England: The First Few Days

Wednesday:

Wednesday was a weird day. And by weird, I mean unpleasant.

Morning: hiked about 4 miles away from our home in Trastevere thanks to our awesome teacher's horrible communication skills. Tiring and annoying.

Afternoon: sat in class for 2 hours, doing things none of us really cared about. Bring on another paper- this time 10 pages. As therapy, I bought myself a new duffle since mine broke on the way home from Berlin.

Evening: left for England. The plane didn't start boarding until 9:10, which was our departure time. Italians were yelling, which was an experience. We then sat on the runway for 30 minutes, and left at 10:10. Slightly irritated; continues my rant about Italian efficiency. When I arrived in London, we had to go to the complete opposite side of the airport, but luckily there was shuttle. At customs, the Brit asked me about 27394 questions, all of which were slightly ridiculous. ("What is the address of the place you are staying? Are you planning to buy anything? What will you be doing here? Do you have a boarding pass to get home? Since you don't, how are you planning to get one?") I knew I was giving him a look, which he then proceeded to say, "These are all pretty standard questions, and you are looking at me like I'm stupid." To which I replied, "Okay". Yes, I do think these are stupid questions. Get off my back.

I found Lynnea and slept like a rock that night. Without earplugs :)

Thursday:

We headed down to Kingston with her two kids, Sianna (4) and Roman (1). We took Lynnea's "shortcut" through Bushey Park, which turned out to be pretty long and was complete with stinging nettles- all in pursuit of Hampton Court Palace. Hampton Court Palace is where Henry VIII lived, as well as William II and Mary II. Side note: I wish royalty would have been creative with their names instead of using the same names with different numbers. I had a little over an hour, to which everyone working there was like "Oh my, you're late!" Thanks, just let me in. I got to see the important stuff, like Henry's kitchen and dining room and William and Mary's apartments. William was a snob- he had a throne in every room! He also had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two closets... What? Does this guy have an alternate personality that he needs to share all his stuff with? But I guess when you are royalty, extravagance is key. Took a ferry ride back and ate at an Asian restaurant called Wagamamas which is huge here. It was delicious!

Friday:

We went to Stonehenge! Now, I like history and amazingly cool things, and Stonehenge was really cool, but there's only so much time you can spend there before it looks like a bunch of big rocks. Every picture looks the same. But I can cross it off my bucket list. We had a little picnic there, which was nice and relaxing. England looks a lot like PA in terms of weather, land, etc, so it was nice just sitting in the middle of nothing and greennesss and looking forward to going back to the States.

That evening, Lynnea took me out in London. We went to a "proper" British pub ("proper" is the adjective of choice here; used in many contexts) where the World Cup game was on. I loved it! But yet again I am a sucker for sports and sports fanatics. We then headed to grab some pizza since we didn't have dinner, and then off to a dance club called The Langley. We then met up with Lynnea's sister, Katrina, and her friends which was awesome! We went into a tavern and just relaxes, which was so nice. Then Katrina took us to the bar where her boyfriend works as a bartender. There were three behind the counter making drinks, and everyone kept telling me that these three have been voted time and time again as the top bartenders in the UK, with Victor (Katrina's bf) always in the top 15. They were mesmorizing to watch- they made it an art! Very memorable :)

Saturday:

Lynnea took me down to Brighton Beach, which is a major tourist attraction. We had proper (see?! always used!) fish and chips, which was delicious although I felt like I needed to run 15 miles afterwards. We then played on the beach with Sianna and Roman, which was adorable. The beach is covered in stones, which I love because that meant it wouldn't jam up my camera like sand does. Then we walked along the pier and got Rock Candy, which is only found along the coast in England. All you need to know is it's lots of sugar. This day is when I discovered how crappy England's weather is- it was freezing! And really cloudy, then sunny, oh- then it looked like the apocolypse was coming, and then it was gorgeous again! Then I got to meet Nikke, Lynnea's friend, and then we headed home for a chill night. We Skyped with the Holdcroft kids, which was awesome for Lynnea because she doesn't get to see them a lot. After, we made Grandma Arnold's black bean dip. Best thing ever.

Sunday:

It was Father's Day here in England too, as well as Saher's (Lynnea's husband) birthday, so we all headed out to London. We went to Camden Town; Lynnea said it best: "This is the only place in the city were you can dress like a total freak and still fit in." It was the "alternative" part of town, complete with punks, goths, etc., but there were tons and tons (or "loads and loads" as they say here) of markets. It was so much busier than Rome or Berlin, which was awesome. Also, there are TONS of Spaniards in London, and although my minor is Spanish, I couldn't understand them because of the way they speak!

After that, we saw Big Ben and walked along the Thames. We saw tons of different things, like the arts center, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (sweet!!), London Bridge, Tower Bridge, St. Peter's Cathedral, etc. Thoroughly exhausting, but amazing nonetheless.

Right now I'm being a bum. It's a free day for me, so I could head back into London, which would take an hour or so, or hang around here in Leatherhead. I'm feeling run into the ground physically, mentally, and socially, and my bank account is feeling the brunt of the cost of being in England (it's so darn expensive!!), so although I want to see Buckingham palace, I may just stay here. Since I have been here, a reoccuring theme of my thoughts has been about human existence. Sure, these places are old, but where are these people now? Six feet underground. And that's what is going to happen to me as well. In the end, will it matter that I spent load of money to see all these things? No, it won't, which is why I don't feel a passion to see any more buildings. What will matter, as reiterated by my devotions this morning, is that I was God's hands and feet everyday and I made an impact to someone that needs it. It doesn't matter if it's the the guides in the historical places, the woman at the coffee shop, or the man driving the bus. Everyone needs God and His love. Period.

Deutschland

Thursday:

On Thursday after class I fled Italy for Germany- and I was anxious to go! It's hard to get me excited about a lot of things because I immediately think about things like logistics, time, money, and the like. But I was pumped for Berlin! Especially since the logistics were worked out, time was budgeted, and money wasn't an issue.

After being thoroughly fed up with the Italian way of life, I landed in Berlin to a beautiful sunset. I always get my first impressions from the airplane window, and this city is lush, green, and kind of swampy, but in a tasteful, pretty way. Sarah met me at the airport, and then we headed diagonally through the city to their apartment. That night, I got a complete overview of the World Cup from Don, especially the low down on the German team (who the Germans feel iffy about because their goalie is hurt. FYI.) And then I wrote an outline for the paper/powerpoint I have to present on Monday. Holler.

Friday:

The next day, I got to meet Jenna, their almost-three-year old daughter who wasn't around the last time I saw them, and re-meet Dane, who is now almost five (he was about a year old when they came to Germany). Jenna looked me up and down about three times, and then had to decide if I was okay. She approved :) We dropped the kids off at Kita, which is a pre-school/kindergarten mix, and the one that they go to is bilingual. I also had pancakes for breakfast. First real breakfast since coming to Europe. Score!

Then Don took me around the city. And around, and around, and around... Berlin isn't terribly large. It's about 3 million people, which is the same as Rome. I have seen it enough times to recognize things and where they are, but walking for the first time is certainly tiring. But I did get the Don Jones version of German history, which was almost as good as Romolo's version of Greek philosophy. And that's saying something. We saw the Brandenburg gate (where Ronald Reagan made his "Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall!" speech and JFK made his "I am a doughnut" speech), US and French Embassies, annoying soccer fans with their stupid and horribly irritating horns, churches, literal "pieces" of history, the Holocaust memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and tons of other places.

We walked mostly through the East part of Berlin because that was, by far, the dominant part. Check out a map of where Berlin is located in Germany, and you'll know why. German history over the past 80 years has been quite horrible, and they are still feeling the effects of it. There are gold stones on the streets outside of apartments where Jews lived and taken during the Holocaust stating their name, where they were born, when they were taken and what concentration camp they were taken to. People are making decisions about what to do about the white crosses that commemorate those who were trying to escape the East and go to the West and died for it. A lot of Germans want nothing to do with it and erase their past, but as people know, that will (unfortunately) never be an option.

In between being blown away by visible remnants of German history, we grabbed a German version of fast food. We got what was called doner (with umlautes over the "o"), which is the German version of a gyro. It's a mix of shaved and seasoned meat on a bread, and I got a mix of spicy and "ranch" sauces with purple cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and some sort of cucumber/tomato blend. It comes highly recommended. We also went to this really cool store called "Ampleman"'. When the city was still divided, the East had little men on their pedestrian lights that were known as Ampleman. When the wall was torn down, the East fought long and hard to keep their Ampleman, and now they are something trendy to wear around. I just loved something about it...

By the way, Berlin has Starbucks. Nowhere in Italy does a Starbucks exist. Just saying.

Then we got the kids from Kita, and Dane was not in the same clothes we took him in. Apparently this is a frequent problem, which is hilarious for me but certainly not for Don. I then got a taste of German public transportation, which is similar to Italian transportation, but just better. I also got a taste of how horribly people raise their kids here. There is no discipline, no rules, no manners. And that equals A TON of hooligans that I just want to smack.

We then headed over to a picnic with part of the missionary team at Don and Sarah's good friends house, Ben and Sarah Carey. Ben actually roomed with Paul Allen in college, and I help out Paul and Becca at the State College CMA. The world is really smaller than we think. On our way over, Don thought he would give me the real Berlin experience and we could ride the bikes over. I thought, "Hey, no problem, I road bike at least 3 times a week". Naturally, it was a problem. Road bikes and cruisers are completely different. Cruisers have huge tires that grip the ground instead of rolling over it. And cruisers use their pedals to break, so riding and dismounting is an art. Especially with a two year old on the back. I made pretty little S-shapes in the pavement because I was swerving so much, and I'm sure Don was laughing at me the whole way. Jenna had a great time though- she sang "Drunken Sailor" the whole way.

Anyway, Sarah Carey is an AMAZING cook. She made Thai food, which was fantastic. Basically, all I did on Friday was eat and be all emotional because of Berlin's historic past as told by a guy who was really influential in my life and Ian's in our teenage years. We then watched the second game of the World Cup. Once you watch the World Cup in Europe, you will be a changed person. Seriously.

We then rode back through the streets of Berlin in the dark, breezy, warm night, this time without the kids. It was easily one of my favorite moments since I left America, and even in America. It was romantic, freeing, relaxing- I loved it. I did almost fall over a few times at intersections because Sarah is about 3 inches taller than me, but as I was cruising, it was wonderful. What was also wonderful is that I got to talk to my boyfriend for the first time in two weeks. I cannot tell you exactly what I felt in that moment, or what I feel in all the moments when we finally get together in some capacity, but it is one of the best feelings in the world. I'm so excited to Skype with him this week and see him, and I'm anxious to return to his arms...

Saturday:

On Saturday, I actually got to sleep in! Probably the third time I have been able to do that since May 9th. We walked around the neighborhood close to the Jones' apartment, which was awesome! First we went to a Turkish bakery. There is a HUGE Turkish population in Berlin due to Communism. When the wall was being built (there were actually two walls with a "no man's land" in between), the East (Communists) hired Vietnamese to build their wall and the West hired Turks to build their wall. When the wall was completed, the East shipped the Vietnamese back, whereas the West didn't force the Turks to do anything. Now they are just here and actually cause a lot of problems in the city. But they can bake. I got a pretzel bun type deal, and no complaints.

We then walked by Open Door Geminde, which is the church that Don and Sarah have been working with for the past 4 years. It wasn't open, but it was nice to just see their work here. Then it was off to a playground, and let me tell you, the playgrounds here are sweet! They have all the stuff that America doesn't because Americans sue all the time, like see-saws, jumping apparatuses, and wooden jungle gyms. Problem: sand. I hate sand. Why is there always sand?!

Then we all hopped in the car for a driving tour of the west part of Berlin. There's not a ton of difference, but there's enough evidence still standing to differentiate, like the TV tower and the huge apartment buildings of the East. We drove to the Olympic Stadium which was cool just to see even though we couldn't go in. There's a "Jesse Owens Drive" right outside, which is interesting considering Jesse Owens dominated Hitler's prized Germans in the 1936 Olympics. And the last time I checked, if you made Hitler mad, there weren't good results. Hence my shock at the dedicated drive to his name.

After, we went for ice cream at this organic place. Words like "organic", "green", and "environmental" have become like nails against a chalkboard for me due to America's overuse and misuse of the terms. But this place was banging! I had kiwi ice cream, and I cannot explain to you the deliciousness of it. "Wunderbar!" as they say here (with umlautes, of course).

Then we headed over to a "goodbye" picnic for Don and Sarah put on by their team. There are three couples that make up the team: Don and Sarah with their kids, Ben and Sarah and their kids, and Jerry and Shelly Kragt with their kids. They are all tight-knit and the kids refer to the adults as "Aunt" or "Uncle" and all sort of raise each other's kids. I love that system! Once again, the food was delicious. There was a meat-loaf, hamburger type thing that was seasoned, potatoes with honey-mustard and dill, and fresh fruits and veggies which I was all over.

We came home, I put the kids to bed so Don and Sarah could see friends, watched America blow England away in a tie (note to England: your goalie made a horrible mistake, might want to work on that)- GO AMERICA!!!, talked to my family for an hour because the Jones' can call America unlimited for only 4 Euro more a month (it started with my mom for 5 minutes, then my dad for like, 30, then I found out Ian was there so I talked to him, then Brenda, then finally back to the person who brought me into this world- moms always get gipped), talked to Steven (!!!), and had a wonderful German beer called Beck's. Highly recommended.

In short, it has been an amazing weekend and I have loved every second of it :) I'm actually sad to go back to Rome. Usually I am so antsy to go back because I am used to it and I love it so much, but it pales in comparison to the community and atmosphere that is here. I'll be interested to see how England compares.

I(sfj). Definitely.

In the psychology world, there is a personality-typing test called Meyer's-Brigg's (and sometimes Jung) for the three men who created it. It is 70 questions and determines 4 aspects of your personality: Introvert or Extrovert, Intuition or Sensing, Feeling or Thinking, and Judging or Perceiving. Jill loves this test and analyzes everyone she meets upon it. In fact, a few days back, her mom jokingly told her that she is surprised that Jill hasn't given it to everyone on this trip to take yet.

It's based upon the theory that states that there are two major "functions" in life: how we take in information and how we make decisions. The first letter is Introverted or Extraverted, so if someone prefers small group and limited interaction or large group and constant interaction. The next is how a person takes in information, either through Sensing (by the senses) or iNtuition (through logic and a mental process). The next is how they make decisions, via Feeling (emotional reactions) or Thinking (logical reactions). The final letter is based upon how we deal with day-to-day life, through purposeful, scheduled, and structured environments (Judging), or through open, casual, and flexible environments (Perceiving). Based upon that, there are a possible 16 different personality types.

I am an ISFJ. This means I really like my alone time, I take in things through my senses, I react and make decisions on how I feel, and I really like things to be structured. All of these areas have been tested for me so far, but the one that is killing me right now is my introverted-ness. I always need time to detox, to have a place where I can go that no one else will be. Jill's dad has his "man cave", and that's an accurate description of what us introverts need. And when we don't get it, no matter how Thinking we may be, we just want to beat someone up.

That's how I'm feeling right now. I have absolutely no time to myself, which I guess is expected since I live with 13 other people. But there's always someone in my room, on the terrace, everywhere I go. Yes, I can go out and do things in the city by myself and I'm fine with it, but that's not really the solution. Since I am quite introverted, it takes a lot of energy for me to go out; after, I still need down time, so I'm doubly exhausted. I'm just really frustrated. Once I was trying to Skype with Steven and there were 6 people in my bedroom (which for me is a sacred place.. just go with it) and 10 in the living room. I resorted to Skyping in the bathroom because it's the only quiet place, but it's not like I can go in there to hang out all the time. And that's just kind of gross.

So that's my biggest challenge at this point. Today we sat through 6 hours of presentations at the Food and Agriculture Organization part of the United Nations. That was a lot to absorb. When I got out, I felt overwhelmed, exhausted, frustrated, and incredibly stressed out, just like I feel every single day of every single semester. What I really needed was alone time, but unlike home, there is no possible way I'm getting that here. But it was really good information, and I think it's really cool that these people are presenting to us- and only us. This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I could never have this back at home.

But I am going to Berlin on Thursday (awesome!!), so that will give me some time to get back to reality, away from this atmosphere, and recharge a bit. But before then, I need to write two papers and do a powerpoint for my presentation on Monday on the current economic situation and food price crises effect on nutrition. Sweet.

For your own curiosity, you can take it here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp. And you can read about your result at www.personalitypage.com. Just type in your four letters and it will give you a profile of your personality type, best partner personalities, best jobs, etc.

A Weekend of Walking

This weekend has been exhausting, but I wouldn't trade it for anything- even the frustrating parts! Jill and I estimated that we walked at least 7 miles on Saturday, and I think I walked about the same today.

Friday

Beach soccer:

Every week, one of the secretaries (known as one of "Romolo's Women") emails us with a recipe and suggested things to do around Rome that week. One of this week's suggestions was to check out the European Beach Soccer tourney held in Circus Maximus. Naturally, I was all over that. There were 8 teams: Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Overall impressions: Italy's team is full of wimps- they fell down at every chance. No wonder everyone hates them. Spain: great team! But they depend too much on individual talent as opposed to team playing. Portugal: slightly girly, but an overall great team! France: they are wimps as well, but in the emotionally-charged realm. They are more willing to punch an opposing team member and say it's the other person's fault. Once again, no wonder people hate them. Switzerland: very kind and plays well. No strong opinions either way. HUNGARY: my favorite team! The median age was older than the other team, but their ball handling and body control was above the other teams. Poland: Eh, no strong opinions. Russia: surprisingly VERY good! They beat Spain- the two time winner of the cup.

The difference between beach soccer and real soccer is vast. Beach soccer takes place on a square court, probably a quarter the size of a normal field. The grass is replaced by sand, and it's 5 on 5. Goalies don't have an area where they have to stay, and it's perfectly acceptable for the defense to be in the net with a goalie. There are two refs and an out-of-bounds, but it's pretty lax. Whenever a player has to kick the ball to start the clock again, he makes a little mound out of sand to put the ball on, like a football player has his tee. There is also three 12-minute periods instead of halves. Oh, and in beach soccer they have the world worst dancers in between periods. Classic.

Saturday

The Vatican:

Yesterday we woke up at 7 to head to the Vatican, which is about a 25 minute walk. Our tickets were reserved for 8, so we were speed walking the entire time. We made it to the Basilica at 8, but then we had to haul it to the museum entrance, which is at least 1/2 mile away. So we asked this very tired looking officer what to do, and he directed us. Not hard- just go down a bit, take a left, go down some more, take a left, stroll pass the huge line, talk to another guard at the door, and you're in. Easy beans. By the time we got to the reception desk where they would print our already reserved tickets, it was about 8:30, but I should have known I reserved them from 8 o'clock Italian time, which is different than 8 o'clock American time.

We then saw a sign for a coffee bar inside the museum, so we high tailed it over to where it was pointing. But just like finding the museum, it was a maze. Since it was to the right, left, down two flights of stairs, around the flight of stairs and down the corridor (which was closed- boo!), we should have realized that this museum was bigger than any other that I have been in. In short, Jill and I blew through that thing in 2 hours, Sistine Chapel and all. Now, I must clarify that we didn't sprint through there and that we don't have an appreciation for all the amazing things there. But it was just so big and it was our first time there, so we didn't know how to pace ourselves. So we got a basic overview of EVERYTHING, and when we return, we'll know what to focus on, what to skip, etc. The Sistine Chapel was awesome, but like everything else in the Vatican Museum, there was a lot going on and it was slightly overwhelming. I finally found the Creation of Man, which was pretty moving. My other favorite painting depicted the fall of man, and I thought that was deep too.

After that, Jill and I thought it manditory to get some caffeine, so we went back to the coffee shop which was open then. We had a pretty deep discussion about personalities for about an hour in the courtyard, which was awesome. Then we headed back to the church, after asking a guard for directions. His response: "Go outside". Um, thanks for nothing. But we prodded despite his unwillingness to give free information, and we finally made it back to the Basilica. However, when we got to the Basilica, we went over to the only official-looking people on duty to ask where we go to get into the church. Remember the tired-looking guard from before? He was still on duty! He was probably thinking "Oh, these poor American girls have no idea what's going on." But he was very kind, which was refreshing! He told us that from the museum there was a way to get to the church and we didn't have to backtrack 1/2 mile. "But I am a gentleman", he said. And he just opened the gate and gave let us through so we could skip the 2 hour line!! He was a gentleman!! I definitely felt blessed by that.

Jill and I are both American protestants, which means we know little to nothing about Catholicism. Keep that in mind through the rest of the story. We were in the Basilica, the most famous and beautiful in all the world- and we were creeped out and confused. Why are there real size replicas of dead popes in caskets everywhere? Why are there popes everywhere and only one little statue of a dead Jesus in the dim back corner? Don't they know Jesus is alive?! If I speak in a normal voice as opposed to hushed tones, what happens? Although I didn't understand pretty much anything in there, I could appreciate the sheer beauty of the place. But why does it have to make such a point? It's not about where you worship... But do Catholics worship? Huh, seems like I need to do some research.

Then we went to the underground tombs of the popes. That was actually pretty cool because it was just a super-fancy cemetary. I was so excited to see Pope John Paul II's tomb, but unfortunately so was everyone else. They had a place set up in front of it where people could kneel and pray. Pray to whom and why, I'm not sure, I just wanted a picture. I asked the guard, who brought me over to a picture that had a camera with a big red x on it and told me to take a picture of that. I didn't understand, so I asked "What?" at least five times, and the funny part is he repeated it five times. Jill got it though, but neither of us were happy about it.

Finally we headed to the Cupola, which is just a fancy word for a dome. It took at least 15 minutes of solid stair-climbing to get there, but it was worth it! On our way up, the corridors got smaller and smaller and eventually curved like the dome did . It was very interesting! At the top you could see all of Rome. It was amazing! And so beautiful! Then we climbed all about the roof, which was sweet. How many people can say they strolled on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica?

Then we went home to more beach soccer with horrible dancers.

Sunday

I decided that today was the day I was going to go to the Methodist church I found online. I grew up Methodist, so I figured it wouldn't be a stretch for me to go. It was close to the Vatican, so even though I left in plenty of time, I wandered a little and was still 5 minutes late. Methodists are very conservative people so I was shocked to see how many different nations were represented in the service. There were a lot of Asians and Africans, and the pastor was Dutch. There was only about 50 people there, but it was diverse! I could keep up with everything I remembered except for Communion. I don't remember going to an alter and holding hands when I was younger, so I decided to pass on that part. Overall, it was a great experience, and it was fun to go back and sing hymns the whole time :)

Then I went to find Villa Borghese. No one really knew what Villa Borgese was, but it comes highly recommended so I decided to go. It took me about half an hour to walk there, which was frustrating. When I finally got to the Villa, it took another half an hour to walk to the Gallery because none of the streets were adequately labeled in Villa or on the awesome map I was using, so I had to ask a lot of Indians for directions. I made it to the museum on time, but I was dizzy, lacking appreciation for art due to the fact I was worked up about the place, and I smelled pretty offensive. But the museum was surprisingly awesome! It had works in there from Caravaggio and Bernini, which I thought was so impressive. After I was out, I grabbed a pamphlet and read that the gallery was the Borghese family house (which was huge and covered in marble), and the art in there was mostly what belonged to the Borghese family- they had expensive taste. The land where the Villa is located is now a huge park, but it used to be the family's former estate. For those who have been to the Biltmore estate in North Carolina, it reminded me A LOT of that. Overindulgence, overspending, unnecessary everything- pretty much all the same.

Then I tried to find Nicole and Jill, and got lost again. Since I was dizzy, frustrated at constantly being lost, and smelly, I ended up just breaking down in the middle of the place. Jill helped me out and was very patient and talked me through it. I eventually found them and just ordered what I was craving, which turned out to be 24 Euro. CHOKE! In conclusion, I'm not spending money until Thursday because that is absolutely ridiculous. It didn't help my frustration level.

So although I well fed, I was still poorer than when I started, so Jill and I went to a free flute and harp concert with our friend Zach. It was two sisters in their twenties who played together beautifully. It did make me really sleepy, but I managed to stay awake. Now I'm just being lazy and enjoying life because the next three days are going to stink with my schoolwork that I have to do. But I'm headed to Berlin on Thursday, and I'm so excited!!

The Jewish Ghetto

A few days ago, Ashley asked me if I found my favorite spot or favorite place to go. I answered Circus Maximus because I do love the open area, the backdrop of Palentine Hill, and the fact that I can run and run without any inhibitions. But I do also love the Jewish Ghetto.

The Jewish Ghetto is directly across the river from where we live in Trestevere. It's about 100 yards long, and it was the first place we passed through on our first day here, and it's possible to walk through it everyday on our way to class. At some point in Rome's history, the Jews were getting too lofty and out of control, so there was a segregation between the Romans and the Jews. All the Jews migrated to one spot, and their businesses are still there today.

Jews get a stigma in America, or at least among my age group, because they are morally pure, devout to God, and are willing to follow a strict legalistic code which is something a lot of 20 year-olds don't understand. Plus, they are always the businessmen; the richest and yet most frugal; the bankers; the lawyers; basically the people that help keep America running. All that to say that it was interesting to be submerged in a "Little Israel" in the middle of Rome- two things a lot of us knew very little about.

In America, if I heard of a place on a map called "Jewish Ghetto" I would expect a lot of banks, law/accounting offices, and some food places. Well, in true Italian form, the Jewish Ghetto here has no banks, no offices of any sort, but a whole lot of eateries. For the past few weeks, my friends and I have stopped at a little cafe, Caffe del Portico, for some awesome paninis, great cafe americano, and delicious espresso (it helps that they have a sugar/coffee/cream mixture that they put on top- DELICIOUS!!) They people there recognize us, and we give them pretty decent business.

But today a few of us decided to branch out. We went to one of the two Jewish Kosher restaurants, and it was pretty pricey. But in true Alisha form, I got two small dishes that were filling and totaled less than one entree. The first dish I got was rice balls, which is a traditional Roman dish. They mix rice, a tomato sauce, and some cheese, mush it into a ball, bread it and deep fry it. Now, I'm not usually into deep frying, but this was tasty. Props! The second dish I got was grilled vegetables. It came with a side salad of bitter Italian greens, which I have developed a taste for since arriving. They put the grilled vegetables on a skewer, and it included a huge chunk of onion (which I didn't eat because of their awesome allyl compounds), red pepper slices, a huge chunk of egg plant, a little mushroom, and two zucchini slices with kosher salt for seasoning. Wonderful!

I was definitely impressed. We then went to our little cafe and had cafe americano, which is still kickin' in my blood stream. Since I had a lot of energy, Jill and I went shopping to knock off some of the things on my list, although I only knocked off one: decent sandals. I found a pair of Birkenstocks that look feminine for 45 Euro. On the websites they are usually 90 Euro. Regardless, I think spending a comparably larger portion of money on a decent pair of shoes is okay. Shoes need to be comfortable, well made, and long lasting. I know Birks are, so that swayed me. I also found an amazing perfume scent that I love, but I couldn't justify buying that. I'll sleep on it.

Today we switched teachers for my architecture class from Rambling Romolo Martamucci to David Sabatello. Romolo was very abstract and philosophical and diverged a lot from his intended point- very hard to follow. David is completely different. Instead of lecturing, he engages the students. Maybe it was because I was flying on caffeine, but I found him thoroughly interesting. It was also in a learning style I was accustomed to: powerpoint of buildings in Rome, intermixing history, architecture, and nutrition. Very hard to do, but he was great at it. I can imagine my dad sitting in it, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous things people think up. In fact, I made a few comments that I could hear coming out of my dad's mouth, as well as eye rolls I've seen him do. I could see Steven sitting there just being confused at the logic of it all, and eventually poo-pooing it all. Both are very entertaining scenarios.

On our way back from class, we went to the Jewish Ghetto again because they have the BEST bread in the city there. I have had a lot of pizza bianca (flatbread with olive oil and salt) since I have been here, and the Arte de Pane has the best around. It was closed for "siesta" (yes, they do that in Italy, too!), so we headed home slightly downtrodden. But we saw a bakery that was open, so we let our sweet-tooths (sweet-teeth?) lead and we went it. Good decision! They have homemade gelato (by the way, coconut gelato is by far the best flavor ever), cheesecakes, mini cheesecakes, streudel, bread, pies, and muffins. Jill got a muffin, Annie got streudel, and I got sunflower seed bread which is INCREDIBLE. Hello, dinner! It was 6 Euros which is extremely steep, but if I can feed my for dinner, breakfast, lunch, and maybe dinner the next day, I would say that's a well spent 6 Euros. We found out this place is an Austrian Jewish bakery in Rome. Crazy! And the bags were in German :)

A lot of people in my program are crazy and like to have a lot of fun all the time. But we almost got into a serious conversation at lunch. There were 6 of us- Jill (my fellow Christian) and I, and 4 others who weren't really religious in any capacity which is common at Penn State. We started talking about agnosticism, which lasted about 60 seconds, but it just goes to show that what I revolve my life around (Jesus) and not even on their radar, and thus our conversations are so different. It's hard for me.

Another thing that's hard is all the gossiping and mocking other people- complete strangers that they know nothing about. Like, what gives them the right to do that? Nothing! I guess because I grew up in a "non-conventional" family- parents with physical differences- I empathize a lot more with people. I'm like Anne Frank in that way- I believe everyone is good underneath because it has been proven to me time and time again throughout my life. It just makes me want to cry when they make fun of people they don't even know. But I have learned that I need to stick up for the other person because the conversation stops, which is the way it should be.

Also, since I am ranting/relaying information/getting it all out, there's a common thought among my age group that America stinks and it needs changed. Um, WRONG. There are very few countries in the world that are based upon freedoms, thus giving the chance to excel even in bad circumstances. There are also very few countries that are as functional as the American government and economy. I am not saying America is perfect because we live in a fallen world, so just like people aren't perfect neither are countries or governments (i.e. Rahm Emmanuel and Bill Clinton). But going places like Mexico, Peru, Haiti, and Italy has strengthened my patriotism and opinions that America is the best country in the world. It is a blessed country, which is undeniable. Maybe my generation needs to read a little more in the newspaper or just get out a little more, but America does not stink, and America does not need drastic changes. Period. I believe that because of what America was founded upon- Christian principles- God is favorable toward us, hence all of our blessings. But sin always creeps in...

This got a lot longer than I was intending, but this is where my thoughts are at. It's hard for me to live with my fellow students because I live on a completely different wavelength. It's something I'm not used to, but it's a good challenge and a good practice in empathy on the flip side of the coin. Maybe, just maybe, things can change before we leave...

Giunio

It's June! Which means I am over halfway done with this program.. ridiculous!

This morning I had the three hour international nutrition class. This is pretty much the world's most intense nutrition class. Yesterday, after our first three hour class, our homework was to look at 4 websites and come up with 3 questions for each, read a three page article on the determinants of nutrition, and read a 50 page packet on global economics related to international nutrition. It's actually a very interesting class, and despite it being a lot of work, I know I'm going to learn a lot.

This class makes me feel no different than I usually do in all my Penn State classes: the only conservative and the only skeptic, or at least the only one that's willing to speak up about it. I'm used to it, but it's just interesting now that it's on a much smaller scale: 19 people vs. 70 people. And my teacher actually knows my name- and that's weird.

I wish my dad was in that class with me. I know he would find it very interesting and he could add a ton to the discussion just because of the natural gifts he has with understanding world issues, governments, and economics. As I sit in class, I think about what he would say- I try to put myself in his shoes and think like he does because he is a very wise man. I would like Steven there too, but my dad has learned tact over the years and tends to step on people's toes less. I also try to have tact while standing up for what I believe in. It's an interesting challenge, but enjoyable. (It's also a self-esteem booster when I say something and people think it's ridiculous, irrelevant, or stupid and the teacher says it's great or that I'm RIGHT- gives me confidence in this mind that God gave me!)

Then I came back and had lunch. I'm tired of eating in Italy. The food is great, but the culture is so food-oriented that it's just a little overwhelming. Since it was a nice day, I wanted to go do something on my "Rome bucketlist", but naturally and like every other hour of my life, I couldn't find anyone to go. But darn it, I wanted to see the Colosseum, and I didn't care that I was going alone!

My friend Thalia told me that people stand outside and wait for English-speakers to walk by and convince them to join a tour group. Luckily, someone did approach me; I don't know all the cool things about the place, so it is always helpful to have an educated leader. I paid 25 Euro and got a guided tour of the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum. I would say that was a very good use of 25 Euro.

Anyway, the Colosseum is so darn photographable it's amazing! It used to be a lot more beautiful- covered in marble, had an overhang for shade, decorated- but I thought it was perfect to capture the skeleton of one of the most famous places in the world. The reason it's not as beautiful is due to the earthquake in 1334 A.D. that destroyed most of it and because of the Renaissance. Renaissance=recycling in Rome; the popes ordered churches to be built to try and kick start Rome's greatness again. Problem: resources were scare. Solution: there were LOTS of resources in already existing structures, like the Colosseum! Enter: St. Peter's Basilica. The ONLY reason it's beautiful and amazing is due to the fact that the Colosseum and other structures around Rome have holes and missing pieces from them.

Palentine Hill is another one of those places that got ripped off. It is where all the emperor's had their palaces, and it overlooks Circus Maximus. It was great to finally go into- I run past it whenever I run in Circus Maximus. Palentine Hill used to have the most rare, expensive, and beautiful gems in all the world, but once again- they are in the Vatican.

The Roman Forum was just desimated by flooding of the Tiber and sediment deposits over hundreds of years. The Forum is where the Roman Senate was, and great announcements, speeches (like the one after Julius Caesar's death) and executions proceeded. I went to the Forum before, as evidenced by album 1 of Italy, but this time I actually went in. It's always nice to get a new perspective.

Well, break's over. Off to do three modules online. One is estimated to take two hours. Wish me luck!

T-9 days until I'm off to Berlin!