Adventurous Me. @domitravels - Tumblr Blog

3/18/2018 in Portland, Oregon

Find people you can have fun with, make memories with, and who will support/ laugh at all the weird things you do. Grow with them and tell them how much you love them. Let them know how they’ve touched your lives. Make room for them to fully flourish in your heart and be happy with how far you’ve come with each individual. Portland wasn’t just fun because it was a “cool place to be”. It was amazingly fun because I had Christine and Hanna to travel with. After being with them for almost 72+ hours, I found it hard to say bye. They live less than 5 minutes away from me and I felt overwhelmed that I would have to wait to see them again. How great of an impact have they made in my life, to have me feel such great feelings? It amazes me. But at the same time, I get it. It’s so satisfying and fulfilling to have people who will make you laugh and feel good about who you are. Thank you for an awesome weekend. Thank you for these amazing memories. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for being my friends. Thank you Girls. Thank you Portland.

Sincerely, D. Song

#Portland.#Oregon.

3/17/2018 in Portland, Oregon

Portland, by far, has been the most interesting/ kindest place I have ever visited. I’m starting to understand why Portland people have such pride in being unique but also being very humble about it at the same time. My experience here has been nothing but full of awe and amazement.  I’m also super glad that this place has let us be who we really are to the fullest. And I’m glad that I got to witness Hanna and Christine full self. YAY for growth, new adventures, and deepening of friendships.

Sincerely,

D. Song

P.S: Why is Saint Patrick’s Day such a big holiday here? It’s no joke. #Tube. #DantePizza.

#Portland.#Oregon.

3/16/2018 in Portland, Oregon

These two girls have been my friends since elementary school and it’s surreal to see how much we’ve grown and experienced life together. Life is so thrilling with them in my lives. Traveling has never been something that I was interested in but traveling with good company has deepened my love for the world. NOTE TO SELF: Travel and get away once in a while. Travel alone. Travel with friends. Travel with someone you love. Just do it because you might learn something new about you.

Sincerely,

D. Song

#Portland.#Oregon.

Tyler vs. Bottle Caps.

Dominic & David.

Tyler.

Julia & Daisa.

Jay Grossi.

Ben & Adam.

Santa Monica: 9/27/2017

We made it on UC DAVIS's SUMMER ABROAD, ITALY COURSE.

Yo, HOLLA AT YOUR GURL(s and guys).

I MISS THEM ALL.

#Italy.

Rome Withdrawls: 9/21/2017

I decided to take a break and scroll through my photos, while working. I came across some Italy pictures and I’m still surprised that it’s only been 2 months and a half months since I’ve been back. It seems like a life time ago, but man, do I still miss it.

To think that I was in a different country, by myself, making my own friends, and experiencing a new culture less than 3 months ago is mind blowing. If I could go again, I would take all the friends that I went with and relive it again. Even the time when I was really sick off of Benadryl.

I miss Rome. I miss Sorrento 7 squad. I miss Jay.

Here are two pictures that were taken in Florence, Italy.

Its surprising because it just looks like we took a picture in some neighborhood’s park, or somewhere in the heart of New York, BUT IT’S FLORENCE. (Just thought I’d share).

I miss you.

Sincerely,

Dominique Song.

#Florence.

Rome Withdrawals: 7/24/2017.

Missing Tyler a lot today. I was just sitting on the couch, thinking about each individuals that I have met in the program, and I think it’s safe to say that I had the most growth with Tyler. When I first met him, he was extremely quiet, collected, and reserved. (I kind of thought that I was too loud/intimidating for him). But thank goodness our friendship was able to advance real fast. Without him, I would have been lost. But more importantly, I would have been extremely bored. He was one of the few individuals who kept me alive in every tour we went too, gave me some words of wisdom, and even affirmed me in who I am/what I am capable of. Tyler is the epitome of what a friend should be. I am so lucky to have met him. So lucky to call him a friend. So lucky that our friendship is still growing.

Candon, I miss you! You’re so important to me. Thanks for making my life easier by offering your friendship to me!

#withdrawals.#friends.

Day 28: 7/18/2017 in Rome, Italy.

Hi, I’m sitting in the airport, dreading every moment to leave Rome. As much as I love America and love calling myself a true CALIFORNIA GIRL, the thought of going back home isn’t as appealing.

It’s funny that I write this now because exactly a month ago, I was telling my mom and my sister how much I didn’t want to go to Italy. I had just graduated from college and wanted to stay in California, spending time with my college friends and going back home to see old ones. I wasn’t ready to transition to a different place after I had just transitioned out of college. Even as I was packing for Italy, I was furious. I was angry that I had to leave less than 24 hours after graduating. I hadn’t even gotten my grad photo’s developed. On the plane, I was cursing at the screen for having horrible movies and wishing that my flight somehow had got canceled so I could stay home.

But man, did that attitude change the moment I got to Saint Stephen’s. I was scared the entire ride to school and even more nervous waiting for all my classmates to come (for I was the FIRST individual who arrived at school). As people slowly showed up, I instantly warmed up to them. It was easy. #ThankYouGodForGreatSocialSkills.

Classmates instantly became acquaintances, and acquaintances became friends. We struggled together. Got lost together. Had to push each other. Cried together. Stressed out together. Ate together. Slept together. Got sick together. And even laughed together. There was no way that we couldn’t love each other. And I was so blessed to have gotten closed to them so easily. (Shout out to Sorrento 7, Onion Game is great!).

But with or without friends/classmates, Italy, you were amazing. You were beautiful, extravagant, astonishing, magnificent. I cannot put into words how many times you made my jaws drop or brought tears to my eyes. To think that you were all created out of man. That blocks of marbles became sculptures with just a hammer and hand rather than a marble cutting machine. That all the different layers of bricks were laid down by individuals and not a construction truck. To know that you have fallen multiple times but is still considered the Eternal City. Your history is all so overwhelming but simply amazing. You’ve helped me realize that there is so much out there for me in the world. I am just a tiny, tiny speck of dust compared to this world. My problems disappear when I’m with you and now that I’m going back to California, I am scared that my mentality will change again. But I can promise you that I will not forget who I’ve become before, during, and after this trip. That I am capable of facing my fears, challenges, and dreams.

Italy. Thank you for your everlasting history, beauty, and the friendships you have given me. You have such a deep spot in my heart. I am excited to see what you’ll do for me when I get back home. Let’s hope that good things will continue to come for me just as you delivered for me.

Also, I hope to see you soon, because I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain the very last night I stayed in Rome. Tyler was my witness, so if I never get to Rome again, I will make sure to tell the world that the TREVI FOUNTAIN IS A FAKE.

I love you Italy. Thank you for the growth and love!

THIS PHOTO IS FROM THE VERY FIRST NIGHT IN ROME.

AND THIS PHOTO IS FROM THE VERY LAST NIGHT IN ROME. (SAME PLACE)!

Cordiali Saluti, D.Song

#Italy.

DAY 25-27: 7/14-7/16/2017 in Rome, Italy.

Rome. Rome. Rome.

It’s so bittersweet to leave you. You have been nothing but a blessing. I’m so glad I pursued you even in the midst of doubts and anger. You were truly a blessing. A memory I can never forget. You brought me friendship, good conversations, self-reassurance, and confidence in my life. I am prepared to enter the real world without any hesitation of who I am and what I am capable of doing. I love you. Thank you for the memories.

Here are some random pictures we took this weekend.

Cordiali Saluti,

D.Song

#Rome.

Day 24: 7/13/2017 in Rome, Italy

Fellow friends, family, and Jay.

THIS IS MY “LAST” POST. Which means that after I post this post up... I’ll officially be DONE with my UNDERGRADUATE. (Of course I’ll post up more until I officially leave Rome, BUT FOR NOW, This is my last one to be graded).

Thank you and I still can’t believe I did it. HOLY CRAP.

JAY. PLEASE BUY ME A DRINK!

Anywho. TODAY I WAS SO TIRED. So I drank coffee. I never drink coffee. And guess what. I drank twice today... Wow. Who am I becoming?

I drank a cappuccino in the morning and a shot of espresso in the afternoon. Then I went home to take a 2 and a half hour nap.

THEN THE TOUR BEGAN.

Today we went to San Clemente Basilica. The church was going through some renovation and no pictures were allowed to be taken, but it was super cool to walk through it. This church has more than 2000 years of history.

Paolo also told us that the street that San Clemente is on, was halfway between the colosseum and Saint Johns (The first church where all the popes lived in before they all moved to the Vatican). The street was called Via Papalas ( the streets of the pope ). The neighborhood here was seriously damaged when the pople had conflict with Germany. This was a huge issue for Italy in all of the Middle Ages. Because of these bad conditions the church was rebuilt on top of ancient Roman grounds, which was later discovered by some architecture when they saw a crack on the wall of the church. They dug the floors of the church, and found a whole new church underground.

Down underground, I saw DOM. There are alot of signs with the name DOM in every cathedral in Rome. It stands for Lords of the Underworld. People pay homages to these lords for a safe passage to a better afterlife.

Down below are photos of Saint John. For thousands of years, popes lived in Saint Johns. It was a residency of important events involving the pope. Pope Martin the fifth was the pope who commissioned this Cathedral and the only pope to have been re-elected to serve Italy. He was buried here for he played a huge role in Rome. He tried to re-establish the power of the Pope. But again, because the neighborhood was so damaged (The conflict between Germany and the Pope), everyone had to move out of the church while it was being renovated. Hence, the Vatican city became the main place where Popes resided after Saint John’s when into remodeling.

After a long day of touring, we went to a fancy place where the first alfredo fetticini pasta was created. the meal was 25 euro’s worth, but it was actually extremely fulfilling.

Here was when I alos took a shot of espresso. I must have been really tired that I wasn’t getting much energy from it. Normally, I would be bouncing around the walls and stuff.

Here’s a photo of Adam sleeping. I’m going to make it a goal to capture pcitures of everyone sleeping before I leave. #HowAmazingAmI?

AND WE GOT GELATO BEFORE FINISHING OUR JOURNALS.

And this is it. My last and final journal entry to turn into Jay. I am officially done with college!

Thank you for the memories. This was a tedious journey, but hey. IT WAS WORTH EVERY MINUTE! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cordiali Saluti,

D.Song

#Rome.

Day 22: 7/12/2017 in Rome, Italy

Today we went to the Jewish Ghetto to go and look at Synagogues and Museo Ebraico Di Roma (Jewish Museum of Rome).

I think Jay got tired of just showing us Cathedrals so he took us to a Synagogue instead. HUGEEEE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO:

Cathedrals use alot of art such as sculptures, paintings, frescoes, and mosaics to show the gospel and works of God. However, in a synagogue, they don’t have any iconography/ images of people or God, for God is not and cannot be representable (Tour Guide). In the 10 commandments, it says that people must worship one God but by adding a face to it, their images of God might become distorted. Hence, no images. No name of God.

I don’t really remember much of what the tour guide said, because her accent was very thick. BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I DID HEAR:

1. The first Jewish Ghetto started in Venice. However, the one in Rome seemed to thrive the most.

2. The Jewish Ghetto in Rome was very, very busy from the beginning. The area was very small, but in each block, around 9,000 people lived in them. The Jewish Ghetto was located near the Tiber River and an amphitheater, created the area to be busy from the beginning.

3. The tiber river flooded a lot. Majority of the time, the Jewish ghetto flooded as well. It was a horrible place to live but was the only place affordable for the Jewish community.

4. Synagogues were made to remind the Jewish community that God will take away the flood and provide them with happiness one day. Life is just temporary and a better life will come towards their way.

5. There are 15 synagogues in Rome. All are orthodox. This means that women and men must sit separately.

6. Synagogues are a place to pray about God but also a teaching place where folks get to learn about him on a daily basis. Classes are taken here.

OMG OMG OMG OMG. LOOK AT HOW CUTE JAY LOOKS WITH A KIPPAH ON HIS HEAD. THIS IS THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD.

Again, this is me and Ben in lecture. Hoping that Jay will give us another short day.

Caught Dom sleeping in his room.

Caught Julia sleeping in her room as well!

JULIA AND I ARE AT A BAR! Sharing a drink at MUST.

Tyler and Julia with me at MUST.

RICO SWINDLEEEEEEEE at MUST.

Oh! And of course. Today was my roommate’s, Hayley’s, birthday! We decided to go celebrate her birthday at an Ice Bar! This is Daisa and Tyler sitting in an igloo, freezing their butts off.

I literally thought I was going to die but the company was so nice. I love the people that I am surrounded with. Plus, It’s so fun laughing with them. LOOK AT OUR BIG CAPES THAT WE HAD TO WEAR SO WE DIDN’T FREEZE!

Cordiali Saluti,

D.Song

#Rome.

Day 21: 7/11/2017 in Rome, Italy

Welcome. To the Galleria of Borghese... IS WHAT THEY SHOULD OF SAID WHEN WE WALKED INTO THE MUSEUM. This place was almost like a palace. It had all these different types of art pieces that were well preserved and kept alive.

It was told to use that the collections of this galleria held the finest collections in the world. People who are a part of this museum are still gathering and searching for masterpieces to add into this collection. Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, undertook this architectural commission and started the journey of collection big art pieces from Caravaggio, Raphael, Bernini, and even Da Vinci (Paolo). Besides being exceptional for its splendid collection, the museum is in perfect coherence of its decorative set implying marble inlays, mosaics, stucco and ancient inserts. There are around 20 rooms with frescoes, sculptures, and paintings, that are opened to the public. For reasons related to the conformation of the historic building security, access to the museum is regulated in visiting shifts of two hours each, for up to 360 people each, with mandatory release at the end of turn.

Here’s a sculpture of Napoleon’s sister in nude. She was claimed to be extremely beautiful. So Napoleon brought his sister to Rome, to get her to marry and aristocrat in Europe- for political issues. In fact, she married Borghese! The owner of this museum. She of course hated the idea of being sent all the way to Rome to follow her brother’s duties, but she was very well treated and even given this sculpture to commemorate her beauty. She examples the beauty of Venus because of her beauty. She accepted to allow Antonio Canova (the artist) to sculpt her only if her sculpture was never shown to public. If she were alive right now... she’d be so mad.

This is Caravaggio’s painting of David and Goliath. Again, the use of dark and light painting is shown in this photo. Interesting thing about this photo is that Caravaggio used his own face as the beheaded Goliath, as a way to ask the pope for forgiveness. Alot of Caravaggio’s art work poorly depicted Jesus and the Catholic teachings. Unfortunately Caravaggio passed away days before he finally received a letter from the pope, forgiving him for his mistakes. (SUCKSSS).

God Pluto taking Persephone to the underworld.

Bernini totally changed the way marble was seen when he had sculpted this.

Cordiali Saluti,

Self portraits of Raphael.

Me and Daisa hanging out in the Museum.

Julia!

Tyler looking up at the ceiling to get a good view of the art work. But HAHAHAHA I JUST FIND IT FUNNY THAT HE’S POSING WHILE DOING SO. (Tyler’s the best!)

This is Adam ignoring me during the tour. But I know deep inside, he loves me.

Later that night, a couple of us decided to go and get some gelato. This is Carline crying because she dropped her gelato in the middle of the streets. HAHAHAHAHAHA. I cry every time I see this photo.

I can’t believe this week is already coming to and end. I don’t want to leave all these sweet people who make me feel good about who I am.

Julia, Tyler, Adam, Daisa, and Melissa!

Cordiali Saluti,

D.Song

#Rome.

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