Nearing the end.

The final day of my (first) Italian experience has come upon me extemely rapidly. My picture of the day is only slightly different. I was not expecting to have so many errands to accomplish before being able to enjoy the day. The packing and repacking was expected, also expected was the party the school was throwing for its students. I did not know what to expect when it came to the time I would be spending with those individuals I had lived with since September 3rd. As it turns out, I will be spending some of the closest and most sacred moments of the trip with the other fifteen people I have met or gotten to know because of this trip. 

I fully expect to be asked the question; "What were the best parts of the trip?" And, one thing I am sure of is that no matter how well I explain what the truely best parts of the trip were - learning countless information about the people around me, experiencing and observing the change in relationships between the people who live with eachother and those who are consistantly around, those spontaneous trips to different regions of Italy, and the close relationships formed with professors which resulted in a friendship outside of the classroom but a teaching role within - it will be impossible for others to fully understand what has happened throughout the trip. It is much more than a four month vacation or break from school, I have learned more here that I can use practically in life than several semesters at Stony Brook would have taught me. 

Friends here often ask each other if we are excited to get back to the "real-world." In my opinion, it is just as much of the real-world here as it is back in University. There is no such thing as the "unreal-world" in my opinion. We have not have the opportunity to experience the unreal-world, at least not within our power of memory. Nothing in our life should be considered unreal, as every event can affect us for the remainder of our life and one can take something out of it. Therefore, everything should be looked at, not as unreal and an event that should not be taking place in the "real" life, but as a time to learn and change from the event.

Philosophical conversations have encompassed many of the past nights/mornings. It took me some time to find the right people to talk to about the topic. Although I knew who would be the ones to talk to, I was not in the place to talk to them about it beforehand. Since we have began there have been many good realizations that have been reached. During the conversations we tend not to ignore the tangets that come up throughout discussion and we typically end up on other important topics. We may not come up with conclussions on the original topics, but they are no less important because each individual gains the perspective of another person.

I must end this now. The next time I report will be from within the United States, unless I hold off until my next visit to Firenze. Maybe another blog will come from this. It has been fun but it is time to pack!

Ciao from Italia

Progression... if that

Throughout high school I believed that college for myself would consist of partying, making great friends, having great experiences, and working my ass of towards becoming a doctor. Looking back, I had a fairly accurate perception of what was to come... with the exception of becoming a doctor. 

I have still been on the fence about taking pre-med courses and have tried to decipher the reasons for doing so. I have asked, 'Am I doing it because I really want to become a doctor and help people?Is it because I want to make the salary of a doctor? Is it because of outside influence such as my father wanting me to be successful and make money, seeing the work other doctors have done, or maybe the book Mountains Beyond Mountains which tells the story of the doctor Paul Farmer, an infectious disease doctor who does work in Haiti. 

After giving it much thought, I have come to the conclusion that: If I was to become a doctor it would be an infectious disease doctor and I would most likely join Doctors Without Borders to do work in third world countries. I do not have enough passion or general interest to take the basic courses in my undergraduate career, as of now. I don't believe I am smart enough or creative enough in the subjects to become as successful in the field as I would need to be to consider it a success myself. I definitely don't believe in the medical school practice of having to be able to pull up cases verbatim, nor do I have the memory for it.

I have, on the other hand, decided that I need to work on the memory part. Which can only be done through studying. I have yet to full-heartedly throw myself into one field due to an undenying passion. 

Since my undergraduate experience has begun, I have gone from pre-med, biology major, to economics, followed by economics and anthropology, then wanted to join the military - most likely out of confusion, but also a belief that serving ones country is honorable and important. After being talked out of piloting, for now, I stuck with the economics and anthopology for some time. I don't believe I have the instincts for some of the cold-hearted economics that are done, although there are many other areas in economics I may be able to be successful in. 

During my time in Florence, giving credit to my Mass Media course, I have moved past economics onto journalism. Stemming from a comment my high school english teacher made - an assignment was to write a narrative essay. She said it was written more like a newspaper than a story - I have taken an interest in journalism. The principles behind mass media fascinate me and I enjoy writing. I plan on continuing my study in anthropology and hopefully putting it to use in whatever field I end up in. It may be useful for the practical purpose of understanding people rather than becoming an anthropologist. As a journalist I would be interested in; investigative journalism, editing, freelance, and/or governmental journalism. 

I also have an interest in public service, as I believe it another way of serving your nation outside of the military. Who knows, I may end up in the Peace Corps, military, or some completely unknown field.

Momma Meier has told me not to worry about it now, that people typically don't stay in the same field their whole career. Either way, I cannot completely guide my future, only aid in its progression or hold myself back from steps that are needed.

It is one of the first days in some time that there is sun in Florence and even after a late night of good company and good drinks, I plan on venturing out into this beautiful city. I'm planning on walking on the path I typically run and walk into the olive tree grove that I have been wanting to check out. If I end up there than it will be excellent, but I typically don't make plans for the reason they typically don't work out. I will end up where I end up, write, maybe read, possibly study, but will enjoy myself. 

Ciao for now and continue exploring...