Ta-ta for now, Italia…

Well, I think it’s finally time, folks…

Tonight was the study abroad fair here at BC, where the youngins go to talk to students about their experiences abroad in hopes of finding the perfect program for them. After two hours of talking about Parma I am so emotionally drained (words from my friend Jing, who lamented from across the aisle at her Hong Kong booth).

You see, the real problem with studying abroad is when you come back home. People expect you to act normally and be the same person you were before you left, when in reality, that’s just not a possibility. You learn so much studying abroad that you can’t fit it into words or describe it to other people who haven’t been. It can’t even been described to people who have been. Usually the conversations about study abroad end after listing off the places you visited because you get too wrapped up in the memories and wishing you could live every single moment over again.

And that is why I have postponed this final blog post until now. Because I want to cry just thinking about it all actually ending. Even though it technically ended exactly 9 months and 1 day ago. Here come the tears…

Study abroad was the best time of my life (so far, at least). The rush of complete independence and self-reliance is exhilarating. Getting lost in foreign countries is my new favorite pastime. Weekend trips in countries where I don’t speak a word of the language creates moments of genuine panic, pride, freedom, and complete happiness unlike anything else I have experienced. There is nothing that can compare to being 19 or 20 years old and navigating your way through an entire continent so far away from home.

Which is why I told every single student at that study abroad fair tonight to go. Go anywhere. Study anything. Do not graduate college without going because there might not be another chance to live in a foreign country again.

As it is, I love being back on the BC campus. I missed football games, friends, family, and Boston a lot while I was gone. There still isn’t a day that goes by without me thinking about Italy, though. A year later and I can’t manage to change my computer background to anything but the Cinque Terre.

My only solace comes from the fact that I have thousands of pictures and memories to look back on with great fondness, to hold me over until I return to Europe again…

L to R: Caterina (one of my Italian mommies), me, Anna (my Italian grandma)

the whole Parma family together for our final goodbyes

 

Christmastime in Parma

From Christmas in Vienna to Parma…

Knowing that Italians take their religion, and therefore Christmas, much more seriously (and publicly) than the U.S., I was excited to see how Parma would decorate for the upcoming holiday. The one downside to the beginning of the Christmas season at “home”? It meant the beginning of the end of my fantastic time abroad. I knew I had to make the most of every moment, and try not to stress out about the upcoming finals per usual…

So to celebrate the season I joined the rest of the city of Parma in Piazza Garibaldi (the main square in town) one night to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Parma’s beautiful Palazzo del Governatore (Governor’s Palace), built in the 17th century, at sunset

the other half of Piazza Garibaldi (across from the Palazzo del Governatore) with the Christmas tree and an “igloo” filled with little craft stands

Pretty Christmas lights adorned all the main streets–every street had a different size, color, and type of decoration!

Before the sun went down and the tree could be lit, people wandered the square and surrounding streets shopping, looking at the pretty Christmas lights, checking out the stands of knick-knacks and candies, and talking with their Parmigiani neighbors. As the sky became darker, more people filled the streets until the huge piazza was packed with people standing on top of each other. Although we did not all plan to go together, by the time the tree was about to be lit, almost all students from BC were crowded around the Christmas tree, taking pictures like tourists and listening to the adorable Italian children around us.

the soon-to-be-lit Christmas tree in the center of town (with the 13th century Palazzo del Governatore behind the tree)

Piazza Garibaldi

one of the main shopping streets in Parma off of Piazza Garibaldi

strings of lights, paper holly, and round ornaments with pictures of angels decorated the tree

After the tree was lit, a piano and chorus sang Christmas carols and we all sung along. Surprisingly, the majority of songs were in English so it was a nice touch of home in our most recent home. I love the sense of community that Parma has given us over the past 3 months.

Phantom of the Opera!

Well, now that you’ve seen one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world (in Vienna), I’d like to give you something to compare it to…

As a part of the program in Parma, our mommies (they’re officially site coordinators, but there’s not much of a difference) arranged for us to go to see an opera in October. One of my favorite musicals is Phantom of the Opera so you can say I was just a little (super) excited to be going to an actual opera in an opera house like I’ve seen portrayed in both the movie and the play. Look out, opera house! Here I come!

Parma’s claim to fame, besides its yummy prosciutto and cheese, is that it was home to famous composer Giuseppe Verdi (or at least it was the major city near his home). Verdi is most known for his operas Aida, La traviata, and Rigoletto. All of October in Parma is dedicated to him, with events all around the main piazza and shows in the opera house.

Parma’s opera house is named Teatro Regio, for the royalty that lived in Parma during the early 19th century when it was constructed. And boy, does it look fit for royalty. Just see for yourself. Words alone cannot describe.

the ceiling inside the theatre

ornately decorated box seats

the view looking out from the stage (minus the floor seats)

I was lucky enough to see one of Verdi’s own inside this gorgeous theatre. Does it get any better than this?

a view of the theatre before the performance from an upper level box

The opera we were going to see was Verdi’s Un ballo in machera, set in 17th century Boston. Ironic! Basically it’s about this love triangle involving the governor, his wife, and the governor’s right-hand man/best friend. Can you say awkward? Anyway, it’s full of jealousy, love triangles, conspiracies, singing, and Italian and I watched sitting in a gorgeous theatre. Needless to say, I loved every second of it and I was actually able to understand about 1/4 of it! (We did talk about the plot in class, though, so I had a headstart.)

the stage during the performance– Notice the subtitles (in Italian) above the stage to help the audience follow along.

a view from a box closer to the stage, with the chandelier lit up for the performance

It’s just hard NOT to be in awe and feel lucky when in a setting like this. Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for this experience. Gorgeous costumes, scenery, and a cultural experience all as class work! Not too bad!

the masquerade scene

(And no, there was no Phantom in this opera, though I haven’t decided whether that’s unfortunate or not…)

relaxing in Parma… finally :)

I spend most of my time in Parma doing what anyone would do in his/her hometown… I go to wake up, go to class, do homework, cook dinner, clean the apartment, go shopping, bike around town, and go to town events… except I’m in Italy and this is my first apartment so everything seems so much more exciting! These are photos from my daily life in Parma… 🙂

Bridget and Cynthia walking through Parma

Parma’s “river”

I love autumn ❤

villa family dinner numero 3 (or maybe 4?) was molto delicioso!

the organic festival we went to on Saturday around town

After our class trip to the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory we went to a beautiful castle. We didn’t go inside, but we wandered around the outside through the gardens, taking pictures, being silly, and taking naps (?!)…

the castle

the garden

the girls 🙂

such a beautiful day

Joe resting on the bench

Regular classes resumed after our excursion through the countryside, but I love that we can go and actually experience culture and history in person as we travel through Italy. THIS is exactly what study abroad should be. Classroom learning is important, but just as important are the experiences that shape a person’s way of thinking and challenge her assumptions. I’ve learned so much about myself through BC and its emphasis on experiential learning… my PULSE class that taught me philosophy and theology through a community service placement in the South End of Boston, TechTrek that showed me the business world/organizational culture/technology through our field study in Silicon Valley, and now classes in Italy that teach me about the things I’m experiencing everyday from the language to the culture and the sights. As I sat in front of the Venice train station this weekend (more about that later), a man from Detroit struck up a conversation with me because he saw me studying in English. We talked about my studies and travels as I gave him travel advice and as we were parting he commented that I didn’t realize how lucky I was.

But that’s where he’s wrong… I do know how lucky I am.

When people say that to me it actually gets me really upset. This man talked to me for ten minutes and he doesn’t know me personally so I’m not attacking him, but he’s not the only person who’s said this to me; even people close to me have said it and that hurts even worse. I’m not going to deny that I have a fairly easy life; I think fully recognizing that leads to an appreciation for everything and everyone I have in my life. I have two parents and an amazing brother who love me, a family who’d do anything for me, and friends who are always there for me. I rarely have to worry about anything of great substance. My parents ensure that my focus is on my schoolwork and becoming the person that I want to be. I know that I’m extremely lucky to have the experiences that I do and even the time and motivation to reflect upon them, especially at such a young age. While experiences like mine are certainly a privilege, the SJ Cadet in me recognizes that there is a responsibility that comes with this privilege (see, what I learned in high school is actually applicable to real life!); experiences like this are not something that should be wasted because not everyone is lucky enough to have them.

My parents do more for me than I should ever expect and though I may not thank them enough out loud, I hope they know that I appreciate everything they do for me. So Mom and Dad, thank you not only for financial and material support, but thank you for your dedication, caring concern, opportunities for growth and learning, conversations that challenge my beliefs, loyalty, love, and experiences that give me a different perspective on my own life (among many other things). I don’t mean for this to sound conceited, but I finally like the person that I’m becoming after years of uncertainty and that’s all because of what you’ve given me. I appreciate that and all the little moments in my life (both with you and on my own that have been shaped by your influence) more than you can ever know. I love you and miss you!

p.s. Mom, don’t cry 😉 I can hear you sniffling all the way from Parma!

yummy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese!!

“Senza patienza non andrai al paradiso, non sarai nel paradiso,” Anna remarks as she motions upward. Immediately she lowers her eyes, shakes her head and adds, “senza patienza andrai nella terra.” Anna is one of my lovely Italian mothers here and her words have been my motto for this semester … “Without patience you will not go to heaven, you won’t be in paradise. Without patience you will just go into the earth.”

Getting to know Parma has been much more difficult than learning Florence was, but I have to keep reminding myself to be patient because I still have two months here, plenty of time to get to know the city completely. I know I’m here to STUDY abroad but class is getting in the way of my cultural experience! I spend much more time in the classroom here than at BC (which I never expected would happen). At the end of the long day of classes (9 to 4 with no lunch break on Thursdays… ahh!) I’m usually too tired to go out and explore Parma, especially because it’s so cold! I’m glad there are cultural experiences built into our time here so I get to experience Parma through my classes. It makes studying fun! Last week our History of Parma class took us to a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory where we learned all about the process of making the cheese and the economic implications it’s had on the region.

Fresh milk comes into the factory twice a day, early morning and night. The milk from the night is stored in large containers (not shown here) where the fat separates overnight. That milk is naturally skimmed and then mixed with the morning milk which has not been skimmed to create a half-and-half like mix that goes into these large cone-shaped vats. The man here is checking the granulation of the milk after natural whey starters and natural rennet is added.

heat is then added to expel the water from the granules

The heat causes the granules to sink to the bottom and form a giant mass that will eventually form the cheese.

The mass of cheese is lifted up…

…then cut in half…

… and then hung to dry.

The cheese is then placed in these molds for 2 to 3 days.

This second mold will hold the stencil and the cheese together for a day to give the cheese its outer markings, labeling the specific date the cheese was made along with other required factory information and seals. After this the cheese will be placed into one more mold to give it the curved shape. (You can see the date of this cheese written on the top… 10-10-11 or October 10, 2011.)

Cheese is immersed in a salt water solution for a little less than a month, and it’s turned everyday to make sure that the salt enters the cheese evenly.

Finally, cheese is placed on the shelf to be aged for 24 months or more!

Cheese is only branded with the “Parmigiano-Reggiano Consorzio Tutela” mark (the large oval in the center) after it passes inspection…

Cheese is only tested (by sound and look) after the minimum period of aging (12 months) has passed.

passed inspection!

delicioso 🙂

the cheese is flipped and dusted often mainly by hand, but the bottom rows can be done by machine

so much cheese!!!

who knew food could be so beautiful??

Then we got a taste test, my favorite part… and everyone else’s too!

Buon Appetito da Parma!

Home sweet home– in Parma :)

First, I’d like to give you a tour of my apartment! I made a video for you, but it costs too much money to upload so I can only hope that these pictures show you enough to give you a general feel for our apartment. I live in a villa with 8 other BC students (4 boys, 4 girls besides me), but Cailin and I have an apartment to ourselves within the villa. Cailin and I have a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. It’s a really awesome space for only two people. Then we have a common room downstairs that we share with all the other BC kids.

walking into the kitchen

the other half of the kitchen–Notice the window that opens on the floor and the slanted ceilings? We live in the attic. It’s awesome, except when I hit my head (very often because the ceilings get really low in the bathroom).

the bathroom (if you couldn’t tell…)–We have one of the two washing machines in the whole house! Definitely a perk because we can do our laundry whenever we want 🙂

I took this right after we moved in. We unpacked our clothes and everything ASAP because we were all so tired of living out of our suitcases!

Immediately after moving in one of our program directors (aka our mothers while we’re here) Betta took us on a walk of our neighborhood, showing us the essentials like the grocery store, pharmacy, bank ATM, etc. Then we headed to our welcome dinner (#2!) for some delicious authentic Parmesan food. Oh my goodness was it delicious!!

The next day we got a brief tour of our new home… Though the tour was extremely boring and aimed at kindergardeners (we had just taken a 3 week art history course and could’ve taught our tour guide a few things), on day 1 I already knew that I loved it here and my opinion still hasn’t changed.

the clock tower on the governor’s palace

Piazza Garibaldi–the forum of Parma and a spot that I bike through many, many times every day (and yes, I did just say bike…)

the opposite end of the forum

Parma, Parma, Parma! (the Parma flag)

one of the main streets off the forum… so much shopping!!!

a random side street

EVERYONE here bikes… seriously, everyone, from the kids to the elderly.

welcome to the home of opera composer Verdi!! October happens to be Verdi Festival month… how lucky am I?? 

Parma’s Duomo!

Parma’s Baptistery

the Bishop’s Palace– The plates decorating the outside walls were a sign to pilgrims that they would find food, shelter, and hospitality in that building.

a calendar of figures above the door into the Duomo– Each figure represented a task or job during the month like harvesting grapes or curing ham.

inside the Duomo

so ornately decorated

This is what an art/architectural history tour looks like when we don’t have Rocky with us. Kevin is only smiling because he heard my camera clicking as I took the picture… trust me, he looked miserable and tired before!

my first home-cooked meal in my first apartment!

the meal– chicken with mozzarella and tomatoes, with a side of roasted vegetables… yummy!!

family dinner time! We’ve planned to have a pot luck supper every Wednesday night where each room brings a different plate and then we spend hours just sitting there eating and talking. It’s our own little family and one of the best parts of the week! (Cailin is missing because she’s taking the picture… everyone else is here. From left to right: Tommy, Liz, me, Allison, Joe, Liana, Kevin, and Justin)

my brand new bike! 

The people at the bike shop are such awesome people, so much fun to talk to and learn Italian from. I’m the lucky one who’s chain fell off going over a cobblestone within the first 24 hours so I got to go visit a second time. But I didn’t mind because I love that shop! And despite my fear of falling off a bike (because of a pretty bad fall many years ago), I’m absolutely loving riding a bike everywhere!!! At first it hurt to ride and I was walking around with a sore tailbone 24/7, but now that I’ve been riding my bike for almost two weeks I’m doing a much better job and am no longer hurting! woohoo!! 😀

the simplest dinner ever… chicken and onions… and I loved every bite of it!

it may not look that appetizing, but I love my eggs and I missed them (these pictures are nothing more than proof to my parents that I can take care of myself and feed myself a well-balanced meal 😉 )

I loved Florence and the city life, but Parma is home… I felt that as soon as I got here. It’s small enough that I can see people waving to others that they know on the street, but big enough that it takes me 45 minutes to bike all the way from my house to the other side of the city. I have room to explore and meet new people without feeling too overwhelmed or like I’m in a place that’s unauthentic. I have to speak Italian to everyone, but if I have trouble with a word some hand gestures, charades, and maybe an English word or two will get me by. There are so many people here that are excited to help students out with Italian phrases and culture that you’d really have to try hard to not learn anything!