Finalmente.

It's not goodbye, it's just see you later.

I repeated this phrase in my head at least once an hour as I went through the motions of our final day in Rome. I decided to take advantage of the free time and bought souvenirs for my family with Rebecca and Kathryn. In the process we revisited some of our favorite places. It seemed as if every street, every store and every building had a memory. That's when I realized that I had dedicated the last month of my life to learning everything I could about this nation, it's history, it's culture and the people that I shared the experience with.

We walked down Rienzo towards the Vatican. I thought of the Billa, the Christ Cops at Sunday Mass and morning coffee with Dr. Bednarz. We hopped on the metro to the Colosseum and I thought of Lady Gaga, our tour of Michelle's kingdom aka the Colosseum, our walk to the Colosseum at sunset and, of course, the gladiators that dubbed me Beyonce for the first time. Who could forget those things?

Our last stop was Repubblica, where we found the Hard Rock Cafe Roma so Rebecca could get t-shirts for her dad (I thought it was so cute that her and her father collect the shirts together). We were just around the corner from the bone church. Dr. Sebastian and I learned that day that apparently the word "EW!" screamed by a 4-year old is universal in all languages.

When I returned to the collegio Kylee and I had a packing party and picked out our outfits for our last excursion with the group. I knew we had a group dinner planned, but I had no idea what was in store that evening.

Domenica, Dr. Bednarz and Dr. Sebastian surprised us with a traditional full course Italian dinner at a restaurant a few blocks away from campus. We had drinks, proscuitto and mozarella, melon, bruschetta and a seafood salad to open. Not to mention the wine and beers cascaded across our tables. While we enjoyed our opening courses we had a little fun sneaking our thank you cards underneath the dinner table to each other. I tried my hardest not to laugh as I signed Dr. Sebastian's card while I was talking to him. He had no idea. By the time the seafood salad came out I was ready to throw up my white flag. But just as I said this to myself I remembered that we still had our main dish to go.

Our waiter brought out pizzas, pastas and salads the group ordered. Michelle Rau and I agreed that we would split each other's dishes because we were both stuck on the same two options on the menu. She had some of my gnocchi and I had her lasagna. Between the two of us we still couldn't finish our plates. We admitted defeat and handed the rest to Jacob.

Full and exhausted, we decided to let our food settle and enjoy each other's company. We stayed at the table for an hour after our meal was served to us and reflected on all of the great things we saw and did during our month in Italy. I couldn't believe we created so many memories in such a short amount of time. So many inside jokes came flooding back to me. It was a little overwhelming, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

We walked, slowly, to Saint Peter's Square for our final meeting. Dr. Bednarz and Dr. Sebastian thanked us for coming on the trip and told us they had an amazing experience because we each brought something special to the table. They were right. There are so many personalities within our group; so many idiosyncrasies, thoughts, theories and opinions. I loved the fact that everyone had something insightful to say every day that I was there. Believe it or not, I learned just as much listening to my peers as I did during our class sessions.

As they wrapped up their final thoughts we surprised them with our thank you cards and Domenica with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that Antonia picked out for her on behalf of us. I was happy that we were able to show our gratitude and express how thankful we were for everything that happened during our month together. Just as we finished hugging I looked up at the sky and saw seagulls flying rapidly towards the Vatican. I let out a quick, "What the hell?" before being surprised with fireworks!

It was a great surprise, but at the same time I wasn't surprised at all. From day one I've thought there was something about our group that attracted good luck in a borderline magnetic way. During the show everyone in Saint Peter's Square stopped in their tracks to watch the sky. I glanced around at our group laying against the warm rocks admiring the show and I saw unity. I can't imagine a better way to end our last night together.




When we headed back to campus we ran into a street fair. The fireworks were set off from Castel Sant'Angelo to celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. I'm sure the celebrations on the street were a continuation. We saw a band performing on the riverfront and sat on the wall to watch for a few minutes. I have to say I was impressed. Even the security guards couldn't stop themselves from dancing.

For at least a mile you could see people running, singing, dancing and laughing in every direction. The carousel was in full swing and tap dancers rapped against the cement to put on a show for anyone who wasn't playing games or indulging in the endless sugary treats available at the giant candy bar. Castel Sant'Angelo was definitely the place to be that night.

We walked back to via Marcantonio for a final late night gelato run, said our farewells and went to our rooms to pack. Honestly, I barely slept that night. This will sound certifiably nuts, but if I fell asleep I knew I would wake up to a clock that finally ran out. So instead, I watched the sun rise and listened to the seagulls laugh one more time.

Eyelids heavy and bags in tow, Kathryn and I set out for the shuttle stop. I couldn't believe we were leaving. But, I was at peace with it. I knew that this was one adventure of out many that life would undoubtedly offer me. So when the plane took off three hours later, I said, "Until next time, Italia."

Until then, I'll be on the edge...

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part Three

Florence.

We left Siena early that morning to make our final trip, Firenze! It might have been the fact that I tried banana yogurt for the first time that morning, or maybe I was just in high spirits because I felt great about our travels that day. We actually ran into a parade of one of the contrade of Siena, which was awesome!

Two bus rides later and we arrived to Florence. The hotel, yet again, was beautiful and gave us a direct view of Piazza del Repubblica where the hotels were lively, street musicians and break dancers didn’t miss a beat and a picturesque carousel straight out of children’s books glowed. I fell in love with our surroundings.
Jeff, Kathryn, Rebecca and I went exploring. We found a cute pizza shop that I swear doubled as a perpetual dance party. The cooks were so outgoing and they had great music playing inside (ironically this was the same pizza shop where the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore worked while they were filming their most recent season, but we’ll overlook that). Across from the pizza shop there was an outdoor wine bar. You could literally walk up to the bar, place an order and sit curbside with your wine. I imagined it would be a great place to go at night.

After lunch we passed by Chiasa di Dante and toured the Church of Saint Margaret where Dante supposedly met his beloved Beatrice. It was…different, for lack of better wording. I didn’t expect the watercolor paintings on the wall – I think I spotted Jonah inside the whale on the wall to the right of the altar – but I really liked the basket of love letters. I thought it was adorable. I thought about leaving one, but decided against it when Kylee started recording people reading the letters. Maybe next time, Dante.

We had the rest of the day to ourselves, so I grabbed dinner and went to the bridge to watch the sunset and listen to street musicians with the group. We stumbled upon the perfect spot that had a huge crowd brewing. Dr. Bednarz, Michelle Brenes and I each made wishes on coins and threw them into the river, which I thought was a really sweet gesture. It felt great to have so many of us together. Once the sun set I leaned across the bridge and saw the buildings in the water’s reflection. I caught a few snap shots on my camera, but it honestly didn’t do the scenery justice. It was gorgeous.

When we got back to the hotel I watched Italian cartoons with Jeff, Chris, Michelle Rau and Jacob, but we gave them our own dialogue. Hilarious. I switched off between the cartoons and listening to the band at the bar downstairs. They were playing all of my favorites that night: Earth, Wind & Fire, The Jackson 5 and Norah Jones which was a pleasant surprise. Jacob and I decided to go on our own adventure and check out the bar.

The bar tender was the coolest! He gave us our drinks half price and gave me extra fruit (which I’m a sucker for). We caught the tail end of the band’s performance. I didn’t want to disturb them once they were finished because I knew they had a long gig, but I couldn’t resist.

The band just finished their last gig at the bar and were preparing to set sail and take their act on a cruise that was sailing through the Caribbean to the United States. Their guest singer’s name was Carla. She was from Chicago. I was inspired by her story the most because she decided to quit her job a couple years ago and follow her passion: singing. After her gig in Florence she was headed to Switzerland. That just goes to show you sometimes God has a plan for us that we can’t envision for ourselves. I congratulated her and wished her nothing but the best.

Jacob and I finished our drinks and I headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part Two

Siena.
Cattle. That’s how Dr. Bednarz described the scene of our class hauling it to Track 12 at the train station. We’re not really running. Are we really running? Oh. I guess we’re running, I thought to myself. We made our connecting train to Siena within seconds, poor Dr. Sebastian’s backpack strap nearly being gnawed by the closing doors.

Once we arrived to Siena we walked through the town to get to our hotel. At first glance it seemed like a city of walls, the exact opposite of Assisi where you could see sky and landscape for miles. But I didn’t mind it. It was beautiful in its own way.

Hotel Athena is located literally on the opposite side of Siena just a short walk from the city gates. This hotel was gorgeous too. We quickly dropped our stuff and made our way to the piazza for lunch. Kylee and I weren’t hungry though, so we decided to do some shopping (can you blame us? I mean, it is Italy). Six dresses, two fitting rooms and one missing water bottle later we sprinted back to the piazza to join the class for a tour of the museum (which had an excellent medieval bell tower, but that’s just my opinion).

Inside the museum we saw frescoes dating back to the 13th century. My favorite was the Allegory of Good and Bad Government. The detail in the faces of each character, human and mythological, conveyed so much emotion. You could read their faces and know the thought process and mood of the painter, the mark of any good artist. In the room with the painting we saw a scale model of a duomo. I asked Dr. Bednarz why the Star of David was located in the duomos. Jeff and Chris noticed the same thing. We briefly discussed it and I made a mental note to research it later.

After the museum we were free to explore the city. I wandered through some more stores, picked up some gelato and walked back to the hotel where I stumbled upon Chris, Jeff, Michelle Rau and Michelle Brenes watching a sport that we nicknamed “Medieval Rugby.” At the time we had no idea what to call it because it seemed like there were so many sports going on at once. If I described this sport to you, you’d think I’d gone mad. But, it’s worth a try:

Imagine 30-50 shirtless men (sometimes pantsless as well, please don’t ask why because I still haven’t figured it out) running around an outdoor court the size of half a football field with a dirt floor. These men can kick or throw the ball to their team mates, but run the risk of causing boxing matches between opposing team members on the side. I don’t mean on the side of the court. These men will drop the ball to start boxing or wrestling in the middle of a game already in progress without a second thought, which is probably how pants began disappearing. If they grew tiresome they would either hug it out or lay on the ground until one of 20 referees – who were all dressed in neon costumes that rivaled the Swiss guard – blew their whistle. Once a team member managed to trek across the court they received a point only if they threw the ball over a six-foot fence out of bounds. Wait, did I say a point? I meant half a point. At certain intervals in the game the score would be 2 ½ to ½ . Oh, did I mention that there are 6-10 teams that were all serviced by a circus of paramedics between plays?

Yes, this game actually exists.

Anyway, when the game ended I went to the hotel’s computer to do some research. After my experience in Assisi I wanted to learn as much about Saint Francis as possible. Fun fact: his feast day is October 4, which is my birthday. Coincidence?
I ended my night at the piazza with the group. I loved Siena’s night life because everyone seemed perfectly content with enjoying each other’s company. It was a big, outdoor party. Who doesn’t love one of those?

Siena, Day 2

The next morning we met early for breakfast and a trip to the Duomo. We saw some wall frescoes that blew my mind. I guess I should be used to it by now, but it still amazes me that some of these artworks were created thousands of years ago and to this day harbor colors so rich and brilliant.

Heather and I analyzed the frescoes. We saw that the emotions of the devotees of Christ just after his crucifixion were depicted in ways that most of the gospels don’t cover. Most artists don’t capture Mary kissing her deceased son on the cheek on the apostles removing the nails from Christ’s feet. They cover the important moments through the parables and the miracles, but the fact that this artist took the time to extend the story and consider every emotion they felt through every phase of Christ’s burial? Amazing. Clearly this person is devout in their faith. Their heart(s) shows
through the work.

After the Duomo we briefly visited a baptistery, quickly followed by the Church of Mary of the Assumption. In my research on Saint Francis the night before I looked through a long list of patron saints. It took me a moment to remember, but once I did my jaw dropped. Mary of the Assumption is the patron saint of Jamaica. I was nearly brought to tears when I entered the church.

I loved the complexities of the church. The chapels weren’t closed off and the main aisle was decorated with flags from the 17 districts of Siena. I also spotted floor carvings which, if I’m not mistaken, were depictions of the Massacre of the Innocents. Somehow it fit like the perfect puzzle. The assortment of colors and light made for organized chaos.

I found the gift shop because I was considering finding a rosary with Mary of the Assumption on it, having just discovered she was another patron saint of mine. I looked at the bracelets and rings and saw one in particular that caught my eye. The beads were red and gold ladybugs. I had unknowingly visited the church of the patron saint of my country and found a rosary that connected it to my experience in Assisi. It seemed as if everything was falling in to place. I bought the rosary and said a prayer for Jamaica just before leaving the church.

Between churches I visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo with Jeff, Michelle Brenes and Lauren. This museum had artifacts that were once housed in the church. I saw bones of Pope Leo X that were encased in a gold display. I thought it was very pretty (surprising coming from me, I know). I think my favorite display was an assortment of sculptures of the apostles. I think I spotted Thomas and Judas. Either they still aren’t getting along or someone was in the mood for a practical joke because all of Judas’s fingers were missing except for the middle one, which was pointed like a missile directly at Thomas.

Our next church was the Church of Saint Dominic. I had dreaded this church since we visited Santa Maria sopra Minerva and saw Catherine’s body. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the church though. This church was different because it had a staggering amount of open floor space (Dr. Bednarz later explained to us that there was a tradition of riding a horse into the church for good luck), little decoration outside of the chapels and lots of light to bounce off the bare walls. It seemed as if it were a work in progress. I appreciated its simplicity because the Dominicans don’t believe in indulgence. Their sanctuary is a reflection of their beliefs. To me, that’s beauty.

And then came her head.

I thought I was ready. I reminded myself that, like everything else in this world that’s new to us, it shouldn’t be feared due to lack of understanding. However, all rationale went out the window when I saw her. I honestly don’t remember how long I was frozen, but Dr. Sebastian told me he didn’t see me blink. Poor Dr. Bednarz must have been worried. She had to remind me to breathe!
I felt like I was in the church for hours, but truthfully it couldn’t have been more than 45 minutes. Our final excursion was to the Sanctuary of Saint Catherine. We saw the cross she was praying to when she received the stigmata, portraits of her in her youth and some of the original rooms in her house. The church we visited had beautiful frescoes and boasted blue and gold motifs (sidenote: I find the art work in Siena has a central theme of blue and gold, I made a mental note to research it when I got back to Rome).

After we left the sanctuary I went back to the hotel to rest for a while because later that night we went out for Jeff’s birthday! I was a little jealous that he was able to spend his birthday in a foreign country, I’ll be honest. But he seemed perfectly content with dinner and relaxing at the piazza. One of the things I like most about him is that he’s not demanding. He was extremely thankful for everything that happened that day.

We ended the night in the piazza once again. If I ever return to Siena not only do I hope I have time to see the horse race, but I hope I get the chance to lay down in that piazza again and listen to the sounds wafting from the lounges and restaurants. Something about that area is so relaxing, but makes you feel like you’re in the place to be. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I’m fortunate enough to see it again.

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part One

Our final week in Italy consisted of a fast-paced, enticing, unforgettable roundabout through Tuscany. My professors decided to save the best for last. I divided the posts between the three cities instead of doing six separate posts to save space and time. I’ll do my best to recall as many details as I can. First up on our agenda…

Assisi.

My alarm went off at 5:30, again at 5:45 and thrice at 6:00. The seagulls, confused as usual, ushered me into our early morning departure with their raucous, yet amusing laugher (if you’re wondering why I find it funny that their shrill voices disturb us at all hours of the night, don’t ask; I’m still uncertain). We met in the map room at 6:30 and set out for Lepanto. Our wait at the Termini was extended due to a scheduling glitch, but an iced coffee from across the street and good conversation were enough to lift my spirits.

Our train arrived in Assisi around noon. When our shuttle dropped us off in town I was taken aback. Six months ago I went to Jamaica with a friend of mine who told me that Assisi was her favorite place in Italy. She said its beauty was unparalleled and true to form with its patron saint, Francis. Honestly, her words didn’t do this gorgeous town justice. I don’t think mine will either, but I’ll try:

Imagine boarding the Delorean with Marty McFly and setting course for Medieval Italy. Then, hit the pause button on life. This is how it feels to travel to Assisi. The only modern additions to the town were cars and cell phones. Everything else was perfectly preserved. We put our bags down at our hotel – which boasted a view that could’ve been dreamt up by Michelangelo himself – and walked to the Basilica of Saint Francis.

Before we left for Assisi I did some basic research on Tuscany. I knew Saint Francis was the patron saint of Italy, Assisi, nature and animals. That was the extent of my information. I could have never anticipated the experience I would have when I visited his church.

When I first walked in my eyes had to adjust to the lighting (we visited many churches in Rome that filtered their light by level to represent the ascension of Christ, the basement level being the darkest and the cupola glowing; I figured this building was modeled to do the same which Chris later confirmed for me). The structure of the building was different than any we had visited. The chapels were not sectioned off, rather they were all connected through walkways, giving it the appearance of a labyrinth that was wrapped around the congregation.

I walked through the chapels and made my way downstairs to the tomb of Saint Francis. I knew thousands of people traveled from around the world to pray to him and other saints. I saw nuns, monks, business owners, wives and children kneeling at the tomb immersed in prayer. It was a connection deeper than any I witnessed in Rome. I walked around the tomb and saw pictures of people taped to the gates surrounding it. I realized the enormity of what I was witnessing and took a moment to pray as well.
I went upstairs to the basilica and found a balcony where you could see the entirety of Assisi. The atmosphere was breathtaking. Miles of illuminated trees, farmland and flowers stretched to the horizon. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a place so beautiful and quaint. At that moment I felt as though I stumbled upon God’s best kept secret. I felt more safety, security, light, love and peace of mind than ever in my life. I couldn’t explain the emotions that dwelled within me or why they chose to reveal themselves in that place, but I felt God talking to me in a voice louder than ever before. I repeatedly told Him, “I get it. I understand.”

I reluctantly left the balcony and decided to continue exploring. I stumbled upon the gift shop. I considered buying rosaries for friends while I was in Rome, but never for myself. I felt different in Assisi. I knew that day it was the right thing to do. While I was at the store I asked Michelle Brenes and Dr. Bednarz how to pray the rosary. I think they knew I felt a little disconcertment about buying the rosary, because they told me I didn’t have to be Catholic to use one. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and purchased it. It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.

I lingered in the church as long as I could, not wanting to chase away the feelings I’d experienced moments before. Soon enough the group was ready to move on and I decided to go exploring with Rebecca and Kathryn. We walked to the outskirts of Assisi in search of the statue my friend told me about. We didn’t find it, but I couldn’t be too disappointed because in the process we had an adventure. I took pictures of the farm houses and the flowers that sprinkled the roadside while we waited for the bus back to town. While we sat on the curb ladybugs began crawling at mine and Rebecca’s feet. Rebecca reached down and, without realizing the alarm that sounded in my voice, I said, “Don’t touch them! They’re good luck. They’re the one insect you shouldn’t kill. Besides, what would Francis do?” Rebecca and Kathryn laughed and more crawled towards us. I figured it was a good omen for what was to come within our final week.

When we caught the bus back to town we found a restaurant that appeared as, literally, a hole in the wall. When you walked inside the lighting was soft. You saw a wall of wine bottles, giant paintings on the wall across and out of the window was a view of a building across the street that had dilapidated frescoes (I think we agreed it was a scene from the Gospel of Mark). The music was fantastic and the family who owned the restaurant had infectious personalities that warmed the environment. The pasta was the best I had tasted during the trip as well.



After dinner we caught up with the rest of the group for a glass of wine on the hotel balcony. But before drinks I grabbed my rosary from my room and found a private section of the balcony. I prayed at sunset. The skyline glowed with subtlety in the distance. The hotel clerk donned Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black on the balcony stereo that day. Her voice hummed in the distance, but my attention was focused on the birds. Their chirping was, much to my astonishment, harmonic. The sound was infectious. I listened to their song as I prayed, thanking God for every struggle, frustration and moment of stress that laid the path to my Italian experience. I knew at that moment that I was meant to be there and God brought me to Italy for a purpose. For the first time I prayed to Saint Francis. I asked that he continue to watch over his beautiful town, over Italy and over me. It was an amazing feeling speaking to someone who held no prominent place in my life just days before but suddenly filled my heart. Lutherans recognize saints, but only pray to the Holy Trinity. However, I knew he was listening.



I rejoined the class for drinks on the balcony and hiked with them to the top of Assisi to look at the stars. They were brightest in Assisi, away from the light pollution of the city. I closed my eyes a few times in a desperate attempt to capture mental pictures. I didn’t want the moment to end, but all good things must.
We walked back to the hotel and said goodnight. I knew the next morning we would have to leave. I made a promise to myself that I would come back to visit Saint Francis again. I had no choice. Clearly, we were linked.