. There is also the fact that the Pope himself is German. Although the papacy is an Italian position, the position obviously requires a great deal of universal knowledge.
I also found the opening reading from the Bible to be very relevant to our class discussion. As everyone knows, the Pope has recently been receiving scrutiny due to sexual scandals in the Catholic Church. This scandal does not seem to be very important to the Italians. They do not seem worried about it, perhaps because the Pope is granted, through Catholic law, infallibility. Also, because the papacy is Italian, the Italian people seem anxious to cover up the scandal as if it will reflect upon their country. Regardless of how the Italians react to the scandals, the Vatican Press Office realizes that at a universal level, these issues need to be dealt with. The opening reading at the papal audience was taken from the Book of Isaiah, and although I cannot remember the exact words, it said something along these lines: ‘I shall not turn my back from the whips, pull my fingers away from those who bite at them, nor hide my face from the shame.’ This was incredibly powerful considering the current situation. I found it very interesting that the Pope has not only directly addressed the situation, but has also used Bible readings to indirectly address the situation through the Word of God.
The papal audience was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. And despite my American dispositions, I am now able to see how the papacy is both Roman and universal.