Alexander Evers is one of the funniest professors at J-Force (the John Felice Rome Center...JFRC...get it?) He called the ruins of Ancient Greece sexy rubble, while wearing a shirt that said Ouzo..Connecting People. He says Wakey Wakey on the bus and is willing to since songs in English, Italian, and of course his native Dutch. He is where the title of this blog entry comes from, how to pronounce orientated...because that is what I have been doing this weekend. Getting Orientated with J-Force...away from J-Force.
Assisi- Our first day we went to Assisi, the beautiful town set on a hill surrounded by ancient walls where St. Francis of Assisi is obviously from and where he is buried today. His basilica is obviously one of the main reasons to visit Assisi, but I couldn’t help but think how upset “S. Francesco” would be to see this massive structure with gold and jewels in his honor. When he gave up his riches for poverty. It makes you think, but I’m not about to get into a religious debate. I much preferred St. Clare’s basilica, with was more understated and seeing her body was a site. They still had her hair and clothes on display. This woman could have lived a life of leisure, but decided to follow her own heart. And her heart told her the Catholic God. But what I like most is that she didn’t choose the easy route, or the path in her life others wanted her to--she fought to become exactly what she wanted to be, a follower of Jesus and to study with St. Francis. Her fight was to become exactly what she wanted to be. And that is what I have taken to heart.
This Is Me, Kelly, and Kristen at Assisi :)
Also, as a side note, Assisi is a town plagued by tourists. However, and I am at fault for being a tourist this weekend. I was bused to the town, left the comfort of my air conditioning to walk the streets taking pictures while a local guide tells me all the “important stuff” obviously the cliff note version. A part of me is thankful that there is such an easy way to view these amazing monuments and historical places, but most of the time I just want to apologize to the locals all standing around preparing for the incoming tourists like they are going into battle. It’s a fascinating love-hate relationship that is found in so many cities in Europe and all over the world. The locals’ livelihood is supported by tourism, their economic structure is based on it. But also, the tourists can be so caught up in the photos, shot glasses, and magnets that they forget where they are and how important the city actually is. My final thought on this subject is from Anthony Bourdain, “Be a traveler, not a tourist.” Travel but for God’s sake please cancel the tour, and go it alone, at least occasionally.
Ravenna- Ah! Ravenna, bellisima! Mi piace Ravenna! What a beautiful, beautiful town. It has a wonderful feel to it. I thought is was the perfect balance between travelers and locals. The town looks live-in while still rich in history. Ravenna is famous for their mosaics from the Byzantine empire. Ravenna was the capital of western Rome when the Empire was split in two, and was an important port also. These mosaics are gorgeous, sparkling blue, black, and gold cubes form pictures on the walls of these basilicas and baptisteries. The mosaics were created around 600 A.D. And here I am in Ravenna, in 2010 and I get to see the exact same mosaics. That’s pretty amazing.
We spent 2 days in Ravenna, but our 2nd day we were unable to make it to the beach because weather just did not cooperate! So the Adriatic must wait for another weekend. So we spent the afternoon back in Ravenna shopping and enjoying living more like a local- getting in touch with our inner Italian. So a coffee bar must be found. Vorrei due cappucini, grazie mille. Prego. I am going to be such a coffee snob when I go home. I know I’ll miss the cappucini and all the wonderful food and wine.
Before dinner on our last night in Ravenna, we had a formal meeting welcoming us to the JFRC. This is where I heard Dr. Suzanne Cavallo speak, she started off talking about the Suffrage movement, followed by proposition 8 being overturned, and even the wars in the Afghanistan and Iraq. What does this all have to do with Roma? It shows that this is the time of our lives, we are working towards a goal, doing whatever it takes to get to Rome and now we are finally seeing it through. She talked about talking our parents into the decision, working at jobs you hated for years just so you could travel. She said, “You have already climbed the mountain, you are in Rome, now it is time to jump off.” She wants us to explore this time, meet new American and Italian friends. I had the opportunity to meet her after dinner and I told her how excited I am to be in her class and discuss all these important issues. She made me so excited to start classes and learn while in Rome.
San Marino- San Marino reminds me Monaco, a little slice of tax haven for the rich a beautiful. But what makes San Marino special is that they know it’s not Monaco, and I feel like that is humbling to them. It probably doesn’t hurt that San Marino is very old, on a mountain and still has the ancient walls and fortresses used to protect it from enemies. These winding streets to the top of the mountain were breath taking, and the views were astonishing. You could see the sea and just how beautiful Italy/San Marino really is. The police wear bright yellow shirts, and one was a human stoplight, wearing silk gloves no less. San Marino is also where I had one of the best meals...probably in my life. We had beautiful and delicious antipasti, take a look at the bruschetta, oh and fyi- the “che” makes a K sounds..not the “sh” sound.
The primi (pasta) was wonderful followed by chicken and potatos that were melt in your mouth good. The red wine spritzer I had also compliment the flavors. (It was for medicinal purpose, I had a headache!) Which was followed by both the Dolce and Caffe courses. God I love Italy! As I looked out the window at lunch, I couldn’t imagine living in place this beautiful all the time. I hope the people who live there do not grow complacent over where they live and understand it beauty. For Americans who live in the suburbs- it’s hard to fathom living in a city with that much history.
San Marino...bella :)
We ended up leaving San Marino late, we were only there for a day, but we were forced to stop for 2 hours because something was wrong with one of the 4 buses. (See those buses are not always easy and fool-proof) Now I am back in Rome, ready to start classes today, with renewed vigor and even more confidence that this was the best decision I ever made for myself. Monte Mario is my mountain, and I’m jumping off.
Ciao Bella
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