Nearing the End

I’m aware that this entry is long overdue. The second half of the semester passed before my eyes in what felt like a few minutes. I’ve grown a lot since I last wrote. I’m certainly not the same person I was three months ago but I can’t seem to pinpoint how. It occurs to me in subtle instances when I go about my daily routine, but when I try to recall those instances later, I can’t. So much has happened since I last wrote. Part of the reason I’ve put off this entry is because I wasn’t sure where to start. As more and more things happened to me, the task of writing seemed more daunting.

My classes have really picked up. I’ve been busy making plans for this spring, summer, and next fall. I’m presenting my independent study at the Phi Alpha Theta conference in Indiana when I get back. Immediately after, I’ll be on a plane to Boston, where I’ll spend almost two weeks researching in the JFK Presidential Library archives, and three weeks on campus writing the paper. I also applied for a summer internship at the Port Huron Historical Museum and a scholarship to help pay for it. I’m thrilled about all of these opportunities, mostly because it will give me a small taste of what its like being a historian. At the same time, I can’t help feel a little stressed about them, not knowing exactly what to expect.

I’ve also been making arrangements to start my annotated bibliography for my senior thesis this summer and next year. To say the least, all of these things have been piling up and hanging over my head for weeks. It doesn’t help that exams are next week and deadlines for final papers keep coming up. It’s also hard adjusting to the idea that I will back in the United States in a little over a week. I feel like I just adjusted to most of the cultural differences I used to find unnerving. It will be so difficult to leave. Macerata is such a warm community and I just started to feel like a true Maceratesa (person from Macerata). In general, I’ve had so many thoughts buzzing around my head lately that are difficult for me to articulate.

My spring break with my parents was extremely fulfilling and a breath of fresh air. It was exciting for me because it was their first major international trip. At certain points, I felt that the roles had reversed because I taught them a lot about how to communicate and navigate in this country. I think they really enjoyed themselves. I was impressed with the amount of Italian they learned during their time here (and the amount I knew!). We spent 2 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, and 2 nights in Sorrento (where we stayed so we could visit Pompeii), and a day in Macerata. I was relieved when my parents said how much they enjoyed being in Macerata because I was afraid it wouldn’t compare to spectacle of the major cities of Florence and Venice.

Since last writing, I have:

1. Successfully made the 6 hour journey to Venice alone, and even made conversation with a few Italian strangers in my coach.

2. Showed my parents, my sister, and my brother-in-law around Italy

3. Gone to Florence on an excursion for class

4. Visited Perugia with Rai, where we saw an ancient Etruscan well, one of the oldest churches in Italy, and paintings by Perugino and Raphael in the National Museum of Umbria

5. Traveled to Loreto, a medieval town and major pilgrimage site for Catholics that, according legend, is the location of the Mary’s house.

6. Had an 3-day excursion in Rome, where we examined the Trevi fountain, theVestal Virgin Temple, the Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican and the Vatican museums, the Coliseum, the Pantheon (the largest Roman temple that still stands), talked to two Swiss guards about the pope.

7. Attended various music concerts, including a jazz concert, a Pergolesi concert celebrating the 400th birthday of Matteo Ricci (a famous Jesuit missionary from Macerata who went to China), La Serva Padrona (a comic opera by Pergolesi), and finally Handel’s Messiah.

8. Attended Palm Sunday mass in Macerata’s cathedral

9. Climbed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Cathedral of Florence

10. Successfully had my hair cut four inches shorter in a hair salon where no one spoke English

11. Danced the night away at Tartaruga, the only dance club in Macerata

12. Attended mass in Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

13. Spent hours in the Uffizi in Florence

14. Seen countless masterpieces by famous Italian artists Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, Perugino, Giotto, Duccio, Cimabue and many others.
This is all I have time to write at the moment, but I promise to write at least one more entry before I go home. In the meantime, I’m going to paste some of my journals about my excursions that I had to prepare for my Renaissance history and art history classes. They should give you a better idea about the historical sights I visited. Enjoy!