Welcome,
Since one of the purposes of this blog is to keep you, the noble reader, up-to-date with my everyday life, it is necessary for me to catch up in my posts. For instance, the last entry, which I posted yesterday afternoon, concludes with me returning on the Sunday night a full week earlier. So reading my blog has become like looking at the light of the stars, which appear to burning in the present, but actually are burning millions of years in the past because of the time it takes light to travel. Well, unfortunately, in a million years we will all be dead, so that must be avoided. It is time to catch up.
The challenge behind my work at the Mission took a step up last week for two reasons. First, my supervisor went on leave to visit with her father, forcing me to rely on her less. Now when I find an article that should either be sent around the office or posted on our website, it is mainly at my discretion since she no longer checks. Though the work is not particularly difficult, it carries some responsibility. For example, when President Bush nominated a new Secretary of Agriculture last week, I had to make sure our staff was informed quickly. Because the upcoming meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) usually include the Secretary, it is critical for us to know whether we should plan on him attending or not. However, my supervisor is constantly on her Blackberry (a gameboy-sized laptop) to ensure that I do not mess things up too much.
My work also experienced a change of pace when I was “tasked” into a new project, planning the logistics for the aforementioned FAO meetings. It started with me just making a simply spreadsheet, but now I am in charge of tracking position papers, making the binders (something that I learned well from Model UN), and creating a sort of master table-of-contents/agenda/seating-chart that will tell the American delegation where they have to be and what they have to do once they get there. While organizing this is a time-consuming process, it is a vital one to ensure our success at the FAO conference. As an intern, I am grateful to trusted as an active member of a team with time-sensitive objectives. It shows that I am valuable to the Mission staff, either that or they are just really desperate. Oh, and I am also gathering information for an African Union / US luncheon, but that is largely unrelated.
I have also become a more personable face around the office. Everyone says “hi” to me, and I return the gesture. On Halloween, I was the one of the two people who donned a costume for the day. The receptionist wore striped tights, and therefore was a witch, while I taped three black circles to the left side of my shirt, and therefore was a three-hole-punch version of Jim. For those who do not know, this actually has a double-meaning, drawing from the character of Jim on The Office, who dresses this way for the episode “Halloween”. No one immediately got the reference in the Mission, so people insisted that I was a domino or a Dalmatian. Either way, it was a simple costume that brought smiles to people’s faces, and after the hour and a half long staff meeting, they needed it.
We got the day off Thursday though, because of All Saints’ Day. So naturally, I spent the day traveling to parts of Rome I had not seen. I traveled to the St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls Basilica, one of the four basilicas that is part of the Vatican and not Italy. I also walked around the Roman district of Trastevere, which lies south of the Tiber River. It is a very characteristic neighborhood that boasts that it is true residential Rome. Though I am not fully convinced of this, it was still a lovely time, strolling from church to church, despite the day’s drizzle and overcast.
Throughout the rest of the week, I spent bits of time here and there daydreaming about what I was going to do that weekend. I wanted to go north to the trails of the Cinque Terre before it got to cold, but I would have had to take another half-day on Friday (two in row is not my style) and would be gone all weekend again. One night, I talked to Joye about my dilemma over Skype in an internet café, since I still do not have internet in my room. She warmly suggested that I take the weekend to rest and relax a bit, “maybe go to a park and read.” However, such was against my nature when I only have so much time to spend in such a wonderful place, but upon further deliberation, I decided she was right. Of course, my understanding of rest and relaxation was a little different than hers.
My alarm clock went off at the same time on Saturday morning then it does every other day. I washed my face, ate my cereal and prepared myself to go, but instead of going to Piazza del Popolo, I went to the train station instead. I was taking a day trip to Assisi.
Most who hear of Assisi recognize the name, but have trouble placing where they heard it. Well, it is the birthplace and resting place of St. Francis, a saint and religious teacher that even Protestants can enjoy. J If you have not heard of him, I can almost promise that you have seen a bumper-sticker with something he said on it. Basically, he was one of the world’s first hippies. He preached and breathed non-materialism, living his life as a humble hermit for God. He was also an amazing teacher and is credited with the tradition of the Nativity, which he used an instruction tool. Additionally, he established his own order of monks who have traveled all over the world, eventually settling modern-day San Francisco (St. Francis) California. The popularity of his message was as pertinent then as it is now, which led to his canonization, or becoming a saint, shortly after his death, despite the fact that he was never ordained as a Catholic priest. Being that Francesco heard the call when he was twenty years old, I instantly felt like he had some commonalities. I don't nest live birds in a basket I carry though.
If St. Francis saw Assisi today though, I think he would start flipping over tables like Jesus did in the temple. Some stores are even solely dedicated to selling St. Francis merchandise (bookmarks, carvings, sweatshirts, sculptures…etc.), which completely missing the point. Additionally, massive basilicas have been in his name: one over the modest chapels where he started his order and passed away, and another which was named after and dedicated to him. The latter, the Basilica of St. Francis, is actually made of a lower and upper basilica, both beautifully painted from top to bottom, as well as a royal crypt beneath it, where Francis is today. In the alpenglow, its exterior reminded me of Minas Tirith, the great city of Gondor in The Lord of the Rings. I laughed at myself for this observation, thinking “only me,” but when I walked into a nearby information center, they were playing The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I guess I am not the only one. But materialism aside, all of these basilicas are gorgeous. The Basilica of St. Francis is probably the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Still, I have difficult worshipping in any of these churches; I prefer to think of them like museums or art galleries. Rather, I found solace and beauty in one of Assisi’s small churches, away from the crowds and the hype. This is the church that St. Francis probably knew best.
Assisi has a lot more wonder and excitement than just St. Francis, though it is commonly overlooked. The old town, which rests upon a hilltop, retains much of its looks and feels from when its construction through the “Middle Ages.” It still prides itself in its delicious sausage, which I had for lunch in a sandwich. At its highest point stands the shell of the town’s fortress, which yields spectacular views of the city and Umbrian landscape. Many of the town’s streets and residence are still build of stone and wood, and remnants medieval life (including a town washing station) can be found. If you look closely, one can also see proof of Assisi being a successful Roman city as well, long before the St. Francis tour industry. All in all, it was a day of wonder, beauty and spiritual reflection.
At the end of the day, I went to the bus stop to return to the Eurail train station down in the valley. To my surprise, the stop was cluttered with many more people that would make it on to the bus. Checking my watch, I decided that I had a better chance going on foot than by bus, assuming of course that I ran part of the way. I made it on time with the walk taking me nearly a half an hour, almost half of which I covered in five minutes. As I mentioned, Assisi is on a hilltop, and I ran all the way down, much to the grief of my leg muscles today, but it was worth the adrenaline rush.
Sunday I slept in. Not only did I deserve the rest, but my aching legs required it. After I woke up, I made my way to some nearby catacombs for another plunge into early Christian history. Because this site is out of the way of most tourists, the tours are typically more personal; my group comprised of only three people. Though the catacombs were similar in appearance to the other, having a personal guide who could actually answer your questions made it a lot more interesting. He also allowed me to take my own pictures (with no flash, of course), which made the trip entirely worth it.
Later, in the afternoon, I attended an English-speaking Protestant church service for the first time since my arrival. I discovered the service by stumbling by its headquarters not far from where I live. They are known as International Christian Fellowship, and though it is pastured by a husband and wife team from the US, it truly was an international congregation. No one region of the world stood out in the group. There were a handful of Africans, Arabs, Asians, Europeans and Americans (not the country, but the two continents), which made for a packed sanctuary of global Christians. Singing contemporary worship songs again with such an enthusiastic crowd was very meaningful for me. Afterward, I was welcomed by some of the church leaders who invited me to a young adult meeting this Thursday with others from Ethipoia, Brazil, Kenya, the Philippines and Italy. Finding this worship service and the opportunity for further fellowship gave me the relaxation that Joye recommended I should get.
And even though I did not do so in a park, I read quite a bit the weekend too. I started my second epic poem for this year, previously smashing my record of none whatsoever. I am almost halfway through Dante’s Inferno, which I thought was an appropriate read for being in Italy. In fact, while in Asissi, I learned the background of some of the references he mentions in the story. Also, since my book has both the Italian and English, I have learned some new words, like the ones for “darkness,” “blood,” “sin,” and other uplifting vocabulary.
Furthermore, I noted this week that I have started to blend in with the Italian culture. I am often approached by Italians with questions now, though most I can not answer, and I have begun to pull off ordering food at a restaurant without the server speaking English with me. I mean, heck, I am a Caucasian with thick, black hair, is it too hard to believe? As long as they do not figure out that I like John Milton’s Paradise Lost over Dante’s Divine Comedy, I may become Italian just yet.
Lastly, I realized last week as well that my internship is beyond half over. From here, it is no longer a build up, but a count down. In a way, it is like my descent from Assisi to the train station. In the time span of one month, I have so much ground to cover, so much to work at and learn from, but I know that if I sprint down it, I may be aching and sore at the end. If I am drained of my energy and passion, my experience means nothing. Rather, I need to take Joye’s advice and find times of rest and relaxation for both my body and spirit. Maybe not as much as St. Francis did, but at least a bit every once in a while. And I think this weekend did just that.
Thank you for reading everybody. God bless!
Since one of the purposes of this blog is to keep you, the noble reader, up-to-date with my everyday life, it is necessary for me to catch up in my posts. For instance, the last entry, which I posted yesterday afternoon, concludes with me returning on the Sunday night a full week earlier. So reading my blog has become like looking at the light of the stars, which appear to burning in the present, but actually are burning millions of years in the past because of the time it takes light to travel. Well, unfortunately, in a million years we will all be dead, so that must be avoided. It is time to catch up.
The challenge behind my work at the Mission took a step up last week for two reasons. First, my supervisor went on leave to visit with her father, forcing me to rely on her less. Now when I find an article that should either be sent around the office or posted on our website, it is mainly at my discretion since she no longer checks. Though the work is not particularly difficult, it carries some responsibility. For example, when President Bush nominated a new Secretary of Agriculture last week, I had to make sure our staff was informed quickly. Because the upcoming meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) usually include the Secretary, it is critical for us to know whether we should plan on him attending or not. However, my supervisor is constantly on her Blackberry (a gameboy-sized laptop) to ensure that I do not mess things up too much.
My work also experienced a change of pace when I was “tasked” into a new project, planning the logistics for the aforementioned FAO meetings. It started with me just making a simply spreadsheet, but now I am in charge of tracking position papers, making the binders (something that I learned well from Model UN), and creating a sort of master table-of-contents/agenda/seating-chart that will tell the American delegation where they have to be and what they have to do once they get there. While organizing this is a time-consuming process, it is a vital one to ensure our success at the FAO conference. As an intern, I am grateful to trusted as an active member of a team with time-sensitive objectives. It shows that I am valuable to the Mission staff, either that or they are just really desperate. Oh, and I am also gathering information for an African Union / US luncheon, but that is largely unrelated.
I have also become a more personable face around the office. Everyone says “hi” to me, and I return the gesture. On Halloween, I was the one of the two people who donned a costume for the day. The receptionist wore striped tights, and therefore was a witch, while I taped three black circles to the left side of my shirt, and therefore was a three-hole-punch version of Jim. For those who do not know, this actually has a double-meaning, drawing from the character of Jim on The Office, who dresses this way for the episode “Halloween”. No one immediately got the reference in the Mission, so people insisted that I was a domino or a Dalmatian. Either way, it was a simple costume that brought smiles to people’s faces, and after the hour and a half long staff meeting, they needed it.
We got the day off Thursday though, because of All Saints’ Day. So naturally, I spent the day traveling to parts of Rome I had not seen. I traveled to the St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls Basilica, one of the four basilicas that is part of the Vatican and not Italy. I also walked around the Roman district of Trastevere, which lies south of the Tiber River. It is a very characteristic neighborhood that boasts that it is true residential Rome. Though I am not fully convinced of this, it was still a lovely time, strolling from church to church, despite the day’s drizzle and overcast.
Throughout the rest of the week, I spent bits of time here and there daydreaming about what I was going to do that weekend. I wanted to go north to the trails of the Cinque Terre before it got to cold, but I would have had to take another half-day on Friday (two in row is not my style) and would be gone all weekend again. One night, I talked to Joye about my dilemma over Skype in an internet café, since I still do not have internet in my room. She warmly suggested that I take the weekend to rest and relax a bit, “maybe go to a park and read.” However, such was against my nature when I only have so much time to spend in such a wonderful place, but upon further deliberation, I decided she was right. Of course, my understanding of rest and relaxation was a little different than hers.
My alarm clock went off at the same time on Saturday morning then it does every other day. I washed my face, ate my cereal and prepared myself to go, but instead of going to Piazza del Popolo, I went to the train station instead. I was taking a day trip to Assisi.
Most who hear of Assisi recognize the name, but have trouble placing where they heard it. Well, it is the birthplace and resting place of St. Francis, a saint and religious teacher that even Protestants can enjoy. J If you have not heard of him, I can almost promise that you have seen a bumper-sticker with something he said on it. Basically, he was one of the world’s first hippies. He preached and breathed non-materialism, living his life as a humble hermit for God. He was also an amazing teacher and is credited with the tradition of the Nativity, which he used an instruction tool. Additionally, he established his own order of monks who have traveled all over the world, eventually settling modern-day San Francisco (St. Francis) California. The popularity of his message was as pertinent then as it is now, which led to his canonization, or becoming a saint, shortly after his death, despite the fact that he was never ordained as a Catholic priest. Being that Francesco heard the call when he was twenty years old, I instantly felt like he had some commonalities. I don't nest live birds in a basket I carry though.
If St. Francis saw Assisi today though, I think he would start flipping over tables like Jesus did in the temple. Some stores are even solely dedicated to selling St. Francis merchandise (bookmarks, carvings, sweatshirts, sculptures…etc.), which completely missing the point. Additionally, massive basilicas have been in his name: one over the modest chapels where he started his order and passed away, and another which was named after and dedicated to him. The latter, the Basilica of St. Francis, is actually made of a lower and upper basilica, both beautifully painted from top to bottom, as well as a royal crypt beneath it, where Francis is today. In the alpenglow, its exterior reminded me of Minas Tirith, the great city of Gondor in The Lord of the Rings. I laughed at myself for this observation, thinking “only me,” but when I walked into a nearby information center, they were playing The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I guess I am not the only one. But materialism aside, all of these basilicas are gorgeous. The Basilica of St. Francis is probably the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Still, I have difficult worshipping in any of these churches; I prefer to think of them like museums or art galleries. Rather, I found solace and beauty in one of Assisi’s small churches, away from the crowds and the hype. This is the church that St. Francis probably knew best.Assisi has a lot more wonder and excitement than just St. Francis, though it is commonly overlooked. The old town, which rests upon a hilltop, retains much of its looks and feels from when its construction through the “Middle Ages.” It still prides itself in its delicious sausage, which I had for lunch in a sandwich. At its highest point stands the shell of the town’s fortress, which yields spectacular views of the city and Umbrian landscape. Many of the town’s streets and residence are still build of stone and wood, and remnants medieval life (including a town washing station) can be found. If you look closely, one can also see proof of Assisi being a successful Roman city as well, long before the St. Francis tour industry. All in all, it was a day of wonder, beauty and spiritual reflection.At the end of the day, I went to the bus stop to return to the Eurail train station down in the valley. To my surprise, the stop was cluttered with many more people that would make it on to the bus. Checking my watch, I decided that I had a better chance going on foot than by bus, assuming of course that I ran part of the way. I made it on time with the walk taking me nearly a half an hour, almost half of which I covered in five minutes. As I mentioned, Assisi is on a hilltop, and I ran all the way down, much to the grief of my leg muscles today, but it was worth the adrenaline rush.Sunday I slept in. Not only did I deserve the rest, but my aching legs required it. After I woke up, I made my way to some nearby catacombs for another plunge into early Christian history. Because this site is out of the way of most tourists, the tours are typically more personal; my group comprised of only three people. Though the catacombs were similar in appearance to the other, having a personal guide who could actually answer your questions made it a lot more interesting. He also allowed me to take my own pictures (with no flash, of course), which made the trip entirely worth it.
Later, in the afternoon, I attended an English-speaking Protestant church service for the first time since my arrival. I discovered the service by stumbling by its headquarters not far from where I live. They are known as International Christian Fellowship, and though it is pastured by a husband and wife team from the US, it truly was an international congregation. No one region of the world stood out in the group. There were a handful of Africans, Arabs, Asians, Europeans and Americans (not the country, but the two continents), which made for a packed sanctuary of global Christians. Singing contemporary worship songs again with such an enthusiastic crowd was very meaningful for me. Afterward, I was welcomed by some of the church leaders who invited me to a young adult meeting this Thursday with others from Ethipoia, Brazil, Kenya, the Philippines and Italy. Finding this worship service and the opportunity for further fellowship gave me the relaxation that Joye recommended I should get.And even though I did not do so in a park, I read quite a bit the weekend too. I started my second epic poem for this year, previously smashing my record of none whatsoever. I am almost halfway through Dante’s Inferno, which I thought was an appropriate read for being in Italy. In fact, while in Asissi, I learned the background of some of the references he mentions in the story. Also, since my book has both the Italian and English, I have learned some new words, like the ones for “darkness,” “blood,” “sin,” and other uplifting vocabulary.
Furthermore, I noted this week that I have started to blend in with the Italian culture. I am often approached by Italians with questions now, though most I can not answer, and I have begun to pull off ordering food at a restaurant without the server speaking English with me. I mean, heck, I am a Caucasian with thick, black hair, is it too hard to believe? As long as they do not figure out that I like John Milton’s Paradise Lost over Dante’s Divine Comedy, I may become Italian just yet.
Lastly, I realized last week as well that my internship is beyond half over. From here, it is no longer a build up, but a count down. In a way, it is like my descent from Assisi to the train station. In the time span of one month, I have so much ground to cover, so much to work at and learn from, but I know that if I sprint down it, I may be aching and sore at the end. If I am drained of my energy and passion, my experience means nothing. Rather, I need to take Joye’s advice and find times of rest and relaxation for both my body and spirit. Maybe not as much as St. Francis did, but at least a bit every once in a while. And I think this weekend did just that.
Thank you for reading everybody. God bless!
2 comments:
cool pics...
Your blogs are getting better and better! You have certainly matured in all walks of your life. I am so glad you found a Christian fellowship and how awesome that it is truly international. I am impressed with your passion for travel, adventure and continual learning. You must get inside the Vatican, however. I am anxious to hear of your adventures in the Holy See! Ciao
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