Saturday, May 31, 2008

Stockholm


Hello! Jared, Brian, and myself are in Stockholm this weekend. We arrived on Friday May 30th and will be leaving Sunday June 1st and spending Sunday in Frankfurt before returning to Rome Sunday evening. Stockholm is so much different than Rome! It is such a modern city. You know all those pictures of Tokyo that show flashing signs and very large television screens on the sides of buildings? Well, that is what the downtown Stockholm area is like! We ventured into town last night after a great (and expensive) dinner at a local restaurant. Our hotel is right next to the metro station, so after a 15 minute journey we arrived downtown. We walked around and checked out some different places, but called it an early night because we were pretty tired from flying for 4 hours and a busy week of classes. The thing about this place that interests me the most is this: Stockholm is so far north that the sun only set for 4 hours last night. When we finished dinner at 10:30, it had just barely crept below the horizon. When we returned to our hotel at 2:00am, it was rising again. I tossed and turned until 3:00 at which points the birds began singing and the sun was pretty much all the way up. It's amazing to see this considering in Pittsburgh (and the rest of the continental United States) this does not happen! I'll keep you posted on our trip. I just rolled out of bed and our hotel lobby has free espresso, so I'll be heading down there now!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Blue Collared, White Collared..what's the difference?

In class this morning the point was brought up that the locals here in Rome seem to hold more blue collared jobs as compared to white collared, which is different from cities back in the states, at least Pittsburgh. I made the argument that Romans also seem to be much more proud of their jobs than most Americans do.
As I was walking to class this morning, Brand New playing on my i-Pod, I passed the locals vendors selling everything from shoes, to shirts, to knock-off Prada bags along Viale di Trastevere. All of a sudden a man in a white trench coat stained with blood walked in front of me. I was thrown off for a second, until I remember what I was near. A butcher shop. This young man was not ashamed that his job was to cut meat and sell it to those who could afford to pay 25 Euro for a steak. He simply walked out and started shopping, on what I assumed was a break in his slaughtering action. No shame for his blood colored clothing. When he was done, he went back in to his shop and resumed his business as usual, as if this was a normal part of his day.
Fast forward to the cafe where I grabbed espresso this morning, and the restaurant where we ate lunch today. I noticed a trend in both these places. Photographs. The workers of these shops placed photos of family and friends on the counters and walls of these shops, as if it were their own personal cubicle. These were professionally done photographs as well, with the workers of the shops in them!
I know we shouldn't keep comparing Italian culture to American culture, but it's hard not too. I keep thinking that if I walked into Starbucks on College Ave. and saw the Barista hanging a picture of her and her husband on the wall behind the cash register, I would be a little freaked out. But to these people it is normal, and accepted.
Why not show off who you love? Why be afraid to walk in the streets in your dirty work clothes, when this may show others that your job places you in a lower class than them? The lesson here? Be proud of what you're doing, because to you it's completely unique. Don't let anyone else's opinion dictate your actions. And finally, hang up those cheesy family portraits wherever and whenever you please. Why not?

It's all relative...

I'm amazed by the fountains in Rome for the simple fact that the water that is presently flowing through them is coming from the mountains some miles outside of the city center and is flowing through aqueducts that are thousands of years old.
When I first arrived in the city I felt weird drinking from these fountains, for the simple reason that my obvious infatuation with them would lead to others labeling me an American seeing as how these wells were so important to my everyday life here. This bothered me, until I started to use these fountains more and more, and I noticed something. The locals here in Rome do actually use these fountains as well.
The reason I thought this weird is that for the first week I was in town I was too concerned with my own use of the fountains to notice who else was using them, but I quickly removed myself from that perspective and noticed that in fact the locals do use these, and for various reasons.
I have seen locals drink from the fountains, wash their bodies in the fountains, and even let their animals drink from them on hot, sweltering Roman afternoons. I just figured that these people have been living in Rome long enough that the novelty of these fountains has worn off, and they stopped using them, but I was obviously wrong. I compare it to a football weekend in State College where the line for The Creamery wraps around the block to the parking garage in which people wait hours for a $3.50 Peachy Paterno (just for you dad!) cone, but to us students, the novelty has worn off. I assumed it was the same for these fountains but that is not true.
This morning, May 28th, I went to fill up my water bottle at the fountain next to our class (Buddah) and an older gentleman in a suit came up behind me with the clear intention of using the fountain, so I let him go seeing as it might take a minute or two to fill my water bottle. He threw his tie behind his shoulder and bent down and took a nice long sip of the cool refreshing spring water, stood up, wiped his mouth, dropped his tie back into place, and he was on his way. He even threw in a simple "grazie" to me for letting him jump in front to get his morning refresher. I said "prego", which means thank you, and smiled. He smiled back and we parted ways.
This early morning experience showed me that in fact the modern day Romans do appreciate what we consider to be a novelty experience, and I think we could learn from this. It may sound very cliche, but we can't take anything for granted. We must not walk by the Pantheon and just go "Oh, there's the Pantheon again." We should stop inside and take it all in because who knows when these experiences will present themselves to us again.
To this, I am allowing myself the pleasure of a double scoop of Peachy Paterno ice cream when I return to State College for Arts Fest. I guess it's the simple things that make all the difference. Ciao

"Sensing" Viale di Trastevere

To see, smell, hear, taste, and touch Rome, that is the assignment. I will use Viale Di Trastevere for an example.
The smells of this long street vary, depending on which area you are in. If, for instance, you are standing next to a dumpster then you will, for sure, smell garbage. But that’s common sense. But, travel a mere 50 yards to any cafĂ© and the aroma of espresso, pastries, and other delights fill your nose, drawing you in to spend you hard earned euro. Smell is such a strong incentive to spend money, and Rome knows this, and they use it to their advantage.
To touch Rome is a little harder. But it can be done. I think of touching Viale Di Trastevere as walking on its streets, which are cobblestone for the most part. It’s such a unique experience to walk on cobblestone most every day for an extended period of time, after living in western Pennsylvania for my entire life. I am clumsy enough as it is, so uneven streets can sometimes be my worst enemy. I usually spend my summers in my backyard in a small western Pennsylvania town, walking on soft, green grass, all the while my three dogs play and roll in the freshly cut grass, as if this was cut for their pure enjoyment.
Seeing Viale Di Trastevere is an experience in itself! I have seen some weird things, but some of the action that happens on this street can have a tendency to blow my mind. Last night I witnessed a homeless gentleman washing “himself” in a fountain. I don’t mean his hands, or his hair. He was washing some very private areas, right in the middle of the street. Also, seeing the very large trams rumble by carrying hundreds of people is an awesome sight, especially going over the bridge that doesn’t look strong enough to hold one tram let alone two!
Going along the same line as seeing, hearing Viale Di Trastevere is most noted by the thunderous trams, and the trickling of water from the various fountains. It goes from one extreme to the other, and everything in between. The occasional sounds of music coming from a pizzeria are also a welcomed sound, as it reminds you that in fact these dark little places are lively and cooking, literally! Another great thing to hear is the Italian language. To me, someone who does not speak great Italian, this language makes me excited. It’s so unique! We’ve all heard of songs like “That’s Amore!” and other Italian songs/phrases, but that was in America. To hear them here is different.
Lastly, there is taste. Taste is my favorite, for obvious reasons. My three favorite tastes of Viale Di Trastevere so far are the pizza, the espresso, and the gelato. The espresso ranks up there among the best tasting coffees I have ever had. It puts Starbucks to shame! I think half the experience is the atmosphere in which you enjoy it, standing at a bar next to other Italians who are enjoying the same simple drink you are. Next comes the pizza, which is nothing like we have at home. It’s “real” pizza. The cheese is melted to perfection and the sauce is sweet and thin, as is the crust. The edges are burnt and it tastes like smoke, just like how every pizza should be. Lastly is the gelato, which makes my hometown ice cream (sorry Youngs!) taste, not so good. It’s smooth and has various chunks of other ingredients, depending on what flavor you get. I told my friend here that when you see it all piled up in the cooler, it seems as if you can just lay down and go to sleep in it. It even looks smooth and soft. Fantastic!
So what does this all mean? When we are here in Rome, we must be able to use our senses a little more wisely than if we were back in the United States. When we are home it’s routine and we don’t need to use them all to make choices, but here we do. So it’s important for us to understand this, and use it to make decisions about our every day lives.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Viale Di Trastevere-May 26, 2008

So last night after our dinner I ventured into Trastevere, but this time I went down the end of town that I had not visited before. It was a split second decision to go for a walk, and I walked out without my camera (this is at least the 5th time I have done this), so next time I will take pictures of this area. For those of you who do not know, Trastevere literally means "Across the Tiber", which is the famous river that runs through downtown Rome. The area is quaint, and is less touristy than other areas. Our apartment is situated in the section of Trastevere that is about 1/2 mile from the end of the Trastevere limits.
Anyways, the area I found last night is beautiful. The tram tracks are tree lined (unlike the other parts of the city), the buildings are newer, and the roads are wider. It reminded me of parts of Pittsburgh, such as Mt. Washington. There is also restaurant after restaurant after restaurant! So much food to try, and so little time to try it!
I'm beginning to find little shortcuts around town as well, saving me a few minutes when trying to get from point A to B. This is also a great time to find the little restaurants, shops, and markets that so commonly line the back, unknown streets of Rome.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

AS Roma!


Last night as Cole and I were walking back from the girls apartment (they have an internet connection) we witnessed the mayhem that followed AS Roma's (Rome's soccer team)win in the Italian Cup 2-1 over Inter Milan. The streets exploded with action as the AS Roma fans, scarves and all, lit fireworks, sang their fight song, and were just plain rowdy. Horns blared long into the night, even on our usually quiet little street, so sleep was hard to come by last night. Check out the full story (in English) .http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhere.
When we woke up this morning, the streets were back to normal and Rome continued its Sunday tradition of relaxation. As if nothing had happened the night before.