My favorite professor in Rome always tells us the stories of Classical Mythology with the phrase “life goes on”. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from studying abroad, from the ancient Greeks, from my life, it is that life truly does goes on.
Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Medea killed her children and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Actaeon was ripped apart by his own hunting dogs. But the world kept spinning.
Whether you’re having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year-it will end eventually. And the flip side of the coin is that the good stuff ends too. So all we can really do is enjoy the pleasures of life while they’re here- our friends, Arrested Development, puppies, a fence in the middle of Rome with lilac climbing all over it, reunions at the airport, strawberry ice cream, lying in the grass under the stars, clean laundry, crunchy autumn leaves, and of course, family. Life goes on and if we miss the stuff that makes it worth living, then what’s the point?
I sound like a total sap-which I’m not. I have days where I hate everybody, don’t want to get out of bed, shoot people dirty looks just because they seem chipper. But the past years of my life have gone very, very fast and sometimes very, very slow. I’ve had the best times of my life and I’ve also had some of the worst. A lot of my problems were solved with a piece of chocolate and a magazine-sometimes they weren’t. But the sun still rose in the east and set in the west. Someday (hopefully many years from now) I’ll die and the best I can ask for is that future generations of humans, human/alien hybrids, perhaps even robots, will know that life goes on.
Nananana life goes on.
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Saturday 28 March 2009
Don't Wear Stilettos to the Vatican
Thursday afternoon I pulled on a skirt, and a new pair of heels. I was going to mass at the Vatican. The Hamilton College choir has been on a tour of Italy-and now they were performing at St. Peter's Cathedral. Lindsay and I headed over to the Vatican, gossiping and getting the stink-eye from Italians who couldn't believe that we weren't wearing heavy coats, what with the chilly temperature of 65 degrees.
Now I'm not a complete idiot. I wore flip-flops for the walk. But before we went in the gates, I switched to nude peep-toed stilettos.
Here's a tip-marble floors + stiletto heels = pain.
As my feet and legs were in agony, I was stunned by the sheer talent of the choir. I've heard them before, of course, but now hearing them again in Italy? Wow, I mean WOW. I was so so so proud of them.
Friday brought the arrival of my friend Hannah-I took her on a walk through the Villa Borghese, to the Trevi Fountain for gelato, to Piazza Navona for more gelato, to a bakery for Nutella Donuts, and back to my little apartment. It was wonderful to see her- we also saw a group of choir members walking back from the Vatican.
To have Hamilton and Rome combine for a couple of days was surreal to say the least. But it was also awesome. It reminded me that even though Rome is awesome and I'm going to be sad to leave it, Hamilton is waiting for me to come back. Plus, last time I checked we still didn't have any marble floors, meaning that my heels & I should be good to go.
Now I'm not a complete idiot. I wore flip-flops for the walk. But before we went in the gates, I switched to nude peep-toed stilettos.
Here's a tip-marble floors + stiletto heels = pain.
As my feet and legs were in agony, I was stunned by the sheer talent of the choir. I've heard them before, of course, but now hearing them again in Italy? Wow, I mean WOW. I was so so so proud of them.
Friday brought the arrival of my friend Hannah-I took her on a walk through the Villa Borghese, to the Trevi Fountain for gelato, to Piazza Navona for more gelato, to a bakery for Nutella Donuts, and back to my little apartment. It was wonderful to see her- we also saw a group of choir members walking back from the Vatican.
To have Hamilton and Rome combine for a couple of days was surreal to say the least. But it was also awesome. It reminded me that even though Rome is awesome and I'm going to be sad to leave it, Hamilton is waiting for me to come back. Plus, last time I checked we still didn't have any marble floors, meaning that my heels & I should be good to go.
Sunday 22 March 2009
What I'll Take Away
My friend Brandun pointed out that 5 weeks from today we'll be going home. 5 weeks sounds both impossibly long and impossibly short. How have I been here for over 2 months already? Seriously?!?
Forevermore I'm going to associate the smell of cigarettes with Rome-this is one city where the anti-smoking movement hasn't reached.
When I hear the sweet funk of James Brown, I'm going to think about last night, when a bunch of us went to a club called Big Mama's where a James Brown cover band was playing. At first the Italians gave us the old stink-eye, but once the music really got going and we got dancing, they warmed up to us. I did the lawn-mower, the shopping cart, the squat, and a whole bunch of other moves. I think I probably looked like a spastic monkey.
I also got to experience the joy of the Nightbus. Unlike in Harry Potter, you can't just stick our arm out to find a ride home. Instead you have to take a random bus to Termini, the main train station, then hop on another bus, just to find a stop where the N6 goes. When you find an N6 stop, you have to wait for 42 minutes for it to come, at 2:15 in the morning. Eventually you make it home, where the short & angry porter judges you for being out so late. I kept singing Matt Nathanson's song "Come on, Get Higher" to warm myself.
In order to recover from this madness, I slept for something like 10 hours today. I only got up to eat and use the ladies' room. Oh yeah and I watched Deep Blue Sea while doing my Latin homework.
So while I'm taking a lot with me from Italy, I also know that I'm still me. Quirky, eccentric, bread-loving, bad-dancing me.
P.S.
Last night while waiting for a tram I starting singing and Lindsay made me stop. She reminded me that I'm tone-deaf. I just like to forget that when I sing, it sounds like cats dying.
Forevermore I'm going to associate the smell of cigarettes with Rome-this is one city where the anti-smoking movement hasn't reached.
When I hear the sweet funk of James Brown, I'm going to think about last night, when a bunch of us went to a club called Big Mama's where a James Brown cover band was playing. At first the Italians gave us the old stink-eye, but once the music really got going and we got dancing, they warmed up to us. I did the lawn-mower, the shopping cart, the squat, and a whole bunch of other moves. I think I probably looked like a spastic monkey.
I also got to experience the joy of the Nightbus. Unlike in Harry Potter, you can't just stick our arm out to find a ride home. Instead you have to take a random bus to Termini, the main train station, then hop on another bus, just to find a stop where the N6 goes. When you find an N6 stop, you have to wait for 42 minutes for it to come, at 2:15 in the morning. Eventually you make it home, where the short & angry porter judges you for being out so late. I kept singing Matt Nathanson's song "Come on, Get Higher" to warm myself.
In order to recover from this madness, I slept for something like 10 hours today. I only got up to eat and use the ladies' room. Oh yeah and I watched Deep Blue Sea while doing my Latin homework.
So while I'm taking a lot with me from Italy, I also know that I'm still me. Quirky, eccentric, bread-loving, bad-dancing me.
P.S.
Last night while waiting for a tram I starting singing and Lindsay made me stop. She reminded me that I'm tone-deaf. I just like to forget that when I sing, it sounds like cats dying.
Saturday 21 March 2009
An Anthropological Perspective
My friend Hannah is an anthropologist, so she "observes things". One of her favorite subjects to observe (or at least one that is around a lot) is me. Some of the things she's noticed:
1. When trying to talk to guys it's always "later".
2. I have very weird hours. Get up at 8, do some stuff, go back to sleep at 11.Get up again at two, good till 6, then catnap. Up again at 7 until 3 in the morning. Repeat.
3. I watch the same movies over & over again. Grey Gardens, Coyote Ugly, Notting Hill.
4. Sugar is one of my main food groups.
5. I have a weird obsession with my feet (she also claims that after ballet class, my feet smell like "old cheez doodles").
I suggested than Hannah write her senior thesis on me. She politely declined.
1. When trying to talk to guys it's always "later".
2. I have very weird hours. Get up at 8, do some stuff, go back to sleep at 11.Get up again at two, good till 6, then catnap. Up again at 7 until 3 in the morning. Repeat.
3. I watch the same movies over & over again. Grey Gardens, Coyote Ugly, Notting Hill.
4. Sugar is one of my main food groups.
5. I have a weird obsession with my feet (she also claims that after ballet class, my feet smell like "old cheez doodles").
I suggested than Hannah write her senior thesis on me. She politely declined.
Friday 20 March 2009
One-Liners
On a certain person's boxers:
"They were white and semi-sheer and I basically had to cover my eyes."
On the ghost in that apartment next door:
"I can get rid of the ghost-I'll need some candles and the blood of a young goat and an old goat."
"I'd rather have the ghost."
"They were white and semi-sheer and I basically had to cover my eyes."
On the ghost in that apartment next door:
"I can get rid of the ghost-I'll need some candles and the blood of a young goat and an old goat."
"I'd rather have the ghost."
Thank You
I just want to say thank you to the Universe for the following things:
-Hamilton College, and my friends there
-My family
-Nutella
-Country Music
-High Heels
-Jasmine (the person & the flower)
-Bernini
-Hamilton College, and my friends there
-My family
-Nutella
-Country Music
-High Heels
-Jasmine (the person & the flower)
-Bernini
Monday 16 March 2009
Italian Life
So obviously I'm thinking about the future, but I am also thinking about the now. I'm having a really good time in Italy. I'm still a huge fan of Nutella, although I'm trying to curb my cravings a little bit. The way I do this is by eating pizza bianca (dough with salt and olive oil) with honey drizzled on top. The sweet, salty, and the olive oil make an amazing combination.
My roommates are certainly entertaining. 1:00 AM on Saturday Morning-Roommate A decides that she NEEDS to go back to Tunisia. So she & the guy she's been seeing (he is actually Tunisian) flew over at 11:15 AM. She's coming back tomorrow. Theoretically.
My other roommate likes eating as much as I do. Probably more, in fact. Because I have never eaten chicken fingers in the bathtub. She has also eaten Bonne Nut (knock-off Nutella) in the bathtub, straight from the jar.
Of course, I do go to class. One of my professors is named Mario and he teaches my drawing class. He also gives life advice such as "never trust a man" and "to be a better artist drink a little wine, make a little love first".
Go Italy.
My roommates are certainly entertaining. 1:00 AM on Saturday Morning-Roommate A decides that she NEEDS to go back to Tunisia. So she & the guy she's been seeing (he is actually Tunisian) flew over at 11:15 AM. She's coming back tomorrow. Theoretically.
My other roommate likes eating as much as I do. Probably more, in fact. Because I have never eaten chicken fingers in the bathtub. She has also eaten Bonne Nut (knock-off Nutella) in the bathtub, straight from the jar.
Of course, I do go to class. One of my professors is named Mario and he teaches my drawing class. He also gives life advice such as "never trust a man" and "to be a better artist drink a little wine, make a little love first".
Go Italy.
The Future
It's funny that when you leave home, you realize exactly what about your home you love. I have two homes, so I have double the people that I love & miss. For me, Hamilton College and "my people" there are as much of a family as my parents and friends in Colorado. Of course, now that my brother goes to Hamilton, it literally is part of m family. I've been incredibly lucky to make great friends, and have some inspirational faculty. They motivate, challenge, and yes, sometimes frustrate me, but at the end of the day I also know that these people are rooting for me. I hope I can give them something good to root for.
To that end, I'm applying to law school. I've always been good(and bad)with my mouth, and going into some sort of law is really appealing. I also know that I need to have a job where I can support myself-food, shelter, & shoes.
Where am I going to be doing this? Well, the truth is that if I want to be an activist I have to be in Washington D.C. I'd love to live in Colorado, but if I want my dream job, it's not where I need to be. The other thing is that I'm not going to move 1770 miles from my Hamilton family, and most of them will stay on the East Coast. So hopefully, with a little luck and a lot of hard work, I'll find a Washington D.C. law school that is a good match for me.
It might seem bizarre that I made these plans in Italy, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The Italians believe in the pursuit of pleasure. What they eat, what they see, what they do is driven by a love for pleasure. I want a job that I like. I know I won't like it all the time. There will be days when I hate it and want to hide under my desk with a caramel macchiato and the latest issue of Vogue. But I think this is the right track for me. And if not, I know my people will be there to catch me when I fall.
To that end, I'm applying to law school. I've always been good(and bad)with my mouth, and going into some sort of law is really appealing. I also know that I need to have a job where I can support myself-food, shelter, & shoes.
Where am I going to be doing this? Well, the truth is that if I want to be an activist I have to be in Washington D.C. I'd love to live in Colorado, but if I want my dream job, it's not where I need to be. The other thing is that I'm not going to move 1770 miles from my Hamilton family, and most of them will stay on the East Coast. So hopefully, with a little luck and a lot of hard work, I'll find a Washington D.C. law school that is a good match for me.
It might seem bizarre that I made these plans in Italy, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The Italians believe in the pursuit of pleasure. What they eat, what they see, what they do is driven by a love for pleasure. I want a job that I like. I know I won't like it all the time. There will be days when I hate it and want to hide under my desk with a caramel macchiato and the latest issue of Vogue. But I think this is the right track for me. And if not, I know my people will be there to catch me when I fall.
Saturday 14 March 2009
Really?
Would someone please explain to me how I avoided getting sick in Tunisia, but in Rome I get food poisoning?
Tunisia really was awesome (I've decided I'll probably never finish the day by day recaps). I rode a dromedary into the Sahara sunset, practiced my French, visited a Holy City, and had a wonderful time. Every place I travel to leaves a little stamp on my heart.
In other news, my high school just won the boys basketball state championship!! Go KODIAKS!!
Tunisia really was awesome (I've decided I'll probably never finish the day by day recaps). I rode a dromedary into the Sahara sunset, practiced my French, visited a Holy City, and had a wonderful time. Every place I travel to leaves a little stamp on my heart.
In other news, my high school just won the boys basketball state championship!! Go KODIAKS!!
Monday 9 March 2009
Tunisia Day Two
It's 62 degrees in Rome. Harhar.
Anyway:
Day 2
8:00 Wake-up
8:30 Eat chocolate croissants, pretend that they are healthy.
9:00 Drive to Port El Kanoui.
10:11 Spot boat tours of Tunisian coast. Find out that they're only half an hour. Hmm
10:15 On the Mediterranean.
10:47 Wind-blown and euphoric, run back to bus.
11:30 Check into hotel which has discoteca, indoor & outdoor pool. This is amazing.
2:30 SHOPPING!! Wander around market. Experience real-life Borat moment as I am asked "How much?"
4:30 Castle by the sea. We wander down a little peninsula only to see a guy barfing. We wander back.
6:00 In room I attempt to flush the toilet, but instead spray myself with water from the bidet hose. Typical.
8:00 Dinner
8:45 I hear familiar music...It's the macarena!! I end up doing the quintessential dance of 1996 with several old German women.
9:15 Belly dancers-If I could dance like that, if only, if only
10:30 More dancing and a brief trip to the Western themed discoteca end. I hed upstairs, pull on my sweatpants, and drift to sleep.
Anyway:
Day 2
8:00 Wake-up
8:30 Eat chocolate croissants, pretend that they are healthy.
9:00 Drive to Port El Kanoui.
10:11 Spot boat tours of Tunisian coast. Find out that they're only half an hour. Hmm
10:15 On the Mediterranean.
10:47 Wind-blown and euphoric, run back to bus.
11:30 Check into hotel which has discoteca, indoor & outdoor pool. This is amazing.
2:30 SHOPPING!! Wander around market. Experience real-life Borat moment as I am asked "How much?"
4:30 Castle by the sea. We wander down a little peninsula only to see a guy barfing. We wander back.
6:00 In room I attempt to flush the toilet, but instead spray myself with water from the bidet hose. Typical.
8:00 Dinner
8:45 I hear familiar music...It's the macarena!! I end up doing the quintessential dance of 1996 with several old German women.
9:15 Belly dancers-If I could dance like that, if only, if only
10:30 More dancing and a brief trip to the Western themed discoteca end. I hed upstairs, pull on my sweatpants, and drift to sleep.
Saturday 7 March 2009
Day 1 in Tunisia
So I made it back from Tunisia, happy with a few more freckles on my nose, and a variety of camel leather goods. It was a great trip-having never been to an Islamic country before, I was fascinated with the culture. That, coupled with the amazing setting, blew my mind on a daily basis.
Day 1
4:45 Wake up to depart by 6:00 AM
5:52 Find out that we are not leaving until 7:00 AM
7:02 Get into taxi cab in extremely bad mood
8:37 Discover chocolate croissants at airport bar. Bad mood dissipates.
11:15 Depart for Tunis
12:38 Arrive in Tunis
1: 30 Arrive at Hotel Diplomat
3:30 Depart for Medina/Souk. Enjoy 70’s Mercedes Bus.
3:50 Visit to perfume shop. Owner peddles a variety of scents including “Sex Machine…only for Saturday nights, tickatickaticka.”
4:15 We are followed by strange Tunisian man who apparently wants to come with us. We sic the cops who have been following us at a discreet distance on him. He leaves.
4:30 Tea Shop. I drink mint tea with pine nuts and then smoke cherry flavored hookah with 13 other people. Love Tunisia.
5:45 Return to hotel for shower because I smell like airport, “Sex Machine”, and hookah
8:00 Dinner (Spaghetti, ironically)
9:00 I pass out. The next morning my roommate Danielle informs me that I snore.
Day 1
4:45 Wake up to depart by 6:00 AM
5:52 Find out that we are not leaving until 7:00 AM
7:02 Get into taxi cab in extremely bad mood
8:37 Discover chocolate croissants at airport bar. Bad mood dissipates.
11:15 Depart for Tunis
12:38 Arrive in Tunis
1: 30 Arrive at Hotel Diplomat
3:30 Depart for Medina/Souk. Enjoy 70’s Mercedes Bus.
3:50 Visit to perfume shop. Owner peddles a variety of scents including “Sex Machine…only for Saturday nights, tickatickaticka.”
4:15 We are followed by strange Tunisian man who apparently wants to come with us. We sic the cops who have been following us at a discreet distance on him. He leaves.
4:30 Tea Shop. I drink mint tea with pine nuts and then smoke cherry flavored hookah with 13 other people. Love Tunisia.
5:45 Return to hotel for shower because I smell like airport, “Sex Machine”, and hookah
8:00 Dinner (Spaghetti, ironically)
9:00 I pass out. The next morning my roommate Danielle informs me that I snore.
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