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!