The Final GL Blog :(

Well, I can't believe it, but this is my final blog for my time in Italy. It feels like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my friends and family back home, and soon I will be saying goodbye to Italy. This trip has been an experience that will influence the rest if my life. I'm so happy that I decided to attend this program. I feel as if I am repeating myself, but I really loved every moment on this trip. Have I mentioned how much I enjoyed my time here yet? Well in case I forgot, I have thoroughly enjoyed this trip. I put some pounds on the stomach, but that was because the food was so good here. I'm not sure how I am going to like the food in America anymore. I'm not even sure I will like the American life style anymore. Who knows! I adjusted to the Italian lifestyle, and I am not ready to switch back. Not only did did I adjust to this Italian lifestyle; I fell in love with it.  In "The Talented Mr. Ripley," Tom faces a similar dilemma. He does not like being Tom; which means he does not what he was in America. He wants to be like Dickie, the person he transformed in to. Just like Tom Ripley, I enjoy being "Italian Brandon" much better. 

This past week I had the opportunity to attend a papal audience. We were among over one thousand people in attendance, and we were announced as special guests to the pope. The group caught the 6:36AM train (which I still don't think I caught up on sleep from that yet), and headed towards the Vatican. We were sitting in the second row, about fifty yards away from where the pope sat. This was nothing like a mass ceremony. It felt more like a high school pep rally. We all stood up and screamed when Walsh University was called and there were many people chanting the pope's name; not exactly what I expected, but it was indeed a fun twist. The pope blessed ourselves, our families, and the religious articles we brought with us. This sounds so stupid, but I felt different after I was blessed. This is kind of like saying on your birthday you actually feel older, but I really did feel different. I was so honored to be apart of something special like this. 

Over the weekend, Gabby and I went into Rome both days. Once again, on Saturday and Sunday, we saw the pope. On Saturday we stood outside in the freezing cold for four hours to watch the feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Spanish Steps. We had basically front row seats to the event, but our view was blocked from seeing the pope bless the reef that was to be hung on the statue of Mary. However, we did see the pope drive by in his little bullet-proof glass mobile. This was so awesome! He was so close I could smell him! I mean, I couldn't actually smell him, but that's how close he was! We were ten feet away at the most. Later on, we saw some of Rome's most famous monuments at night. It was so much cooler seeing everything lit up! On Sunday we went to the square of St. Peter square to receive the people's blessing one last time before heading back to the USA. 

These next few days will obviously be our last few days here, but should still be jammed pack. My grandma will be joining us Tuesday afternoon and will stay with us the remainder of the trip. I am so excited to take her around Rome because she has never seen anything before. We have our farewell dinner and our Italian exam on Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to taking a test, but I understand its necessary for the course. Maybe I'll have my grandma take it for me ;) kidding! I will also be working on my heritage series projects so I have less to finish back home. We will see how that goes with grandma being here though. Then on Friday morning, the traveling back to the USA begins. I will be arriving at Akron-Canton airport around 10:00PM. I will see all you American fellows then!

Ciao ciao!!

SOC Blog 490 Week 6

This week for our SOC 490 class we interviewed Italians about their healthcare system. We went to some type of large market, with a university nearby. Professor told us that the easiest place to get interviews was in the bar are. So, without a second thought, I went to the bar. We had well over an hour to get our required ten Italian interviews completed; I was done in ten minutes. My only thought was "man that was easy!" Many other students were frustrated with me because some of the people they asked said they already filled it out, so I felt kind of bad for that.

Some people believe that it is possible to cure disease through prayer. I would like to bring up one of our group discussions from our GL 350 course that can be applied to this theme. We once discussed that Italians believe their faith is set in stone. The example we used in class was regarding the war the Italians lost years and years ago. Before the fight even began, the Italians "knew" they were going to lose; no thought of prayer could help. So, applying this theme to the theme of curing disease through prayer, simply means that it can not be done. Our future is already set, and nothing can change our fate. So if we do by chance become diagnosed with some sort of disease, it can not be cured through prayer.

One idea that really caught my attention was the sheet of statistics professor handed out in class. The sheet contained stats such as under-5 mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and life expectancy. The USA was behind both Canada and Italy in all major health care statistics. Italy and Canada both have universal health care. Why are we so far behind? It is our system itself? Is it the citizens that reside in our country? Massachusetts already has a universal health care system for its state; ironically it was established by governor Mitt Romney. But Massachusetts has no complaints towards the system, so why not spread it across the entire nation? These are questions I hope to find answers to in my research for my final paper.

In Atul Gawande's essay "The United States Can Achieve Universal Health Care Without Dismantling the Existing Health Care Sytem," he brings up the universal health care system in Massachusetts. He makes reference to many patients that have some sort of condition and refuse to go to the doctor because of the prices. One lady chose to have a mid-wife deliver her baby rather than going to the hospital. The procedure did not go well and she was forced to be rushed to the hospital and the cost was double of what it would have originally been. However, I believe that Gawande somewhat contradicts himself in this comparison. This is the exact issue with people who do not have insurance; they are scared to go to the doctor because of the prices, yet they do not want to pay for the insurance. The part of his essay that I thought was brilliant was the part where he spoke about the universal health care in Massachusetts. He claims that they have no issue in Massachusetts like the previous example I stated. So why wait any longer? Especially since it has been showing positives effects in one of our fifty states.

GL Blog Week 6

Ok now the trip is really coming closer to an end. It is so sad to even think two weeks from now I will be sitting on my couch back in Cuyahoga Falls. We just wrapped up our last weekend together as a group and we only have one full weekend left all together. The final week will be some time to work on our heritage projects and to pack our belongings. My grandma will be joining us for the last three days until we leave, and I am very excited to show her around Rome. 

Over this past weekend, the group made its way to Sorrento and Pompeii. Pompeii is a city that was covered in ashes from an extremely large volcano many years ago. If that volcano were to erupt, the world would end. Don't worry, that volcano is no longer active. It was intriguing to see some of the city that was still in existence. There were plastic models of people that melted from the ashes, and that's what I found most interesting. Sorrento was a beautiful city. The views from the hilltops were so nice. The water was so blue! And not to mention the seafood was quite tremendous. 

We have now began to read "The Talented Mr. Ripley." So far, it has been pretty interesting and not bad to read. Tom Ripley, the main character, is set on a journey by one of his friends parents to bring his friend, Dickie, back home.  Dickie currently lives in a town south of Naples, close to where we were this past weekend. I believe that I can relate to Dickie in a way. His parents have trouble getting in contact with him and he has no desire to come home. Before I left for Rome, I thought that I would want to call my parents everyday and miss America. It turns out that pretty much the exact opposite happened. I didn't think that I could go once a week, or more, without talking to my parents. But Italy has some sort of "homey" touch to it that makes me feel like I really am at home. I think that Dickie has somewhat of the same feelings. 

This past Tuesday, Katie Moore and I gave our student led tour of St. Peter. There is so much in that church that I thought it would be difficult to pick and choose which information was more I portable t to share than the other. I think we did a pretty good job with it though. We also checked out the dome of St. Peter, the Vatican museum, and the tomb of St. Peter himself. Those were all great, holy, experiences. The group is planning to do a flash mob, and I was supposed to be one of the leaders. But now my ex co-leaders, Aimee and Danielle, only refer to themselves as teaching the dance :( I know, it's sad. But it's honestly for the best because if I really was the leader, we would just do the chicken dance or something like that. But I am still looking forward to it! Hopefully the last 12 days will be as good as the first 44!

Ciao Bella Gente!

SOC 490 Week 5

Do we have complete control over our health? This question has a variety of answers; and it can not be a simple yes or no. My opinion has two parts to it. I think that for the most part, we do have control over our basic health. We can control what goes into our bodies to monitor our weight. We can make sure we are dressed appropriately to walk out in cold weather to avoid catching a cold. Now, can we avoid getting sick in general? Probably not, but then we have to take care of our bodies with the correct treatments. On the other hand, cancer is not something we can particularly avoid. It can be cured, but we don't necessarily have control over it as human beings. 

One of the arguments presented in class this week was the idea of "moral hazard." Moral hazard is basically saying that the second universal health care is applied that millions and millions of people that were previously uninsured would knock on the doctors office doors. Gladwell says this is simply not true. On page 60 in our universal health care book, he makes a very interesting point. Basically what he says is that just because we can go to the doctors office, doesn't mean we will. Would people really just wake up one day and feel like just going to the emergency room? Gladwell doesn't think so; and I am in agreement with his viewpoint. 

Now, lets look at the opposition. Would there be more people going to the doctors in the first year or so of universal health care? Absolutely; BUT, can we be prepared for this? Most definitely. The United States is one of the most advanced countries in almost every sense of living except the health care system. We are behind Canada in all health statistics. Our infant mortality rate is extremely high compared to other countries. And on top of that, we even spend more of our GDP per year on our health care system. So do we want this same system? The time for the change is now. 

I would like to end my blog this week by stating my personal opinion on everything we have discussed in class so far. The main argument is obviously universal health care and whether or not it should be inserted in the United States or not. I believe that it should. And for my counterparts, the main argument presented is "why should the work I do help others with their health insurance?"  Ok so when we receive a paycheck there is a lot of money taken out for taxes, and I know on my pay stub, I can see where exactly my money is going. Basically, I will never see more than half of that money and some of it has absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever. And what can I do about this? Complain, that's about all. And where is that going to get me? Nowhere. So my point is that if one more tax was added, what's really the big deal. It isn't hurting you specifically because you will be insured. I believe that this is a good outlook to have on the insertion of universal health care in our health care system.   

GL 350 Blog Week 5

In 1994 my grandma revisited her sisters in Italy after not seeing them for over 20 years. When she went in 1994, me, my mom, and my aunt went as well.  Ever since that trip ended, all she talked about was taking me back there after I graduated high school. I remember her always talking about it when I was growing up and I always told her I would take her back. When I graduated high school, she was ready to go and I couldn't because I had a scholarship for golf in college and a good job. I felt like I broke her heart, but I had no other choice. In the first few months of my college career my best friend, Danny Krier, had applied for a study abroad program in Rome for the following year. I thought that would be perfect to go and take my grandma and she can stay with her family while I stay on campus in Rome; however, there was one problem: I would sacrifice my golf season.  Something else I was not willing to do. A few weeks after Danny told me about his program, a stranger to me at the time introduced me to another program that allowed me to study abroad in Rome, and not miss golf season. By the way, the person that told me this is now my girlfriend. As soon as she told me about it, I made up my mind and applied, and the rest is history. Now, I am typing this blog on my last day in Pescolanciano, which is my grandmothers hometown. 

I was nervous and excited about coming to meet my grandmas family. She always talked about these people and showed me pictures, and to think I was going to meet them was unbelievable. The day was planned that on Thanksgiving day, her and a few family members would come pick me up from the Walsh campus.  When I saw my grandma in the building standing next to her sister I sensed pure joy in her smile. Her sister, my aunt, hugged me with such a tight grip I could not breathe. Both my grandma and my aunt had tears in their eyes of pure joy. I saw my grandma cry with her sister at that moment, and then I saw her laugh with her. I have seen siblings laugh and cry with each other, but it was nothing like this. My grandma being reunited with her sister was the happiest thing I have ever observed, and it was only the beginning. 

After a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my classmates and faculty members, we were on our way to  Pescolanciano. Before I left, Danilo, the Walsh University Site Director, told me that I was going to see the real Italy. That what I would see in Pescolanciano would be nothing like what we have gone to in Rome. Danilo was spot on with that comment. Everyone was so excited to see me. The last time anybody saw me, I was just a baby. My cousin, Anthony, called my grandma five times on our way home to see when we would be home. When we arrived at my other aunts house, all my grandmas family was waiting. Her other sister, her brother, and all her nieces and nephews were all crying and hugged me. It was such a happy house because I was there. I was like a king at that moment, and not to mention pretty much the whole weekend. 

My grandpa passed away about nine years ago, but he has one brother that still resides in Pescolanciano and my grandma took me to visit him on Friday. Once again there was about 15 of my grandpas closest family members, his brother and his nieces and nephews, and they all hugged me with tears in their eyes and then we gorged ourselves with a lovely three course Italian meal. All these people feed me until I feel like I am going to burst. When I left the house, they gave me so much money for a gift to buy whatever I want. Everyone, all my family members, gave me so much I can't even explain it.  The love I felt this weekend was something I never felt before. 

In his book "The Italians," Luigi Barzini claims that Italians never want to leave their country. As soon as they leave the country, they go through withdrawal, and they want to return. My grandma would completely agree with this statement. When she was twenty years old, she was married and had one daughter, my mom. My grandpa decided he wanted to go to America to start a new life, and my grandma had no other choice but to go with him. She said she was sad and depressed for years. She always misses Italy, even though she has been back to visit, it is still not the same. Barzini is correct. A true Italian, never wants to leave Italy.

This last weekend may not have been the most "fun" for me, but it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I saw the cemetery where my grandmas parents and two brothers are buried. I saw the bed where my mom was born. I saw where my grandma grew up. I saw my grandma reunited with her family. To think without me she never would have seen her sisters again makes me feel pure joy. Everyone in this trip has their favorite sight, such as the colosseum or a specific church, but mine is the sight of my grandma crying, laughing, and smiling with her family. There is no word in the dictionary that can describe the pure joy and happiness in Pescolanciano this past weekend. 

SOC 490 Blog Week 4

In every health care system around the globe, there are flaws. The trick is to find which flaws work best within a specific nation. Another idea is for leaders of each country to learn from other mistakes and make sure that those issues do not come upon their respective nations. So for the United States to look at the Roman approach of healthcare, the question is what is better about the Italian health care system? First, what are the main differences between the American health care system and the Italian health care system? Universal health care. Italy has it; America does not. This specific reasoning will vary among whom the question is asked. Somebody else may think that this is the worst part about the Italian health care system, but I truly believe that universal health care is what is missing in the United States. 

Karin Robinson writes in her essay, The Universal Health Care Systems of Other Countries Provide Better Care for Less Money, that European countries' health care systems involve a form of universal health care and they are cheaper than the US system, they cover everyone, and deliver a better quality of care.  She goes on to compare the Britains health care system to ours in the United States; keeping in mind that the Britains system is similar to Italy's. I thought a good point made besides the other three points I already pointed out is that Britain spends 8% of their annual GDP on their healthcare system while the United States spends 15%. Imagine if we could create a healthcare system similar to Britains, and use the annual GDP that should be left over to fill in the flaws with the new system. Sounds like a plan to me!

There are certain parts of our health that are in our control. For example, one has a choice to be in shape and workout rather than sit on the couch and eat unhealthy food. This can lead to obesity, which is not good.  Also, if one chooses to smoke they are not doing good to their body and could cause heart problems or lung cancer. Those are some of the ideas of health that we have control over.  Getting certain terminal issues, such as cancer, are sometimes out of our control. We also can't control our heredity of health.  If my ancestors have had a history of colon cancer, the odds of me being diagnosed with colon cancer are greater. These are some examples that are out of control. It is easy to control our "basic" health such as exercising and eating right, but there is nothing you can do about your heredity. 

Two of our most recent tours have related to some form of health care. First I would like to start with the museum of medical arts.  I literally have no idea how anybody could enjoy this! Well, I guess I do understand why some people enjoy it because it is their profession, or soon will be, but I was ready to pass out at any point. We observed wax models of how some babies say incorrectly in the uterus. We also got to see babies that were preserved after dying following birth. Yes, this was enough to make me vomit, and it was the first room we visited! The final rooms contained old tools doctors used to perform their procedures. All I have to say is thank god we are much more advanced than we used to be! 

The museum of the mind did a lot of explaining about how the nuns took care of the "crazy" people. These patients were all scitsifrenic. We went through a few illusions to the eye, which I found pretty interesting. The technology used in this museum to present tourists with information was like magic! All we had to do was touch a specific part of a table and a video would be shown.

GL Blog Week 4

I am typing this blog as we take the train from Florence back to Castel Gandalfo. Once again, I had an unforgettable weekend. We arrived Friday morning and walked around the city the entire day. Florence was nothing like Venice. It was more comparable to Rome in my opinion. We had one super fun when we found a disco on saturday night! It was awesomeFlorence had one beautiful church.  It was very unique, just like all the other churches we have seen here. We actually got the opportunity to attend mass Sunday morning. The inside walls were very simple. But, it had a dome that had beautiful portraits above the altar. The mass was in Latin, so I didn't understand one word that was said; however, I did get to collect the offerings for the church during the offertory hymn. It doesn't sound very fun, but it was pretty memorable for me. After mass Sunday, I had about 300 euro in my wallet. When we got to the train station, about three hours later, it was all gone. No, I was not pick pocketed. I spent about 200 on souvenirs and about 100 on myself. Nobody tell my mom! Nonetheless, it was a spectacular weekend. 

We actually had quite a bit going on last week. We had a midterm paper due and an Italian test. It stressed me out a little bit, but the Italian test turned out to be super easy.  Our paper was for SOC 490 regarding universal health care. I feel like I have strong view points on the matter, so ill find out in the near future if I did good on that. We had two student led tours this past week on Monday on Tuesday. Guess what we saw? If you're guess is beautiful churches then you are spot on. I apologize that I have no clue what the majority of these churches are called, but that is mainly because I see one and walk straight inside and explore. So at least I have tons of pictures! Thursday we had class in Rome and visited the museum of the mind. By the way, having class in Rome is awesome! Anyway, museum of the mind had a lot of history behind it. They had some neat little illusions for us to try, and I enjoy doing those little eye joke things, so I enjoyed those parts. 

I really connected with Muriel Spark's journal entry in The Smiles Of Rome.  I felt like it was a journal that a tourist like myself would have composed. If I could use one sentence to sum up the trip so far it would have something to do with the fact that everywhere I walk in Rome I find a majestic piece of work, whether it is a statue of some sort, a fountain, or a church. Spark writes something very similar in her opening paragraph. "I think what attracted me most was the immediate touch of antiquity on everyday life. If you live in central Rome you only to walk down the street and you come to a fountain by Bernini in which children are playing or a Michelangelo embassy or some fine fifteenth-century building with today's washing hanging out."  I think this an excellent quote. Not only do I think can relate to this quote, but I believe plenty of my classmates would agree as well.

I really feel like this trip is coming to an end, but we still have a long time left, which is what I want. I get sad to think that a month from now I will be sitting at my house with nothing to do. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime with all the students on this trip. I love everyone and I feel like we have become more uniform the last week or so. It's like one big friendship, and it doesn't get much better than that. Looking forward to the last few weeks!

Ciao Bella Gente!!