Doing as the Romans Do: Week 3 (GL 350)

     Rome is a city of faith. As week three of our experience in Rome came around, we began to focus on this concept. As the introduction of St. Peter's letter in "The Smiles of Rome" states, "Inspired by the blood of the martyrs, Christians made Rome their 'Holy City,' the destination of pilgrims for two thousand years." People from all over the world come to Rome for different reasons: to see the city they've seen in movies, read about in books and heard about from the mouths of others. Some come for the sights, the history, the food, the atmosphere, and some might not even know why they come, but seem to be drawn to the Eternal City.

The Holy Stairs or Scala Sancta

     The churches in Rome, ancient, historical and beautiful, are an important part of what makes Rome so grand and beloved. On every street, there seems to be a countless number of churches, or chiese, with open doors inviting pedestrians to enter and experience their beauty.  Personally, not one church we have visited so far hasn't struck me in some way, as I gape at the frescoes, statues, tombs and ceilings, imagining what life was like in ancient times and thinking about the meaning behind everything. Margaret Visser writes in "The Geometry of Love," "Memory, in a church, is not only individual, but also collective: the building is a meeting place for a group of people who agree with each other in certain important respects." I feel as though even non-religious people who visit the churches in Rome are able to take away some kind of meaning from them.
     This week, during a student-led tour, we visited the Holy Stairs, or Scala Sancta. According to Christian tradition, these stairs led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus Christ stood on during is passion on his way to trial. These 28 marble steps can only be climbed on one's knees. As some of us climbed the steps, we learned that some people say a rosary on each one (which might take all day), I though, said a Hail Mary on each one. This was a humbling experience for me, as I reflected on Christ's passion. An experience like this cannot be had just anywhere. Visser also states that a theatre is like a church. There is a stage in a church and seats for an audience and in both places, people come to "live together through a trajectory of soul...to be led by the performance...to understand something they never understood before, to feel relief, to stare in amazement, or to cry." I found it interesting though, that the difference between a theatre and a church, is that "a church can go on 'working' even when there is no performance and no crowd. A person can come in to a silent church in order to respond to the building and its meaning. This can produce an experience as profoundly moving as that of attending a performance. The same thing cannot be said of visiting an empty theatre."

Visiting the Trevi fountain at night

     Along with visiting San Clemente and San Giovanni in Laterano, we had guided tours of the catacombs and the aqueducts in Rome. At the end of the week, while everyone else went off to travel on our free weekend, I decided, along with Ciarra to stay on campus, catch up on some homework and explore Rome on our own. This included going to the zoo in Rome, visiting the Trevi fountain at night, catching a movie in English, and finding a Mexican restaurant. It was a fun experience and I am grateful to have had another great week in Rome. I can't wait until the next five weeks and I plan to make the best of every moment.
   

The Opposite Side: Health Care as a Privilege (SOC 490)

     Last week we were asked to blog about our viewpoint on whether we think health care is a right or a privilege. While I stated that I thought it was a right, this week we had to support the opposing side. Both sides of the debate, whether health care should be a right or a privilege have valid arguments, which make this issue complex and controversial.
     Donald Boudreaux in the Universal Health Care Opposing Viewpoints book argues that "it would make poor economic sense to treat access to health care as a human right. With health care freely available, individuals would use more health care than they actually needed, driving up the cost of care." I feel as though this would be true because some people would take advantage of the system. For example, just because it's free someone might go to receive health care if they have a cold, while someone with a terminal illness might need that care more. Who is to decide who needs the health care more? Who, then, would receive care first? With anyone and everyone showing up to doctor's offices and hospitals, the cost of health care could increase. "Because providing healthcare takes scarce resources, offering it free at the point of delivery would raise its cost and reduce its availability." Boudreaux concludes by stating that we will have better access to healthcare if we only lose our attempts to provide healthcare as a "right" that is paid for mostly by others.
     Another viewpoint on the side that states health care is not a right is Leonard Peikoff. "Health care can only be treated as a right through the violation of personal rights of doctors...Now our only rights...are the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. That's all...they are the rights to action, not to rewards from other people." This argument goes with the idea that you should have to work hard in order to receive things like health care, instead of it just being handed to you. "The system gives you the chance to work for what you want-not to be given it without effort by somebody else."
     Another issue brought up in class was this: People from all over the world come to the Cleveland Clinic for care and the Clinic is rated the best hospital in the United States, yet not everyone in Cuyahoga County is healthy, explain. I think that people are going to be healthy and unhealthy no matter where in the world they are or whether or not they live near a good hospital. Also, just because somebody lives near the Cleveland Clinic, does not necessarily mean they are going to be healthy. Similarly, if I lived near a fast food restaurant, that does not mean I will be unhealthy.
     While I previously stated that health care is a right, I have to know the opposing side in order to support my own. The same goes with any controversial issue. After attempting to support the side that healthcare is a privilege, I found it somewhat easy because I agree with some of the points that support that viewpoint. Being able to defend both sides of the argument helps one to truly understand their own beliefs. As it is stated on the back cover of Universal Heath Care: Opposing Viewpoints, "Those who do not know their opponent's arguments do not completely understand their own."

Roma Week 2 (GL 350)



The view from the top of the Spanish steps

     It has now been two weeks since we've stepped off of the plane in the beautiful country of Italy. It's still hard to believe that our second week here has come to an end. Week two has brought more exciting and unforgettable experiences. The week included more tours of sights in Rome, Halloween and pumpkin carving on campus, and finally a group trip to the city of Venice.
     After experiencing Rome for two weeks, I, and much of the other students can now say that we feel as though we are not tourists, but natives. We can walk around without a map in some places and know where we are going, or if not, we are able to ask someone for help. By now, I feel as though I can travel by myself here and still feel comfortable. Barzini's explanation in chapter four about the busy street life of natives and foreigners alike captures the essence of Rome perfectly. "Streets, squares, marketplaces teem with people, noisy, elated, gay, energetic, busy people. There are uniformed carabinieri...fat priests strolling slowly, peasants dressed in rough velvet clothes, smart young soldiers on leave, housewives carrying heavy shopping bags, desperate youths with long hair and blue jeans, swarms of pretty girls and children playing between everybody's legs." Rome is a perfect place for the art of "people watching," which I do frequently. It may just be because we are in a different country, or experiencing a culture we have never been immersed in before, but Italy and its diverse culture is definitely something I can get used to.

     Since we have been here, and because we do not feel like crazy tourists from America with their fanny packs, camera, and souvenirs, we are able to notice the flaws of Italy more easily. Natalia Ginzberg in "Such is Rome" talks about how the cars, Vespas and other automobiles have taken over the city. "If ever there was a city made for walking, it's this one; the cars seem to have invaded it by stealth, like an attack of blight." I agree that the cars in Italy and Rome particularly are everywhere. They are on the streets, on the sidewalks, parked anywhere they can fit, even if it seems impossible. They do not care about their cars as much as in America where you can sometimes see a car parked in two parking spots just to avoid someone bumping into their car. If that were to happen here, two other cars would squeeze up beside it, just because they can. Although the streets are teeming with vehicles, I think that they are now a part of Italy and what makes it unique.

Gondola ride in Venice

     After the week's sights including a student-led tour of the Spanish steps and Piazza del Popolo and a bike ride on the Old Appian Way, we left for a plane to Venice for the weekend. Before leaving for Venice, we were told that the city would be underwater because it is right on the sea and the weather had been rainy with a high tide level. When we arrived, we took a ferry to our hotel, which was on the island of Lido. The weekend had many fun experiences such as shopping the many streets of masks, seeing Murano glass being made, eating pizza on the beach and taking a nighttime gondola ride (left). Overall, the first group weekend trip was spectacular and I look forward to the others along with the next six weeks.

Ciao for now!

Health Care: A Right or a Privilege - Week 1 (SOC 490)

     The first week of our Comparative Health class, we discussed whether or not universal health care should be a right or a privilege. Honestly, before this class, I did not know where I stood on this issue because it never arised in my every day life. After two class discussions and some readings though, this topic is becoming more clear.
     Currently, health care is considered a privilege in the United States, while in Italy, it is a right and they have universal health care. The Catholic church also believes that health care is a right. The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World states that "by his innermost nature man is a social being, and unless he relates himself to others he can neither live nor develop his potential." The church teaches that man should put others before himself and that includes making sure everyone has health care.
     In "Universal Health Care: Opposing Viewpoints," Helen Redmond takes the side that health care should be a right because of the statistics on issues including mental illnesses and the substance-addicted. "Mental illnesses among the uninsured often go untreated, or benefits are limited, with the result that some uninsured end up in prison." Leonard Peikoff, on the other hand, argues that health care is not a right. He is on the side of the doctors, saying that, "treating health care as a human right requires that services that belong to some people-doctors-are given for free to others. Health care can only be treated as a right through a violation of personal rights of doctors." He thinks that it's wrong for people to be able to get health care for free, while people should work hard in order to receive it, instead of it just being handed to them.
     After our assigned readings and class discussions the first week, I've decided that right now, I'm more on the side that health care is a right rather than a privilege. I think that it would be fair for everyone and less people would be denied basic health rights because they don't have insurance or aren't covered for a certain illness. Both viewpoints are legitimate and this issue is controversial, which makes it hard to choose a side, but until I change my mind, I think that health care is a right.

First Week in Italy (GL 350)

Ciao!
     It has now officially been one week since our arrival in Italy. I am pleased to say that the experience has been incredible so far, to say the least. It does not by any means feel as though we have been here for a week, but rather several weeks, or even a month. America and our lives back home are miles away. This is a new and surreal experience, which I am blessed to be a part of. Over these next eight weeks, it is essential to document these experiences and embrace every moment. Before leaving for Italy, one of my aunts who has been to Italy before, gave me a journal. She told me to write everything down, from my adventures to the Colloseum to the little cafe down the street. So, with the help of the small journal from home and this online blog, I will be able to document and remember this experience for years to come.
     Upon arrival in Rome, we began to notice the differences between America and Italy almost instantly. For instance, at the airport, we all had to take a tram to collect our luggage. When we saw Danilo Mori, our campus director, running towards it, we were perplexed, yet we followed in his footsteps, deciding he knew what he was doing. Even though most of us caught up with it, without warning, the doors shut, the tram zoomed off, and several members of our group were left, sad-faced watching the tram leave without them. Even though they got on the next tram and everyone came together again, it was a learning experience in itself and a realization that we were in a different world. From Barzini's "The Italians," Shelley describes an experience in Italy: "No sooner had we arrived in Italy...than the loveliness of the earth and the serenity of the sky made the greatest difference in my sensations." I had a similar feeling to this when we got off of the metro, walked outside and instantly as we walked out, the Colloseum stood directly in front of us. It was breathtaking, especially because we weren't expecting to see it so soon. This is something that I have seen multiple times in movies, read about in books or have seen in my dreams, and to be experiencing it in real life, was incredible.
     The week included visits to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Campo de' Fiori, the Jewish ghetto and Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, to name a few. At the end of the week, we had a free weekend, in which Aimee Jones, Ciarra Ramsey, Sydney Durham and I decided to travel to Perugia and Assisi. On Friday, we found our sleepy selves running to catch the early trains in order to make it on time to Perugia. After interesting encounters on the train with an American Catholic monk and a young Italian man, we trekked up the steep streets of Perugia, map in hand, in search of our hotel. After finally arriving, we find ourselves two minutes away from the EuroChocolate festival, which we anticipated greatly. It proved to be delicious and intriguing and we came back with both loads of chocolate and bruises. [See Aimee Jones' blog for video explanation] The next day we arrived in the beautiful city of Assisi with yet another long journey to finding our hotel. Our hotel was right outside the Basilica di San Francesco or Basilica of St. Francis, which was amazingly beautiful and meaningful as St. Francis of Assisi is my Confirmation saint. After visiting the basilica, we journeyed up even higher to Rocca Maggiore, a medieval castle from which you can view the the entire town of Assisi. Though, cold, windy and tired from the walk up the mountain, the forty-five minutes spent at the top of Rocca Maggiore was worth every second and it was something I will never forget.
     After one week in Italy, we were asked to write about how this experience might change you. "They wanted to improve themselves and thought that nothing could beat a trip to Italy for that purpose. A lengthy visit to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples was believed to be an indispensable part of a man's education, the necessary completion to his studies, a real voyage philosophique" (Barzini 28). This trip is a trip of firsts for me. It was my first flight, my first time being "across the pond," and my first time being away from home for two months at one time. So, the questions arise: how will Walsh University's Rome Experience be different than studying in a classroom in North Canton? How will being in a foreign country change me? How will I be different when I return home? What will I take away from this experience? I feel as though this experience will change me for the better. I will be more confident in anything I do, be more knowledeable of Italy and the world around me, more appreciative of my home and where I come from, and most of all be thirsting for more travels, adventures and experiences.

Below is a picture of me with the Colosseum behind me.

This is a row of some of the statues of the Vestal Virgins in the Roman Forum.

At Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, we viewed rows of human skulls along the walls and on a cross such as the one below. The skulls are there to remind us that we are mortal and made to die, yet they help us to remember that life can be beautiful, so we need to embrace it and live every day to the fullest.

Arrivederci!