Angie VanEman

Italia!

            When I was first presented with the opportunity of taking an independent study class to Italy I knew it was a chance of a lifetime. Since I began college I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the studying abroad experience.

            My studying abroad experience began in the second semester of my junior year. My friend Carrie Thompson is the one who introduced me to the class and we ventured into it together. We decided to take the humanities class because literature appealed more to use then the political science class did.

            The class was designed as a hour discussion with the humanities group then a large group travel discussion with the humanities and political science class. We also had out of class discussion on D2L about the class discussion and readings. The class began with an introduction about ourselves and why we wanted to take the class and what questions we had regarding the trip. It was nice being able to read about other classmates and see that other people had the same concerns about the trip. When we met up with the group we had a chance to watch videos of people who went to Italy and see the sights that they saw and got a little bit of history about them. That for me was really cool, getting to see the sights that I was going to see and hear some information about them before I got there.

            One of my favorite activities that we did in class was to learn about Roman god and goddesses. I enjoyed looking up a goddess that interested me and telling my fellow class members about her and why I like her. I picked Venus the god of love and beauty. I think she is fascinating. I enjoyed reading about other people’s god or goddess and what drew them to that particular one.

            Our second reading assignment was Edith Wharton’s Roman Fever. I thought it was an interesting short story that depicted old Rome, or what I imagine it to have been. Also, it was interesting to find our about the epidemic that took over Rome and eventually had a part in the fall of Rome.

            We also read Daisy Miller by Henry James. Like Roman Fever it dealt with the social norms that girls face in an unfamiliar place. Reading Daisy Miller made me wonder what type of response we were going to get when we went over seas. I was happy that we didn’t run into any social norms while we were there.

            One of my favorite activities we did in class was watching Audrey Hepburn’s movie Roman Fever. I am a huge fan of her work. I really liked seeing the places in Rome where she traveled to and I liked how I could relate to them when I was there.

            We also read the sonnets of Elizabeth Barret Browning and Robert Browning. I am not much of a poetry person but I thought Robert’s monologue gave an inside look to renaissance Italy which is something I am interested in. It gave a look at social classes and how women are treated, how they are more or less there to honor their husbands. Something I am glad doesn’t happen today.

            The final reading assignment was The Devine Comedy, which is kind of a misleading name, because it talks about death which I don’t think is funny. It gave a look at a dream that Dante had about the after life. He also talks about the circles of death that the deceased face once they pass on, based on the level of sin they had in their mortal life. I personally don’t believe any of what he said in his book but I am not going to get into my religious beliefs. I thought what he said was interesting and I enjoyed hearing about and seeing pictures of the seven deadly sins.

            Now we are off to Italy! On Friday, March 10 I arrived at the airport a little behind schedule but I sill made it.  I checked in my bags and I met up with the group and waited for our flight to begin boarding to take us to Amsterdam. The girls and I waited and talked about what our anticipations were for our trip. None of us had any idea of what to expect, I was more concerned with the long plane ride then anything. After some chit-chat and over paying on magazines we boarded the plane. The seats on the plane were alphabetized so I was seated next to Matt Ward and Becky Unetic. Matt and I were friends in middle school so it was nice catching up with him. Anyways, as the plane took off I knew I was in for a long ride. I didn’t watch the clock but I think the ride was something around 9 hours. During the ride it gave me an opportunity to catch up on my reading. I have been reading the same book for a few weeks, reading a little each night before I go to bed, so I read for a few hours reading more then half the book. The food that they served on the plane wasn’t my forte. So instead I just waited to eat when we stopped in Amsterdam and had a few drinks on the plane. They were free so how could I turn that down. The group that sat around me was fun so we just talked. I don’t think anyone in the circle around me slept at all, but who could? We were on our way to Italy! When we arrived in Amsterdam I was starving, so I ran and grabbed a Whopper from Burger King, not the best idea. I am so use to eating food here that it didn’t taste the best. So my hunger was partially satisfied but definitely not fulfilled. We boarded the plane to Rome, 2 hours to go! The time just flew by, next thing I knew we were in Rome and it was Saturday.

            The following day, March 11, We’re in Rome. After gathering our luggage we got on a bus, during rush hour, and headed into the city to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Palatino. Once we got to the hotel we waited until 2 p.m. for our check in and Carrie and I were off to bed. We were beat and had been awake for 26 hours. What originally was intended to be a nap turned into a full night’s sleep of 14 hours. But that sleep was really needed.

            When we woke up it was Sunday. After our well needed sleep Carrie and I got up and went to breakfast. Only we got messed up and ended up eating in a room all by ourselves. Then we got on a bus and met up with our guide for a tour of ancient Rome. First, we went to the Colosseum. Wow was that amazing! I felt like I was in the movie Roman Fever with Audrey. It was nice hearing about the history and knowing that they are planning to restore the floor. It was much larger then I thought it would be. I wish we could have had access to the underneath but it was really cool. Then we went and saw the Forum. I enjoyed seeing where the center of Rome use to be and the old houses. I only wish we could have gone in one. It was gorgeous seeing the hills of Rome as well. Next we were off to the Pantheon circle. Where we grabbed some lunch and shopped in the circle. Then we headed into the Pantheon. Seeing where the first domed ceiling came from was magnificent. We also got a chance to sign a book of remembrance. It was cool being part of history. Then we headed to the Palatine Hill, the site of the Romulus house, and the cave where Romulus and Remus were supposedly raised by a she-wolf. After our tour was up Carrie, Marcia, Sarah and I went out exploring the town. When we were done we decided to try and find our way back. That was sort of a challenge. We got lost but once we found the Wedding cake we knew we were in the right area. We retreated back to the hotel to rest then we met up with the “group”- Me, Carrie, Marcia, Sarah, Jill, Kelsey, Matt, Jared and Drew and hit the town.

            Monday, March 13, after a fun night with the group we woke up and went to breakfast, with the rest of the group this time, we took a bus to the Vatican. We waited in line for about a half hour then headed inside. I am not a religious person but I thought it was neat being inside such a famous building. We toured through the museum. I have never seen so many sculptures and paintings on the wall in my life. It was amazing how they have restored such old paintings and made them look like they were just painted. We also saw the Sistine Chapel. WOW! I don’t know what else I could possibly say. It was crazy seeing it in person and being right outside the Popes apartment. I enjoyed seeing what everyone talks so highly of but some of the massive painting got a little overwhelming at times. We then headed to St. Peters Basilica. The ceiling is unbelievable. I think my favorite part to the Basilica was seeing the Pope who was mummified. It’s kind of gross but I thought it was interesting. After our tour was over we took the metro back to our hotel and rested. Later that night the “group” went into town and ate at the Hard Rock hotel. It was nice eating something different then pasta! Then to bed I went.

            On Tuesday, March 14 we had a free day. The group decided to the Mediterranean Sea. We hoped on the Metro and headed towards the sea. Our Metro ride was about half an hour. I was surprised how “dead” the town was. There were barely any cars, or people out. We walked over to the Sea and all took off our shoes and put our feet in the water. It was cold but it was pretty. We all just sat on the sand for a while and chatted. Then we went to go eat. It seemed like every restaurant within a ten minute walk was closed. So we ended up finding a little pizza place and headed back to get on the Metro. We took the Metro back to the hotel then got ready to go out for the night. We went to a little Irish pub and had a great time. It was our last night in Rome.

            Wednesday, March 15 we boarded a bus and went to the Roma Tremini station and headed to Florence. We arrived at our hotel, The Residnce Palazzo Ricasoli. Our hotel room was amazing! I think we had the best room by far. We had the rest of the day free so we settled in to our room, then met up with the group and went to go explore the city. We did a little shopping and went back to the hotel to get ready to go out on the town.

            Thursday, March 16 we woke up and went to breakfast. I wasn’t feeling too good from the dinner the night before. I decided to try and fight my sickness and go on the tour. We walked over to the Uffizi Gallery and saw the statue of David. I think this was one of my trips highlights. I was in love, he was unbelieveable. I was amazed with the details that he had. I am still fascinated with the detail in his arms and legs. Well along my fascination my stomach started to rumble. I knew I wasn’t feeling good and I needed to go back to the hotel. So I headed back to the hotel and tried to sleep it off. I didn’t do anything the rest of the day but try to feel better for Friday.

            On Friday, March 17, we went to Siena! We took a bus to Siena. We met our tour guide at San Domenico. It was a lovely church that had a gothic feel to it. We were only there for a short time but it was interesting seeing the architecture of such an old church. It was also cool seeing the finger of St. Catherine. Then we were off to the Duomo. It was another gothic church that reminded me of Beetlejuice with its black and white stripes. It had very interesting floors that they were in the process of restoring while we were there. From there we headed to the Palazzo Publico. It use to be the house of the Republican government. It had interesting artwork in it, including hands dropping from the ceiling. After we got done touring the building we headed to the nearest restaurant for lunch. We had about two hours of free time but we just stayed around the circle and visited little shops. Then we got back on our bus and headed back to Florence. We made a stop at the American War Veterans cemetery. I didn’t get off the bus because cemetery’s scare me, I am not sure why, but seeing all the white crosses that were perfectly lined up really showed their respect for the soldiers who passed on. When we got back to Florence we got dropped off at the train station where Carrie, Marcia, Sarah and I purchased our tickets to Venice. Then we took a cab and went shopping at the flea market. It was fun being able to buy trinkets for my friends and family but Carrie and I were hounded because of our blonde hair. So we decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night.

            Saturday, March 18, was our free day! Carrie, Marcia, Sarah and I decided to go to Venice! The girls and I headed to Venice early in the morning. We took a 3 hour train ride that was well worth every minute. As the train pulled up to Venice I knew I would be in love. I was absolutely speechless. When we got out of the train station we were right on the cannel. We crossed over a bridge and spotted gondola rides. We all hoped right in and took a ride there the older part of town. It was so neat. After our forty-five minute gondola ride we were hungry. We ventured away from the station and found a little place to eat. We stayed on the side of Venice that the train station was so we didn’t miss our train back. We walked around to the little shops and looked at the beautiful glasswork. I didn’t end up purchasing anything but it was fun going into little local shops. After our shopping excursion we sat at a little restaurant and had a café and waited for our train. We took the train back to Florence and were in a hurry so we wouldn’t be late for our farewell dinner with the entire group. We ran back to the hotel and changed quickly then took a cab to our restaurant Trattoria da Ginone. It was fun eating with everyone hearing what they did that day and telling everyone about what we did in Venice. This was my favorite place to visit on our trip. It was fascinating.

            On Sunday, March 19, we had to head home! I was excited to be back home but so sad to leave a country that I fell in love with. I woke up early and got all of my stuff together. We all got on a bus, after our last breakfast together and headed to the Bologna Airport, which was about and hour and fifteen minutes from Florence. We sat at the airport for what seemed like forever, about 3 hours really, but they we boarded our plane to Amsterdam. The plane ride from Bologna to Amsterdam seemed to fly by. Next thing I knew I was in Amsterdam again buying a sweatshirt and then boarding the plane that would take us back to Minneapolis. The plane ride from Amsterdam to Minneapolis didn’t fly by however. I had so much fun in Italy but was so anxious to be getting back home. I tried my best to keep myself occupied by doing some reading and chatting with the people around me. Finally, I was home and had put in another 18 hour travel day, but it was all worth it and I would do it again with the same people in a heartbeat.

            Going into this trip I was skeptical. I originally thought it was going to be me and Carrie in Italy the entire time. I had no idea that I would build the relationships that I did with people I had never met. It was like I had known these people for years. It really surprised me how well we all got alone. I know I will be friends with Carrie, Marcia, Sarah, Jill, Kelsey, Matt, Jared and Drew for a long time to come. It was awesome sharing such wonderful memories with such great people!

            If I had to grade myself I would give me an A-. I know in the beginning I didn’t log onto D2L as much as I should have been but once I was reminded sent me that email letting me know that I was getting behind I feel that I stepped up and got caught up. I know that I was absent on two occasions one when I was sick and the second was a legal holiday and I was unaware we had class and I had scheduled an appointment with clients from out of town. Being a Realtor it makes it hard for me to change appointments at the last minute, which I know is not an excuse but that is what happened. I feel I deserve an A – for the effort that I put into class, but staying up on my readings and discussion. Although there were times when I didn’t always understand what the readings were saying I still continued to read and ask questions. I think I put in an A effort and the minus makes up for my absents.