GL 350 Blog #8: How has “The Rome Experience” prepared you to become a global citizen?

           On February 20^th 2015 I embarked on the greatest journey in my young adult life. I decided to study abroad in Rome, Italy. Even though I have not completed my journey just yet, I believe that I have truly learned what it means to become a global citizen. What does it mean to become a global citizen? In my head it means becoming greatly appreciative of other languages, most notably Italian. It also means to truly understand the way of life, such as the concept of siesta to Italians. Furthermore, becoming appreciative of other representations of art can be tied to becoming a global citizen. I have seen the Sistine Chapel, the Statue of David, the Coliseum, and St. Peters Basilica. How can someone be a well-rounded and educated person without being entirely informed about the world in which they live? In addition, how can an individual articulate an informed opinion if they are not exposed to differing perspectives? The answer is they cannot. It is my belief that everyone in this world needs to travel. We all require the great gift of becoming a global citizen. In the following paragraphs, I will describe in significant detail the aforementioned points and how it applies to being a global citizen.

            One of the first aspects that I learned from Italian culture was the importance and beauty of their language. The way the syllables easily convalesced into almost a soothing melody did wonders to my ears. I found that I could conveniently sit back and listen to a couple talk to each other sweetly, listen to an elderly couple argue and banter back and forth, and even listen to children yell at each other for attention. Furthermore, if the conversing situation was harsh and loud (e.x. an argument of sorts) or soft and quiet (e.x. caressing words of lovers) I easily found both of them pleasant to listen to. The Italian language can do that for a person. The experience is also enlightened by the stereotypical Italian gesticulations. Barzini states in The Italians that, “they employ them to emphasize or clarify whatever is said, to suggest words and meanings it is not prudent to express with words, sometimes simply to convey a message at great distance, where the voice could not carry” (The Italians, pg.62). When they wave their arms back and forth, and shake their heads profoundly, it illuminates the experience even more. To elucidate upon this further, in The Smiles of Rome Federico Fellini states in his conversation with Costanzo Constantini that, “one of the things I found most striking was the monumental rudeness that I encountered everywhere. A gigantic rudeness and a gigantic vulgarity…for anyone who observes the city with the aim of expressing it creatively, the vulgarity is an enrichment, an aspect of the fascination that Rome inspires” (Smiles of Rome, pg. 299). I believe that Fellini brings up an excellent point because even with the vulgarity seen in Italians (specifically their language) one cannot help but be fascinated and empowered by it. I have to admit that I did not like the language when I first arrived but I have grown to find it undeniably absorbing. I fervently believe that one of the first steps in becoming a global citizen is breaking through that language barrier and appreciating it for what it is.

            The next step in becoming a global citizen is understanding a cultures way of life. What are their work hours like? Are they productive in their work place? What is their nutrition like? To answer the first two questions one has to consider what the Italians call “siesta.” Siesta is essentially a designated time interval between the hours of 1-4 where the Italians do no work. In those off hours children come home from school, and parents go home to take care of chores. However, the most important aspect of this siesta is that the Italians spend time primarily with family during these hours. Many countries believe that is what makes the Italians inherently lazy and unproductive. I completely disagree. It seems that everyone of today gets caught up in working incessantly just to get slightly more money. The world should take a step back and look at how the Italians treasure the family above all else. However, even with this idea of family one needs also consider the idea of industrial application and how it relates to the work place. Italy, in simple terms, produces very little if any of its own electricity. They primarily import electricity from other countries such as Switzerland and France. One can argue from this standpoint that they are not very productive in this aspect. Apart from this, the Italians nutrition is a different story. Many nutritionists around the globe describe Italians as being, “incredibly healthy due to the Mediterranean diet.” The Mediterranean diet incorporates fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and limitation of unhealthy fats (primarily saturated fats”). But don’t they eat an exorbitant amount of carbs? How do they not gain weight? They primarily do not gain weight because they stress quality over quantity, and they walk everywhere. Even with the advent of cars, the typical Italian will walk at least a few miles a day. I have learned all of this information from my Roman experience by staying here in Italy for two months. It is central to being a global citizen if one can comprehend the workings of a cultures way of life.

                        

          The vast storage of art within Italy, in particular Rome, is staggering. Art is literally everywhere. From the cobblestones of where your feet lie on, to the stones of a seemingly arbitrary building, art is found. Before my trip to Rome, I didn’t particularly enjoy representations of art. But now that I am nearing the end of my Rome experience, I have gained a new appreciation. Actively seeing works by Bernini, Michelangelo, Borromini, Caravaggio, Bramante, Raphael, and numerous others has truly opened my eyes to the world of art. The plethora of churches that saturate Rome is also astonishing. Each church apart from the paintings, and sculptures made by the abovementioned artists breathes art. The sheer engineering brilliance that goes into how the windows are oriented, how the altar is situated, even the acoustics is irrefutably art. To build upon this idea of how art is the hallmark of Rome, it is prudent to discuss my experience with the Sistine Chapel. Part of being a global citizen is actively participating in something that one has not experienced before. This was the Sistine Chapel for me. As soon as I stepped into that room I knew that I had entered an almost heavenly place. The level of frescoes existed on every wall and on every crevice. The vast amount of detail, most markedly on the wall of The Last Judgment by Michelangelo left me awestruck. One can understand just what Michelangelo was thinking when he was painting all of his masterpieces through the following quote in The Smiles of Rome: “My beard points skyward, I seem a bat upon its back, I’ve breasts and splat! On my face the paint’s congealing…Like a skinned martyr I abut on air, and, wrinkled show my fate. Bow-like, I strain towards the skies” (Smiles of Rome, pg. 103-104). This quote almost depicts how Michelangelo could almost be in anguish. It’s important to point this out because oppression can exist even within the realms of something as beautiful as art. This is also vital to being a global citizen because it brings into light multiple perspectives on something that is usually taken at face value.

           
         Today it is April 12^th, 2015. On April 17^th I will be concluding my study abroad trip in Rome. I feel as though I am ready to go home, but I know that as soon as I step onto that plane I will gravely miss all of Rome and its experiences. I have learned an abundance of patience in all fashions these past two months. From braving the rain for four hours just to celebrate Easter mass with the Pope, to attempting to converse with a cantankerous 80-year-old woman who literally knew no English, I believe that I have learned how to exercise patience. I also believe quite earnestly that I know what it means to be a global citizen. With our world continually advancing all of mankind has a greater and greater opportunity to become global citizens. All they have to do is live and let go.