People that are apt to follow other’s opinions and stereotypes lose out on forming their own judgments which can enrich their lives and transform their spirit. In Castel Gandolfo, our class sat and discussed various writings and touched based on topics to help us enhance our stay in Rome. When reading The Italians foreword and contemplating how the author claimed to tell things like it is, the class noted how there is no one truth and way things are. One must step outside those boundaries that other people’s opinions form and into a new box, empty and waiting to be filled by one’s own experiences- a box that one can modify and readapt throughout the course of such an experience as traveling abroad.
When stepping onto the aged stone roads and taking in the expansive city of Rome, I tried to set aside some of what others informed me of before my departure. Some spoke as if Rome was just a tired old city while others viewed it as a complete spiritual transformation waiting to happen of which I obviously cannot force. I put on my fresh eyes and through the story told by the tour guide, tried to picture Rome the way it was so many years ago.
Before the tourists who created all these opinions, before the gypsies one must always be wary of, before the fall and destruction of the wondrous architecture, I was able to experience a day in the life of ancient Rome. Through untainted eyes I was a gladiator waiting for my impending doom with nothing but a relentless cheering crowd unwilling to stop the madness and undaunted by my fear. I became a Roman citizen in the center of Western civilization shopping in the market and praying, carrying out everyday rituals. I was a Roman soldier returning from a victory and could also be a slave being brought back from defeat by those Roman soldiers. I tore apart architecture for money to recycle and use again. With these fresh ideas and own outlook I could build my own empire in my box instead of just recycling someone else’s experience.
The quote that affected me most during the class was from The Smiles of Rome which stated “…when we find that living, we cannot fill the footprints of the dead (60).” As I walked around Rome I saw the beauty the Romans left behind. Architecture so brilliantly designed with inscriptions for all to read allows a story to be told for the future generations and lessons to be learned. The world must not allow those footprints to be destroyed for they have helped form society and after hundreds of years continue to teach eager minds. People need the past in order to move progressively through the present.
I considered how the world today is so technologically dependent that many works may not be there for others to witness. Atomic weapons alone could wipe out much of the world’s population, surroundings, and information, and we would have no footprints left for people to learn from. No footprints for people to even remember what the Romans left behind and did for our own culture. Not only would screws be missing that held together the marble of the Colosseum, but the entire Colosseum itself. How can one reconstruct how the Romans lived without any evidence anything even existed? The class helped me to realize how vital these ancient Roman forums and buildings are and how we must build our own legacy to leave behind for others to cherish. Rome is not just simply a city. Rome is a place full of culture that uses the past to enhance their future as well as ours. Where would we be now if we had no idea what had happened all those years ago? 
Abby, I found your blog very interesting to read because when we visited all of these places I didn't put myself into the role like you did. That is a very cool way to go about these ancient landmarks. Also, I liked how you say one needs to step outside the boundaries and opinions of others and into a new one. I know before coming abroad I was very interested in other peoples experiences while they were here. Now, I'm starting to realize that I just need to forget about what they told me and make my own memories.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jon, i never looked at Rome in eyes of others like you wrote about it, such as the people praying on the streets or the men dressed as gladiators.
ReplyDeleteI guess we all need to look at things in a different. I feel like we all finally were able to see how it was to be a foreigner. I never realized how hard and challenge it must be when they come to America.The looks we get and the feeling that where ever we go we don't fit in. However, we don't have to sit back and not grow from the experience. We can learn the language, the culture, and customs. Therefore we can feel comfortable and able to learn more than we knew before this wonderful opportunity. It takes the experience to grow and become, not a better person necessarily, but a smarter and respectful individual.
Abby,
ReplyDeleteYour post was so interesting to me because it had the idea of balance in it. You begin by explaining your wish to make your own individual Rome experience, separate from others who have already visited. You successfully put yourself into imaginatory roles to understand how things were in the past.
However, at the end of your journal, you indicate that we cannot forget the past. According to you, the past is valuable to the world because it will help us to remember history's mistakes and avoid them again. Perhaps you wish us to remember the past by creating our own unique ways to experience it personally, as you have done.
Maria