Let me start off this post by saying how incredibly blessed I am. Not only am I studying in Rome, not only do I have all these incredible professors, not only do I get to travel to places I’ve only dreamed about (or pinned to my “Places to See Board” on Pinterest) I am also lucky enough to have incredible support from my friends, family, and most of all my parents. My parents have given me the gift of an amazing education, which allowed me the opportunity to study abroad in Rome. On top of that, my parents helped me earn every dime that I’m spending here in Rome. Without them, this semester, this LIFE, wouldn’t be possible.

For that reason I was so incredibly excited that they were able to come to Rome and visit me for a week. Hearing SLA Gina announce “Mary Mantia your parents are here” in Mensa was, although slightly embarrassing as the entire room burst into applause, also the most wonderful words to hear.

I spent the beginning of the week showing them Monte Mario and introducing them to “my” Rome. I took them to Simply (that might have been a selfish motive), to the restaurant near Piazza Navona to get pear pasta, to Trastevere to try my favorite suppli, and showed them what the life of a “typical American college student studying in Rome” was like. I even brought them to watch our Calcio game (thankfully we won in a last minute goal)!

After getting through a week of crazy classes my parents and I set off for Bagni di Lucca and Riolo. Why these places? Well let me tell you.

I am half Italian (25% Sicilian 25% Tuscan) on my father’s side, making him 100% Italian. My Tuscan side of the family comes from a town called Riolo, above Bagni di Lucca, which is right by Lucca. Since I was a child I’ve heard of my family speak of this mysterious villa in Riolo, that we apparently still had a claim to. It wasn’t until I was older that members of my family went back to the house, reclaimed it as our own, fixed it up, and made it into an incredible Tuscan villa. For the last few years or so I’ve heard these great stories of members of my family going to the villa, drinking brandy at the Bar Italia in Bagni di Lucca, and enjoying our actual homeland. I had only hoped that one day I would be lucky enough to see it.

Let me just say that the entire weekended exceeded my already high expectations. Bagni di Lucca, for one thing, is a beautiful tiny town where it seems every body knows your name. With a river cutting through the town every view is breathtaking, and looks like a scene out of “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

After spending a quiet day in Bagni di Lucca, eating and drinking our way through the town, we relaxed at our hotel and prepared for the next day. Because Saturday was the day we had been looking forward to for quite some time.

Saturday morning we met up with friends of of family members (Michael and my Uncle Danny, who come to Riolo often) who then drove us up to Riolo from Bagni di Lucca to see the family villa.

It. Was. Beautiful. This is the house that my great great great grandmother was born in, where my originally family line worked and played and grew. I couldn’t get any closer to my homeland than I was at that moment. From the grapes growing off the balcony, to the original bed frame, to every niche and corner it was perfect. I was overcome with this feeling of home in the middle of a country I’m not even a citizen of. I wish I could more eloquently describe what it felt like to be there but in this moments words fail. It’s a feeling I will never forget, and will treasure until I once again find myself at the Villa (which trust me, will be as soon as possible).

After that incredibly emotional experience we headed back down to Bagni di Lucca, to enjoy the town along with more food (like wild boar!). I remember thinking as I sat with my parents talking over a couple of drinks and cigars about how ridiculous and amazing my life is in this moment. The only thing missing from the picture was my brother, who I’m sure will one day be back there with us. Life truly does not get better than this.

After 2 months of sweltering heat, non-stop street noise and urban landscape, we decided it was time to head north to the Central Highlands for cooler weather and fresh air.

Da Lat is a small, peaceful French-inspired town in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is supposed to be 8-11 hours by bus from Saigon but thanks to the most terrifying mountainside bus ride of my life (in which I fell off my seat and still have a bruise thanks to the erratic driving) our driver got us there in 6. We were immediately taken with this town, it was cold! Cold in Vietnam! So cold in fact, we all wore North Face jackets to keep warm! This is a big deal coming from a city that requires at least 3 showers a day just to stand the heat. And everywhere we looked, it was green. The town is extremely charming and was once the honeymoon choice of Vietnamese. On our first day we took a cable car across a massive valley to a monastery on a lake. After spending the day admiring the massive buddha statues and lakefront, we headed back across the valley for our favorite part of vacation–ice cream.

On our second day there, we decided to climb to the peak of Lang Biang mountain outside of town. The current group is fairly outdoorsy and the smaller group we went went are all hikers. But nothing prepared us for the hike ahead. The combination of humidity in the jungle, the straight up the side of a mountain “path” and the altitude made this the most difficult hike any of us had ever undertaken. But my god, the views from the top were worth every bit of it.

Da Lat was also very, very different from the culture that we had experienced in Saigon. There are several minority tribes living in and around Da Lat making for a very interesting mix of people. From the hiking to the people, Da Lat fully exceeded my expectations. If you find yourself looking for an escape from the city, Da Lat is perfect.

To see pictures that won’t post here, please go to:

Day One- October 17, 2012

“I am in a surprisingly good mood despite the current situation. I have never been the one who likes to wait, especially in heat and overcrowding, but here I think I can make an exception.  Which is laughable, because even without my mental exception I have no choice.”

The above is a journal excerpt from my trip to Cambodia.  After 3 hours of driving through the Cambodian countryside on a journey to Phnom Penh, our bus was halted by a massive line of tuk tuks and mini vans filled with people.  They were all waiting for a pair of rotating ferry boats to cross the Mekong River.  At that moment, I could only think of the number of frustrating layovers I have experienced with airlines, angry because I felt I didn’t get what I paid for.  This situation was different, I wasn’t sitting in any mundane airport forced to watch subtitles on CNN while I listened to John Mayer over the loud speaker (no offense to John Mayer or CNN).  I was in Cambodia: wandering the streets during an unplanned stop, waving at smiling locals, watching water-buffalo graze in the distance, or reading Joel Brinkley’s exceptional book, Cambodia’s Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land.  Life was good.

Before coming to Southeast Asia, I pictured Cambodia as a paradise.  I was ignorant, and to be honest, any foreign country sounded like a paradise to me.  In reality, Cambodia does have a wonderful landscape, but it also has had a long history of war and economic struggles.  What is most surprising about my lack of knowledge on Cambodia, is that the conflict and genocide tied to the Khmer Rouge take over happened while my parents and grandparents were alive.  I suppose these events could have been overshadowed by the Vietnam War and issues that directly impacted the United States, or even the fact I had never taken a Southeast Asian class until this semester.  The trip to Phnom Penh was exciting and emotional.

1) Our group visited Toeul Slang Highshool and the Killing Fields (also a movie), both sites of mass killings during the late 1970’s by the Khmer Rouge.

2) We were given a lecture by a Cambodian economist who essentially spoke of more struggles than successes on the current political and economic state in Cambodia.

3) Visited the Peace Cafe, run by Center of the Dove ( a Jesuit Org.) that teaches life skills to those who are shut in and disabled in Cambodia (http://www.jesuit.org/2010/10/28/the-power-of-hope-a-jesuit-training-center-in-cambodia/) Besides selling coffee and hand made goods, the Center is also the leading producer of wheelchairs in the country.  These chairs are stable enough to last on gravel roads.

4. Our trip to Cambodia occurred during the mourning period and funeral for the late King, Norodom Sihanouk, who recently died in Bangkok.  On our first night in the city, we witnessed many Cambodian’s praying and lighting incense in front of the palace in his honor.  Black ribbons were worn across the country in remembrance.

Day Three- October 19, 2012

“Again, I am in a surprisingly good mood despite the current situation.  After all, I just saw a space ship.”

The above is also a journal excerpt from the Cambodia trip.  Surprisingly, our second bus, to Siem Reap, was delayed.  This time the bus broke down.  For two hours our group explored a village 1 and 1/2 hours outside of the city.  The space ship was located in a park, and I was more than willing to imagine the children on their way to the moon. It was sunset, and we took in the view while watching a man fish off of the bridge.  At 9 pm we made it to our hotel, ate, and rested for the long day ahead.

“I almost wonder how this place looked 9 centuries ago,” Jack said to me on our excursion to Angkor Wat and surrounding temples.  It was a time warp.  Everything was handmade and carved from stone.  The magnitude and beauty of the Hindu and Buddhist temples were unreal.  It was a perfect fusion of nature and man.  I will include photos in their own post (you won’t believe the trees I saw!)

The trip to Cambodia is something that makes the Vietnam program exceptional, and for some, could possibly be a reason to join the program at all. As our coordinator Chris shared, no group experience to Cambodia is the same.  So if any of you go in the future, I am sure it will exceed any expectation I have set now.

The days are counting down, I am off to choose my classes for the Spring!

Xin Chao,

Stephanie

As I promised, here is a photo depiction of our trip to Angkor Wat!

Think of the following set of words: Dark, narrow, dirty, dead end, dangerous, service entry, garbage, crime

What comes to mind?

Now think of this set of words: Delicious, commercial, community, laundry, colorful, bubble tea, hang out, worship

Do you think these two places could be one and the same? Yes and No.

The word is the same, but the reality is different in Vietnam than in America.  The place is an alley, and the former is commonly associated with America and the latter with Vietnam.

In Chicago, I wouldn’t think about spending more than 5 minutes in an alley alone.  Feelings of isolation come to mind, and a strong urge to run away, like a child in a dark basement.  On the other hand, in Vietnam, I look forward to my time in the alley by the guesthouse.  At first glance it is just a place to get cheap food, but a farther look will reveal a special community where children play, neighbors wave and sometimes bicker.

But, life in an alley, what a strange concept?

In fact, I would argue that many necessities we believe are apart of life are found in the one block distance of the alley.  I realized this when I decided to sit down at the Take Away Coffee Shop to observe and sketch the alley.  In the alley you will find many homes, and many businesses on the first floor.  I eat Banh Coun for breakfast in a Vietnamese family of sisters’ home restaurant almost every day.  Shelter and food are obvious necessities. Another one can be found in several “convenience stores.” WATER.  Other beverages such as: tea, coffee, fresh squeezed juice, and smoothies are sold as well.  Home tailored clothing and shoe stores, open on Saturday and Sunday, have reasonable prices.  The laundry lady is centrally located on the left hand side.  Those who are Buddhist can pray in the small pagoda, found past the entrance on the right hand side.  Children can go to school just outside of the alley and return home in the afternoon to play with friends.  Over holidays, households host parties.  When a death in the family occurs, the family will host a 2-5 day mourning period and welcome others to drink or spend time together.  If someone needs to venture into the city, the bus stop is right there.  All good things are found in alley 18.

When I think more of the alley, I think of my suburban hometown.  Although an alley and an American suburb look different and are two vastly different sizes, they serve similar purposes.  When I expressed apprehension to eat in the alley back in August, my roommate, Oanh, gave me a little encouragement beyond “just DO IT.”  Oanh told me “the dirtier you eat, the healthier you are.”  I don’t know how much “healthier” I am, but I do enjoy the Vietnamese alley experience.   It is one of the quirks that makes my life Vietnam different than in Chicago.

Xin Chao,

Stephanie

The above quote is so fitting for this post that it’s almost frightening. Allow me to explain.

First, as I go through this semester I’ve been discovering things about myself that I never knew existed. Traveling does that to you, I suppose. You’re put into a new situation with CRAZY opportunities and you begin to find yourself through the experiences you have and people you meet along the way.

Second, as you begin to discover all the opportunities you begin to realize how much this world has given to you. This world has given you LIFE and POSSIBILITY. Every day I’m here I feel more and more called to give back to this wonderful place that has already given me so much. SO when the JForce announced that we would be having a service day I jumped at the chance to lose myself in the service of others.

Third, when Gandhi visited Rome he stayed at the house literally right outside our campus gates. In Monte Mario. Where we had a service day where we tried to lose ourselves in the service of others. It’s fate.

Let me tell you about this service day. After meeting up in the morning (and receiving our free shirts!) we set off for the park in Monte Mario. As we were heading out Cindy (our Associate Dean of Students) told us that instead of walking herself and the man facilitating the clean-up had offered to drive us up to the park. We were already thrilled that we didn’t have to walk to the park when we saw the car pull up that would be driving us there. We would be riding in a Jaguar to the park! Even I, who knows nothing about cars, was excited to cruise through the streets of Monte Mario in the back of a Jag.

After a much too short drive we arrived at the park, and began the cleanup, which entailed moving branches and brush off a path and out of the main part of the park so that the take-away crew could get to it. It was quite a sight seeing all the boys carrying huge logs while the girls dragged branches the size of small trees up the hill. By the end we were covered in dirt, sweaty, but somehow still smiling and laughing at how silly we all looked.

After the cleanup we were lead on a walking tour of the park, where we got to see amazing overlooks over the whole city of Rome. We could see the stadium, the Vatican (somehow no matter where you are you can always see it!), and even the Jewish Temple in the distance. It was absolutely stunning.

After the tour the fun continued with lunch! The men that showed us the mark barbequed up pork sandwiches for us which were DELICIOUS. Served up on fresh Italian bread it hit the spot after a morning of hard work. And they were more than happy to give us seconds (and in some cases thirds!) Just when we thought the morning couldn’t get any better or tastier they brought out a HUGE box of pastries and desserts from the Sicilian bakery in Piazza Balduina. So good! We even grabbed a few to eat on the ride back. Let me tell you I never thought I would find myself covered in mud sitting in the back of a Jaguar eating sweets. But in Rome absolutely anything is possible!

Let me start off this blog by saying that I never, ever, thought that I would find myself in Poland this semester. I’m not Polish, I have no ties to the country, and just never even considered putting it on my list. But for some reason when the day came to sign up to go on the trip (way back in the beginning of September) I kept finding myself drawn to the trip. Around 4pm I decided to go check out the list, assuming it would be full, just to get it out of my system. I dragged my buddy Fernando with me to the business office and asked, casually, if the list was full.

“Oh, there’s actually two spots open,” she said.

I turned to Fernando, wide-eyed, and without a word of discussion I turned back to her. “We’ll take them!”

Best. Decision. Ever.

17 fellow students, one SLA (Emily!) the Beazleys,the alumni leading the trip and myself met up in Warsaw to begin the trip. From the first dinner there (more on food in a future blog!) we knew it was going to be a great trip.  Our first night in Warsaw we found ourselves in a bar listening to traditional Polish music and dancing with a 70-year-old+ entertainer who would pull us from the audience and swing us around until the whole group was dancing. It was silly, amazing, and a great way to kick off the trip.

The Poland trip, however, did have a very serious theme to it. The trip was based around a Human Rights Symposium held in Torun at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (more on that later), and throughout the trip we were visiting museums and discussing World War II and what life was like in an occupied country. The first full day in Warsaw we went to the Uprising Museum, which covers just about every topic of WWII, from artillery to Nazi propaganda. The most striking part of the museum to me, however, was a movie that took you on a virtual flight over the city of Warsaw in 1945. The city was absolutely destroyed, leaving only 1,000 citizens living among the ruble. Looking at Warsaw now it’s incredible to think that just over 60 years ago it was essentially flattened but has been able to pull itself back up into the thriving city that it is today.

After the Uprising Museum we had the incredibly privilege of talking with an Auschwitz survivor. The topic of Auschwitz is so important and was so moving that I’m writing another full post on just that, so I’ll talk more about meeting him and seeing Auschwitz there. But let’s just say that we all left his talk feeling incredibly blessed and so fortunate that he was able to share his story with us.

The next day we set off for Torun, a beautiful small town that’s home to the Nicolaus Copernicus University.  John Kurowski, one of the alumni leading our trip, has been a visiting professor at the University multiple times and seven years ago set up this Human Rights Symposium to facilitate discussion among Polish and American students on different human rights topics. This years topic was “Trafficking in Human Beings: A 21st Century International Crime.” The first night in Torun we watched an extremely moving movie that depicted what life was like as a girl who was being trafficked. The movie left us all shaken up and a little uneasy. That feeling of uneasiness, however, was then able to lead to discussion and debate over the topic. Even at the dinner afterward tables were still discussing parts of the movie that they found particularly disturbing, and how this topic was so much bigger than any of us originally thought.

The next day we got to the heart of the Symposium, listening to talks and discussing the topic of trafficking with experts on the topic, including one woman, Iana Matei, who kidnaps girls from the traffickers. Can you believe it?? When asked about what it felt like to kidnap girls away from a huge organized crime industry she just replied, “It’s easy. And really fun!” So much courage.

After the Symposium and a visit to a Gingerbread Museum where we got to make our own gingerbread while learning the secret recipe (which we had to swear on our life not to tell!) all the students and administrators of the Symposium met up for dinner and then drinks at a bar near the campus. We were able to mingle with Polish students studying at the University, along with American students studying in Bologna in Italy who had also attended the Symposium. You could hear the cry of “Na zdoróvye!” (Polish for “Cheers!”) throughout the room as we got to know each other better. By the end of the night we all left old pals, hugging and promising to “find each other on Facebook!”

The next day we set off on a six hour train ride to Krakow. We settled in our 19 person apartment (18 college students + 1 SLA + 1 apartment = amazing and fun mayhem) before setting off for the Schindler Museum. For those who know the story or have seen the movie, the museum is inside Schindler’s factory, and gives you a tour of life pre and during WWII. My personal favorite part of the museum was the last room, which was just a circular round room with quotes from worker’s in the Schindler factory. The quote that stuck out to me the most was “He employed me in his factory although he know I would be useless for him.” Incredible.

The next day after a night in our cozy apartment we headed to Auschwitz. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be doing another post on that topic, so I won’t say much about it here. But I will say that it was without a doubt the most moving and emotional place I’ve ever seen. More on that later, though.

That night was our last official night in Poland, as we commemorated the trip with another amazing dinner. It was hard to believe that it had already been 6 days, and that the trip was coming to a close. Speeches were made, baby Annie (the Beazley’s one-year-old daughter) was passed around the table, and we talked for three hours reflecting on how amazing the trip had been. In a lot of ways the Poland trip is a very heavy one. You spend a great deal of time discussing sometimes uncomfortable topics, like Human Trafficking, and experiencing feelings that overwhelm you and really shakes you to the core. This was a trip that changes and affects you, and I can already tell that it will be one of, if not the main, highlight of my study abroad experience.

Our first day in Cambodia was an adventure to say the least. Stuck at a ferry terminal for five hours (despite the large bribe we paid to get to the front of the line) gave us a glimpse of what Cambodia is like for the people who live there. It is a stunning country, words truly do not do it justice. But I have  a hard time reconciling the beauty with the absolute poverty of the people who live there. On our five-hour stop we had plenty of time to walk around the city we stopped in. I had read about it and even braced myself for it but seeing street children begging, babies literally playing in piles of garbage and children no older than 5 picking up plastic bottles barefoot made my heart ache. These are things that I like to push to the back of my mind, pretend they aren’t actually happening because they are happening in a country across the world. It’s strange how my brain immediately starts scrambling for a justification, a way to make sense of what I’m seeing.

I felt the same sort of brain scrambling-justification the next day when we went to see Toul Sleng high school and the killing fields. I had read about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, I had even done a project on them in high school, but this was different. This was brutal history still deeply impacting the present. Our tour guide was a survivor of Pol Pot’s regime. This almost seems unnecessary to say because nearly anyone over 35 years old lived through the Khmer Rouge. Everyone we met on the trip had a very personal story about how their lives were forever changed by Pol Pot’s reign. One tour guide watched her father and brother be taken away and never saw them again. Our tour guide at Angkor Wat wouldn’t speak of that time other than to say, “everyone had a gun, everywhere you look they had guns.” It was an eye-opening experience.

Luckily we had some more uplifting experiences planned, after Phnom Penh we headed for Siem Reap and spent two amazing days at Angkor Wat exploring the temples. If you have never seen pictures of Angkor Wat, google them now. This place is astounding. I was continuously at a loss for words as I wandered through these behemoth temples built by the Kings of Angkor. I have never felt so small! Against all odds, I managed to find a deserted corner and had my first perfect moment in Cambodia.

I’ll be heading back next month when my sister comes to visit and even then, I don’t think it will be enough time in Cambodia…