A Poem for Thought

Just wanted to share a poem that I wrote this past weekend while sitting on the windowsill of my room, overlooking my favorite view of the Umbrian countryside. It's still a work in progress, but I thought I'd post it because it describes a lot of how I am feeling in my last week or so here. I am still praying that the Lord would help transition my heart and prepare me for going home. It's been a beautiful adventure here and I am incredibly thankful.

Lofty Places

From lofty places, on rooftops and windowsills

The world below seems small, manageable.

The grand villas I passed,

the cypresses and vineyards that overtook my senses

appear from this vantage to be nothing more

than a patch of green or a doll’s house on a hill.

Perched in this elevated place I could reach out

And gather the deep valley in my arms.

I could pick of bouquet of trees or

catch a swallow as it swoops and dives.

But I cannot take them with me when I leave this place.

I could try to possess them,

But I would be like the disappointed photographer,

who tried to take the sunset home

and left with nothing but a flattened image.

Yet he took the photo,

Feeling relieved that he could look at the sunset again later.

He could pull out that picture,

Hold it in his hands.

His memory will remind him of the golden light

Sinking slowly behind the mountains,

Leaving a gradient of rosy pink, marigold, teal and

a vast blue sky that awaits the arrival of the stars.

He tried to own the view but lost it instead.

I cannot take this place with me,

It cannot be possessed from this lofty place.

Instead I must learn to enjoy

these moments of beauty as they pass.

Bolsena, Bagnoregio, & Wine Tasting

I'm in denial that it's June 1st. I'm pretending I still have another 4 months here instead of the 16 days I have left. And I've convinced myself that one day I'll own a villa on a vineyard outside of Orvieto. Yepp, it's happening....now I just need to marry someone who owns a vineyard. Hmm, might be tricky. Ah well, I digress. 

Lake Bolsena

Yesterday was one of those days where I wish my eyes were video cameras so I could capture the whole day just as I was seeing it right then. Our group took a relaxing day trip to Lake Bolsena, about 20 minutes from Orvieto. We enjoyed laying on the beach, swimming (or in my case, being dunked in by Miss Heather Coates...little stinker), and then taking a surprise boat ride around an island. It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone was teeming with joy and smiles. On the boat, Luke played his guitar and we sang songs that everyone knew the words to, ending with "Nothing But the Blood". I can't think of anything better than praising the Lord, being surrounded by people you love, and feeling the sun on your face as you cruise along with the most beautiful view everywhere you look!

Bagnoregio

 

Then we all hopped in the bus again and headed to Bagnoregio, a little hill town with an ancient city that is practically a ghost town. It was up on a hill, isolated from the rest of the city with the erosion of it's structure through time and weather. Now only 8 people live there! I could walk the whole town in a matter of minutes. I've never seen anything like it. We lingered a little while and sat down to sketch a beautiful alleyway. Then we packed up again for wine tasting at a local vineyard.

Tenuta Le Velette Vineyard

Their vineyard overlooks Orvieto!

We walked out to their property and the view before us stopped me in my tracks. They have one of the best views of Orvieto right in their backyard! It was strange to see the place we consider home from such a far vantage point. The owner of the vineyard told us a bit about their wine-making process and about the history of this place. Below their home, there are Etruscan tunnels from 6 B.C. that they now use for storing their wine. Oh, no big deal...ya know, just your everyday wine cellar. WHAT? So, we took a tour through these tunnels, and I tried to wrap my mind around the idea that the place where I was standing was from 6 B.C. Crazy. Then it was time for wine tasting. Their elegant dining room table was set up with delicious cheeses, seasoned focaccia bread, and various meats. We sampled two white wines and one red wine, and had the best olive oil I've ever tasted in my life. The wines were delicious; I think my favorite was the Orvieto Classico white wine. When it was time to leave we pulled ourselves away reluctantly and headed back to Orvieto. Oh and we closed out the night by watching some Lord of the Rings at our Palazzo. Overall, a pretty fantastic day.

If you think of it, please pray for my last couple of weeks! It will be rough to finish up this last class, while saying goodbye to all of these wonderful people and this town that has so captivated my heart. Please pray for my transition home. Thank you! 

Here's the website of the vineyard where we had our wine tasting:

http://www.levelette.it/it/tenuta_le_velette_azienda_vinicola_cantina_orvieto_terni_umbria.htm

A "Trip" in Pompeii & Sunshine in Sorrento

       With our last class finished, we took our third travel break for the weekend. Feeling the need for some relaxation and sun, I decided to go to Sorrento (on the southern coast of Italy). Holly, Rachel, Meaghan, and I left before the sun breached the sky on Friday morning and began our journey. We went to Pompeii for the afternoon, on our way to Sorrento. I was amazed at how extensive the ruins were, and by how much has been preserved since the earthquake in 79 AD.

Pompeii Ruins with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background

 We walked all over the cobblestone streets, seeing homes with beautiful courtyards, bakeries, public baths, and giant theatres. It was overwhelming. Also, being the clumsy individual that I am, I found myself constantly tripping over the cobblestones--which, in my defense, were more like boulders stuck in the dirt!! I made quite the entrance into the ruins by managing to miss a step and trip myself, falling in what felt like slow motion, as I grabbed something that was NOT stationary...it came down with me and I looked up to see an old man rushing to rescue me. Too late. All I could do was join the rest of my onlookers in laughter. So graceful!

See what I mean?? Boulders!!

Amphitheater

 

Sorrento

 We left Pompeii, covered in dust and feeling rather exhausted. On to Sorrento! We trudged through the streets for about 20 minutes until we came to the oasis of our campground. We were greeted with a wonderful surprise: an upgrade from a tiny cabin (which definitely could have been mistaken for an outhouse) to a roomy bungalow overlooking Mt. Vesuvius and the brilliant blue Mediterranean! We spent the rest of our trip relaxing at the campground beach, soaking up the sun and dipping our feet in the ice-cold ocean. It was a gorgeous day and we felt the Lord's blessings in everything!

Our Campground Beach

Lemon Grove!

Mt. Vesuvius at Sunset

 Following Rick Steves' recommendation, we visited one of Sorrento's many lemon groves. We sampled our first sip of lemoncello, which made all of our mouths pucker and our eyes buldge, but it was delicious! Downtown Sorrento was adorable. There were shops everywhere--displaying everything decorated with lemons, lemons, and more lemons! I fell in love with this seaside town, vowing to myself that I would return someday...or maybe annually? Yes, once a year sounds good. Hmm, it's a wonder we even came back from that place of paradise. If you're ever in Italy, please treat yourself to Sorrento. 


I'm back in Orvieto now, drinking in every moment of our last month here. Can it really be that I am leaving in less than a month now? I've learned much and still have much more to learn in this last class of Arts & Liturgy. I am thrilled to learn about the monastic tradition of hours of prayer throughout the day. We will be incorporating this liturgy into our regular schedules for the next month. What a rich and beautiful practice to make a habit. More on this topic later. For now, these words from Dara Maclean's song express a piece of what my heart has been feeling in the Lord lately:

How can I say thank You?
How can I adore You?
All I have to offer
Is the life I lay before You
You're the One I live for
So let my heart be filled to overflow
Each day brand new
With gratitude

I've been forgiven and now I'm free
Every morning, Your love embraces me
Only You, have satisfied
Only You, have been faithful all my life

AMEN

Arezzo, San Gimignano, & Monte Oliveto

Picnic Lunch in Arezzo!

San Gimignano

Piaza in San Gimignano

Monte Oliveto

Prof. Skillen teaching us about The Life of Benedict

It's been a busy month in Orvieto, so I have once again neglected to post! Mi dispiace. This past month has been filled with our Renaissance Narrative course, learning about frescoes and taking excursions to see the art in its original context. First we visited Arezzo, to see the Legend of the Holy Cross fresco.Then we drove through the rolling hills of Tuscany to see frescoes from the Life of St. Benedict and the Life of St. Augustine in Monte Oliveto and San Gimignano. I am thankful to see so much history firsthand!

Is This My Life??

I have asked myself this question several times in the past couple of weeks. Just listen to this: Paris last weekend, going "home" to Orvieto like its totally normal, then exploring  Florence this weekend, and Rome the next....is this my life?? Yes, it is. Well I don't have much time to write about my time in these two incredible cities, so instead I'll leave you with some pictures. Stories later! 

 

My travel companions :)

The Lourve---Our first morning in Paris

My favorite sculpture: Cupid Embracing Psyche

Notre Dame. Sadly, Quasi wasn't at home...

Luxembourg Gardens

The Eiffel Tower really is as amazing as it looks

Underneath the Arc di Triomphe

It rains a lot in Paris--but only in 5 min "sneezes"--then rain-shine! (Props to Schuyler Miller for the picture)

 Alright, now for Florence....

We saw several fresco cycles for our Renaissance Narrative class.

Florence's main Duomo...it is overwhelmingly-magnificent.

The David replica in a main piazza. Note how tiny the people are in comparison to him!

On the Arno River at sunset

The Ponte Vecchio at night...Heather and I sat on the ledge of a bridge, enjoyed some live music, & pretended like we were on a boat on the river :)

We found a place to put our feet in the water and rest ourselves in the shade

Shopping at leather markets that go on for miles? Yes please.

Random side note: nutella & apples make for a GREAT snack...especially when your apple turns out to be a heart. I may or may not have squealed with joy.

Random Stories

In Which an Italian Man Eats Out of My Hand:

Alright, let me explain. So, it's our first night in Rome and all 20 of us meander over to get the BEST gelato in the city. We finally make it through all of the hustle and bustle of trying to order flavors (whose Italian names are hard to pronounce!) and make it outside to enjoy our three-scoop cones. As I am licking off some of the creme on the top of my cone, it just slides right off and begins to fall. For once I had pretty quick reflexes and caught the glob of creme in my hand. Now what do I do?? The Italian waiter behind me, who watched this happen, laughed at me and made gestures to tell me to lick it off my hand. Before I could do so, he decided it would be funny to take my hand and pretend to eat it himself....then proceeded to smash my own hand full of creme in my face. I couldn't believe it! It was pretty funny though, and he did help me get a napkin to clean myself off. People told me to watch out for those Italian men, but little did I know.... 

In Which I Get Engulfed by a Group of Italian Boys:  

One sunny afternoon, Holly, Alyssa, and I are walking back from Lucanda's after lunch. On our way to class at the Palazzo, we approach a large gathering of Italians (mostly boys) trying to take a group picture. As we walk past, one Italian boy walks towards me and says, "Photo?", making hand motions like he wanted me to take the picture for them. This was not what he wanted, but I didn't know that. SO I said, "Oh, take a photo for you?" He shakes his head...."No, with YOU." I laugh, feeling slightly awkward, and tell him no, no, we're late for class. But this guy was determined. He pulled my arm and before I knew it I was being engulfed by a huge group of Italian boys, with me in the middle. The blonde American sticking out like a sore thumb. And guess what? Remember my "friends" Holly and Alyssa? They just stood there, doubled over laughing at my plight. I was laughing too, though, and I'm pretty sure we laughed all the way back to the Palazzo, asking ourselves if that really just happened. Yes, it did. 

In Which My Roomates and I Eat Falafel and Feel Sick:

First of all, I have the most wonderful roommates: Heather & Claire. Unfortunately this wasn't such a wonderful experience together, but we bonded anyways. It was a Sunday afternoon and we had been walking up and down the main road just trying to find an open grocery store or market for our lunch. No such luck. So we got desperate, our hunger took over and we stopped at this place that makes falafels. We thought it would be fun to try some non-Italian food for a change. The three of us order what we thought would be a normal falafel, but it turns out we ordered fal-AWFUL. Their rendition of the falafel was this weird chick-pea patty, slathered in what looked like ranch dressing, jumbled up in century-old lettuce, and hey, why not throw in a couple french fries and call it a wrap! WHAT?? Claire and I exchanged glances of horror while the man was making our wraps. "Uhmm, do you think it's too late to cancel my order?" I should've gone with that option. Instead, we ate it. AHHH. Instant regret. We walked away saying things like, "Never again" and "Why did we do that??" and "What did we just eat?? French fries in a wrap??" We got some espresso to wash away the taste, and felt a bit better. I still cringe when I walk past that place. Moral of the story: While in Italy, stick to Italian food. 

In Which We Bring the Living Room to the Terrace:

 

It was a bright, sunny day in Orvieto. It was one of those days where we spend the entire afternoon on the terrace. Some of the girls in my apartment decided that the terrace would be even better if it had more comfortable seating. So, Claire carried one of the big chairs from the living room out for some reading. Naturally, this idea caught on and Emily and I dragged our chairs outside too. Mine is the old armchair, that it probably not supposed to be outside because it's a priceless heirloom. But I was careful. We propped our feet up and read for the afternoon. I enjoyed getting lost in Jane Austen's wonderful story of Sense & Sensibility. I left my chair only to get gelato and come back. It was a good day. 

Raemy, Poetry, & Pasqua

Alright, so once again I have neglected to post for the past few weeks. Sorry! I'll get better, I promise. Here are some more highlights: 

Roma & Raemy: 

We had our first break in between classes a few weekends ago. Our Disegno class is over and I am now immersed in an Ekphrastic Poetry class! I had ambitious plans to travel to London for the first break, but after that final drawing project, I was pretty wiped out. Instead some of us went on a day trip to Roma (no big deal, just Rome for a day trip...I LOVE IT HERE). The day was centered around being able to get gelato and pizza from our favorite places...you know you're in Italy if your plans are formed based on food!

Then, my cousin Raemy and my Aunt & Uncle came to visit me in Orvieto! They are the reason I fell in love with Italy in the first place, and it was wonderful and somewhat surreal to be together again in this beautiful country. We went to Todi, another hill town nearby Orvieto, enjoyed yummy food, and sampled wine. Raemy and I enjoyed being roommates in adorable hotel for a couple nights. It was so fun to have a little vacation; yet strange to be staying in a hotel only 5 minutes from my apartment! Raemy, if you are reading this, I miss you already. Thanks again for bringing a little piece of home :)

Todi!

My Aunt Maggie, Uncle Bruce, Raemy & Me

Taken at one of my favorite parks near our Palazzo

Wine & cheese sampling in our little hotel...in which Raemy educated us on wine making :)

Poetry & Pasqua:

We are already two weeks away from finishing our Ekphrastic Poetry class. I don't want it to end! I went into the class feeling intimidated by the prospect of writing my own poetry. I love to read and analyze poems that other brilliant people have created, but write my own? AHH! Fortunately we have been guided by a wonderful professor, whose love for words and language has made poetry not only accessible but enjoyable. I often leave class in a daze, trying to process all that I have learned from her and from the poems we read. I've been calling this "profundity overload". 

Oh, by the way, ekphrasic poetry means responding to art with poetry. So, we look at paintings together and either read poems that others have already written, or write our own based on what we notice or learn from the artwork. In order to practice writing, our professor will often give us exercises to try on our own for homework. Here is one poem I wrote for the assignment to start a poem with the words: "When I enter"

See Again

 

When I enter

Into Your presence

the world falls away.

Before, I rambled;

My mind spoke of things

I thought were bliss.

She paused these gushings

and drew my attention to

the flower, or rather its Maker.

O fickle heart, why can't you listen?

See with your eyes again.

Look, with eyes distilled to see the One

who is calling, chasing, dancing

upon your heart.

You ignored it; you filled yourself

with things that made you happy,

but none satisfied.

Look now and see

See like Job, whose ears had only heard;

See like David, his senses attune to True Beauty;

See like you saw before;

the kisses of the butterfly.

Listen as He calls, "My child."

Heart stilled, you will respond:

"My LORD."

This was the most enjoyable poem for me to write so far. It was a Spirit-filled, stream-of-conscience kind of process. I sat out on terrace of my apartment, basking in the sun, sipping a cappuccino, and journaling. Amidst my rambling thoughts being penned, a friend stopped me and read some of her reflections on God’s creative works in nature. After thinking through her words, the poetry assignment popped in my head and my heart ran with it. By the end, I found myself humbled. I was reminded of George Herbert’s poem “The Collar”. So, I did what great poets do and stole some of his words for my poem’s conclusion. 

And now a bit about Easter, or Pasqua as they call it in Italy. It is such a unique experience to celebrate Easter in a place where the whole town participates in the remembrance of Christ, His death and resurrection. There were concerts and services all throughout the week leading up to Easter Sunday. There was so much anticipation and excitement! Yet on Good Friday, I found myself being able to really reflect on the suffering of Christ through something the Italians call a "Via Crucis". It means the way of the cross and involves the 14 Stations of the Cross. We took a walk through Orvieto that evening, down the winding cobblestone paths, taking our own Via Crucis. It was a beautiful sight to see the whole town come together and experience what it might have felt like to trail behind Jesus as He carried the cross to His crucifixion. At times I felt overwhelmed by emotion and then distracted by people, sights, and sounds at another moment. But I think that kind of bewilderment is close to what it must have felt like the day the Lord was crucified.

In juxtaposition, Easter Sunday was full of joy and celebration! It was particularly joyful because our group of 20 students came together with our professors to create our own Easter Service....in English! Finally we were able to understand a sermon, participate in communion, and sing worship songs in a language we know. My heart was bursting with happiness. Another joyful element of the weekend: THE FOOD. so. much. food. It was fantastic. If I had to sum up the weekend in two words, I'd say: Jesus and Food. We cooked meals for "family" dinners, rearranged our apartment to fit around one big family table, and ate so much dessert that its a wonder I haven't gained 20 pounds! Overall, probably one of the best Easters I can remember. If my family had been there it would have been perfect!

I don't really have any pictures to post from Easter, but I'll put up some more pictures soon....you don't believe me? Neither do I. But I will try!