MEMOIRS OF AN ORDINARY WOMAN: Italy

Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Life-Changing Moments

I’ve had more spectacular moments than others. I’ve had an abundance of great opportunities. I’ve had very profound events that shaped who I am.

Ø Becoming an aunt- December 1980- I have 16 nieces and nephews and 6 great nieces and nephews.
Ø Earning my master’s degree- May 1981- Med- Secondary Counseling
Ø Becoming a guidance counselor- August 1981- Loyalsock High School, Williamsport, PA- I loved every minute of that job. I was a counselor here and at Jenkintown High School as well.
Ø Traveling to India- Spring 1994- what a magical place: the people, the colors, the smells, the food, the poverty, the gold, the rich people, the buildings. It is sensation overload for me every time I go to India.
Ø Traveling to Thailand- July 1992- This was my first trip to Asia and it was so different from anything I have ever seen.
Ø Taking the blind kids to church- 1966- Overbrook School for the Blind, Philadelphia, PA- I took the kids there to church on Sundays when I was in 6^th grade. It’s hard to feel sorry for yourself when you surround yourself with people who have more challenges than you and they aren’t complaining.
Ø Traveling to Italy- April 1973- This was my first trip abroad and the wanderlust bit me in the ass.
Ø Becoming a high school principal- July 1992- Stroudsburg High School, Stroudsburg, PA- There were moments when I wasn’t sure if I was going to graduate from high school. So sometimes it overwhelmed me to think that I would become a high school principal. I never minimized the importance of my responsibilities.
Ø Taking up kayaking- September 2004- I’ve wanted to do this for years but I was always too afraid, I decided to face my fears and do this before I hit 50 years old.
Ø Reading JD Salinger- 1972- He is my favorite author and I have read his works over and over and over again. After I started to read him, I started to read on a regular basis.
Ø Starting college at Brandywine Junior College in Wilmington Delaware- September 1973- I never thought I was smart enough to go to college. Starting was a big step and I continued to earn a BS, an MEd and a DEd.
Ø Transferring to Penn State University- January 1975- I loved my time at Penn State.
Ø Being a Girl Scout- 1964 to 1966- I learned how to give back to others during this time.
Ø Traveling to China to teach for the World Academy for the Future of Women at Sias University- Spring semester 2012- This time was the longest time I have ever spent in one country. I left with a much better understanding of the people and the culture.
Ø Retiring from education after 30 years- July 2010- I have so much damn freedom.
Ø Losing 50 pounds- 2010-2011- I have new-found mobility.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

There is no shortage of signage in Hong Kong. There is no shortage of commerce and the hustle that goes with trying to make a buck. My friend is going Hong Kong soon and her daughter solicited my help to convince her mother to bring her along. I told this young girl, in so many words to fight her own battles. But I did tell her that I would not advocate that anyone go to Hong Kong as a first trip abroad. There isn't enough diverse culture to really appreciate. Here is what I would recommend for first trips abroad:

Europe: Italy

Asia: Thailand

North America: Canada

South America: Argentina

Africa: Tanzania

Australia: Great Barrier Reef

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Saturday, April 23, 2016

Italy

ITALY

April, 1973

The first trip I took abroad was in 1973. I was 17 years old, a senior in high school. My classmates and I went to Italy with the nuns during spring break. We traveled through Rome, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Pisa, Bologna, and Milan. I loved every minute of this trip and it was the event in my life that infected me with a wanderlust that is now becoming pathological for me. I loved every aspect of this trip. As my grandmother told me repeatedly, “That trip brought you out of your shell.”

I recently found my journal and when I read it now, I cringe. It is filled with high school girl gossip and certainly does not reflect what a transformational moment this was in my life. Truthfully, my insights were boring, immature and a silly reflection on me.

April 16- “We visited the Fountain of Trevi. Just after I threw my coin over my shoulder, some guy came up and pinched me. I was so shocked that I pinched him in the arm. He was so surprised that he pinched me again. I was so embarrassed. Everyone was laughing.”

April 17- “We went to the Sistine Chapel. We had seen so many ceilings before this that the Sistine Chapel wasn’t as great as we thought it to be. We went back to the hotel for lunch and had the afternoon for leisure.”

April 18- “Enroute, we stopped at Assisi. We saw another church which looked the same as every other church we had already seen.”

April 19- “The statue of David was so beautiful. He must have been at least 12 feet high. I could have stayed and looked at him all day. He was slim with a very strong build and very handsome, youthful face and curly hair. Everyone was taking pictures of him right and left. He is the symbol of Florence. Just like David, Florence, a small region, conquered all the larger regions surrounding her.”

The full journal is probably 20 pages and the above quotes are the only reference to the beauty of Italy. The rest of the journal details every boring attempt made to find beer, wine, boys, discos and other options to engage in juvenile behavior. I must say, it appears as if I was successful in that pursuit. Forty-five years later, this journal is a dull read.