Reflections & Farewells (GL 350)

     This blog marks our final week here in Italy. I can't believe I'm saying that. It seems only yesterday I was packing my suitcases with my cat trying to sneak in it, or saying goodbye to all of my friends and family before leaving. These past eight weeks have been amazing and I've had the time of my life. Within the past two months, I've had so many firsts and I can also check off numerous things on my bucket list, which makes me very excited.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

     Last Wednesday was definitely one that I've been looking forward to since we've arrived in Italy and can easily be one of my favorite experiences here. We saw none other than His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI at the Papal audience. The night before at dinner, Danilo had told us we didn't get good tickets and might not have a good view of the Pope, only to find out later that he had gotten VIP tickets which allowed us to sit in the second row. People from all over the world and of all different ages and backgrounds come to see the pope, which is amazing. It was an unbelievable experience and even though he spoke in seven different languages, I listened to every word. At the beginning of the papal audience, different groups who are in the audience are announced and I'll never forget the moment when Walsh University was announced. We all stood up and cheered, very happy to be a part of the ceremony, if only for a moment.
     Last week, we also took a train ride to the town of Nettuno. This city, by the Tyrrhenian Sea is home to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial. It was a beautiful day and very cool to visit this cemetery. It felt like we were in America, with the names of Americans on gravestones and American flags waving. It definitely made me realize how proud I am to be from America and I'm glad we got to see the cemetery. In Nettuno, we also visited the church which is dedicated to Saint Maria Goretti and had class on the rocks on the beach.

American Cemetery in Nettuno

Amy, Aimee, Sydney and I in London 

      For our last weekend in Europe, Amy, Aimee, Sydney and I decided to travel to London, somewhere I had always wanted to go. It was incredible. We got to see Big Ben, London Bridge, Shakespeare's globe and a British production of Wicked, rode the London Eye and ate fish and chips. It was great. Then, on Sunday, our journey home turned out to be rather frustrating. First of all, we slept through breakfast at our hostel (which is never a good sign). After being kicked off of a bus to take us to the airport because we didn't have online tickets, we had to rent a taxi which was 3x more expensive, but it was our last resort since we could not miss our flight. We did end up catching our flight and returning to campus on time for dinner though. And though we had a slight mishap in our returning journey, it was a great weekend and I definitely would want to visit London in the future.
     As our reading of The Talented Mr. Ripley comes to an end, I found it to be quite interesting. While reading about the places he's been, and having been there also, made the reading experience more enjoyable. I also found the reason that Mr. Ripley is so "talented." "His stories were good becaus he imagined them intensely, so intensely that he came to believe them." He lies and makes up stories so detailed and precisely that he believes them himself. But, as we know, Tom Ripley lives on.
Ciao!

Italian Health Care & Healing Through Prayer (SOC 490)

     It's hard to believe that this is the final blog for our Comparative Health class here in Italy. Before this class, I admit that I did not know much about the details of health care, or at least I didn't know how complex it could be. This class has definitely made me more aware of not only the health care of the United States, but other countries as well, especially Italy. 

     Last week, for class, we surveyed Italians about their thoughts on the Italian health care system. After practicing our Italian with Ippolita, our Italian professor, and perfecting our dialogue and questions to prepare for the interviews, we headed to the market. Because of the rain, we headed to an indoor market, which also included an Italian university. While it was nerve-racking at first, we got more comfortable speaking with Italian people of all ages. Some refusals and ten completed surveys later, here are some of the results: Half of the people interviewed were male and the other half female and their ages ranged from 19 to 69. Most rated their own health as "good" (buono) but others rated it as "fair" (discreto) and when asked to rate their doctor, most replied "good", but the others answered "fair" or "poor" (pessimo). Just over half of the people surveyed have been to the hospital before, while the other 40% have not. Those that have been to the hospital before, either rated their care in the hospital as fair or good. The most interesting results of the survey in my opinion were the answers given to the question "Is a nationalized system of health care a good system?" Eight people answered this question with "no," while only two replied with a "yes."

     Expanding on the readings in Universal Health Care: Opposing Viewpoints, Johnathon Ross believes that expansion of Medicare would be the best way to provide universal access to quality health care. He thinks that a single-payer universal insurance pool like Medicare, financed by payroll and individual taxes, is the simplest and most efficient way to make sure that health car would be available to everyone who needs it. Somewhat simlarly, Atul Gawande thinks that while our health care program needs to change, we cannot "swap out our old system for a new one...But we can construct a kind of lifeboat alongside it for those who have been left out or dumped out." He thinks that we need to look at our past and our current health care system, and work off of that to improve it and change it, rather than starting over new, which he believes, surely won't work. 

     Another topic we have been pondering over and discussing in class is whether or not we are able to cure disease through the power of prayer. While I believe prayer is powerful and can help people get through various life obstacles, I have not witnessed an actual disease being cured through the power of prayer. There have been many instances of miracles and healing from God through prayer or the Holy Spirit, however. On a different note, I do not think that one should resort to prayer as their only form of healing, because one may need serious medical attention for a disease or illness. Although medical attention is necessary for the control of a disease, I believe prayer and spirituality can contribute to the healing of a person.

The Vatican & Sorrento - Week 6 (GL 350)

View from the top of the dome, looking out over St. Peter's square

     Week six in Rome was surely an eventful one; one that I had been both looking forward to and one that I will always remember. On Monday, we went to Vatican City to climb to the top of St. Peter's dome. This alone was an incredible accomplishment. After climbing the many steps up to the dome, we were exhausted, yet amazed by the view below, from which we could see St. Peter's square. The time we were given to be at the top was short, but it definitely makes me want to come back.
     After the dome, we headed to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. This was undeniably one of the best parts of my stay here in Rome. We hear so much about the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo and his paintings growing up, which makes actually being there so much more enjoyable. One of the paintings on the ceiling, The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo is one of the most famous works of art not only in the Sistine Chapel, but in the world. To see it in person is indescribable, and if pictures were allowed to be taken of it, they would not even compare to its beauty. As Michelangelo writes in one of his lesser known works of art, his poems, "art lives forever."
     On Tuesday, we had a tour of the underground excavations beneath St. Peter's. It was interesting to go beneath the basilica to see what it used to be like and the remains of what is said to be the actual St. Peter. To know that only 100 people are allowed to visit the underground part of the basilica a day, and that we got to have a tour of it, makes it more unique and special to me. Then we had a student-led tour of the Basilica of St. Peter and the vicinity. It was a great tour led by Katie Moore and Brandon. St. Peter's basilica is amazing and massive. I feel as if I could stay in there forever and just explore, and still not be finished.

Pompeii

     At the end of the week, we found ourselves on our way to our third and final group weekend trip to Sorrento. After three different trains and a van ride, we made it to our hotel. Sorrento is defnitely one of my favorite cities we've visited so far. Even though it was raining almost the whole time we were there, I enjoyed the mountainous landscape, the ocean and the Christmas decorations. I would love to go back and visit Sorrento on a warm Summer day. On Saturday, we took a train to the city of Pompeii, which was both destroyed and preserved by a volcanic explosion. It was very cool to take a tour of, even though we were literally walking through a thunderstorm. It was very enjoyable and even though our trip here is beginning to come to an end, I'm trying not to think of how many days we have left, and instead making the most of every day and enjoying it while it lasts.

Arrivederci!