Rome as a Tourist!

Ciao Tutti,
I am currently on a plane to Barcelona, Spain & can't wait to get there!  I've heard great things about it and many people have told me that it cannot be described in words.  We will see if I can do that in my next blog post, but I wanted to update you on what I've been up to over the past week.
I spent all of last weekend doing "Rome as a Tourist" and got a lot accomplished.  I downloaded a few audio tours from Rick Steves on iTunes for free.  I put them on my iPod and listened to them as I navigated some of Rome's most famous attractions.
On Saturday, I went to Vatican City - namely St. Peters Square and St. Peters Basilica.  I was there when I was 12, but was completely taken aback by the grandeur of the Basilica.  I walked inside and felt like I was an ant compared to everything else.  The church itself was huge - 400 meters long, but what struck me even more was the size of the sculptures inside of it.  The statues that were "babies" were taller than 6 feet!  Everything about the church was amazing, my jaw hung open the whole time I was inside!  Rick Steves even joked about the size of St. Peters Basilica by saying that birds don't even realize they're inside when they fly around.  I may not understand anything about art, but I could definitely appreciate the beauty of everything inside of St. Peters.  It was certainly a great experience!
After St. Peters I went to the Trevi Fountain and did the typical tourist stuff.  After taking what seemed like 100 pictures, I ventured down the steps to throw a coin in the fountain.  They say that if you put your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your shoulder you are guaranteed to return to Rome one day.  I did it when I was 12 and now I'm studying there.  Coincidence? I think not.  After I finished with the Trevi Fountain, everything was closed so I headed back to my apartment to rest up for Sunday.
On Sunday, my first stop was the Pantheon - another building that made my jaw drop.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you get inside your eyes immediately gravitate to the  huge hole in the ceiling.  It is amazing that the Romans built it almost 2000 years ago without any machinery.  I had another audio tour by Rick Steves for this which was nice as I was able to gain insight into the history of the building.  It was once a place to worship Pagan gods, but was converted to a Catholic church after Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  Another fun fact I learned is that Victor Emmanuale (the person who united Italy & the first king of Italy) and his son have their tombs inside the Pantheon.  It is also Rapheal's final resting place.
After the Pantheon, I went to a place called the Capuchin Crypt.  It was an eerie place.  Located beneath a church, it is the bones of 300 Friars arranged in a way that makes it a work of art.  It was very, very weird.  At the end of the crypt, there was a sign that said "What you are now, we once were.  What we are now, you will be."
My final stop was the Spanish Steps.  I honestly have no idea why they are famous, but felt like I had to at least climb them once as a student in Rome - what a workout!  I was exhausted when I got to the top and dreaded going down.  Now, I can check that of of my bucket list.
I decided to get organized on Sunday night and make a list of everything I want to do before I leave Rome in May.  Now I have a list of things to do over a page long - I will post it when I get back to Rome.
I had a relatively normal week of classes.  We went on a field study for my architecture class to see a piazza designed by Michelangelo.  My time in Rome has definitely taught me to look at art in a different way.  I'm beginning to appreciate the small details of everything.
In Italian, we had to give two oral presentations.  The first was during a field study around Roma Storico (Historical Rome) where we had to present two different places of interest.  Afterwards, our teacher rewarded us by buying the class Ciocolato Caldo (thick hot chocolate) - it was amazing!  Our second presentation was on anything we wanted.  My group talked about a film we saw the first week of class, La Finestra di Fronte.  It went pretty well - we think.
Before I conclude my blog, I would like to reflect on something I have noticed from a lot of Italian people - specifically older ones.  They are highly critical of their country and their people in general.  My Italian teacher said the quality of life in Spain is much higher than in Italy because Italians are never organized and nothing ever gets done.  Coming from America where I bleed red, white, and blue, I am not used to this type of criticism from people about their home country.  I personally love Italy and would love to work over here at some point in the future - I have only been here for 6 weeks though.
I will update soon about my experiences in Barcelona as well as a few pictures from my "Rome as a Tourist" weekend.
Ciao,
Mike

Firenze (A Bit Delayed)

Ciao Tutti!

I have had this entry written and ready to post for a week now, but the internet in my apartment was not working.  I apologize for some of the references which seem a bit late...

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I am sitting on the train on my way back from Florence, but before I get into that let me start with the first week of classes.

I am taking five classes (16 credits) in Rome.  IES requires you take one Italian class and four other classes called "area studies courses".  The area studies courses are anything from art to classes on the European Union.  My schedule went over a lot of revisions over the past week as I was in a few art classes that were over my head, but I'll describe the classes I am currently enrolled in.

"AH/US 230: Roman Architecture and Urban Design" - This is one of the classes I switched in to half way through the week.  I missed the first lecture, but the second class was great.  We started off with a half hour lecture on the history of the Castel Sant'Angelo which was very interesting and informative.  It is amazing that a monument I can see from my apartment was a part of some of the most important events that shaped Rome as it is today.  After our half hour lecture, we actually got to go to the Castel Sant'Angelo and see everything.  It was originally built as a tomb, but was transformed into a fortress because it was ideally situated for battle.  Then, the Pope made it his safe house when the Vatican was attacked.  He actually built a mini-palace within the confines of the fortress!  After the Church lost most of its influence, the Pope did not need a safe house anymore, so the Italian Government turned it into a prison for a period of time.  Now, it is a tourist site with great views of Rome from the top. 

"IR 341: Italy and the European Union" - This class is great!  It is basically an overview of the formation of the European Union from the Post World War II era to the problems that plague the rapidly expanding organization.  I love history, so I cannot wait to learn all about the European Union.  I think this will be very beneficial for me later in life when I am working in Finance.  I will know the basics of how the EU works and will be able to apply it to my job.

"FS 200: From Viewing to Making a Film on Rome" -  I absolutely love this class.  We are going to watch four Italian films that were filmed in Cinecittà (the Italian version of Hollywood).  The films were also filmed on site at Roman locations.  After watching all four films and learning the basics on Italian cinema, we are going to film two scenes from the films we saw on site.  We watch "Bicycle Thief" on Monday - I can't wait.

"CM 330: Memory and Conflict" - This is the other class I switched into.  It is a really interesting class which is taught by the director of my study abroad program.  It is basically about conflict resolution techniques, but uses historical events to put the things we are learning into context.  I would not be surprised if I use the techniques I learn later in life.

This brings me to Florence.  Two of my friends (Sam & McKenzie) and I decided to go to Florence earlier this week.  We left on Thursday night after class.  I found a bullet train from Rome to Florence for only 19 euro.  The train was so comfortable and the ride was so short. 

Picture of the inside of the train.

When we got to Florence, we met up with one of Sam's friends from her home school, Emory.  He took us to our hostel (which was in a great location).  The hostel we stayed at was running a special where you can stay three nights for the price of two, so I paid 28 euro for three nights at a hostel.  The hostel was called "Plus Florence" and probably the nicest hostel I will ever stay at.  It was very clean, had a nightclub downstairs with a restaurant/bar, game room, a pool, a sauna, and a steam room.

On Friday, we woke up early and hit the two big museums in Florence before lunch time.  We wanted to make sure we beat the crowds.  The people I traveled with are studying Art History I school, so I was the beneficiary of a free tour of all the important pieces of art.  We went to the Academia first and saw Michelangelo's "David".  It was absolutely amazing.  After the Academia, we went to the Uffizi.  This museum was huge!  We were in it for three hours!

After the Uffizi, we met up with some of Sam's friends from Emory who were studying in Florence and a few people from our program in Rome.  We had a quick bite to eat and then five of us headed over to the Ponte Vecchio.  They all bought leather jackets, I decided not to get one because I'm hoping to get a suit while I'm over here instead.

Over the past two days, we went to all the major churches in Florence - the Duomo, Santa Croce, San Lorenzo, and Santa Maria Novella. 

Here are some pictures from our trip to Florence.

The one thing that really surprised me about Florence was how small it is.  We walked everywhere we needed to go and were never walking for more than a half hour at a time.  Florence was a beautiful city, but I am happy I'm studying in Rome.  As a Finance major, I do not appreciate art as much as I should.  Now that I have seen everything I wanted to see, I am happy to be looking at the beautiful Tuscan countryside out of the window of my train back to Rome.

On another note, I planned our trip to Florence around THON.  I made sure the hostel had wifi and made sure our train would have me back in Rome to watch the final four hours of THON.  I may be 3,000 miles away, but I have been thinking about THON a great deal this weekend.  A lot of my friends are dancing and it kills me that I can't be there to support them.  Watching the THON Webcast makes me feel like I'm there and I lit a candle in the Duomo FTK!   I look forward to watching Family Hour from my room and, like all other Penn Staters, will go crazy when the total is raised tonight at approximately 10:00 PM my time.  

Always FTK,

Mike

One Week 'till Roma

Ciao!

The countdown is on.  I leave for Rome in less than a week.  My program does not start for two weeks, but I am going over early so I can get my bearings before things get hectic with school.  I already have most of my clothes packed and am going to spend the next week relaxing and tying up all of my loose ends. 

Over the past month, I have learned a few things about how to manage my money while I am abroad (can you tell I'm a finance major?).  I found out that most banks and credit card companies charge fees to use their cards internationally, but there are a few that do not.  I opened up a checking account with TD Bank because they do not charge any transaction fees when you withdraw money out of an ATM or use your debit card to buy something.  This was a huge discovery as my old bank wanted to charge me a 3% fee on anything I debited and a $5 fee if I took money out of an international ATM.  TD Bank will even refund the ATM surcharge that the Italian bank imposes on me.  Also, I found out that Capital One does not charge any transaction fees on any charges I make while I am abroad.  This will also save me 3% on credit card transactions.

I also learned that I can suspend my cell phone service while I am abroad.  This will save me a lot of money as I intend to purchase a pay as you go phone once I arrive in Rome.

On another matter, all of the IES participants got their roommate assignments and living arrangements.  My apartment is literally a block away from our school which definitely made my day.  Also, our apartment is very close to the Castel Sant'Angelo.  I specifically remember visiting the Castel Sant'Angelo when I was in Rome about 7 years ago and thinking how beautiful it was - now I'm going to be living across the street from it!

I will be living with two American students and one Italian student.  One of American students attends Connecticut College and the other one goes to Seton Hall University.  We do not know who the Italian student will be yet.  All four of us are going to sign a contract that we are only going to speak Italian in our apartment.  I am really excited for this as I will have the opportunity to use Italian in a different context.  My goal is to try to master the Italian language as much as I can.

Thanks for reading my blog.  The next time I update, I will be in Roma!

Arrivaderci,
Mike

Ciao!

Ciao!

Things are starting to wind down at Penn State this semester and finals week is dreadfully coming near.  The good news is that this means I am closer to studying abroad than ever!

Before I get into too much detail, I want to give you all some background information about me.  My name is Mike McHugh and I am a junior in the Smeal College of Business.  I am majoring in finance and minoring in Italian and International Business.  I recently started and am now Co-President of a club called Adaptive Outreach, play Wheelchair Basketball, and am actively involved with THON as a member of the Finance Committee.  Outside of Penn State, I am on a ski team for people with disabilities and coach a travel baseball team. 

One of my true passions is traveling.  I have been all over the United States (including Hawaii), to Italy (Rome, Florence, Ravenna, and Venice), Australia (Sydney & Melbourne), and Hong Kong.  My favorite country was Italy, not just because my mother's side of the family is Italian, but because of all the beautiful architecture and rich culture the country has to offer.

As you have probably figured out by now, I am heading to Italy.  Rome to be more exact.  I cannot wait to get over there as I have not been there since I was 12.  Rome is a great city with amazing people and famous landmarks around nearly every corner! 

One of the things I am most looking forward to is improving my Italian language skills.  I have been taking Italian since the seventh grade and absolutely love the language.  This fall, I am taking a course entitled "Fluency in Italian" and have learned a great deal about the intricacies of the language.  I can't wait to apply it in real life situations on a daily basis.

One of the great things that IES Abroad offers is a contract called "Italiano a casa" which means "Italian in the house".  While it is completely optional, I am going to sign this contract and agree to only speak Italian to my roommates within our apartment.  I believe this is the best way to master a new language.  Also, I will be rooming with two other American students and one Italian student called an ISC.  Our ISC will help us truly immerse ourselves within the Italian culture and show us some places off the beaten path.  This is exactly what I want to accomplish - I do not want to be a tourist, I want to be a resident of Italy!

While I am abroad, I intend to travel across Europe and visit as many amazing places as possible.  My current list of places I definitely want to go to are Dublin, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Belgium, Venice, Milan, Sicily, Naples, Pisa, and the Amalfi Coast.

I would like to leave you all with a quote by John Hope Franklin - "We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey."

Arriverderci,
Mike McHugh