Right now we're going into town to see the Van Gogh Museum and the Heineken Factory. Updates are soon to come...
After we walked around the Hofburg for a while, we headed over to the Belvedere museum (which was quite a walk, especially because of the rain). But it was worth it. It was such a sweet museum, and a very refreshing change of pace from the 24/7-Madonna-col-bambino Renaissance art of Florence.
Then, we did some Jewish things because Julia wanted to. That was O.K. Then we saw St. Stephen's cathedral because it's actually a major attraction. That was better. After, we went to Aida, because you're apparently required to visit one of Vienna's coffee shops while there. It was charming, but it wasn't like the coffee shops I had grown accustomed to in Amsterdam. Aside from the obvious difference, we found another difference between Amsterdam and Vienna coffee shops: it is not yet socially acceptable in Vienna to play with dirty cards at the restaurant.
When we finished our coffee and cards, we headed over to the Schonbrun, the summer palace of the Hapsburg family - now a city park. It was this huge park complex with museums, gardens, great views, and even a labyrinth. It's size and grandeur reminded me of Versailles, but it's park atmosphere made me think more of Bobili Gardens. Schonbrun was a cool way to end our day in Vienna, and now we're back in Budapest for 2 more days. I can't believe that I'll be home in only a few more days...
]]>Actually, the weather is terrible -- its always raining in Prague. And we had some other problems during our stay here. First, coming into Prague was a 15 hour bus ride. And then on our second day here, we got fined 700Kc (like 30E) for not paying for the metro.
But after our major bumps in the road, things started getting better. We met a lot of cool people, experienced the night life, and did a lot of cultural stuff. We went to a concert for Prague Spring, visited a couple of castles, went to some museums and tours, and got really cool matching sweatshirts. We are also writing and filming a fictional movie.
Ok, next stop on Europoloza: Budapest.
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Right now we're going into town to see the Van Gogh Museum and the Heineken Factory. Updates are soon to come...
I apologize profusely for using this cliche, but it really does feel like yesterday that I just moved in and met all my new roommates and started school. The semester went by so fast, but I'm pretty sure that I don't have any regrets about my stay in Florence. I'm taking the opportunity now to travel, I really did learn a lot despite the obvious distractions, and I picked up some Italian along the way. And I feel like I've grown up a lot over here, too. I've made - and unmade - some very important relationships while I've been abroad, and I think I'll carry them with me for a long time.
I'm going to miss all of Florence's old, stinky art, the ridiculous Italian clothes and hair, all of my Italian teachers, and the relaxed (although very inefficient) Italian atmosphere, but what I will miss most about this experience are the friends I made here. We all got so close so fast; it really did feel like we had known each other for years in only a semester. It even got to the point where we got sick of each other's company. I know we would always complain about how every weekend, we would just sit around, play games, and listen to music in our apartment, but honestly, those are my best memories of Florence.
Looking back, when I remember Florence, I'm not going to think about the trips I took, or the classes I was in, but about the havoc the was wrecked on Mexican night. Or the times we spent hula-hooping under the Duomo. Or our game nights with Hide-and-go-seek, Jenkins, and Charades. Or walking back home together at 4:00 in the morning. Or the countless times we listened to M.I.A.
I know we'll all hang out in New York, but it won't be the same. We'll have to go back to our real lives, and worry about jobs and school. We'll have all of our other real friends to hang out with, and our friends from Wake Forest and UMiami won't be there. But I guess that's all part of the experience, right? You have make friends before you can miss them. I really hope that we can all stay in each other's lives because you all mean so much to me. I had a great time in Florence with all my friends, and I will remember this experience because of you guys.
I had a really good weekend, and I'm realizing now that things just won't be the same in America. Let me lay it out for you. Wednesday: night on the town with my friends, bouncing around from place to place. Okay, that will probably happen in New York. Thursday: BBQ party, then a bar with friends, both American and Italian, and then spaghetti party, again with American and Italian company. The American friends can be imitated, but definitely the Italians. Friday: Sports day at school, and then I went to Central Park. No, not the enormous midtown NYC park, but the swanky Florentine club. I won't be going somewhere like that for at least a year, and even then, it probably be won't be as interesting because I'll be able to understand what people are saying to me. Saturday: Viareggio(see previous post), then BBQ at our Italian friend's grandmother's house. Now that's definitely not something that can't happen again. And above all, when will my weekend ever again begin on a Wednesday?
I know that going back to America will be really cool, and I've thought for a long time that it's all I want to do, especially because I'll finally get to see my family again. But now that the light at the end of the tunnel is so close, I'm not so sure that this is actually what I want. I've made so many friends here that I can't take back with me, and I know that I'll be able to deal with not being around them, but I would just rather not have to. I guess that's life though. And I predict that there will probably be another one of these posts when inevitable day is here.
]]>I think my group's performance went well, except my battery ran out midway through, so the only footage I managed to get was the first piece, Assobio a Jato (The Jet Whistle) by Villa-Lobos. Check it out:
The first two hikes were extremely easy, but the last two were really hard. Most of the way is pretty well paved thanks Cinque Terre's popularity with tourists, but some parts were pretty difficult. The beach at the end was a welcome reward. Along the way, there was some delicious lemonade, singing, lots of Americans, and a nude beach - I am told. Here's "Ramil Goes to Cinque Terre":
]]>It was cool to be able to go to the beach and just relax on the sand, especially since the weather in Florence has been so crappy. And we picked a pretty good day to go to the beach too, because it was sunny, warm, and not crowded at all.
We played beach games, took a dip in the ocean, got very sandy, and watched a lot of beach football. Italians can never get enough football. Here's a video I made of the day's adventures. I apologize for the crudeness of "Ramil Goes to Viareggio, Sings:"
]]>So, to get people donating to and talking about Dynamo Camp, we did two things: 1) We had bake sales and 2) we held a talent show. Both of the things worked really well, and I think we accomplished our goals. We raised quite a bit of money, and everyone on campus now knows about Dynamo Camp.
In the end, everything turned out amazing, but for a time, things weren't so great. Most of us in Vivere il Volontariato had little experience with fund raisers, and even less with event planning. It was really hard to make the bake sales profitable, especially with a couple different factors working against our favor. And we really thought that the Talent Show was going to turn into a flop. The lowest point was definitely the week before the show, and maybe three people had bought tickets to the show. After working for months deciding on logistics, organizing talent, and having meetings, it looked like all of our hard work would be for nothing.
We knew that we had to change something if we wanted to sell more tickets. So, instead of having bake sales, we began to give away free baked goods. Now it sounds ridiculous, and with the sign
"Free Cookies** (**'Free Cookie' offer only eligible for Talent Show ticket holders)"it must have looked ridiculous, but it worked incredibly well. Before the show, we had sold about 60 tickets, and at the actual show, there were over 100 people in attendance. And not only did we actually sell a bunch of tickets and raise money, but the Talent Show itself was very entertaining. I'm pretty sure that when anyone thinks of a talent show, they think it's going to be so lame. Even in High School Musical 2, the talent show was pretty bad until Troy and Gabriela whipped out "Everyday." But our talent show was really good. Despite all of the obstacles and doubtful moments, I'm really happy with the way everything turned. Take a look for yourself at some select clips from the talent show: ]]>
It was a great concert, and they played two Mozart sonatas, one of which was Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and a Mendelssohn sonata. The musicians were excellent, and the hall sounded amazing. The concert was held in the Palazzo Vecchio, and the concert hall was covered with paintings and sculptures - and it also had great acoustics. The Renaissance art and the classical music made me feel like I traveled back in time, especially because I listen to so much modern music these days.
Tonight's concert made me appreciate Florentine culture a little bit more. After living here for three months, and being bombarded left and right by Renaissance art, I had just about had enough of all of this old art. Despite the obvious beauty of Florence's art, you can only look at so many Madonna with Child's before getting a little sick of it. But tonight in the concert hall, surrounded by these historic sculptures and such fine playing of old pieces, I think I can see why this town wants to hold onto this seemingly prehistoric culture so bad. It's obviously outdated and not fresh, but there's something hypnotic about music and art that is so organized, so true to form - especially at a time when contemporary art is so confusing.
Another good thing about the concert was that it was free. The city of Florence actually funds these types of events. Sure, it comes out of tax-payer dollars, but that just goes to show you that these people are willing to support the arts that they love. Maybe if we did the same thing in America, we would have more people involved in music and art. That's just my two cents.
]]>And I'm really excited to be at Gramercy Green! It's a new dorm with 21 floors for 900 students, and it's located on 23rd and 3rd. It is a bit of a way away, but there's a shuttle, and biking would be cool. The rooms look really sweet, as well.
But aside from all the obvious perks like having a single and free room and board, I am very much looking forward to the real aspects of being an RA. It will be cool to plan events, and with NYU's budget backing them, people might just actually come. I'm also excited to get to know my new residents. Since Gramercy is an upperclassmen dorm, I'll be better able to relate to my residents. I know there's only a couple years of difference between classes, but I feel like freshman problems are always so much more complicated. Also, I'm kind of looking forward to meeting all my fellow RA and staff members at Gramercy. I remember from Freshman year how much of a community the RAs had, and I was always a little bit jealous of them. They got to hang out and work with their friends all the time, and it was so much a part of their lives. So, there's a lot to look forward to, but at the same time, I know that it will be a lot of work, too.
Next semester is still a long way off, but getting selected to be an RA made me realize how much I miss NYC. But in the mean time, I guess all I can do is think about nametag designs and sort through my favorite icebreakers.
]]>Florentines are mostly Catholic, so the Pasqua holiday is a big deal. The days that lead up to Pasqua felt almost like Christmas because of all the decorations and sales. In every shop window, you can read 'Auguri di Bouna Pasqua!' And in every supermarket, they have 'uova di Pasqua.' It means Easter egg, but it's not what you think it is. It's not a chicken egg, but a big chocolate egg with a toy inside. It's like their version of a chocolate Easter bunny. Also, there are no Peeps.
So, to celebrate Pasqua and my birthday, we went to see the Scoppio del Carro, or 'the explosion of the cart.' It seemed like a strange tradition to me at first, because I don't usually associate ecclesiastical holidays with explosions, but it looks really cool, so it doesn't matter why. I think it has something to do with the tongues of fire that surrounded the apostles on Pentecost, but that seems a bit of a stretch.
Anyway, it seemed like the entire city came out to see the Scoppio del Carro, and it was a good thing we got there when we did because it got very crowded very quickly. I wasn't sure how an Italian pyrotechnical show was going to hold up American fireworks standards, but I was pleasantly surprised. See for yourself:
]]>From the moment we landed in Fes, we knew that this trip was going to be a bit of a bumpy ride. For one thing, Morocco is not one of the places where English is very commonly spoken. The majority of tourists in Fes are from Southern Europe, mostly from France and Spain. So not knowing either language, and obviously Arabic, put us at an extreme disadvantage. Also, Fes is notorious for its faux guides. They're pretty much harmless, but they'll take you on a tour of the medina and ask you for a ridiculous fee at the end of the tour. We tried our hardest to avoid faux guides, and we hired an official guide. However, while official guides charges you relatively little up front in fees, he makes most of his money on commissions. So, being the ignorant American tourists that we were, at one point or another, we fell into each of the traps. But, I still think that we came out of it relatively unscathed.
Before you start thinking that Morocco is one big phony, incomprehensible rip-off, let me tell you what I loved my trip to Fes so much. Despite the obvious effects that tourism has had on Fes, there was still a very vibrant, proud, authentic culture. Many of the people we met were so excited to show us how they lived, and wanted to genuinely be our friends. Hospitality is such an important aspect of Moroccan life, and there were so many times when I thought, "This is just like in Ibn Batutta!!" One night, we met this Moroccan guy walking down the street, and we ended up going with him to a shisha bar. We were having a good time, but the whole time we were hanging out, we were bracing ourselves for the sales pitch. It never came, and when it came time to leave, he insisted on paying for us. The next night, we hung out again, and he brought us into his home to meet his family and friends. They fed us, showed us pictures of their extended family, and gave us henna. They were so nice, and their kindness so simple that it seemed almost too good to be true. They seemed almost naive in their hospitality, but I guess that's just because I would never do something like that for complete strangers.
The video that goes along with this post shows everything else we did in Fes: walking through the medinas, our day trip to Meknes and Moulay Idriss, our "official" guided, etc. It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I do intend on returning to visit my new friends. Here is, "Ramil Goes To Morocco":
]]>After we left Montjuïc, we went to La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi´s most famous building-in-progress. It was enormous, and unlike any church I´ve ever seen before. La Sagrada Familia has the layout and feel of a Gothic cathedral, but it looks more like something from a Dr. Suess book than Notre Dame. Gaudi started the building in 1882, and the building is still under (quite heavy) construction today. Architects were still working as tourists walked around inside the huge, white building. La Sagrada Familia won´t be completed until at least 2020.
For another dosage of Gaudi, we went to Guell Park. Guell Park was originally supposed to be an upscale housing development, but was converted into a public park when the project failed. Although it was incomplete, Guell Park had great views of the city, and was covered with beautiful mosaic artwork.
Barcelona´s art nouveau makes for a good change of scenery from the Renaissance artworks of Florence. The streets of Florence are very beautiful, don´t get me wrong, but after living there for 2 months, it can start to feel musky and tired. Barcelona´s streets feel alive and energized by the artwork, and their modern style is bold without losing taste. I´m disappointed that I´m leaving tomorrow, but I´m comforted knowing that I´ll be back here soon.
UPDATE: Here is a video I made while in Barcelona, cleverly named, "Ramil Goes To Barcelona:"
]]>I´ve been in Barcelona for about 2 days, and I´m starting to get a feel for the city. So far, I´ve been to Museu Picasso, Parc de la Ciutadella, Las Ramblas, and the Catedral. The Museu Picasso was by far the best - it contained tons of Picasso´s early art and showed his development as an artist. The Parc de la Ciutadella was cool, too. We played frisbee, listened to street musicians, and sat around with the circus artists. While we walked through the Barri Gotic, by the Catedral, we caught a Sardana festival going on. Sardana is a traditional Catalonian dance where large groups of old people dance around in circles. It sounds kind of lame, but it was actually very cool, and the band was great, too.
I´m really glad that I chose to come here to Barcelona, because it´s such an amazing city. All of the architecture is amazing, and the culture is strong. Catalonian people have so much pride in their culture, language, and traditions, and they´ve managed to retain their integrity while still being able to modernize and accommodate to tourism. There´s so much to do and see in this city, and I don´t think that I´ll be able to accomplish it all in the few days I´m here. Tomorrow, I´m going to try to check out the Jewish section of town, Montjuic, and some of Gaudi´s architecture, but I´ll still be leaving stuff out. I´m glad that I planned to come back during Europoloza 2008, so I can see the rest of the town. Now, I´m going to the waterfront to see Barcelona at night.
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