What America can Learn

With the eight weeks in Rome coming to a close, there is much I have learned about the Italians. Many of which I observed can be beneficial if incorporated in the United States. These differences are part of how the Italians live and within their culture. The most notable one is that Italians in the city walk instead of drive. Driving in Italy is more expensive than the United States making the use of walking or public transportation more practical. Weldon and I walked a couple miles with our homestay mother to her house to get there for the first time. She is 66 years old and in much better shape than everyone in my family at that age or older. I thought she was 10 years younger than she actually was because of how good her health was. Walking to work or to school every day is much more beneficial to your overall health than jumping in a car and driving there. This change in lifestyle has attributed as to why most Italians are in such good shape. I have can count the number of overweight Italians on my hand

Italians eat a much healthier diet than we do in America. Fast food joints lines most of the major streets in America, and almost all the food is cooked in grease. The fat and sugar consumption back home is considerably higher. In Italy, they eat a Mediterranean diet: olive oil, fruits, nuts, spices, vegetables, and fish. This diet places a limit on unhealthy fats leading to better health. This is a major factor as to why Italy is seen as the ninth healthiest country in the world. My homestay mom would go out and buy fresh ingredients every night to make for dinner. Honestly, my diet in Italy was much healthier than it had ever been back in the US.

When it comes to alcohol consumption Italy is more responsible with how they handle drinking. The drinking age in Italy is 16 as opposed to the American drinking age at 21. It is very common for Americans to abuse alcohol through unhealthy binges that can cause serious damage to one’s liver and brain. Italy is the leading producer of wine and considered to have the best in the world. They drink a little each day which is a healthier practice than chugging down vast quantities. Alcohol has become such an integral part of Italian life that they don’t drink to get drunk. Paola, my homestay mother, talked about how drinking has become such a problem in the United States. She said that it isn’t a problem in Italy, but the American stereotype is that we all love to drink and get drunk every Friday and Saturday night.

As I learned more about Italian health over these passed eight weeks, I began to realize how unhealthy most Americans really are. Our overall health as a nation doesn’t even come close to Italy’s. One of the things that I am not looking forward to upon returning to the States is an unhealthy diet. I find it so much more difficult to eat healthily when I am at home.

In what ways is the Catholic Church both Roman and global?

1 AD is the year the history of the Catholic Church started. It began with the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Province of Judea during the reign of the Roman Empire. The Church has been deeply rooted in the Roman Empire not just because this is where it started, but because the religion would later thrive in Rome.  Barzini comments that “Rome was also God’s seat on Earth, the rock on which Christ has established His Church, the centre of a vast spiritual Empire of which all Christians had been subjects until a few years before.” It was because of Rome that the Catholic Church was to become one of the most dominant religions in the world. With the entirety of the Empire worshiping one God, its influence was able to spread like a holy flame. After the collapse of one of the most influential civilizations to shape the world, the Catholic Church still survived. All the tiny villages, cities and provinces around Europe still retained their religious beliefs. When new empires, cities, and countries formed in the wake of the fallen empire, they were still Catholic. This mass eruption of the Catholic Church was all made possible through the single action of one Roman Emperor, Constantine, who declared it the official religion of Rome.

            To Judaism, Jerusalem is seen as their holy city, the forefront of their religion. Rome is the Catholic equivalent that we view as our holy city. To Italians, they “had always felt themselves to be a nation nevertheless formed, not like others, by kings, soldiers and statesmen, but by churchmen, poets, artists and philosophers”(Barzini). 95% of Italy is Catholic. Many of Rome’s great artist, painters and thinkers were Catholic as well. Much of the artwork that decorates the museum around Italy depicts The Cross, Virgin Mary, Saints and major Catholic events. This country was built on the Catholic Church. The city of Rome houses dozens of Catholic Churches built throughout the ages. Artists have designed countless magnificent creations scattered throughout the city. Ever since Christianity became the religion of the Empire, it has thrived in the historic city of Rome.

            The Catholic Church is one of the largest religions in the world. The belief exists on every continent in possibly every country be it in small numbers or majority of the population. No matter where you go to mass anywhere in the world, the practice is the same. I’ve been to mass back home in the States and in Italy spoken in three different languages: English, Italian and Latin. Despite the language barrier I was still able to follow the Latin and Italian mass because the procedure was the same. I knew when the readings were, the rituals, when to kneel and shake people’s hands in sign of peace. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world mass is still performed the same in every culture. “No block of marble but it does not hide, the concept living in the artist’s mind, pursuing it inside the form, he’ll guide his hand to shape what reason has defined” (Michelangelo). The Catholic Church was like a block of marble and God its sculptor. His son Jesus taught us how to live, which shaped how the church is today. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, the mass will always be the same. Since Rome is seen as the center of the Catholic Church, believers from all over the world will pilgrimage to the ancient city. When we went to Saint Peter’s square, thousands of people from around the world were gathered in one immense line to enter the Basilica. These people journeyed to Rome from all corners of the globe to see the largest church where St. Peter is buried. As we sat for 4 hours in the rain, we waited in soaking wet clothes so we can see the Pope give mass. It was worth the struggle to see people from all over the world praising the lord on Easter Sunday with the Pope. Many Catholics want to visit the city that has centralized the religion. Few get to travel to see it, but those that do are never the same when they go home. Italy has a way of changing you spiritually and as a person. It lets you see a different side of life that isn’t present in the states or anywhere else. The Catholic faith has gone global, and it all started in Rome.

Power of Prayer

It is common for people to believe that diseases can be healed through prayers. Sometimes I feel that maybe if I had prayed hard enough, my grandpa may have might have gotten over his infection and be able to return home from the hospital. However, it didn’t work out that way. God has a plan for us in the grand scheme of life, and we can’t change that even with prayer. Sometimes prayer will help and the person sick in the hospital will recover from a condition that leaves them with a miniscule chance of survival. There are certainly cases where this happens, but sometimes it’s their time to go whether we like it or not. Let’s say the person doesn’t recover. God didn’t ignore the prayers and let the person die. It was all part of his plan for that individual. When god calls us back to the Kingdom it is time for us to go.

The passing of my grandfather, “The Chief”, is still a fresh wound. His funeral was February 13^th of this year, exactly one week before we departed for Rome. A year ago he fell in his garage in the winter and was stuck there for 18 hours in the harsh Cleveland cold. He nearly froze to death in his own house before he was found and taken to the hospital. That was the last time he ever got to see home again. I remember praying for him countless nights, but he never improved. He was taken off the anti-biotics because he was not improving; only worsening. At this point it was only a matter of time. I am Catholic, but I don’t pray very often. When I do, it is for people I care about in situations out of their control, or to just simply ask God to watch over the people I care about most to keep them safe. For instances like Chief, I feel like prayer is all that I can do. It won’t change the outcome, especially if it is his time, but when you feel so helpless prayer is about the only thing you feel that helps.

I certainly believe in the power of prayer and the effect it can have in a bad or desperate situation. We often pray for those we care about most. Prayer may not cure the disease, but what it does offer is support. When I was knocked out with powerful pain meds for several weeks to sooth the agonizing pain caused by the Cleveland Clinic’s finest scraping at my bone and then replacing the missing gaps with cement, friends and family were praying for me. The effect that prayer had in this situation was that it told me that people care for my well-being. Their prayers encouraged me to want to get better. It proves that prayer can have a psychological effect on people who are sick. Prayer offers support for those who are receiving them. It makes them feel loved and want to get better for those who care about them. Prayer was made to honor God, and when it is used to praise his name, that is prayer at its strongest.

Global Citizen

Not many get the opportunity to see Rome as I have these past two months. It’s one thing to come to a foreign land for a short time, see what sites it has to offer, eat the food then leave. It’s a whole different experience from getting the chance to be immersed in the Italian lifestyle and learning how it works. This adventure to the heart of the ancient world is much more than just being a tourist with a camera, it’s about understanding who the Italians are as a people. I have learned so much from this once in a lifetime chance to see Italy on a deeper level. I remember sitting in history or art classes throughout my life as a student seeing pictures of Roman artwork and architecture in books, but those images don’t capture the beauty of the real deal. At best pictures capture the beauty on the surface, they don’t show the history behind the creation or why it is meaningful to the people. Books can say how the aqueducts were built and why they are meaningful, but I wouldn’t understand how Rome continues to thrive because of their existence until I actually saw them at the aqueduct park. The only way to obtain the full effect of these spectacles is to experience Roman culture in its natural form.

When comparing the Italian lifestyle to the American way of life that I have grown up in, two major differences stick out for me. The first is their health. When researching how well the health of Italy fares with the rest of the world, I have found that they have consistently ranked within the top 10. One of the biggest reasons is due to the Mediterranean diet which consists of olive oils, fish, red wine and whole grains while placing a limit on unhealthy fats. Fast food chains are almost non-existent outside of American brands like McDonalds and KFC. I bet that even the American fast food chains are better quality here in Italy than they are in America. As I walked through the streets of Rome, Florence, Venice and Sorrento in the past 2 months, I was able to count the number of obese Italians on one hand. Whenever I drive around the streets of the eastside of Cleveland, every other person it seems is overweight. Another major contributor to this vast difference in health is because Italians walk everywhere. They will traverse close to 4 miles a day on foot while I will drive less than 3 minutes to the Wal-Greens at the end of my street

Public transportation in Italy is far superior to what we have in Cleveland. Never ride the public buses where I live, it’s just too sketchy. Rome has efficient metros, trolleys, trains and buses. Not only is there a wide variety of transportation options in Rome, but mastering them was much easier than expected. The first day it was scary because the process felt so foreign and Danilo’s metro horror stories kept me on my toes, but by the second day I was capable of getting anywhere I wanted to in Rome by bus, train and metro. After about a week of using public transportation, I felt like I was traveling like an Italian. I enjoyed the silence and wanted it to remain that way. I felt like I was able to fit in as much as an Italian does on the train rides.

The deepest look I had in the Italian way of life was definitely the Italian homestay. This incredibly opportunity allowed us to see Italians in their natural habitat. We got to see how they live day by day in their own home. I got to taste the food they make and experience their hospitality. Weldon and I walked down to the Colosseum at 11 p.m. to see Italians after dark. It was the most interesting part of the trip. I got to see the Italian culture without the mix of tourists.

GL 350 week 6

In what ways is the Catholic Church both Roman and global?

            1 AD is the year the history of the Catholic Church started. It began with the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Province of Judea during the reign of the Roman Empire. The Church has been deeply rooted in the Roman Empire not just because this is where it started, but because the religion would later thrive in Rome.  Barzini comments that “Rome was also God’s seat on Earth, the rock on which Christ has established His Church, the centre of a vast spiritual Empire of which all Christians had been subjects until a few years before.” It was because of Rome that the Catholic Church was to become one of the most dominant religions in the world. With the entirety of the Empire worshiping one God, its influence was able to spread like a holy flame. After the collapse of one of the most influential civilizations to shape the world, the Catholic Church still survived. All the tiny villages, cities and provinces around Europe still retained their religious beliefs. When new empires, cities, and countries formed in the wake of the fallen empire, they were still Catholic. This mass eruption of the Catholic Church was all made possible through the single action of one Roman Emperor, Constantine, who declared it the official religion of Rome.

            To Judaism, Jerusalem is seen as their holy city, the forefront of their religion. Rome is the Catholic equivalent that we view as our holy city. To Italians, they “had always felt themselves to be a nation nevertheless formed, not like others, by kings, soldiers and statesmen, but by churchmen, poets, artists and philosophers”(Barzini). 95% of Italy is Catholic. Many of Rome’s great artist, painters and thinkers were Catholic as well. Much of the artwork that decorates the museum around Italy depicts The Cross, Virgin Mary, Saints and major Catholic events. This country was built on the Catholic Church. The city of Rome houses dozens of Catholic Churches built throughout the ages. Artists have designed countless magnificent creations scattered throughout the city. Ever since Christianity became the religion of the Empire, it has thrived in the history city of Rome.

            The Catholic Church is one of the largest religions in the world. The belief exists on every continent in possibly every country be it in small numbers or majority of the population. No matter where you go to mass anywhere in the world, the practice is the same. I’ve been to mass back home in the States and in Italy spoken in three different languages: English, Italian and Latin. Despite the language barrier I was still able to follow the Latin and Italian mass because the procedure was the same. I knew when the readings were, the rituals, when to kneel and shake people’s hands in sign of peace. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world mass is still performed the same in every culture. “No block of marble but it does not hide, the concept living in the artist’s mind, pursuing it inside the form, he’ll guide his hand to shape what reason has defined” (Michelangelo). The Catholic Church was like a block of marble and God its sculptor. His son Jesus taught us how to live, which shaped how the church is today. It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, the mass will always be the same. Since Rome is seen as the center of the Catholic Church, believers from all over the world will pilgrimage to the ancient city. Many Catholics want to visit the city that has centralized the religion. Few get to travel to see it, but those that do are never the same when they go home. Italy has a way of changing you spiritually and as a person. It lets you see a different side of life that isn’t present in the states or anywhere else. The Catholic faith has gone global, and it all started in Rome.