325: Week #8

In my first blog, I thought that I was going to be more aware of different cultures after the eight weeks here. I came to find, that yes I am more aware of different cultures, but I think I have always been. One thing I learned how to do was to pick an American out of a whole crowd of different tourists, because I am usually looking for an American who speaks English so I understand what is going on. It was actually easier than I thought it was going to be.

Also in my first blog, I mentioned Danilo and his American way of saying thank you, "uh huh," to show how lazy Americans really are. Maybe we are lazy, but the Italians are just as lazy. When getting on the metro, I'm not sure if it is just that they don't feel like they need to be some where or what, but they always take the escalators. They will wait in line for them. And when exiting the metro area, there are a lot of exits, but everyone seems to always go to he closest one, even when all the others are open.

In Conversations, Fellini says that "one of the things [he] found most striking was the monumental rudeness that [he] encountered everywhere." (pg. 209) This confused me because before coming to Italy, we were taught how to say please and thank you, how to greet people, and how to say excuse me when in a crowd. We were told that when we enter a store we should greet the owner, which does actually happen, but please and thank you don't hear as often.

I feel like Italy has changed me. I feel deeper into my faith, and I have more appreciation for the world around me. At home I almost always understand what is going on around me, but in Italy, it is not like that because of the language difference and the fact that I'm not always sure where I am. All in all Italy was a great experience and I would love to come back here, especially with this group of people.

325: Week #7

I went to San Pietro in Vincoli and Parco Oppio for my walking tour. We were either able to take the metro or walk, so we decided to walk from Termini. According to the Merck Pace calculation, it should have taken me 1750 pedometer steps, I didn’t actually wear my pedometer or count, but I don’t think this was right. Once we were at the Cavour Metro stop we crossed the street and went up the stairs and down an alley to San Pietro in Vincoli. It was unfortunately closed. So we rook Part B of the tour first.

Part B was Parco Oppio. We were told to stop at a “precious little cafè called Il Fauno,” where we got pizza and a supplì. We walked to the park for a perfect postage place to eat. The park was nice because we sat right in front of the Coliseum. After eating, we set out to see the rest of the park. We played calcio for a while on a dirt field, and then walked to the other side of the park where we could sit and enjoy the sun.

After the park, it was three so we could go back to the church. When we got in to the church, we walked from alter to alter and read about them. Our papers had a little bit about each one. We read the most about the Mausoleum of Julius II and how Michelangelo was supposed to create it, but Pope Julius II placed him in charge of decorating the Sistine Chapel so he never finished it except the statue of Moses.

Overall, I really enjoyed our tour. It was a nice laid back day. We learned a lot about the church and the park, especially the best way to post up. One of my favorite things from the tour was the Mausoleum of Julius II especially the statue of Moses.

225: Week #7

Sant’Andrea al Quirinale is a church that was completely designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1661. It was built on the Quirinal Hill.

Historical Essay
This church is an example of Baroque architecture. Bernini received the commission from Cardinal Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili and the approval of Pope Alexander VII to build this Jesuit Church. It was the third Jesuit church built in Rome, after the Church of the Gesù and Sant’Ignazio. It was to serve the Jesuit novitiate, which was founded in 1566. (Wikipedia)

One of my favorite things in the church was the Crucifix. It wasn’t in the main alter, but in the alter just to the left. It houses the tomb of King Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia and Piedmont who abdicated his throne to enter the Society of Jesus and lived in the Jesuit novitiate adjacent to the church. He died in 1819.

490: Week #6

The power of prayer alone won’t cure a disease, but a mixture of prayer and medicine will. Prayer keeps moral high when someone is sick. If a person doesn’t believe that they will get better, then they probably won’t, but if they do believe, it will help them. Even though prayer keeps morale up, medicine is important too. If some one has cancer, most of the time their tumor isn’t just going to go away. Miracles do happen, but not every day.

“Well-being and positive emotions including joy, hope, and optimism are greater among those that are religious.” (Koeing, 2007) When a person is sick, it is that positive attitude that will help to make them better. Religion and spirituality help that because you never feel alone. If you don’t fell alone, you are happier. You have a support system with religion, more than your family; you have a whole community and God.

I have a friend that had two massive strokes on March 16. She is a senior in high school. Through the power of prayer through from a whole community and the doctors at Akron Children’s Hospital, she is starting to move her left side; she had her strokes in her right brain, and in her speech is slowly coming back. She is on her road to recovery, it will be a long journey, but she can do it because she has the whole community praying for her.

225: Week #6

The Pine Cone in the courtyard at the Vatican Museum is made of bronze. It was made by Publius Cincius Salvius in the first or second century. We know this because he left his name on the base of it.

Iconology
Pagans coveted eternal life, and have sought it by worshipping many objects they find in nature. They worship evergreen as a symbol for eternal life and the pine cone because it is the “fruit” of the evergreen. It was originally found in the baths of Agrippa, and was a fountain. Water is also a symbol for life because water is needed for survival.

325: Week #6

“To Rome and to the World,” or “Urbi et Orbi,” is the beginning of a blessing the Pope gives before Easter or Christmas. This blessing is broadcasted throughout the world for other Catholics so they can watch it on television or listen to it on the radio. The end of the blessing is et benedictio Dei omnipotentis, Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti descendat super vos et maneat semper which means and may the blessing of Almighty God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend on you and remain with you always.

He is blessing, not only the city, but the whole world. In the Catholic encyclopedia, it says that this blessing is only given on Easter, Christmas, and when a new Pope I crowned. He is the leader of all Catholics. According to Wikipedia, Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, whom, according to the Bible, Jesus named as the “shepherd” or “rock” of the Church. So he lives in Rome, but he is the leader all over the world.

Early Popes spread Christianity, but the also had some secular power. For centuries, the Pope had political supremacy over the entire former Western Roman Empire. And in medieval times, popes played powerful roles in Western Europe, often struggling with monarchs for control over the wide-ranging affairs of church and state. (Wikipedia)

490: Week #5

On Thursday, we visited Santo Spirito Hospital. It was a very exciting day. Dayna, Carol, and I sat with the creeper on the 7:06am train into Termini. When we got there, we had a moment and then got on Bus 40 to go to the hospital. We got off a little past the hospital, and walked back to it. When we went into the hospital, it was a lot different than a hospital in the US. None of the buildings were connected. We went into one then back out the other side.

We met with the Director of the Nursing Program at the hospital. Danilo translated her welcome to us. And then we met a couple other faculty members from the nursing program. After learning a little bit about Italy’s healthcare system, we went on our tour. We started out with the surgery wing. They explained the computer system for patients and the way they get prescriptions for their patients. We even met an American patient! Next we went to cardiology wing of the hospital. In groups, we went in to the ICU to see some of the more critical patients. After that wing, we went the obstetric and gynecology wing. We followed the path that a woman in labor would follow.

We learned that the Italians pay $1000 in taxes for healthcare every year, even if they don’t use it. I’m pretty sure that all their medical expenses were covered under this tax that they pay. We also learned that if someone is sick they see their GP before they go to the hospital. And if someone asks for a test, they have to pay for it, but if the test is ordered, then it is paid through the taxes.

225: Week #5

I chose to do the painting of Judith slaying Holofornes from the Uffizi Museum in Florence. The painting was painted between 1618 and 1620 and is 79” by 64”.

Iconography
To me, it looked like he was sleeping and Judith and her maid came in to kill him. The maid looks uncomfortable by her facial expression and the fact that Holofornes has his hand on her. Judith’s hand and arm are twisting to show that she is literally sawing off his head. By her facial expression and the fact that it looks like she is using her whole body to cut, it was no easy task. According to the story, she used his sword to kill him, and brought his head back to her city to scare his army away from the city.

325: Week #5

On Monday, we went to the Borghese Gardens. Our topic for the day was leisure. When we got to the gardens, we were told that we had about two hours to do what ever we wanted. It was a very relaxing day, and the gardens were beautiful.

In class, we talked about the difference between what Americans believe is leisure and what Italians believe. Americans believe that it is a time to rest so they can work harder. Italians believe that leisure is for self improvement. We focus more on work and making money, while the Italians just focus on life and how to make it better for them.

This is a place where everything slows down so people can enjoy the simpler things in life such as “grandmothers and daughters strolling, fathers teaching sons to ride bikes, romping dogs, red-hot lovers, and friends walking arm-in-arm. (Smiles, 200)

This area parallels Central Park in New York. Now, I have never been to Central Park, but I would imagine that it is about the same thing; a park in the middle of the city where people come to relax and take a break. The only difference being that, like we talked about in class, Americans are just taking a quick rest from work, and Italians are actually taking a break from work.

490: Week #4

So last Thursday instead of taking the metro or a bus, we walked to a market on the other side of Termini. It was nice to just walk around. The market didn’t have very many tourists in it. Our challenge for that day was to survey twenty people, ten men and ten women, about their health and how the feel about their healthcare. We were sent with twenty surveys written in Italian and a couple different ways to ask people to take our surveys.

In the beginning, I was kind of skeptical about how this would work, nine American students who speak very little Italian, in one small market asking everyone the same questions. The first group of people I walked up to, I slowly explained to them I was an American student doing a survey on their healthcare, and three of them filled it out. I was off to a great start!

After that, it was a little more difficult. Everyone I asked either had not time to answer, already been asked by someone else, or didn’t want to answer. One thing that happened a lot was that people thought that they were supposed to answer for me, so they were confused.

Overall, I think that it was a success. My group got forty four people to answer the survey. We only had eleven guys though. I’m not sure why guys weren’t as willing to answer. I think that it was a good learning experience though. I got to practice my Italian and learn about the Italian culture a little bit more.

325: Week #4

A piazza is an open area, usually blocked off to cars, that is a kind of park. There’s usually some kind of monument or fountain in the center. There are, in most piazzas, street vendors selling anything from clothes and scarves to fresh fruits and sandwiches. A lot of people are also in a piazza because it is a safe place to walk.

Barzini says that Italians like to put on a show and one of their stages is a piazza. He uses example like a mother with her baby, when she is alone, she is like any other mother, but when someone is in the room, she becomes “Mother Love.” He also uses the example of an Italian man with a foreign girl. He puts on such a good show to the girl, that she is not able to resist him.

In Piazza Navona, there were 3 fountains (even though one was under construction). There were caricature artists and street performers. All around the edge of the piazza were different cafes where tourists could sit outside and enjoy Italian cuisine. It is truly a different experience in every piazza we go to.

490: Week #3

The government either wants to give us all responsibility or no responsibility for our own healthcare. Being Americans, we won’t do very well with our own responsibility because we are not knowledgeable enough about healthcare. We are also too lazy to figure things out on our own. But, also as Americans, we don’t want the government to run everything.

Consumer driven healthcare is where Americans have a set amount of money to pay for their healthcare. It still won’t give people without healthcare anything. Right now, some Americans are getting healthcare that they just pay for and don’t usually have to worry about so if we were actually given responsibility over our healthcare, we wouldn’t be able to do it. We trust doctors to diagnose us; we don’t have the degree to diagnose ourselves.

Universal healthcare is also not going to work. America is seen as a free nation, run by the people. Government can’t run healthcare. Most of their programs haven’t worked anyway or people have found loopholes that ruin it for everyone else. They need to find a happy medium between Consumer driven and universal healthcare, but they will never please everyone.

225: Week #3

I know that this is the fake David but, you can't take pictures of the real David....

I chose the Statue of David for my blog. It is located in the Accademia gallery after being moved from its original spot in the Palazzo della Signoria. It was made of carrara marble in 1504.

Iconography
Other statues made by Donatello and Verrochio are of David after a victorious battle, but this one is of David before the battle. He seems tense like he might be nervous for battle. The slingshot he carries over his shoulder is almost invisible, emphasizing that David's victory was one of cleverness, not sheer force. (colorado.edu/rbloem/david.html) He is depicted strong willed and ready to fight.

It is slightly disproportional. The head and upper body is very big, but the legs are smaller. His hands are rather large too.

325: Week #3

The question of the week was, “Does history bolster or hinder faith?” I don’t know how it could hinder anyone’s faith because religion is history. In Rome, there seems to be a church around every corner, not just any church, like in the states, but a Catholic church. Religion is a big part of Rome’s history.
Being Catholic, I love all of the churches we’ve visited. So far my favorite was San Giovanni. The statues on the top of the church were amazing. I also really enjoyed the Holy Steps. I wasn’t planning on going up them on our way there, but I just felt like I had to do it when they were right in front of me. I think that is how Rome bolsters faith. There are so many historical and religious places that it makes people do things they wouldn’t normally do.
Most of the artwork that we have seen since we have been her has been religious. In the Uffizi museum in Florence, every room had at least one religious piece of artwork. In order for so many people to paint the Madonna and child or the Crucifixion, religion had to play some part in their lives.
The history in the Bible of Jesus’ Virgin birth from Mary to his death and rising from the dead is another thing that bolsters religion. Jesus died to save us and we know this from the stories in the Bible. His pain and suffering to make our lives better makes me feel stronger in my faith and closer to Him.

490: Week #2

"Every life deserves world class care." That is one of the mottos for the Cleveland Clinic that is first seen on their website. It was founded in 1921 by four doctors "for the purpose of providing care, research and medical education in an ideal medical setting. Patients come to the clinic from all 50 states and from over 100 nations." (Wikipedia)

Cuyahoga County ranked 70th as one of the unhealthiest counties in the US, based on factors like smoking, obesity, binge drinking, unemployment, child poverty and air pollution. Healthcare is also based on race. "According to a Kaiser survey, 64 percent of African-Americans
and 56 percent of Latinos believe that they receive lower-quality
health care than whites. " (uhcanohio.org)

America's healthcare is the highest priced out there. There are government programs, but you have to be way below the poverty line in order to get any money and a lot of people aren't aware of the programs. Cuyahoga county is one of the poorest counties in Ohio with a lot of different races who can't afford good healthcare. The cleveland Clinic is a great hospital, but it is also very expensive, so the people in its county aren't able to afford it.

225: Week #2

I decided to do the Capitoline She-Wolf in the Capitoline museum. It is a 75 cm bronze statue of a she-wolf and two babies, Romulus and Remus, who were added years after the wolf was made.

Iconology
Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor and niece of Amulius, the king of Alba Longo, fell in love with a man who she wasn't married to and had twin boys, Romulus and Remus. The king was furious and wanted to get rid of the babies. A slave put the babies in a basket and sent them down the river. A she-wolf who just lost all her cubs found the basket. She looked after the boys and fed them her milk.

Romulus and Remus lived became shepherds just like their adopted father. On night, Remus got in a fight with another shepherd and was sent to see Numitor who realized that they were his lost grandsons. They killed Amulius and moved into Alba Longo. MIssing their lives back as shepherds, the moved to a new place to start their own city, but they ended up building two cities. After fighiting over who had the better city, Romulus killed Remus. But as a tribute to his brother, he named his city Rome and became the first king.

325: Week #2

When we first flew into the city, I was so excited, my first time in a different country. Once we were on our way to Castel Gandolfo, I was instantly changed. I wasn't sure that Rome was what everyone made it out to be. The next morning, we went to Termini. I was worried about being in the way, someone pick-pocketing me, or just losing the group. Once we got on the metro, I was thinking what I have got myself into. Then we got off the Metro and I saw the Colesseum and everything changed. It was amazing!

I never thought that, first I wasn't going to like the city, and second, I could change my mind that fast. Once we were at the Colesseum, I started falling in love with the city. After walking around the city that day, I just fell in love with it. Around every corner there is something historically siginificant and beautiful.

In the Smiles of Rome, one of the essays, Such is Rome, Natalia Ginzburg says that "Our feelings for cities, like our feelings for people, are always rather confusesd, with all sorts of things mixed in." (271) I completely agree with that. We feel homesick, kind of lost, and out of our comfort zone, but we love the city and everything about it.

Today we took a bike ride on the Old Appian Road. I love riding a bike and the Appian Way just made it better. It was beautiful outside and all the tombs along the way just made me love it more because there was a lot of history behind them.

490: Week#1

Healthcare should be considered a privilege because it is need not a right. In the Grover book, it says, "legitimate rights don't place demands on other people." (Dunn, 36) In that essay, Wayne Dunn is saying that by making healthcare a right, it would "ravage the rights of other people's goods and services."(Dunn, 36) People have worked hard for their healthcare. From the dorctors and nurses that went to school for years and still have to keep up with everything, to the school teacher who pays so much out of her check for it. By making it a right, it would br inflicting on the rights of those people that already have healthcare.

I do understand that some people can't afford healthcare. I do know that there are free clinics in most cities that they can go to, like the Baths of Caracalla, which was free. Healthcare is a hard topic to debate because of the moral aspect of it, but I still believe that it would take away rights of people that already have or provide healthcare.

225: Week #1

I chose The Assumption of the Virgin by Daniele da Volterra. It is a painting in Trinità dei Monti Church by the Spanish Steps.

"While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, 'Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts where you nursed.' He replied, 'Rather blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.'" (Luke 11:27-28)

This is a photo of Mary being brought up to Heaven after dying. It is named the Assumption of Mary because she was believed to be taken up, body and soul, to heaven. Her tomb near Mt. Zion was found empty and there were no relics of Mary. "The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity." (Fr. Clifford Stephens)

325: Week #1

In our first class we were asked "How do you think you will be changed after 8 weeks in Italy?" Well, I believe that I will be more aware of different cultures. At dinner last night, Danilo asked us if we wanted him to say thank you the Italian way or the American way. We told him to choose. He just said "uh huh," to point out how lazy Americans are even when talking. In different cultures, not saying "you're welcome" can be seen as disrespectful.

In The Italians, Luigi Barzini talks about how the Italians fell about the flood of tourists especially when the amount of tourists greatly surpasses their population. Barzini says that people flock to Rome because of some unknown urge. Most Italians try to stay away from the invaders from foreign lands, but some find love with them. Wealthier families sent their sons to Italy to lear Italian because it is the language of love, "following the Emperor Charles V's maxim: 'I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.'" (pg 25)

We visited the Colesseum and Roman Forum on our excursion yesterday. I have never been that interested in history! I had heard of the Colesseum before, but I never realized how many people and animals were killed there. Most people went just to see people die! Even the people who had the "bad" seats, still came to watch the prisioners being put to death. I also was astonished to hear that it was built the the year 80AD! Even with technologies today, I don't believe that we could build something that would last that long.

The Roman Forum was also amazing! The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina had a door that was about 5 feet off the ground after you went up the steps. The Forum was built in a valley on a marsh land so over time the ground grew higher and higher and people built on top of it because they didn't know anything was underneath. All of the the structures, even though they were ruins, were beautiful and had a lot of history behind them.