In February, I had the privilege of traveling with my Study Abroad program to one of the largest and most famous cities in Italy: Rome. For years I had dreamed of standing in front of the Colosseum or throwing a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, and I could hardly believe I was finally going to be able to do just that.
From left, Katherine, Molly, me, Liz and Lindsey in St. Peter's Square. (Photo courtesy of Molly Byrne.)
Since our trip was planned through AIFS, all expenses but meals were paid and all of our tours were given by professors from Richmond University or people affiliated with the school. It was not quite tourist season yet since it was only late February, but the pick-pockets and vendors were still out in force and the weather still felt like it would in late February in the U.S. We had three beautiful sunny days in Rome, and we did basically everything we could fit into those three days. On the fourth day, I decided to do an optional field trip outside the city to the Villas (see next blog post). I went in with really high expectations for Rome, thinking it would be a history double-major's absolute dream to be there. It seemed like a dream come true for some of it, but I was rather surprised by my opinion of Rome after the trip.
When our bus pulled up to Hotel Portamaggiore near the outskirts of Rome, I did not feel like I was actually in the city. In fact, I did not even know we were in Rome. When we got there, we were able to walk around a bit, but Rome is a VERY big city so we were not able to go very far. It just felt like we were in another Italian city. Now obviously, my romantic visions of Rome mixed with the exhaustion of waking up early and being on a bus for over three hours got the best of me on that first day. Since Rome was so big, it was bound to have some disappointing or rather sketchy parts. My one complaint about the trip was that I wish we stayed in a different location. Our hotel was nice, but it was located in one of the more sketchy areas of the city.
Beds inside the hotel room.
Hotel Portamaggiore, where we stayed.
On the afternoon of our first day, we took a walking tour of one of the parts of Rome. Each day we were in Rome, we toured one chunk of the city since the city itself was too large and it was overwhelming to get a group our size from one point to another multiple times per day. My tour group was led by Peter, my art history teacher. I'm really glad I had him as a guide because he knows how to make both history and art really interesting and somewhat funny. As the trip went on, many people caught on that Peter was one of the best tour guides, and his group grew day by day as others mysteriously shrank.
Peter chatting with another tour guide and professor, Angela, before giving the tours on the first day.
Peter reacts to his own joke about the bathtub. "Children, you will never believe this but this looks just like the bathtub in my hotel room!"
The moment I truly felt like I was in Rome was when Peter took us to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain itself was spectacular, and of course, my friends and I all threw our coins into the fountain! (You have to throw it in your right hand over left shoulder or else your wish won't come true!) That day, we also visited the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the most expensive cade in Italy (Cafe Grecco), the best gelato place in Italy (or possibly even the world!), several churches (well... actually, more than just several... so many I can't remember all of their names), and the Quirinal Palace (or the residence of the President of Italy).
The Spanish Steps.
The Trevi Fountain!
The best gelato place in the world! (Or so they say.)
Cafe Greco, the most expensive cafe ever.
The Pantheon.
Inside the Pantheon.
The Quirinal Palace.
The view of the Vatican from the Quirinal Palace.
The next day was almost completely devoted to Vatican City. I kind of knew what to expect after seeing countless slides of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Last Judgement by Michelangelo in my art history class, However, everything is always more spectacular in person! The entire Vatican, from the museum to the Sistine Chapel, and then again to St. Peter's Basilica, was so elaborate and beautiful! We first saw some Raphael paintings and the fake version of Michelangelo's "Pieta" in the museum. The real version of that sculpture is located behind bullet-proof glass after the face of Mary had to be repaired from being smashed in by a crazy Vatican visitor. We then proceeded through a very long hallway filled with gold leaf and frescos to get to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was spectacular, but I had expected it to be bigger for some reason. People were herded in and out of the chapel by Italian guards yelling "Silencio" and "No photo." Those who were lucky enough were able to snap a photo or two or take a quick video of the ceiling. Peter then beckoned us to go straight to St. Peter's Basilica. However, he wanted us to take the short-cut that was only for specific people authorized to take the route - which we were not. "Just be good little beautiful smiling children," he cooed at us, "and once you reach the stairs, you are safe!"
We all made it through safely with the constant prompting of Peter to keep smiling and make it look like we were supposed to be there. St. Peter's Basilica was my favorite building of the entire day. My jaw immediately dropped when we entered. The church itself was beautifully constructed, but the sunlight streaming through the windows almost gave it a heavenly feel. Inside the Basilica we also saw the body of a dead pope who had been sanctified. He was displayed in a clear coffin, but his body was covered in wax as sort of a protective cover for his skin. "Ok now children, go steal your picture of the pope!" Peter said to us when he was done talking about the building. When we left the church, we walked out into the giant space that is St. Peter's Square. The only memory I could tie to that place was when Pope John Paul II had died, and I watched on television as the square was filled with people mourning and carrying signs and rosaries. After lunch, we met back up with Peter to explore churches and a chastity belt exhibit, as well as taste the best coffee in Italy - or maybe even the world - and visit the gelateria that gives you the most gelato for your money. When we went to taste the coffee, Peter told us the Queen of England had brought her own water for the coffee makers to make her coffee with.
The fake "Pieta."
Peter explains the Sistine Chapel ceiling to us since we wouldn't be able to talk in the chapel.
According to Peter, the most beautiful boy except for all of our boyfriends! This sculpture was of a man that (I think) Michelangelo fell in love with.
The hallway through which we passed on our way to the Sistine Chapel.
The inside of St. Peter's Basilica.
The dead pope!
Beautiful lighting in St. Peter's Basilica.
The tour ended and we were left to wander around on our own. My friends and I found our way back to an art fair that we had seen on our tour, and we decided to explore that for a little while before making our way back to the hotel. There were street performers and artists all over the square, and I just sat and people watched for a while. We then decided we wanted to make our own way back to the hotel without using the subway. We were doing well until we got to a certain point and decided to stop underneath a street lamp to consult the map. That is when one of my favorite moments of the trip happened. We never made it back to the hotel before dinner. That night I also had a delicious pumpkin ravioli dish for dinner, and I met my friend Katherine's friends Kate and Araceli.
A musician in the piazza.
Candlelit dinner!
People watching in the square to which we returned. This guy was begging for money.
Favorite parts of the day from Day #2.
Our favorite Peter quotes!
The next day was my last whole day in Rome. We went to the Colosseum first in the morning and then to the Roman Ruins. It was such a surreal feeling to know I was heading toward one of the most famous sites in Rome after I had done nothing but romanticize about it for years. I had seen countless pictures of the gigantic circular arena with a chunk taken out of the top. What they don't show you on the postcards though is the neighborhood around the ancient ruin. We walked through a neighborhood with some pretty unattractive houses and graffiti all over the place, and all of a sudden, the hulking figure of an ancient Roman colosseum emerged almost out of nowhere at the end of the street. All this time, I was under the impression that the Colosseum had a more central location in the city or that it was surrounded by roads or nicer houses. I later found that we walked toward the Colosseum from the opposite side from which the pictures of the ruin are taken for postcards. The Colosseum was really amazing though, and the inside of it was humongous! Next we went to the ancient Roman ruins. We were able to see Julius Caesar's grave there, which I had no idea was there. Peter led us to a particular spot of the ruins and told us, "It was on this spot that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death." I had a similar reaction to when I had toured Boston for the first time and was told I was standing on the exact spot that the Boston Massacre occurred. It was very shocking.
Walking to the Colosseum.
There it is!
Me on the inside.
Roman Ruins.
Caesar's grave.
More ruins.
Roman Senate building!
After lunch we were set free to wander the city for the rest of the day. My friends and I walked to the Jewish Synagogue and then to the island in the middle of the river and found a nice angled wall to lay upon and sunbathe with other tourists and Romans alike. We got gelato, which I thought was even better than the gelato we had at the supposed "best" gelato place in the world, and laid in the sun for a while. We then walked along the river back to the Vatican, and it was beautiful! Our last day was very relaxing.
Walk along the river to the island.
Love locks.
Where we sunbathed!
Vatican from along the river.
Looking back, my experience in Rome was quite positive. We saw everything we could in the three days that we were there, and it was really cool. I still wish we had stayed in a more central location, and I was also sick at the time so that may have tainted my experience. Further, I missed Florence while I was away. Even after only a month of living in Florence, it had become my home, and I was homesick for my bed, the food, and the life I had there. Someday I'd like to go back to Rome and see if my experience would be more positive - and also to say hi to the Pope since I didn't see him this time.
If you have any questions about my study abroad experiences or life in general at Saint Michael's College, do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or ask me a question on formspring (lizmurray3). I will do my best to answer any questions you might have!
Ciao!
Before I reflect on all my journeys while I was studying abroad and catch up on all of those blog posts, I thought I would update you all on my life right now. This summer I have the great privilege of being an intern at The Dorchester Reporter in Dorchester, MA (basically right in Boston). I am SO excited to be writing for an actual newspaper and to be learning from reporters who are actually in the business. I had done one internship before this as a senior in high school with my local newspaper, so I went in knowing a little bit about how an internship works, but every workplace is different.
It all started last December when I was freaking out about what I was going to do this summer. I live in a very small town, so it is very difficult to find much to do during the summer. For the past two summers I had worked at Val's Pipe and Packaged in my town. The owners were very generous to give me a seasonal job (even letting me work during the winter months) and I am very thankful for all they have done for me, but I figured this summer, it was time to move on.
At first I was aiming for The Boston Globe, and while I was trying to network my way in, I did not realize I had to fill out an application as well. I then became so busy with my fall semester that I lost track of things until November. Rule #1: Always check for applications and application deadlines. In December, I was really worried because I had no prospective internship options, and it was looking like I would be spending the summer in Adams again after studying abroad in Florence for an entire semester. At the very end of my December break, I got in contact with my cousin who is a First Amendment lawyer for The Boston Globe. He put me in touch with a veteran Globe reporter who he knew had a lot of contacts. The only problem was that this decision was made so quickly and so late that I only had about 2-3 days to pack and get ready for studying abroad before moving down to Somerville, MA, with my Uncle for my last few days in America. I met with both my cousin (who I had never met previously) and the Globe reporter, along with a few other people who would be good contacts for the future. It worked well enough that I left with contact information for a possible newspaper for which to intern and contacts who could help me along the way. My uncle and my cousin really helped me a lot in this process, and I am really grateful to them.
I contacted The Dorchester Reporter and sent them my resume and some clippings of my past work immediately. I wanted to get at least a foot in the door before going abroad since I knew communication might be tricky while there. A few days into my stay in Siena, I set up a Skype interview with the editor of the paper. The internet in Hotel Athena was terrible, and I was afraid I might lose him during the skype conversation. A few things said were fuzzy because of the connection, but I was given the internship right on the spot. I was ELATED. I asked my roommate about a million times if I heard the editor correctly and actually did get the internship.
Now, this summer I am living with my uncle in Somerville and taking the T into Dorchester four days per week to write for this newspaper. I am having a blast so far. The paper is completely family owned and run. It was started in the 1980's by my editor's parents as an alternative to The Boston Globe, which did not cover as much Dorchester news. The Dorchester Reporter is a weekly newspaper, and according to my friend who lives in Dorchester, the residents love it.
I had my first day at the paper this past Monday. Upon going in, I was really nervous because I didn't really know what to expect. Different newspaper, different rules. I was also expecting to be started out with editing press releases. I got thrown right into the fire instead.
My editor took me on my first assignment, for which I only had about an hour and a half to prepare for. But even so, he only told me the name of the business and what was happening that day. I had little idea who would be there or who I might have to interview. My story focused on a "Cash Mob" in Dorchester who was aiming to have a lot of people go into a new candy store in downtown Dorchester (A Sweet Place) and pump money into the local business to bolster the local economy. I started researching the Dorchester Cash Mob and the business and started to formulate some questions so I could be at least a little prepared. It was really fun to meet and interview everyone during that assignment. I was thrown a curveball when my editor decided to add another business who was not being cash mobbed, but was still new to the street, into the article. I had to think on my feet and try to come up with my questions on the spot to get the information I needed. I'm usually not very good at going in completely unprepared, but I think I did pretty well.
Today was my second day, and I've already written two stories. I have two more days this week and I will write two more stories. I have never reported and written stories completely in a day because I have always had to wait on interviews or have had schoolwork get in the way. This is a much different atmosphere as I am completely focused on this from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day I'm in the office. I love it!
So, here are some tips for getting an internship that I learned through this process:
1. Be organized. Make sure you know all the things you have to do to apply. This includes cover letters, resumes, applications, letters of recommendation, etc.
2. Do not discount any connection you might have for the internship you are going for. If they can't help get you the internship, they might be helpful just for advice.
3. Be persistent. Follow up with the possible employer, even if it is just to say "Thank you for the interview." Don't let them forget you (but in a good way).
4. Do not procrastinate. The internship will not wait for you.
5. Explore every option. Do not just shoot for one thing because what you may brush off as an internship you do not want or cannot get may surprise you.
I made new friends on my first day of my internship too! Check out the photos on the Cash Mob blog to see me in action!
If you have any questions regarding summer internships or my life at Saint Michael's College, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3). I will answer each question as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
I'm sorry for the lack of blog posts in the last month or so of my adventure. It has been a crazy time, and now that I am back in the US, I am trying to collect my thoughts and write about each of my experiences. This was probably the greatest experience of my life so far, and I consider myself lucky to have experienced all that I did. Each memory, good or bad, is special. I hate to sound corny, but the experience as a whole was life-changing, and I grew so much as a person. I haven't been able to stop talking about my experiences for the last few days.
It's definitely nice to be home, but it's going to be an interesting adjustment to life back in the states. Look out for a ton of new blog posts coming your way in the next week or so from my time in Rome all the way to the end of the experience.
As always, if you have any questions regarding my time abroad or even about my life in general as a student at St. Michael's, please feel free to Tweet me (LittleLizzie33), Formspring me (lizmurray3) or send me an email (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu) with your question.
I have now lived in Florence for a little over one month, and up until now, I have never seen any of my neighbors. I knew we had neighbors because I could smell the food they were cooking and hear their TV or talking as I walked up the stairs sometimes, but I had never run into any of them. My apartment building almost seemed like a "Where's Waldo" book for the Italian people living below me. The only Italian living in a residence nearby that I had seen was the old man that lives in the apartment directly across the street from us with his wife. From time to time, when we'll be sitting at our table and he's sitting at his, we will catch each other's eye and wave.
I just so happened to be out of the apartment earlier than usual last Thursday when the neighbor spotting occurred. I was on my way back from getting registered with the Florence police, and it was around 10 a.m. when I got back to my apartment. I started walking up the stairs, when suddenly there was another woman walking on the opposite side down the stairs. I was a bit startled - enough that I wasn't able to say anything to the woman. I was able to see that she was a bit older and had brown hair and glasses, and she was shorter than average. Basically, she looked at me like I had two heads and continued walking. It made me wonder: do the neighbors ever know that there are Americans living in the top apartment? It definitely is not the first semester that there have been Americans in my apartment.
Since that sighting, I have seen one more neighbor: a man who always leaves his bicycle in the entrance of our building. I was with Liz, and he seemed a bit startled when we entered through the door right behind him, but we greeted him with "Buona sera" and "Grazie" and continued on. I still have no idea who lives where. I guess my Italian neighbors will remain a bit of a mystery for a bit longer.
If you have any questions about my study abroad experience in Italy or about my life as a student at St. Michael's College in general, please do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an Italian soccer game through my program. I thought it would be an interesting experience since soccer is such a big deal in Italy. When we were in Siena and Siena’s soccer team had a soccer game, there were people with flags and other paraphernalia singing and cheering in the bars before going to the game. The spirt of the Italians for their respective soccer teams is very high - to the point where there are sometimes fights that break out at the games.
I figured Napoli (Naples) would be an interesting team to see Florence play since it was one of the more prominent places in Italy. Walking into the soccer stadium, I saw plenty of Fiorentina fans wearing purple scarves, hats, jackets, etc. The Napoli fans were dressed in sky blue and white, and we were able to hear cheers from the outside of the stadium. I was surprised at the lack of security outside the stadium. There were plenty of guards around, but they didn’t check bags or anything. They asked us if we had any flares or other weapons when we walked into the stadium, and that was about it. Someone with a flare could have easily snuck by - and actually did! A few red flares went off on the Fiorentina side both before and during the game. Napoli also set off a flare or two in response.
From left, me, Molly, Lindsey and Liz at the Fiorentia vs. Napoli soccer game. Photo courtesy of Molly Byrne.
The Napoli side when they won the match.
Fiorentina (purple) vs. Napoli (blue)
The energy and atmosphere at the game was absolutely crazy - and so much fun! We sat in a section that seemed to be set aside for families and us students who weren’t so serious about the soccer game, but the bigger fan section for Fiorentina was so passionate! They sang and cheered through the entire game. After Napoli scored its first goal, a Napoli fan in my section ran down rows of seats, basically leaping over the seats instead of running down an aisle because he was so excited. This goal was also met by boo’s and profane jeers from the Firoentina fans. I was able to understand a few words, but for the most part, it was just fun to listen to the tones of the voices when they yelled in Italian. Unfortunately, Napoli ended up winning 3-0 at the end of the night, but it was still a great game.
The day after the soccer game, I went on a trip to Fiesole, a province of Florence situated on a hill above the city. We took the city bus to the top of the hill, which was about a 20-minute ride. Upon exiting the bus, we found ourselves in the town square of a cute mini Italian city. Automatically, I pulled out my camera to take pictures only to find both my batteries were completely dead. Fortunately, they had enough juice in them to take a few pictures, but they were not as many or as thought out as they would have been if I had full batteries.
The first place we visited was a simple church near the center of town. There were works of art by a few Florentine artists in the church, and it was beautiful in its simplicity. Next, we went to the top of the hill where there was supposed to be a beautiful view of Florence from above. Unfortunately, it was a pretty foggy day so the most I could see were some outlines of the tops of the red roofs in Florence and a faint outline of The Duomo. I plan on going back on a sunny day so I can see the real view. Next, we went to a monastery at the very top of the hill. To this day, Franciscan monks still live there, but they live in different cells than the tiny ones on display. We also got to see a few cloisters and part of the museum the monks set up. Among notable people who lived at that monastery was St. Bernadino. Finally, we visited ruins of a Roman theater, temple and baths. This was my favorite part. It was interesting to think about what had once been at those ruins and imagine them as they once had been. We also went into the museum that accompanied the ruins afterward to see some sculptures and pottery.
Fiesole
The view down the hill.
The sign above the cell in which St. Bernadino once lived.
The Roman Theater.
A group of my favorite girls on top of the ruins of the temple. Photo courtesy of Molly Byrne.
The best part of the trip to Fiesole was the brunch. We walked for what seemed like forever down the hill to a quaint restaurant. When we walked in, there was already food on the table. Everyone was starving since it was almost 2 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast before 8 a.m. that morning. We settled down to what we thought was our full meal - salad, bread, meats and cheese, lasagna, puff pastries filled with veggies and bruschetta. After finishing this, we thought only dessert could follow. We were completely wrong... Out came two types of eggs, a meat dish, then dessert (tiramisu) and a variety of fruits. We were absolutely stuffed! It was the perfect Tuscan meal, and I really didn’t have to eat anything for the rest of the day.
Finally, the day before Rome, I attended an Italian opera: Puccini’s “Tosca”. I have never been particularly fond of opera, but I figured that since I’m in Italy, I’d give it a try. I had never been to an opera before, but I had been to plays, so I kind of knew what to expect. All of my friends and I dressed in our finest attire for the event and walked to a theater a few bridges away from the Ponte Vecchio. It was a very cool experience, and the opera was absolutely beautiful! After the lead woman sang her aria, the entire audience was silent for a minute before breaking out into cheers of “Brava!” The whole opera was in Italian, so I was sort of able to figure out what was going on by watching the characters on stage and picking out a word I knew here and there in the captions. It was really fun to dress up for a night and do something a bit more sophisticated.
If you have any questions about my study abroad experience in Italy or my life at St. Michael’s College in general, do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or ask me a question on Formspring (lizmurray3).
This is something I’ve forgotten to blog about until now (especially since I've had so much to write about!). Since my apartment mates and I live on the top floor of our building, we have access to a terrace. We were not given the terrace key right away though; we had to prove that we deserved it. After about a week or two of good behavior and all of us signing a sheet with certain rules for the terrace, we were given the key by our landlord. This has become my favorite part of our apartment. I am currently sitting at the plastic table on our terrace and looking at the top part of the dome and the tower of The Duomo in Florence. To the side of that are hills with houses scattered upon it (my guess is it is Fiesole, a province of Florence that is situated on a hill above the city). To my left in the distance, I can see the faint hue of snow on the Italian alps under a partially pink sky. Behind me is an ancient tower and more of the city (as well as where the sun sets). There is a beautiful house and interesting shaped trees on the top of the hill where the sun sets, which creates a silhouette like one I have never seen before. Right now, birds are flying above my head and The Duomo’s bells have begun to ring (it is about 5:45 p.m.). It is soon joined by another bell in the distance (and more bells will join it soon). There is another terrace connected to a house to my left where a dog stands on its hind legs against a fence and looks out upon Florence.
The view from our terrace!
Beautiful Florence!
The Duomo!
More houses on the hill.
Our terrace.
Sunset :)
The little castle we have yet to identify.
A pink sunset!
The most unique sunset yet!
Today was the perfect day to sit on the terrace. It was almost 70 degrees outside and the sun was shining in the cloudless sky. My last class of the day interrupted the absolute bliss of sitting on the terrace and soaking up rays. I was in a tank top dress - and March has only just begun! My stress levels sink as soon as I sit down on the terrace. I think I am going to have a lot of trouble leaving this apartment when May arrives.
If you have any questions regarding my experience abroad or even my life as a student at St. Michael’s College, do not hesitate to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), Tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or ask me a question on formspring (lizmurray3).
