Hum 325, August 25: A Needed Discomfort

The history of Rome, according to British Journalist H.V. Morton, is both “exhilarating and oppressive for the traveler.”  What ways have you found Rome exhilarating and oppressive?

Rome has a way of touching people’s senses, creating a charm that is exhilarating, invigorating, and irresistible.  In Rome, one can experience the taste of freshly made gelato, smell of flowers in the breeze, the sight of a vast vineyard, the touch of a finely made scarf, and the sound of church bells and children laughing all at once.  However, the hustle and bustle of the town, the strange tongues one is not accustomed to, and forceful strangers coming up from off the street can be intimidating.  In The Italians, Barzini discusses how tourists come from all over to Rome in search of beauty, food, religion, historical knowledge, and potential love.  As exciting as the search can be, tourists may find it just as demanding.   

Whoever does not walk into an immense city such as Rome and experience some sort of culture shock baffles me.  The metro station alone exhibits such oppression perfectly.  First, standing to buy a ticket to your destination, a band of gypsies comes up to hustle you.  You look around confused and nervous, wondering what to do when luckily you are able to grab your ticket and money before they reach their greedy hands in to see what is left behind.  You rush away as they move onto their next victim, and sadly you find yourself relieved at the expense of another innocent tourist.  You hold onto your bag tightly hoping someone else does not try to pull a fast one on you.  You run to make it to the metro which comes exactly on the dot and waits for nobody running behind from the previous struggles.  I have personally witnessed and been a part of such experiences in the past week in Rome and am not surprised that it can bring anxiety to travelers.  Catching transportation, however, is not the only problem.      

Have you ever had that grandparent or relative who insists on you eating more and more until your seams are ready to burst?  You plead that you are really ok and are no longer hungry for more.  One plate down, the second plate a struggle, and the next thing you know, you look down and your plate is full yet again, waiting for your intake.  What do you do with that vast quantity in such a short period of time?  When traveling to the city of Rome, I can sometimes feel that same way.  The first “bites” of Rome are rich and I long for more.  However, when I look around and realize that I have merely made a small indent on my plate, apprehension sweeps over of whether or not to continue on.  Rome has so much to offer and with that can become oppressive to those not ready to handle all that the city throws on one’s plate.  People standing around looking at maps, people left behind from their tour guide from stopping to capture a moment of beauty, and people trying to communicate, frustrated with not being able to speak the way they always have are all experiencing part of Rome’s oppression. 

Lost tourist trying to ask for directions

But what defines the act of being oppressive and why does it resonate so easily with new travelers to the city of Rome?  After all, the native Romans seem to be doing just fine.  According to www.yourdictionary.com, oppressive is an adjective used to describe something that is “hard to put up with, causing great discomfort or fatigue… weighing heavily on the mind, spirits, or senses; distressing.”  To say that I have not felt any of these emotions throughout my stay would be a blatant lie.  From class in the morning until dinner at night, I constantly find myself holding back yawns and working incredibly hard to keep my eyes open.  Sometimes it feels like an exceedingly long race with no cones to guide you and no finish line in sight.  Not only is Rome physically taxing, but mentally as well.  For example, you pride yourself in spending time memorizing key Italian phrases.  Moments later, you are confidently strolling up to a native Italian and the words flow off your tongue with ease.  You stand there with a smile, proud of how much easier the task was than you thought it might be.  However, just as soon as you are contented, all that confidence is stripped away when the Italian language is thrown back at you and you realize you do not have the slightest clue how to translate what the Italian said in return.  The language barrier has quickly turned from being your friend to your brutal enemy.  A blank face is all you can muster up, and a frown grows on the Italian’s face who is tired of coddling tourists.  The sense of failure hits home and you are now a puppy with your tail between your legs.  I have found myself in this position many times and we have only been here about a week.  The positive is that you are not alone and share these disconcerting moments with others walking in nearly identical shoes.  Tourists, unlike native Romans, are not at home.  When it comes down to it, we are simply people taking in a much different culture that can both enlighten us and wear us down to our very core.      

However, when you go beyond the insanity of the metro and look beyond the crowds, Rome is truly a place of beauty.  Everywhere you look is history waiting to be incorporated into your person.  Every stone left unturned and every single person has a story that they are waiting to tell.  All you have to do is listen carefully, take a deep breath, and learn.  From the moment I stepped off the plane, my exhilarating journey began.  Even those oppressive struggles are exhilarating when you take a long, hard look.  I cannot say that the gypsies and the hectic streets have not taught me some of what I needed to know.  The whole reason they are oppressive to begin with is that I am not accustomed to the ways of Rome.  Rome is not the only place I will experience these struggles, and by adapting and learning from it I can be more prepared for my next endeavor. 

Intelligently stated about Rome, “Whether caused by the sun, the climate, the sky, the light, or by anything else, the sensation was a powerful, almost an overwhelming one, often strong enough to change a man’s life” (Barzini 36).  Rome is so great of a power over one’s being that it can overwhelm us and take over how we feel, leading us to sometimes question who we really are.  Rome is a beautiful oppressive force- one that takes our comfort away, bringing us back to the basics so we are able to start asking questions that really matter... questions that turn a simple trip into an exhilarating journey.