Week 5: 225

After visiting the Vatican for the first time, I was blown away. There was so much tradition and history inside these walls that nothing seemed to be without purpose. The one piece of art that I want to dissect is the tomb of Pope John Paul II. This was one of the last pieces that we saw and through this blog, I want to give the history and story behind its greatness.
The actual tomb of Pope John Paul II consists of many layers and coffins. The first, innermost part of the three traditional coffins is called the cypress coffin. This coffin was then placed in a larger, zinc casket, which is shut. This is the middle part of the coffin, which contains three bronze plaques. These include a simple cross at the head of the coffin, a plaque the Pope’s name and length of his life and pope reign, and finally the Pope’s personal coat of arms at the foot. This layer of the coffin was then lowered into a large walnut casket, containing three identical plaques, and then shut with nails and pure gold. Inside the tomb, where the body lays, there is a sealed eulogy detaining the life and works of the Pope. Also, there are three bags containing gold, silver, and copper coins. Each bag contains one coin for each year John Paul II reigned as pope.
The outer part of the coffin, which we all saw, is a plain marble slab, which contains his name in Latin and the dates of his pontificate. This type of burial habit was one of John Paul’s requests. He wanted his burial to resemble that of Pope Paul VI’s, which was one of simplicity and earth. He did not want an aboveground tomb, but one that was in “bare earth.” This quality is one of the reasons John Paul II was such an outstanding man. His humble attitude and forgiving spirit stole the hearts of millions of people, who continue to show their respects to him today.

Week 5: 325

Monday on the schedule, under the excursion section, there was the word “leisure.” Our excursion was leisure? What did that mean? Were we going to take the day off and stay on campus? Why would we want to stay on campus all day doing nothing, when we could be exploring Rome? I had no idea what to expect for our leisure excursion to say the least.
To my surprise, we ended up at Rome’s beautiful park that was filled with trees, fountains, sculptures, and ducks that stretched for acres. Professor’s only instructions for the day were to be back in two and half hours. That’s it.
As I entered the park, I thought about our discussion in the classroom that morning. What is the point of leisure? The typical American answer was to relax and regroup in order to perform better. We began talking about the Italian definition of leisure and how it is not taken as a moment in time to recharge, but a moment in time to grow. In Smiles, an essay written by Muriel Spark, focuses on her own experience of Rome. In the final paragraph, she writes, “Work is pleasure and pleasure is work. “ I can bet there aren’t too many people who can agree with that statement. Spark does not separate work and leisure, but rather combines them, creating a more fulfilling experience. This shows us that Italians take leisure a step further than just R &R.
Leisure is basically an art. When you see it and feel it in the right light, everything clicks and just makes sense. During our two month vacation before coming to Rome, I found out what made my leisure, great leisure. It was people. Conversing, learning, and listening was what made my time worthwhile. This all clicked for me when Carol and I went walking through the park together. The conversation was easy, I was not concerned with time, and there was nothing to worry about. I found such contentment in the rhythm of our walk, the laughter in conversation, and the overall atmosphere of green. I realized that giving time and sharing it with people was all the leisure I could ask for. I was not “recharging my battery,” but enhancing the quality.

Week 4: 490

Last Thursday, in our health care class, we were given a task that required us to interact directly with Italians. The mission was to go into a local market, ask people for a minute, and pray that they would take a health care survey. This survey was written in Italian and asked questions regarding people’s personal opinions on Italy’s national health care. With only two hours in an English-free speaking market, our goal was to survey ten females and ten males.
The first route I decided to take was the produce section. It must have been my lucky day because the first guy I surveyed, summoned all his friends, and urged them to take the survey. It was interesting to see them all interact with each other, questioning the reason for the survey, and laughing at each other’s answers. Within three minutes, I was already halfway done with the males.
As I continued through the market, I realized things would not be that simple. Rejection became my middle name. I was shooed away, given the cold shoulder, and at one point just got stared at for an uncomfortably long time. Once I realized my hesitant, American attitude was getting me nowhere, I turned on the Italian in me and was determined to get all 20 surveys done. I basically tried to be like Danilo. Whenever he has to approach people, he has a certain charisma that makes him approachable and confident. He knows what he needs to do and does not wait for it to happen. This “go get ‘em” attitude was the turning point of my experience. Before I knew it, I had only two more surveys to go. I started to get a feel for which people would be willing to listen and which ones could care less. I started carrying myself with more confidence and took rejection as just another nibble to the catch.
Not only did I learn things about myself through this experience, but also about Italians in general. Barzini mentions that Italian are very suspicious of people they do not know. The other thing that triggered some thoughts while reading Barzini is at the end of chapter ten when he states, “Power, personal power, is the key.” Although this can be taken many ways, we can relate it to the market experience. When I approached certain people who did not want anything to do with the survey, were they rejecting me to boost their personal power? Did they feel threatened by these surveys, which directly threatened their power? Or did they simple not care? It is interesting to see how each person handles situations differently.

Week 4: 325

If there is one word that is thrown around Rome, other than pronto, it’s piazza. So many piazzas, so little time. Whenever directions are given, I feel like a piazza is involved. No matter what. So why is there so much hype about these gathering areas? What makes them so special that they outnumber all the churches found in Italy? (That statistic I just threw out is nothing but a lie. Sounded kind of good, didn’t it?) It seems like by the amount of piazzas, they serve a special purpose in the function of the Roman culture.
After today’s scavenger hunt, we were able to discover more piazzas than before. The Piazza della Navona was filled with fountains, churches, statues, restaurants, and hundreds of people. This atmosphere was one of hustle and bustle, but at the same time cool and collected. When we continued onward with our scavie hunt, we encounter at least ten piazzas within 90 minutes. Each one with its own personality and own style. Even though each is unique, they all serve a similar purpose that helps create the overall atmosphere of Rome.
The piazzas seem to be inspired by the history and laid back attitude of the Italians. The space provided is very relaxing, yet still has an ancient Roman twist. The piazzas provide both natives and tourists a place to post their bodies, enjoy a sweet treat, and reflect on the city before them. It is interesting to notice that these piazzas are not filled with greens, flowers, trees, and paths. They do not stray away from the stone and solid beauty of the city.
With all these little and sometimes large areas of recreation, it’s easy to fall in love with city even more than before. Who knows how Rome will surprise us next?

Week 3: 490

When is government control too much? When do you just want to tell the system to get off your back? After discussing this issue in class, I have decided that no matter how hard we scratch, the itch will always be there. Sometimes, scratching too hard can even spread the itch, making it worse than before. So what’s the solution? More Benadryl? An ice pack? We wish it was that simple.
There are so many things in everyday life that I assume are “right” just because they are socially accepted. When we talked about the seat belt law, I realized that there is some personal invasion by government telling you to always buckle up. Thinking about this triggered some Dayna senses and I tried to figure out where the government should draw the line.
The government obviously is going to have control over many parts of our lives. Personally, I really don’t feel the government on my back to the point where I can’t handle it. There are so many issues in this country that the government is almost forced to tighten the harness. Do we bring this control upon ourselves? Maybe. To rebel against the control, people are finding ways to keep their life in their own hands. For example, consumer driven health care emphasizes personal control and power. That’s what everyone wants to feel. There are so many ins and outs of this debate that it’s hard to see the end of the tunnel. We need to Shawshank our way to the end and we may be surprised at what we find.

Week 3: 225

What a day we had on Tuesday! It was cold, rainy, we thought we were going, we get on the metro, Danilo decides to convince us to reschedule, we agree on rescheduling, we can’t get a hold of Laura, we walk to Palatine Hill, we post up at the entrance still trying to reschedule, and before we know it we’re walking up the steps to Palatine Hill. Woah! Talk about getting your emotions played with. Through all the wind, hills, and water we ended up having a great, educational experience. After the tour, I decided to focus today’s blog on the history of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. He was a Roman emperor who took up residence at Palatine Hill.
Gaius took reign after his great uncle, Tiberius. According to his uncle’s will, Gaius and his cousin were to share the throne. So in order to ensure ultimate power, Gaius had his cousin killed. That took care of that. At the start of his reign in 37 AD, Gaius was doing many generous works such as, giving cash bonuses to Praetorian Guards, honoring his father and other relatives publically, and reimbursed people who were wronged by imperial tax.
With all going so well for him, many would assume that his reign was long and glorious. Unfortunately, it only lasted four years, taking a turn for the worst. According to the records, Gaius was insane. His empire began to crumble before him when he started making out-of-line comments that insinuated his cruelty, immoral sexual tendencies, and disrespect towards the Senate. Some say he was misunderstood. Others say he was crazy. No matter what the case, Gaius was soon murdered by his own men, capping off his reign in only four years.

Week 3: 325

Italy is clearly a place that is booming with religion. Churches around every street corner kind of give it away. So much of Rome is filled with historical pieces that relate some way to the faith. Statues have been built and replicas have been made and are continuously being exposed to the people. Although some may consider this overbearing and out-of-date, I personally am forced to revisit my faith each time I encounter a part of this history.
From walking the streets of Rome, I am able to better understand the Catholic faith through the history. I mean, we just visited the Catacombs! What more can a girl ask for? Putting myself in the shoes of the early Christians was an eye opener for me. I was able to actually see the graves, walk the paths they once walked, and breathe the unhealthy air they considered holy. I was living my faith through history….literally.
It doesn’t take much to get me thinking. When we walk through the many churches and see how intricate and detailed each inch of the building is, I wonder how strong these people’s faiths were. To create something so beautiful and great, their love for God had to be outstanding. I wonder what I have done to show God how much I appreciate him. Have I become too consumed in the modern world that I leave little room to give my time to God? These questions are attributed to the history and wonder of Rome. In “The Smiles of Rome” in the Letter of Paul to the Church in Rome, there was a line that caught my attention and it read, “Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind.” My hope is that through this journey into my faith’s history, I will be able to change the way I think and in turn, change my behavior for the better.