GL 350: How has the Rome Experience made you a global citzen?

This experience has changed us in many ways. There is much to say about how this experience has made us into global citizens. There is no better way to learn about a different culture and lifestyle than to study/live in another country.

The first thing that helped make us global citizens is the fact that right when we got here we were thrown into the culture. The first day we were in Rome and had only been on the metro once, we had to go alone to two different areas and explore on our own. This was good for us because in some job situations you are thrown into doing things you make have little or no experience with in an unfamiliar place. It was scary but once you did it right you felt so proud. There are many instances where we were put in situations like this whether it was ordering food or asking for directions in Italian, once you did it correctly you felt so relieved and happy. By experience this we will be able to do this in similar situations in different places with more confidence. Along with this we were also required to learn patience throughout Rome. Whether it be for the transportation or the people who can be quite rude at times. In "Coversations" Costanzo Costanini says "Are you aware that Rome has become more and more neurotic, chaotic, and jammed up?" all of which we experienced first hand here. While we all know where we would love to have a job, right out of college that place may not be available. Many of us will have to be placed within a bustling city which can be chaotic and annoying at times, but by being here we have been able to learn to practice, whether we want to or not, patience and calmness.

Second, we were emerged into the history throughout Rome. From the Colosseum with the real facts about gladiators and the Roman Forum to the catacombs and all of the stories behind most of the popes buried within the walls of Saint Peters basilica. This city has so much history to absorb and to be able to see how our country was able to help them and through that we may have lost many lives which we were able to see through the American Cemetery but it made connecting to our history more clear. Also we've learned about Roman history all throughout our lives and being able to be in he exact places of where it took places such as Julius Caesars murder as well as where some slaves were able to fight for their freedom in the Colosseum.

Another way we have learned to become a global citizen is through our home-stay experience.By living with an Italian family for a week, experiencing family meals and the day to day lives of an average everyday family. We had to use our minimal knowledge of the language to try to communicate with some of our host family members who knew little to no English. Also how the whole family has dinner together every night at nearly the same time everyday. I know many families at home who can barely sit together all together once a week especially when the kids are in high school and involved in different extra curricular activities. The children of our families also still live with their families although they are in the mid to late 20's which is very different from in America.

By being able to experience all of this and being able to understand why they do the things that they do it makes me feel like I can be put into different situations and as long as I keep an open mind, I can learn so many different types of cultural values and adapt accordingly. It has made me realize how appreciative of my high school art teacher for teaching me about all of the famous art works within Italy, and how none of the pictures will ever be able to show the true beauty of seeing them in real life.

Soc 490: Can we cure diseases with prayer?

Faith can be a very strong thing in everyday. It can have a big impact on your mind and body psychologically which can effect your health as well. But is it the prayers or the medications and your positive thinking that helps the sickness?

There are many people who believe that prayer is the only thing to keep you strong through tough times. In one of my favorite stories theres a line that says "medicine can only do so much and then comes God". The power of believing in something bigger than yourself can have tremendous change on your outlook on almost anything.

In class we talked about how even knowing someone is praying for you can make you feel stronger and have more hope. This works just the same when you are sick. You can take all the medicine they tell you to but if you don't have a positive attitude you'll never be able to fight off the sickness. Having a strong relationship with God is something I have seen throught the trip. So many times the people get lost within prayer and but all their trust in God which can be a scary thing, but an even more powerful thing than fear, is hope.

While there may be some things that must be cured by medicine such radiation and chemo for cancer there are things cured with the power of faith. While science seems to have an answer for almost everything, if our lives were based solely on science who would there still be all this fuss about religion. The miracles of the crippled and diseased being cured by Jesus along with other miraculous things not explain by science is something you must take into consideration when you think about these things. If science can't answer the questions there has to be another explanation

Sickness isn't something easily delt with. Whether you yourself is sick or someone you really love is, it is a hard thing to see. Sometimes you don't know what else to do other than pray because deep down you know theres something bigger out there. I do not think we will ever truly know if prayer will "cure" a disease, but I do know it gives us the faith to keep fighting for our life.

GL 350: How is the Catholic church Roman and universal?

Being in Rome and Italy in general, we are able to look more closely at Catholicism and determine if there are any similarities of differences between the way it works here and the way it works around the world in places such as our own home in America. You don't have to go very far to run into a church around here, to sit down at a mass and compare it to what we know about mass at home.

Here in Italy 81.2% of its population is Catholic, becoming its main religion throughout the country. We are able to see this by the thousands of churches that we see around Rome and other Italian cities we've visited. Here in Rome it is something that most people are passionate about within their own lives but they are able to share it with many other people in their communities.  While in the United States only 23.9% of our population is Catholic but that doesn't take away from the closeness one feels by having the bond with other Catholics whether it is American Catholics or Roman Catholics.

One way I have noticed it being universal is the mass from my perspective is almost, if not completely, the same as a mass at home. While at Papal mass on Sunday as well as the Papal audience on Wednesday, they translate the message in so many different languages that Catholicism has obviously reached. The order of every mass is fairly easy to follow even if it is in a different language. This makes coming to Rome knowing some of the Catholic traditions easier because you already know process and "schedule" of how mass is ran. It seems crazy to me how this religion can pick up every detail of its origin and bring it to another place.

Another way in which it is different is within the history of many of the churches here. While at home the Catholic churches are dedicated to certain saints, many of them do not have the history that the Roman churches do. For example when we went to visit the shrine of Santa Maria Goretti, her body was buried within that church. It is one thing to pray to a saint but to be able to pray to a saint in the presence of her body is something unreal. For me not being Catholic has made some parts of this trip confusing and I have questions about everything. Some of the stories I do not understand while this one helped me to understand some of the traditions which Catholics follow. Another example of the history being the within Roman Catholic churches versus the churches at home is there are many famous artists that helped create many of the works within the churches. In smiles, Michelangelo writes poems regarding his time he worked on the paintings within the Sistine chapel while many other churches within Rome were designed by artists such as him, Bernini, Donatello, and many others while at home we do not have the availability of that kind of history within our own chapels’ walls.

Being in Rome has taught me much about Catholicism that I would never have learned in a classroom. Being able to see the artwork and history first hand helps distinguish, in my mind, the differences, while it also helps be remember the universality of the religion itself.