oh, and yes i do actually go to school.

studying in italy is much different than studying in the us. i am learning about things i am directly in the midst of. i learn about the medici family that basically, unofficially ruled the business world of florence.  in my history class i study the history of their family and their importance to florence, then we take a field trip outside and i see where they once lived. i walk the same streets that centuries ago were graced by the presence of those historical figures whom i am learning about everyday. at richmond university, which is based out of london, england.   the classes i am taking are; history of florence, fashion marketing and merchandising, women in italian society, and an italian language class. among these classes i think women in itlalian society is my favorite. in my women in italian society class we were having a discussion about how much of an impact media truly has on the italian society as a whole. i was completely ignorant to these facts and the impression in my mind was only what i knew about this kind of topic from the american perspective. it is remarkable how naive i was to the medial and its intense relationship with society.

during this class discussion it was revealed how italy's political leader has control over 90% of the media. considering this aspect he has an immeasurable amount of influence over what is portrayed, exposed, and nearly imprinted into the minds of italians. this ideal that is projected of what beauty is, is disheartening and in my eyes a very superficial idea of beauty at that. long legs, very thin, and large breasts are the main characteristics of beauty. as our discussion progressed i commented on that i wonder how the women aim to obtain this image truly feel. i wondered, do they not dream of traveling the world, solving mysteries, dreams to not conform, to be unique and still beautiful? is it not possible to represent a sense of identity as well as beauty? in actuality it is not that these women do not have dreams, but their dream is to be in the public eye as beautiful therefore they strive to fit the mold of beauty so powerfully branded into their minds. putting all those thoughts into words-did not come out of my mouth as eloquently and as articulate and i guess as politically correct as it had sounded in my head. when i spoke to my professor as well as the rest of the class my professor began to tear up and trying to find words that would keep the tears inside, she quickly shifted topics. it was not until after class when i apoligized that i found out it was not necessarily what i said that had hit a soft spot in her heart that she held so dearly for her country. rather, it was the realization of hearing it laid out so plain, with no sugar coating about the  lack of identity there still is in italy today. it was powerful to me to see how passionate she is about the culture of her country and how it was truly affecting her on a personal level. it helped me to realize not only how different societies can be once you dig deeper than the surface of an issue, and also that i am living in the midst of all this corruption that is currently affecting italy every day.

my apologies.

due to the fact that my amazing family came to visit me for a week, midterms, and research papers were stealing my time away from writing i have not posted a blog entry in too long! i have lots of new adventures, stories, and excitement to report on! you  can expect some fantastic blogs in the next few days once i get a nigh of sleep consisting of more than 4 hours, and regain my brain power for putting words together in order to form sentences. for now the latest and greatest:
a. my three, 3,000 word each essays are completed and turned in...finally
b. i am officially on spring break
c. florence was 75 degrees and sunny today
d. i am having spanish food for dinner
e. i am going to Greece in two days!!!!!

volume.

sitting on the outskirts of piazza santa spirito lies an intimate cafe containing youth from all different walks of life. i have been there only a handful of times, but i am working my way up to becoming a regular. i occupy my time at volume with reading, writing, listening, studying, and just being. a number of my blogs have been created while sitting amongst the chatter if my fellow cappuccino lovers listening to the calming music intertwined with many different languages around me. i could just BE in volume for hours just watching the world pass me by and yet still being a part to its exquisite makeup. like a picture on the wall or a book on their shelves i sometimes sit as a piece of decor in the small, but inviting room. the cafe has a vintage feel with mismatched chairs and random tables accompanying them. furniture made out of everything from hollow metal chairs to wicket woven tables creates a setting for others to sit and soak up the eclectic mixture of italy and this small getaway that captures so many. metal sculptures. old black and white photographs, and shelves filled with books containing literature from from many different languages decorate the room. a small stage occupies the corner of the room containing a old wooden piano, microphone stands, and a sound board. i have yet to be graced with the pleasure of listening to the live music volume has to offer. my beverages of choice at volume include, but are not limited to cappuccinos, tea, cafe lattes with the occasional nutella crepe.

all roads lead to rome.

i got full pleasure out if repeatedly saying, "when in rome, do as the romans do." to the best of my ability i followed in their footsteps. while walking through the ancient ruins i came to terms with the history, culture, and art that i was exploring. u was abkt ti hit the main points one should experience while in rome. in three days i conquered the vatican, the colosseum, st. peter's basicila, the spanish steps, chagall's modern art museum, hadrian's villa, various churches and cathedrals as well as a small part of the huge city life. inside the vatican, i saw the sisteen chapel, although breathtaking it was surprisingly somewhat smaller that i had envisioned it to be. as i looked in awe at michaelangelo's masterpiece the loud speakers and guards monitoring the no talking and no photography policies kind of took away from its magnificence. the thousands of pieces of art from raphel's  frescos to the sculptures and tapestries helped me gain a new appreciation for art and its history. it just came alive for me. while touring roma our program was divided into groups which were led by various professors from our school. my group was led by one of the painting professors, franz. with his dutch ancient speaking to us in a mixture of mostly english with some italian thrown in once in a while he provided us with copious amounts of knowledge that the city contained.

 franz was also the guide for the chagall museum. two other professors, along with two richmond staff members accompanied franz in leading myself and six other students through the life of marc chagall and into a small sample of his work. i am not usually one for modern art, but there was something about his work that inspired me. although his work is random and considered by some to be somewhat childlike in the sense that a lot of his pieces do not contain concepts of gravity, it spoke to me in a way that no other art has in the past. there was so much mystery in his work of his perception of the world and how he conveys that through his art leaves me pensive and intrigued. "i don't wan to be the same as everyone else; i want to see a new world" these words of chagall left me wanting to do something magnificent. i suddenly had the sensation that the world was mine, and within it i was capable of doing whatever i imagined. i want to paint for no other purpose than to calm my soul, i want to take a photography class to learn to capture true beauty within memories, i want to raft the grand canyon, and do things because i am alive and because i can, and because i am free and passionate about life and the One who blessed me with it. leaving the exhibit i felt refreshed on life  and ready to take on my next adventure, even though that adventure was only to make it back to our hotel.

i also made it a point to experience a little chunk of life as the romans do. in honor of this i was compelled to drink of the fountains, and i was pleasantly surprised by the crisp deliciousness of the liquid spewing from a spickett in the wall of a public piazza. our last night in rome after a long day of touring the city we decided to venture out on the town. some friends and i  went to an irish pub to watch a rugby game between wales and italy. i am not much of a rugby fan, but the environment was one i would not have wanted to miss out on. all the welsh rugby fans showed their team spirit through the green and while spandex suits accompanied by the bright yellow dafadil hat/mask. it was quite a site to see. even though jacqueline and i got a little lost on our way to the pub and spent two hours trying to find the pub and figure out the public transportation system, we made it just in time for the game to be over. all said and done we had a wonderful weekend and we conquered rome!!

lost much?

the journey continues.

here is a small segment of our trip complied into a video montage.
this video was created with the amazing hands and creativity of my lovely roommate check out her blog!!
click here to go to the wonderful blog of jacqueline grace.