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Canonization Celebration: Benvenuta, Santa Teresa of Calcutta!

By luctechco | September 5, 2016

Never before have I been so excited to wake up at 3:30 A.M.

Fully self-aware of my tendency to wake up at a snail’s pace, I knew that I required some moral support to leave the John Felice Rome Center by 4:00 A.M. So, I spent the previous night sleeping on the floor of my new friends’ Stephanie and Brenna’s room. (Oddly enough, I got better sleep than they did because the cool floor dulled the intense Italian heat. Santa Teresa was definitely looking out for me!)

With drooping eyelids but soaring spirits, our small but mighty group of devotees boarded the N6 bus downtown to the Vatican, where we waited (somewhat) patiently with thousands of other faithful people for the guards to grant us entry to Mother (now Saint!) Teresa’s canonization. These people represented all ages, ethnicities, occupations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and other identifiers. The electrifying passion in the air was almost tangible!

Canonization Line

Only one other time in my life have I felt this way.

As a Washington, D.C. area native, I was immediately reminded of the two Obama Presidential Inaugurations I attended in 2008 and 2013. Landmark moments in history—the swearing in of the first Black U.S. President and the canonization of a saint–only occur a few times in a lifetime. Compared to the millions of people these events affect emotionally, only a marginal (lucky) few get the opportunity to witness them physically. You have to be in the right place, at the right time.

Back in January 2009, it was a special time to be an African American living in D.C. Now in September 2016, it’s an equally special time to be studying abroad at a Catholic university in Rome!

Admittedly, some of the less glamorous aspects of the Inauguration bled into the Canonization. Sure, there were some aggressive line-cutters (CAUTION: Nuns have VERY sharp elbows!), funky outdoor restrooms with ridiculously long lines, and extreme weather conditions (the frigid Washington winter and smoldering Italian summer).

Yet, these small nuisances were overshadowed exceedingly by the overwhelming feeling of joy among the crowd! In line for the Canonization, our group waited nearby a family of Spaniards singing their hearts out with hymns. Just like at the Inauguration, the Canonization was full of nothing but sleepy eyes and good vibes. Everyone couldn’t be happier to stand outside and wait at 5 A.M…and we still had 5 ½ hours to go before the Mass even began!

SG3

After going through the rigorous (but colorfully suited!) Swiss Guard security, our group power walked as close as we could get with our tickets*. With the sunrise came thousands of more worshippers, some waving huge flags to represent their various countries. Perhaps the most frequently spotted flags, deservedly so, were the Albanian flag from Santa Teresa’s homeland, and the Indian flag from the country where she conducted most of her ministry and her first recorded miracle.

*By the way, the tickets were free of charge. This demonstrates how charitable and gracious the Church can be, even though these hot tickets were coveted to the point of Hamilton status!

At this moment, I realized the defining factor that made this Canonization different, and decidedly more profound, than the Inauguration of a Presidential “first”. Let’s look beyond the obvious factors of the U.S. Capitol versus the Vatican, the political versus the religious, or even the American versus the global. What separated this Canonization from that Inauguration was the fact that, despite any individual person’s political leanings, ALL human beings recognize INHERENT GOODNESS. None of us spectators were on the council of Cardinals that approved Santa Teresa for sainthood, and yet, by faith of our internal meter of morality, we INSTINCTIVELY KNEW that she belonged among the saints.

None of us checked a box…just our hearts. None of us had a say, but our souls answered for us.

I couldn’t help but cry behind my sunglasses. I will never forget this day.

Vatican Santa Teresa

The Big and the Small

By luctechco | September 14, 2015

Ciao!

My first 20 days in Italy have been extremely busy but productive! Since arriving all of us at the JFRC have been learning how things work in Rome and on campus, and we all got to spend a weekend in the beautiful region of Umbria! Now that classes are picking up and routines are settling in, I have found I have more time to relax.

This past friday I spent the day roaming around Rome; shopping and sipping cappuccinos in a cute cafe while watching the rain. Friday night, however, was one of my favorite nights so far. Earlier in the week we had the chance to sign up to distribute Panini’s to the homeless in St. Peter’s Square. I signed up, excited about visiting Vatican City.

When I first walked into the square, I was taken aback by how massive it is. I have been in some pretty big stadiums and buildings, but combining the size and historical significance made it feel tremendously magical. It was strange knowing Pope Francis was somewhere in the Papal Apartments right above me.

I was assigned to bag fruit for the homeless to take with them after they got their meal. A few of us set ourselves up in an assembly line and started filling bags with apples, peaches and plums. They all gladly accepted the additional food and thanked us profusely. It was eye-opening how a few small pieces of fruit put such a big smile on their faces and hopefully, eased some of their stress. Everyday at the dining hall there are apples to take and I don’t blink an eye, but there in the middle of Vatican City, apples were revealed to be much more valuable than I assumed.

After that night I could not stop thinking about how important small things are. For example, on Saturday a few friends and I took a day trip to Pompeii. Last semester I took a class on Pompeii for my history minor, so walking around the streets I had read about was something I had been looking forward to for a while!

Toward the end of the day, we were standing in the forum when something caught my eye. On the ground in the middle of the large open space was the imprint of a sea shell in the stone. It was so small and the only reason I saw it was because I noticed a hole in my shoe.

It was such a sharp contrast to everything else we had seen. I felt like I had been looking up the whole day, admiring the mountains outside of the city and the architecture that had been so well preserved after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. After seeing the shell I started to notice details that I might have missed, like the carving of a gladiator in a home and a stone that looked like a lego.

Overall I had another amazing weekend!

I am excited to get to know Rome better in the coming weeks and will hopefully notice more of the small and unconventional details while still gazing at the bigger things.

Arrivederci!

~Amanda

My Roman Bucket List

By luctechco | September 1, 2015

Buongiorno! My name is Amanda and I will be writing about my adventures on this blog while living in the beautiful and eternal city of Rome! I had never been to Italy before, but I have to say, I am entranced. The people, food, architecture and overall atmosphere are unlike anything I have ever experienced! While I have been able to spend a little bit of time exploring the most famous sites of Rome, I still have a lot of things I want to do. Keeping this in mind, I wrote a “bucket list” to try and complete before I leave in December. A few are popular tourist destinations, a few are things I saw online, and the rest consists of anything my mind could dream up, but I want to do it all!

1. Get aperitivo (appetizers) at a rooftop restaurant.

2. Watch the sunset from the top of Piazza del Popolo.

3. Stare up at the Sistine Chapel for such a long time I get neck pain.

4. Buy a water-colour painting from a vendor in Piazza Navona.

5. Visit the Trevi Fountain while it is under construction and again when it re-opens in October.

6. Eat the largest size gelato I can get while people-watching on the Spanish Steps.

7. Get lost.

8. Tour the Castel Sant’Angelo at night.

9. Stand under the dome in the Pantheon.

10. Watch a sunrise over the whole city somewhere.

11. Buy my own Vespa.

12. Befriend Pope Francis and get invited to dine at the Vatican.

13. Discover an ancient artifact while strolling through the Roman Forum.

14. Get asked if I am Italian by a local.

I am very determined to finish all the things on this list, and will post updates all the time! Sadly I’m only kidding about the Vespa…

Nonetheless, “When in Rome” is truly a phrase I am living out for the next few months. So if that means getting gelato every night, so be it!

Even after living here for about one week, it still takes me by surprise when I wake up and realize that I am in a whole different country. Small occurrences keep me from forgetting where I am! For example, while I was typing this, the computer auto-corrected water color to water-colour. I am definitely not in America anymore!

As I get ready to go to class, I will leave you with a beautiful shot of the Spanish Steps I took two days ago.

Ciao,

Amanda

Generic First Post: Studying Abroad is Cool

By Kyle Rall | January 19, 2015

What everyone will tell you about studying abroad boils down to one big fact: it’s super cool. As boring, as generic, and as monotonous as that sounds, it’s completely true.

In the first five days since I’ve been in Italy, I’ve seen things that I can’t even talk about without shivering. The Vatican at 3 a.m.; the villas in Tuscia; all the piazzas in Rome; the Colosseum, the Forum; and this is just day five. Day Five.

The other thing that no one will tell you, (or maybe I didn’t talk to the right people), is that the whole experience is surreal.

Seeing sights that I’ve learned about from staid textbooks and lectures where I was half-awake has been almost too much, almost unbelievable. Taking a step back, putting away my Iphone, not taking pictures, and taking a deep breath has been the only way to truly internalize what I’ve been seeing.

Where do I go from here? Well, in the next couple of weeks, I’m heading to Venice for Carnivale, Barcelona (if I book the flight), Munich for a Bayern game, Florence for a week, and the Balkan countries for my spring break.

Hopefully I’ll catch some soccer in the interim, and truly understand why AS Roma fans are such fanatics about their sport.

Generic ending statement: Ciao for now?

That works.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun(ghi)!

By luctechco | October 1, 2014

“Oh, when the working week is done, oh girls just want to have funghi! Oooh, girls just wanna have funghi!”

My very own version of that feel good classic was swirling around my head the entire weekend as we climbed our way through the mountainous terrain around Cuano Mutri to devour some mushrooms. All Cyndi Lauper puns aside, this weekend was most definitely the best I’ve had in awhile…and I’ve been living in Rome for the past 5 weeks so that’s saying something! There are so many differences between Cusano and Rome, it’s almost like comparing apples to oranges. In a way, Cusano Mutri felt more authentic. I was not greeted in English, but *gasp* Italian! You would think living in Rome this would be common, but the constant tourist population definitely hinders any Italian language exchange. I fell in love with the small town atmosphere immediately and embraced the full mushroom menu I enjoyed all weekend. I am not exactly the outdoorsy type, so this was definitely an adventure in more ways than one.

Most of the weekend was planned around what were described as “novice hikes,” AKA: something even this athletically challenged, city-goer could handle. Well, what started as a leisurely stroll through a forest preserve on day one suddenly shifted gears into an intense, rocky climb on day two. Our guide for the second climb was hardly breaking a sweat as our group ascended 1,500 feet up hill. I’m convinced that this temporarily closed ski slope we were traversing was at least a 75 degree incline at all times, or at least that’s what my calves were telling me 15 minutes into our hike. Where were we climbing to you ask? To the top of the world:

A view like that was worth every bead of sweat and rock I tripped on getting to the top.

Throughout our trip, SO MANY mushrooms were eaten. I’m convinced my fellow JFRC members and I cleaned out the entire harvest ourselves. Each course we had included mushrooms in some way, from mushroom gnocchi to polenta in a tomato and mushroom sauce. There was no shortage of funghi that’s for sure! This fungal feast continued into the small vendors throughout Cusano Mutri. There were mushroom and truffle cheeses to be enjoyed! Cured sweet and spicy sausages to be devoured! Nutella doughnuts and various cakes to conclude our meals! And most importantly regional liquor to be tried, including fragolino. What was described as a strawberry wine, would be a closer relative to limoncello in my opinion. Now I mentioned previously that breakfast is not a huge deal in Italy contrary to what every American mother preaches. Being a breakfast connoisseur, I was initially weary of being without eggs and a huge coffee to start my day off. However, this weekend I was fully converted believing in an Italian breakfast. I’m convinced the woman who ran our cabins was a saint. Each morning, at 8:30 precisely, she would open the dining room and serve us a breakfast of freshly made cornetti (chocolate, cream, and marmalade filled), juice, and individually made cappuccinos and espresso. Divine intervention was surely the cause of such a magnificent spread.

Small town Italian culture is something I’m incredibly happy to have experienced first hand. The feeling of an entire town coming together to celebrate a harvest is overwhelmingly beautiful. Wine makers, farmers, local cooks, and townspeople all come together to celebrate the mushroom harvest as well as their own local products. Cusano Mutri wholeheartedly welcomed our group and treated us like members of their community, which I am grateful for. I’ll never get the insight to such an integral part of Italian culture as I did this weekend. Here’s to mushrooms and memories made at Cusano Mutri!

Old Habits Die Hard

By luctechco | September 20, 2014

“Vorrei un caffe per favore” (meaning I’d like one coffee please) has become a cherished phrase in the land of cappuccinos and afternoon macchiatos. Milk is considered taboo to drink after noon, so ordering a cappuccino at 3pm not only designates your nationality but your inability to adjust to the Italian mindset, which also has its own set of quirks. One of these being reliability. I often question how Italians get anywhere on time but then I realized they don’t! Blessed be the days of using the CTA because ATAC (Rome’s public transportation service) has many things to be desired. Sometimes the bus arrives every 30 minutes. Sometimes the bus simply does not come and when it does your bus driver might have an agenda of his own that does not involve stopping anywhere near where you wanted.

Becoming familiar with Rome makes you feel like a freshman again. Most students tend to roam in packs in an effort to explore, because being alone in a foreign city is something the consulate strongly frowns upon. Nobody wants to be the lead actress in a Taken remake set in Italy. Another added layer of anxiety is the ever present state of being lost. Every time I’ve been lost, however, I’ve come across something I was destined to find. Rome has a way of producing breathtaking architecture and monuments out of thin air. One moment you’re searching a map to find the nearest 990 bust stop and the next you’re bumping into the Pantheon on accident. Another short stroll and you’re reliving the Lizzie Maguire movie at the Trevi Fountain. Not having GPS or Google maps on my phone is definitely a double edged sword I’ve become a professional at wielding.

I think most people, like myself, find comfort in routine. In an effort to retain some normalcy I’ve been frequenting the same places throughout Rome. Once a week I try to go to my favorite neighborhood bar, Il Siciliano, for a much needed caffeine boost and a cornetto of course. I’ve also become a regular at Frigidarium, the best gelato place I’ve had thus far. How many times I go there any given weekend is something I will take to the grave.

Although cutting down on how many vats of coffee I drink each day and coming to terms with being perpetually late has been rough, the past three weeks have opened my eyes to all that studying abroad has to offer. Everyone has a different strategy for independent travel while abroad. It honestly comes down to a quantity versus quality approach. I’ve heard of people traveling almost every free weekend they have to get “the most” out of their time abroad. I plan on staying in Rome for most of my weekends this semester to get to know Rome well opposed to just seeing as many countries as I can. If I can leave Rome three months from now with enough knowledge to show family and friends around the city I have accomplished my goal.

Until next time,

Veronica

Breaking Up (with the U.S.) is Hard to Do

By luctechco | September 18, 2014

Recently, I broke up with the United States. After a 20 (almost 21!) year long, committed relationship with only one brief break (to test my feelings for China) it was time to move on. Comfortable relationships are fun, don’t get me wrong. The United States understands me on a level that I’m not sure my new love, Italy, will ever be able to. The U.S. knows that I want a big cup of coffee in the morning, the bus to come on time, and for stores to be open at the reasonable hour of 1 p.m.

Nevertheless, I have to hand it to Italy for catching onto my love for cute side streets, spiraling ivy on brick buildings, intense shots of caffeine, and carbs, lots and lots of carbs.

Any change in life, especially with relationships (particularly those with one’s home country) brings a necessary adjustment of the body and mind, and traveling abroad for the next 3 months has been no exception to this rule. Upon my arrival in the country of wine and pasta, I noticed that a little thing that we in the Unites States like to call “punctuality” is simply optional and frequently opted out of.

As a person who is consistently 30 minutes early to class, gets anxiety when leaving for a destination a little later than planned, and thinks being on time is being late, this aspect of Italian culture has been quite a challenge for me.

On one particular day, as I set out for my first on-site class, Art in Rome, the bus simply did not come for 45 minutes. I had initially left campus before 8 o’clock for the 9:30 class with the intentions of being early enough to grab a cappuccino before the lesson began. However, standing there at the stop with about 20 other Rome Center students, I started to realize that this simply was not going to be possible. 10 minutes passed and I was still optimistic, but once we hit the 20 minute mark I became frantic to get on a bus. One after another the wrong bus passed, and I contemplated jumping on one, despite not knowing where it was headed, in an effort to simply go somewhere, anywhere.

Eventually, after almost an hour, the correct bus (the 990) turned the corner to the stop and the crowd of us began cheering at the sight of our salvation. We were all about ten minutes late to our class at the Roman Forum and Colosseum, but our teacher was very understanding, as the bus situation in Rome is a bit spotty. I realize now how thankful I am for the CTA in Chicago and will likely never complain about waiting 10 minutes for the Red Line to come ever again.

So yes, this break up has been very hard to do. I miss the familiarity and reliability of the United State’s public transportation system, and I certainly miss Chicago, the city that probably will always have my heart. Yet, Rome, thus far, has been an exhilarating adventure I would not give up for anything. What this new love may bring, we have yet to really know. Time however, time will tell of all the excitement to come.

Until next time, ciao!

First Encounters and Adventures in Umbria

By luctechco | September 16, 2014

Tomorrow will mark the third week of being in Rome. My time here has been so packed thus far that it seems like I have been here much longer! At last everything is slowing down after a whirlwind of excitement following my arrival.

The strangest thing about my first encounters with the city is how distant and unreal each discover has been. Eager to see everything Rome is known for, my fellow classmates and I took to the town encountering many of the famous sites within the first days. Such encounters were so brief and often sudden (I think I’m better at finding monuments unintentionally than when I’m armed with a map) that I feel I can hardly check those sites off my Roman Bucket list. Now, slowly but surely, I feel myself starting to match the beat of the city, digesting its full brilliance.

The greatest event thus far was our orientation trip to the countryside of Umbria. The beauty of the mountains absolutely surrounded us everywhere we went. The first day was spent exploring the town of Bevagna. Strongly in touch with its medieval roots, Bevagna has many artisan craftsmen and women that practice and preserve the methods used generations before them. Along our way through the twisting and turning streets we stopped at the shops of a paper maker, silk maker, coin minter, and candlestick maker. The amount of time that goes into the old trades is remarkable! Silk especially takes patience, requiring 7 perfect strands to make a single thread!

The Roman Bridge in Spoleto — Spoleto is known for 3 beautiful things: La Montagna, La Chiesa, e Il Ponte.

My favorite of the four towns we visited was Spoleto. While still very connected to its ancient and medieval past like Bevagna, what stood out about Spoleto is its prevalent connection to art of all mediums and eras. Each summer Spoleto puts on a two month long festival in their 1^st Century B.C. amphitheater, drawing performers and artists from all over the world. While excitement and pride stirred by the event can be felt yearlong, I only hope that I may be back one day to experience the festivities first hand! Art truly comes alive in Spoleto.

Our view of the Vineyard during our wine tasting.

Food was of course a great ordeal though out the weekend. One afternoon was spent wine tasting and exploring the orchards of Il Carapace Winery. The wine was great (red being the specialty of the region) but we were rather rushed and I hope to have a more thorough introduction to wine tasting in the future. We also had the pleasure of dining in an olive orchard! The meal incorporated traditional Umbrian bread (marked by its lack of salt), many types of spreads on toasted bread bruschetta style including an olive pate (must tomatoes be involved to call it bruschetta? I’ll have to find out), pesto (my favorite!), and the best sausage I have ever tasted. Many of the other meals on the trip were similar using traditional Umbrian dishes and seasonal ingredients. It was pork season (something that I never considered having a season but I suppose all things do in some sense of the term) so most meals involved pork. After my third meal of pork and potatoes I may have started to regret my decision not to eat vegetarian while aboard. Nonetheless the food was fantastic! I’m truly enjoying the pastas I have encountered and even more so the antipasti.

This past weekend was my first real weekend in Rome but since nothing terribly remarkable occurred and many other Rome adventures will happen in the near future I’ll wait to tell you more about the city some other time.

“Culaccino”

By luctechco | August 27, 2013

Ciao a tutti!

Don’t be thrown off by the fact that the first four words of this blog have been in Italian, I do not know Italian (yet). But I do know how important words are to us humans and therefore I will warn you all right here and right now that all of my blog posts will be centered around the word I choose to use as the title. You will learn to love it though, don’t worry.

Today I begin my grand adventure to Rome to study for the first semester of my senior year of college. So, if you have already looked up “culaccino” or you have seen the picture posted below you will wonder what this word has to do with my expeditions.

"Pre-Day One" — “Culaccino” – (Italian) The mark left on a table by a cold glass.

1. It’s the only Italian word I could find that was untranslatable in English other than “gattara,” which describes and old lonely lady who devotes herself to stray cats… you can see why that wasn’t my first choice.

2. The fact that the Italians have a single word for such a simple image that we have all experienced in our lives gets me more excited than ever to visit such a beautiful country! I hope to find myself smiling at many a marks left on tables by cold glasses while I am abroad.

Anyways, I am not going to ramble on about myself today simply because the more you read the more you will get to know me and this blog is primarily about every one of you anyways. Here’s to hoping you all can get something out of my blog at least once during my travels.

Gotta jet, time to catch my flight!

Cheers,
Megan

Crepes, Crepes, and more Crepes, please!

By luctechco | March 12, 2013

Sorry that is has been so long! February was a very busy month. SO MUCH TRAVELING!!

In the beginning of February I went to Paris!! It was an amazing trip because not only did I get to visit the City of Lights, but also I got to see my cousin and friend Mia. My cousin Bridget is studying in London for the semester and then Mia is in Paris. It was once in a lifetime experience to go and meet up with some of my best friends in such a beautiful city.

I arrived in Paris on Thursday night and stayed until Sunday morning. Bridget and I stayed together in the hostel because Mia is doing a home stay. On Thursday night we all met up to get dinner and catch up on our time abroad. We ended with our first night together by seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. It was the perfect way to end our first night together!

On Friday morning we got up early and walked around the city. Mia lives right near the Eiffel Tower so we walked from that area all the way to the Lourve. What was great about our trip was that Bridget and I had already been there when we were young with our grandparents, so we didn’t have to do any of the touristy stuff. We just roamed the streets of Paris, which was absolutely perfect. I had my first crepe and french macaroon there, AMAZING. I would go back solely to eat the macaroons.

We were tourists one day and went out to see the Palace of Versailles. I had never seen pictures of the Versailles, and I’m glad I didn’t; the pictures would not do it justice. It such a grand and beautiful place to go, and I would recommend anyone traveling to Paris to see it. The rooms were all extravagant and a bit ostentatious. My favorite (along with everyone else who goes to Versailles) was the Hall of Mirrors. I took a few mirror pictures, and I am not ashamed of it. After Versailles we went back to Paris, to again wander around Paris.

By far one of my favorite experiences I have had thus far in my time abroad. I still can’t believe that I got to see my closest friends in Paris! It was unreal to all be in Europe together and then being able to meet up.

Until next time….

Case

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