CAM X ROME

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Naples pizza - thin crust, fresh ingredients, SO GOOD! 

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From Sorrento we went to Pompeii to join the rest of the school for tours through the remaining ruins following the volcano eruption in (insert year here). The tour guide led us through for a solid 6 hours. Got a ton of knowledge thrown at us, but honestly got lost in thought walking through the ancient city imagining what it must’ve been like. 

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One of the absolute best gelatos I’ve had yet at Amalfi. Ate in the cold rain and never once had a sense of regret. 

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And this is at Amalfi. During this day, we traveled from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi, so you’d imagined it’d be packed. However, everything worked out as each location was a destination to be slowly taken in. We walked through the roads of both cities, grabbed coffee by the beach, stared out at the water, and finally took it easy (or as Italians would say according to the intern at my school, “sciola”?). 

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Positano was absolutely breath-taking. Since it’s not summer, there wasn’t a lot of tourists, so it was as if we had the city to ourselves. It drizzled a bit, but I can’t complained because if anything, it added to the essence of the moment. 

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The gang. Peep the host, Vincenzo, in the back right. We took this picture on a door that doubled as a mirror. Snapped it right as a lady popped out to prank us. 

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This art was hanging in my friend’s Airbnb in Napoli. The apartment was covered with unique pieces, which makes sense because the host was an art student in the city. In Italy, the education system is so different. In high school you are asked to choose a track, such as science, art, etc, and then you are moved to a university specific to that realm. Anyway, the host was kind enough to show us around the city. Tons of grunge alleys with small shops, cheap food, graffiti, and churches. The city can apparently be sketchy at times, but I hardly noticed. Between bombarding the host with questions about being a local to eating dank pizza where you need a fork and knife, it was a solid day.

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Boxed wine before running to catch the bus to our next site visit. Messed up because we didn’t realize the site visits were to churches... definitely won’t happen again.

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Tbh I’m pretty sure the Reeboks I’m wearing here bruised the knuckle of my foot, I’m still in so much pain walking an average of 13 miles each day haha. 

This picture shook me. Weird to say out loud but looking at it made me realize... damn, I’m really out here. I’m actually abroad, traveling the world making the most of every moment I have in doing so. I’m mad excited for the rest of my travels, and doing my best to resist the thought that it’s going by so fast already. 

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One of the many Madonnas seen and respected in Venezia. 

(A Madonna is an icon to the Virgin Mary. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of replicas of this classic piece, people around the world pray to the Virgin Mary as she delivers their messages to her son, Jesus, with her hands outreached. )

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At sunrise, the fog revealed the waters supporting the beautiful city of Venezia. The curtains of fog lifted, showcasing the city’s castles in the sky.

During the day, with the sun glistening reflections of light, the canals were bustling with gondolas making their way through the city. It was insane to think that there were no cars in such a lively place.

At sunset, the rolling waters were mesmerizing with a vivid, brilliant shade of deep blue. The skies behind it were bright, only to be dimmed by the clouds as we all got lost in conversation.  

At night, the canals were at peace, almost as if one could walk across it. Not a single ripple, resembling the silence of the city. 

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I really, really love this picture. Getting deep into thought, I’m thinking the color contrast of the bright orange against the muted grey/blue symbolizes how things have been for me these past few weeks. A Moreno Valley tomboy meets the ancient and beautiful Italy. 

As time passes, I’m realizing how much I’m learning about Italian culture. From being able to point out specific aspects of art within a church to ordering a cappuccino in solely Italian, there are clear indications of growth. 

As for the things that aren’t quite evident, I’m picking up on shifts in the way I think as well. My appreciation for history has increased tremendously, giving so much value to everywhere I visit. My appreciation for culture has become so prominent, especially after I spent several hours researching emerging music scenes of Rome. My appreciation for my friends and family is rising, whether it be from staying in touch with best friends from home or recognizing and learning from the people here that bring out the best in me. 

Even elements of character are shining, which is funny to think about. It’s the small things, like how my Italian instructor always calls on me (this is a known fact across my classmates). At first it was annoying, but I’m learning that she calls on me because I'm silly I guess? Something I’ve always liked about speaking in front of people (besides attention lol) is putting people at ease, even if in Italian. I’m realizing that I need to not only have direction but more importantly, make it as well, both literally and figuratively. I need to know what’s happening, why, where, when, etc. This makes a good leader I’m sure, but has its flaws as well. Also realizing how impatient I can be, which I formerly thought was a flaw but can be interpreted as a strength too... still wrapping my head around all this. 

I know I’m rambling at this point now, but I just noticed that this is the first time I’ve dedicated to introspection at this point - damn it’s revitalizing. Alex asked me if I feel like I’ve grown personally thus far from studying abroad, and I told him I had an idea, just haven’t completely comprehended it yet. I guess what I’ve thrown out in the point is foundational to it all, I have yet to make some sort of conclusion. We’ll see soon! 

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Snuck this picture after finding out photography isn’t allowed. This is a quick shot of Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco (ie. St. Mark’s Cathedral). Also known as the church of gold, the cathedral is coated in mosaic arts with gold glistening as if to coat the building. Ordered in 828 by the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice, and completed in 832, the cathedral has stood as a magnificent work for centuries now. It was insane taking a closer look at the mosaic to see how the gold was worked into the art. Each mosaic piece is the size of a ladybug, and to think that each piece was so skillfully crafted and placed - incredible. 

Anyway, if you look closely at the dome above the altar, you can see a circle of disciples(?) looking upwards towards God. Apparently, this is meant to show that above everything and everyone, God is at top. Pretty sure I could’ve worded that better...  

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Some of the gang - traveled around the outskirts of the city to check out some views across the water before sunset. There’s something about the arch that wraps perfectly around some of the people I’m growing close to, especially looking outward together. 

-- On the topic of gang --

I’ll be honest - Being bedridden and getting my phone stolen the day before my flight killed my mood at the forefront of my trip, and being sick for a solid week after drained any energy I had to get to know my new home.

However, things changed rapidly. I have such a diverse group of girls in my apartment, each with such a different personality and I absolutely love it. They are so adventurous and daring, marking the overlap in personalities. And aside from my apartment, I’ve made a few close friends within my building - I’m sure you’ll see a lot of them in future posts.

Moving on, I was concerned at first with the thought of being limited in cultural exposure traveling in a pack of students straight from California. But I’m learning that the issue isn’t that I’m growing close to these people, the issue is more so internal. In other words, I can’t blame lack of exposure on anyone but myself - thus, I need to take action myself, whether it be through solo trips, initiating other visits, or to stop feeling responsible for everything that happens. For ex: I went on a Tinder date (lol totally unlike me) with a guy named Alessio who grew up in New Jersey and Rome, and I learned so much (more to come later, maybe).

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First thing’s first, I want to preface with the fact that I am extremely late in starting this project given that I’m already entering my third week abroad. However, as time passes I’m realizing the importance of holding on to every moment - so this site is my lazy attempt in doing so. 

So, as you can already tell I’m studying abroad in Rome for the next 3 months! It’s hard for me to fully recollect my initial thoughts coming into such a new place with such different people, cultures, lifestyle, etc., but it has definitely been a ride. Imagine freshmen year of college all over again, mixed with a new language and piece of the world. 

Anyway, here’s a few pics from Perugia, a small city in Italy. With its underground city covered in attempt to retain a rebellious village and vegan gelato, it was a dope day trip.