Fermati e Annusa le Rose

Stop and Smell the Roses

Sometimes think we get so caught up in the final destination that we forget the here-and-now. I’m certainly guilty of it. Perhaps its due to my type-A personality (I am a PR major after all). Or perhaps it is because the human race is constantly evolving, it's only natural for us to live a progressive lifestyle equipped with a mindset (somewhat) propelled by the future. No need for me to get in too deep…

It finally hit me today. I’ve been here three weeks. That’s nearly a third of my program already completed. Where did the time go? How did that happen?

I suppose I let stresses of life start to cloud my vision of the present. Things have been insane lately. But isn’t insanity inevitable? I guess I’d prefer pandemonium to boredom anyhow.

So first things first—I starting feeling a little under the weather last week. It started as a head cold, then an eye infection and came full circle with a little allergic reaction. No big deal, or so I thought. After a fairly successful attempt at communicating with the Italian pharmacists for the eye infection ointment, I thought my chances of having to reenter the tower of Babble were slim. Boy was I wrong. In fact, I had to take on the Italian emergency room. Want to talk about insanity now?

Earlier that evening, I was feeling bogged down from my cold and decided it would be a good idea to take a Nyquil and get some good rest. For most anyone else, this would be normal. For me, it was abnormal. I rarely take any sort of pain-relievers or over-the-counter medications. I am pretty particular about allowing the natural healing process to occur in my body. I don’t like using medications unless necessary, however, since I knew our study abroad program is fast-paced and draining, I wanted to get better as soon as possible—hence why I thought Nyquil could help.

Bad idea Angie. Within the first 30 minutes of taking the Nyquil, I started to have difficulty breathing. My chest was really heavy and my throat was closing up. I had no idea what was going on and continued to lay in bed thinking that it would go away with a good night’s sleep. It got more and more difficult to breathe as time went on. About an hour later I was gasping, and loudly. I kept thinking, “C’mon Nyquil...kick in already!” Little did I realize, the Nyquil had not only “kicked in,” but it had performed a full on roundhouse kick to my respiratory system.

I have a high tolerance to pain of any sort. As a diabetic, you teach yourself to be numb to it. Besides I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. It’s kind of early on the trip to be having weird freak accidents right? I didn’t want to disturb anyone else anyway. Therefore I was not about to take a breather—pun intended—to let anyone know I was having trouble. It wasn’t until I woke Kat up in the other room from my intensifying gasps. Thank goodness she’s a light sleeper! I tried to communicate with her what was going on, but the more I tried to talk, the less oxygen I could inhale, so communication was limited. I told her to call my parents (I’m hoping they’ll think this fiasco was worth the price of international calling…) and let them know what was up. They told me to go to the hospital. So we called Martin, an advisor who lives outside of Verona. He instructed me to take a taxi to the hospital and he would meet me there. Did I mention it was 1 a.m.? Embarrassing…

I went into the ER and had to try to communicate (between gasps) what was happening inside my body. The room was pretty full, so my wait time was about 2 hours. I remember it being scary to not be able to fully communicate with the doctors. I’m sure my pantomime only led to more confusion, despite my involvement in theatre in high school. By the time I was admitted to the on-call doctors, I was feeling fine. It was easier to take breaths and I was calming down. The doctors thought otherwise. My status was immediately changed from “neutro” to “emergenza.” Instead of worrying about my condition, I was too busy worrying about how I was going to make it to my train to Milan on time in the morning. I obviously spend way too much time thinking the about the next step...I mean, I'm in the hospital and my mind still can't relax!

I thought I would be freaking out as they injected me with things and started drawing blood and hooking me up to an IV, but surprisingly, I was relieved. I prefer to be very much in control of my body, my health and myself. I don’t trust many others. It takes a lot for even a hometown doctor to win me over. But for some reason, I was completely trusting of these strangers who knew nothing of my medical background or family history. They didn’t even speak the same language as me, yet I felt comfortable. Now this feeling of contentment could’ve been from whatever was in the two shots they gave me, but I like to think of it as more of an epiphany of the compassion of mankind. Despite my being foreign with swollen eye lids and less than attractive breathing patterns, these doctors felt compassion towards me. I know it is their job, but I also know they could see I was scared and wanted to make me well. We may have been lost in translation verbally, but as I’ve come to realize, the human species will never really encounter a communication barrier. We’re all alike and communication flows freely from movements, eyes, sounds, touch-- our very existence. Too deep for this early in the morning? Maybe. But it's true.

Anyway, the doctors laid me out on a stretcher and told me they had to keep me over night. I didn’t understand the severity of my condition until that point. As they rolled me into the hallway, I called my parents again. It was 4 a.m., I was in a foreign hospital, and I was all by myself.

My beautiful views for the night. They were indeed breath-taking. : )

They released me the next day and I took a cab back to my residence. From that point onward, I haven’t skipped a beat.

Remember me telling you John was coming to Italy and was going to deliver medication to me in the meantime? Yes, I make him out to sound like a drug mule, but it’s not like that. He was more of a middle-man between myself and Rite-Aid. That sounds better right? So, despite my instructions to stay home, Jared and I got on a 7 a.m. train for Milan to meet John and get a chance to meet up with two of my sorority sisters, AJ and Dorothy. It was so good to see them all! It was especially great to catch up with AJ and Dot and hear about their study abroad experiences. While in Milan, we toured the Duomo, ate a delicious lunch and gelato, walked through the fashion district and (obviously) shopped. I can’t tell you how great it was to see the girls. Familiar faces in foreign places will always be a good thing.

Here are some pics of our trip:

John and I hopped on a train back to Verona with Jared and his sister-- whom he was meeting in Milan as well. The train ride was about 1.5 hours and full of good laughs. The day was great.

I showed John the city of Verona all day the next day. We went to Castel Vecchio, Piazza Erbe, Piazza Bra, the Arena, the Old Roman Gates, and of course, Juliet’s balcony. We walked around 20 miles that day. I absolutely should not have stretched myself so thin the day after being released from the hospital, but I kept thinking that I didn’t want to miss out on anything on the itinerary. Looking back, I should’ve taken time to smell the roses and not tried to push my limits. Anyhow, I started to get sick again. But to make things more entertaining, John started to feel sick as well. He took off his jacket and his arm was swollen the size of two clementines. Yep, that’s the analogy I’m choosing, and I’m sticking with it. Anyway, he needed to go to the doctor. I took him back to the hospital and turns out he has a staph infection (-ish). So since my immune system is already weak in the first place, I had to go back and sanitize everything and get John’s stuff together in order for him to take off to Venice that night. I hate that he had to deal with that right when he got to Europe, but sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. He made it safely to Venice and last I heard, is doing well. Still, keep his health in your prayers.

A few shots of Castel Vecchio in Verona

I guess it took going to the hospital for me to adjust my internal alarm clock from being constantly set on the future, to being temporarily “off.” It was nice to be reminded that while anticipation is exciting, the present should be appreciated. I disregarded my health and kept thinking of weekend plans to come instead of focusing on getting better at that moment, so I could actually enjoy the future plans. Does that even make sense? Strangely enough, it does in my mind. Maybe that’s telling of my mental state… Nevertheless, I’m glad for the realization. Time flies. I need to take absolute full advantage of every second. I don’t want to halfway experience something because I’m ill or too busy thinking about what's next on the agenda. I want to fully experience everything! So what if that means taking it easy for a week so I’m well rested? It’ll be worth it when I’m well again. Plans are great, but they’re always tentative. I am grateful that I now understand that Italy isn't the final destination of my experience, but the day-to-day journey is the exciting, ongoing destination in itself.

...Ciao!

Vita Aggiornamento

Life Updates:

-I have an addiction. Gelato. Whew, glad I got that off my chest.

-I’m headed to Milano this Saturday to meet up with some dear friends from UGA and home. I’ll get to see John in the morning and then meet up with two of my sorority sisters after that. I cannot wait! It’ll be my first trip all by myself and I’m going to a city I’ve always wanted to visit. Milan’s a major fashion capitol, which I studied in one of my fashion merchandising classes. It’ll be exciting to see the place in person, but mostly, I am excited to see familiar faces. :)

-We ate a Veronesi delicacy the other night. Hint- If “hay” is for horses, who are horses for? For all you “neigh”-sayers… It’s true. I ate a horse.

-We cooked dinner with room 802 tonight. We made seafood pasta and broccoli. We were all pleasantly surprised with the meal. I’ll be a mean pasta boiler by the time I get home—which is more than my sister Katie can say…Love you sis!

-Tomorrow I am staying in Verona for a parade near Piazza Erbe. It’s to celebrate Carnivale. Sounds good to me!

-I have unfortunately picked up a head cold… bleh. And an eye infection (attractive huh?). As I stood in the farmacia speaking with the Italian pharmacist, I realized something. As we successfully communicated using my broken Italian and his broken English, it dawned on me just how capable I am of taking care of myself. Sorry Mom and Dad—I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. It’s actually a means of gratitude. You two raised me to be competent and independent. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am. I discovered I am growing up and I think I’m more prepared than I realized. Thanks for teaching me all I know thus far.

-April turned 22 this week. Happy Birthday Bella!

April's birthday dinner in our apartment

Nat, Pat and I at April's birthday dinner enjoying a night without any creepy Italian men

-In class we’re discussing Rapheal and Michelangelo. I’m entirely fascinated.

-Our professor, Tony (the one who is between an old 75 and a young 115 years old), enlightened us yesterday. We asked him what he did for Valentine's Day for his wife and he said they simply had a "lovely conversation." He said, "You know, my wife said, '"Tony, I sure am glad you exist." Tony replied, "I sure am glad you exist too dear." Thanks Tony, for teaching us the true meaning of loving your spouse. No gift is greater, nor should be celebrated more than the sheer existence of those we love. Valentine's day should be a day of celebration for having one another. Tony... what are we going to do with you, you sweetheart!

-I got mail! Not email, but the good old tangible snail mail. Mom and Katie sent me letters and I received them this week. Mail takes about 10 days to get from the states to Italy. It made my day to see letters in my mailbox. Mom even included some instant Starbucks coffee in her letter. Holy cannoli, how I’ve missed café Americana. Thank you!!!!

-It’s pretty nippy in Italy. I’m talking temperatures below freezing. We’re not in Georgia anymore. Kat and I decided to make the best use of the cold and utilize our balcony as an outdoor refrigerator. Yep, you will find our milk and wine chilling outside our sliding door. Resourceful right?

-We met some English gals the other night. It was such a relief to meet other folks who spoke fluent English. The only time we got lost in translation was when I said, "ya'll." They thought it was hysterical that Southerners actually said that in casual conversation. I'm proud to uphold our stereotype, ya'll! Anyway, we had a lot of fun getting to hang out with them and get to hear about their lives. They're all students at the University of Edinburgh, so since I've been there twice, we had a good bit to chat about. It was a good time.

Me, Harriet (from England), and Jackson in Piazza Erbe

Rachel (English) and I at Time Out

-John Jennings is doing me a huge favor and bringing me over some things from the U.S. that I need. He’s coming to Europe to do some traveling himself. Keep him in your prayers!

-Nathan Crumley made my Valentine's Day. Ah the little things! Thank you Nate!

I hope everyone is having a good Thursday!

...Ciao!

Where For Art Thou Romeo?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Verona LOVES love. It is famous for it actually. Verona, Italy is the setting for one of Shakespeare's most famous plays-- Romeo and Juliet. How romantic, right? Well, I hate to be the buzz kill, but apparently the characters are fictional. However, that doesn't mean Juliet can't have a house and balcony in real life. And that doesn't mean it can't be smack dab in the center of Verona. In fact, the house that supposedly belonged to Juliet, actually belonged to a 14th century Veronese family, who may have inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet in 1594. Interesting fact huh? Anyway, Verona goes all out for Valentine's Day. The holiday is a week long celebration in this town. Each piazza has a different attraction set up. Events are on-going throughout the city. Groups perform dances, street vendors set up shop, wine is served and sampled, chocolate and roses are surplus and star-crossed lovers are everywhere. If you're a hopeless romantic, you're in heaven. If you're not a hopeless romantic, you're still on cloud nine. The city of Verona on Valentine's day is a beautiful sight to see. I decided to post photos to paint a picture of the last few days. Enjoy!

A street vendor was selling these little elephant figurines.

I went to GHS, I'm obviously not going to pass by without at least taking a picture! Adorable.

"Juliet's" Balcony

Couples come to Verona to write their names on this famous tunnel wall.

Bet you can't guess who's name I wrote!

Apparently it is good luck to touch the statue's breast. So... there's that.

But really, where are you Romeo?

Kat and I went shopping in Piazza Erbe for cool masks to wear this coming weekend.

We're going to Venice for Carnivale.

We may have found some winners. I'm feeline good about it. :)

Even the drinks were festive (& free!!)

Natalie and Ryan obviously enjoyed the celebration

One of the many displays set up in town. Cool huh?

Verona at dusk

Feel like you were there? I wish you could've been. Hope your Valentine's Day has been lovely.

...Ciao!

Più Vedo Degli Uomini, la Miù Ammiro i Cani

The More I See of Men, The More I Admire Dogs

Nat, Kat, Lisa and I grabbed an aperitivo with some of the Italian Military men we met the other night. I can now attest to the fact that immersion is the best way to pick up a foreign language. As we tried to communicate with them, I found myself latching onto every word, thinking of every possible derivative or similar-sounding Spanish word, so that we could carry on a semi-smooth conversation. I probably learned 10 new words/phrases from this one meeting. I am fairly confident I’ll pick up a lot more Italian while I’m here. I’m excited to be able to better communicate with the locals. Italian is a beautiful language.

When the Militare Italiano boys were having trouble communicating, we had to pull out Google Translator. Thank goodness for modern technology. That’s when they would type more direct things-- talk about being forward! I kept hearing how beautiful I was, how gorgeous my eyes were, how they thought I was the sweetest bella they’d ever met, etc. etc. One even asked me to be his girlfriend. Pump the brakes signore!

Now if you really know me, you'd know I think their words were a bunch of bologna, but you best believe that I walked away from that aperitivo feeling like a million bucks. European men aren’t my type, but they're efforts to pick up girls are commendable. It was interesting… entertaining at least. Did I mention they paid for my cappuccino? Grazie bellos!

Natalie and I before our aperitivo adventure

Updates on this and that:

-I’m trying to coordinate a trip to Greece (more specifically, Santorini). It seems to be a little more complicated that I realized. Let me know if you have any travel advice!

-In America, African American history gets a month dedicated to it. In Verona, Italy, Valentine’s Day gets the same sort of deal. I’ll blog more about that at a later date. For now, imagine giant hearts EVERYWHERE.

-I met Tess last night. She's a UGA alumni who did the Verona Study Abroad program a few years ago. She loved Verona so much while she was studying, she decided to move here and teach. Hopefully we'll meet up again for dinner sometime soon. It's comforting to know she's here and we can call her if need be.

-I think this fast-paced lifestyle Italiano has worn me ragged. I’m a little under the weather as of late, but hopefully two days of rest will do me some good. Cross your fingers! Illness is never good.

-Internet connection at the residence is spotty. Bear with me if blog posts suffer.

-Besides just traveling to Santorini, Greece, I’m planning trips to Milan, Venice, Cinque Terre and perhaps Paris. As part of the study abroad program we’re traveling as a group to Rome, Florence, Salzburg and Munich. I’d love any recommendations etc. on any of those locations! Grazie!

...Ciao!

Facciamoci un Aperitivo!

Let's have an Aperitivo!

So much happens in so little time. I’m finding it difficult to keep up to date with this blog. Every experience deserves a more detailed description than I am able to write! Here goes...

Kat, Me, Cecilia & Stephanie in Piazza Erbe

In Italy, as some of you know, it is common to eat a late dinner that lasts hours. The whole point of the dinner experience is to enjoy the food (which isn’t hard to do), wine, and company. It’s a social thing. So dinners usually start around 8:30p.m. and end anywhere from 10p.m. to 11p.m. Because the Italians eat so late, they preface the meal with an aperitivo. Aperitivo translates into a pre-meal drink that’s purpose is to stimulate appetite. Wine is the usual drink that is ordered and each aperitivo comes with finger foods to snack on while drinking. The snacks are usually assorted nuts, crackers, potato chips, bruschetta with sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and olives. The snacks and wine usually are enough to make anyone full and sort of diminish the appetite for dinner. Ha- that must be why the Italians are so thin! Regardless, the aperitivo is something I can’t really associate with any American tradition, except maybe after-work cocktails. Only, it’s ten times more relaxed, social and romantic. No business is conducted. It’s simply time to enjoy catching up with friends. These Italians are social butterflies, and I like it!

Our delicious Bruschetta with sun-dried tomatoes... YUM.

So why am I defining aperitivo to you? You guessed it. We decided to partake in the experience ourselves! Kristen, Kat, April and I walked to the Piazza Erbe the other night and found a fairly inexpensive bistro/bar to enjoy our drinks and unwind from a long day of class and studying. It was phenomenal. I ordered a cappuccino (which yes, is kind of cheating, but I participated in the social aspect, so it counts!). The most delicious snack was the bruschetta with sun-dried tomatoes—to die for! We sipped, chatted and munched for an hour or two and walked back to the residence. Buona sera.

Kristen, Kat, April & I enjoying our aperitivo

We’ve dived deeper into the Italian culture since my last blog. We’ve now experienced the nightlife of an Italian! We went to Campus Bar, which is a bar that most university students in Verona go to. When we got there it reminded me of any sort of bar you’d see in Athens, GA. Unfortunately, there were no classy 17 year old gals dancing on table tops (Bourbon Street…), or bouncers checking I.D.’s, or polizia waiting to arrest the nearest drunk or jay-walker. However, there were tons of people. The age range was wide and it was mostly men. I suppose I didn’t believe people when they mentioned how “friendly” Italians were. I was walking in and getting kissed on the cheeks by so many different people that I was beet red and uncomfortably awkward I’m sure! Some folks in the group were loving it, but it took me a few hours to finally realize that kissing on the cheek was a non-aggressive greeting. Now we’re finding ourselves doing it naturally! It’s going to be a little awkward when I come home to Georgia and greet friends with pecks on the cheek! Haha By that time, I probably won’t even realize I’m doing it!

By the way, we found a UGA flag hanging in the Campus Bar. Jackson and Jared were really excited about it obviously. Goooo Dawgs!!!

Anyway, the Italian men love Americans. While it’s flattering and a huge ego booster, I’m a little creeped out by it honestly. Literally, when a girl walks in, men flock. It makes me feel a little bad for the boys. They’re surely not getting as much attention and the girl-to-guy ratio could not be more opposite than it is in Athens. We’ve had to learn ways to detect which men are creepy and which ones are just nice. I’ve discovered that if you stay near a guy from our group, they won’t approach you as often. So that’s my game plan. I also met a lot of cool girls at Campus Bar. Lisa and I spent most of the night being taught a famous Spanish dance by some Spaniards I met. It was the equivalent of the “Cupid Shuffle” I think. It was a good time and we were pros by the end of the night.

Jackson and Ryan breaking it down! "Did you know they play football for UGA?" ....You're welcome boys. :)

The highlights of the night were when American music was played. The absolute best was when Adele broke out over the speaker and our study abroad group and a few of our international friends formed a circle and swayed singing “Someone Like You” at the top of our lungs. It may have been bad, but it was passionate! Even the boys admitted they enjoyed the song circle.

Although that particular night scene was not really my jam, it was a fun night. When in Rome… eh, I mean, Verona!

...Ciao!

Tu Hai il Potere!

You've Got the Power!

"The Dignity of Man"

Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola

"At last, it seems to me that I have understood why man is the most fortunate living thing worthy of all admiration and precisely what rank is his lot in the universal chain of being, a rank to be envied not only by the brutes, but even by the stars and by the minds beyond this world. It is a matter past faith and extraordinary! Why should it not be so? For it is upon this account that man is justly considered and called a great miracle and a truly admirable being....

God the Father, the supreme Architect, had already built this cosmic home, which we behold, this most majestic temple of divinity, in accordance with the laws of a mysterious wisdom. He had adorned the region above the heavens with intelligences, had quickened the celestial spheres with eternal souls and had filled the vile and filthy parts of the lower world with a multitude of animals of every kind. But when the work was completed, the Maker kept wishing that there were someone who could love its beauty, who could admire its vastness. On that account, when everything was completed, as Moses and Timaeus both testify, He finally took thought of creating man.

...At last, the Supreme Artisan ordained that the creature to whom He could give nothing properly his own should share in whatever He had assigned individually to the other creatures. He therefore accepted man as a work of indeterminate nature, and placing him in the center of the world, addressed him thus:

“’O Adam, we have given you neither a place nor a form nor any ability exclusively your own, so that according to your wishes and your judgment, you may have and possess whatever place, form, or abilities you desire. The nature of all other beings is limited and constrained in accordance with the laws prescribed by us. Constrained by no limits, in accordance with your own free will, in whose hands we have placed you; you shall independently determine the bounds of your own name. We have placed you at the world's center, from where you may more easily observe whatever is in the world. We have made you neither celestial nor terrestrial, neither mortal or immortal, so that with honor and freedom of choice, as though the maker and molder of yourself, you may fashion yourself in whatever form you prefer. You shall have the power to degenerate into the inferior forms of life, which are brutish; you shall have the power, through your soul's judgment, to rise to the superior orders, which are divine.’"

O supreme generosity of God the Father! O highest and most admirable felicity of man to whom it is granted to have whatever he chooses, to be whatever he wills! .... Whatever seeds each man cultivates will mature and bear their own fruit in him; if vegetative, he will be like a plant; if sensitive, he will become like a brute; if rational, he will become a celestial being; if intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God.... Who would not admire this our chameleon?...

But why do we reiterate these things? To the end that from the moment we are born into the condition of being able to become whatever we choose, we should be particularly certain that it may never be said of us that, although born to a privileged position, we failed to realize it and became like brutes and mindless beasts of burden...

Let some holy ambition invade our souls, so that, dissatisfied with mediocrity, we shall eagerly desire the highest things and shall toil with all our strength to obtain them, since we may if we wish..."