1 year ago...

...I left on a voyage across the sea that would slowly transform my life. Italia, Tuscany, Casa Cares - I miss thee. Several of my counseling friends and professors are about to embark on an adventure that I began last May. They will leave tomorrow for  Italy, to create friendships, learn about a new country and culture, and hopefully, grow as  professional counselors.

There is something about the middle of May that now makes my bones ache for Italy. The sun, the vibrant colors of nature and the mindset to be more active. I think back to what I anticipated one year ago of my voyage across the sea. How much I have grown, the newfound respect I would gain for another country's way of life. The knowledge I would gain to begin to create myself into the counselor and person that I aspire to be in life.

At a time in my life where I feel stuck once again in the rat race of American ways, I am reminded of the simplicity I found again in Italy. As my colleagues embark on the beginning of their adventure this Thursday, I intend to take time out each day they are gone. Take time to REFLECT on my now year old adventure. Time to find new meaning, renewal of self and growth in what Italy meant for me as a counselor and a human.

Rinnovamento di vita - roughly translated if babelfish is correct...Life Renewal...that is my mission these next two weeks...

Firenze day two

We headed into Florence for our second day today. We started the morning at the Uffizzi. It is an interesting art history museum. Many beautiful statues, busts and paintings from early early times. Some have been in the Uffizzi since times like 1666. I was amazed at the detail and color in many of the paintings, especially that they were preserved for this long a period of time. One thing that did creep me out a bit was the fact that the paintings of infants all had faces of old men but the bodies of babies. What is this about I wonder? After that, Alexis and myself headed to the market with a few others in the center of town. We were starving and headed back to the restaurant we ate at on our first day in Florence. We picked up Sarah along the way and enjoyed a sit down lunch for E4 with a slice of Italian pizza and a coke. Then we were on a mission. Alexis and I set off to find things for our significant others. We found some good purchases and then attempted our very best to find our way back to the train station using our map. Bad idea. We are both terrible with directions and while we were able to read the map, we could not find any of the streets we needed. So we headed in the direction of our intuition, which was the complete opposite way we needed to go. We ran into Dr. Krieg thankfully, and he kindly walked us back through the city streets to our meeting place. From there, we headed to both the day treatment and residential treatment facilities that we learned about yesterday with Dr. Ciccone. The visits were interesting. It was hot and most buildings in Italy have a meek air conditioning system compared to U.S. standards. Most individuals in the group with doing their best to simply stay awake during the translations with our speakers. We didn't learn a whole lot of new information but it was nice to "put a face with a name" so to speak and see what resources were available in both places. I found it interesting that the "therapists" in the day treatment place didn't say really anything about having formal training in their particular field. After these two visits, we headed back to the train and went in search of gelatto. We searched a few streets only to return right back to where we started for a nice cold helping of the stuff. Then, it was time to head back to Casa Cares. Sarah and I decided to head for the train and sit and chill but they labeled the trains incorrectly, and if it weren't for Dr. Tyson looking out for us, we would probably have ended up somewhere like Naples. The ride home was nice - there was air conditioning - and I sat and talked with Sarah and Alexis as well as Angie and Adrienne and Christiana. Now it is almost dinner and I am exhausted. I think I am going to try for a quick shower. Ciao for now!

05/27/09

Today was a day at Casa Cares with seminars. We had the chance to sleep in, which was great considering how late we were out the night before with all of the walking. Again, I feel like a spokesperson for the ballad "10,000 miles" or whatever it is called. In the morning we had a psychiatrist, Dr. Ciccone, come and speak with us about his practice and the day and residential treatment options offered to the general Italian population. With the differences in health care, options and services are vastly different that the United States. Italians seem to take a holistic approach to emotional wellbeing as opposed to the "treat the symptoms" approach in the United States. Medicine is the fix it for us whereas treating the whole person with all professionals involved in the treatment plan is what was discussed for Italians. We are set up to tour their day treatment facility as well as the residential treatment plan, tomorrow. In the afternoon, both Dr. Tyson and Dr. McCollum presented on their topics of interest. I particularly enjoyed Dr. Tyson's topic with using film clips as a mode of discussion and reflection with clients. He set up the clips nicely beforehand and involved group discussion as a part of the lecture. I always like when there is some movement and interaction in a lecture as opposed to simply sitting and looking at a powerpoint or lecture. Some of the films used were films and clips I would not have thought would work with some intended audiences. Suprisingly, for me, I found all of them to be useful in some fashion with all age groups depending on what topic of interest a counselor may desire to illicit reflection with. Dr. McCollum's session on Social Justice was refreshing because we looked at different areas where social advocacy and injustices occur. In groups, we created an action plan and discussed why and how we would intend for these scenarios to work out. It was interesting to hear about all of the group topics and the different "roadblocks" groups encountered during the process. The evening was filled with a great pasta dinner as well as an evening lession of Italian Gestures with Dr. Krieg. It was hilarious to watch him pick which "charade" to assign to individuals based on his observations of their personality over the past two weeks. He is such a wealth of information and history about Italy and kind and considerate. I will miss his sense of humor and random facts of Italian history. It was a late evening with an early morning the next day. We are headed into Florence for our second day. Ciao

Siena 05/25/09

Yesterday was our visit to Siena. Our bus ride there was pleasant. Rhi and I sat on the bus and laughed aloud as we listened to "power ballads". We rocked out to REO, Styx and Chicago. It was hysterical and then we listened to some Kanye and Salt N Pepa. Fun times. Getting off the we were thrust into a beautiful view of a walled city. I cannot explain the structure of these huge walls and pictures really do not show these vast structures. We walked into the walled city and met in a group in front of a georgeous church. Afterwards we were off on our own and Rhi and I decided to take the slow meandering pace to take in all of the aspects of the city. We stopped in small speciality shops and wandered up and down winding streets away from large crowds. We ate lunch at a fast food type Italian restaurant with a piece of pizza that was bigger than the size of my head. After that we walked to find the yarn shop with Sarah, Joey, Angie, Alexis and Kim. We found some fantastic views to take pictures at and watched couples with serious PDA problems. It was HOT out and I was starting to feel ill. So Rhi and I decided to relax and enjoy the life of the city and it's people. We opted to do our own thing instead of going on the two hour city tour. Instead, we stopped and ate gelato in the piazza, started to feel "over" being in Siena for almost 12 hours and then walked towards the yarn store that didn't open for a few more hours. We experienced Italy through the people, sounds, tastes and smells on our own time. It was nice. We waited patiently for the yarn shop to open for a few hours and in the meantime amused ourselves people watching and conversing. We talked for at least an hour about our lives and that conversation of getting to know my friend better was worth far more than any tour I could have gone on. It was nice. To feel connected to a friend and be open about life without any worries of judgement. Sarah caught up with us and went "yarn" shopping and then we went to the piazza and sat and knitted while watching children running through the streets playing and enjoying the fountains. Oh yea, did I mention that Rhi and I like 97% saw Taye Diggs in a off the beaten path street=) For dinner we went to a nice sit down restaurant with some of the profs and enjoyed exchanging stories and drinking wine. We relaxed and enjoyed the cool evening air that began to circulate which was well needed after a scorching 95 degree day. The bus ride home was a riot, Fabio, our driver, was our "dj". He played plenty of "power ballads" that we all joined in singing and laughing about. Dr. Tyson and Dr. Remley even participated in the YMCA. It brought me back to my high school soccer days, all of us united in a win, enjoying our victory and the company that came along with teamwork. Long day. Some parts "over it" and other parts I wish I had more time to enjoy. Sigh. Italy - I will be back...that I can promise.

05/24/09

Today was a day at Casa Cares with classes and then a trip to a small town above Reggello. Homesickness appears to be in full swing for many here right now. Some want to go home, others miss aspects of home and others just need time to themselves to feel whole again. I am a combination of the latter two. The morning class, Italian school systems, was very interesting as to the perThankfully, I recognized this over the past few days and was able to do small things to get me back into a motivated learning frame of mind by this afternoon. Thankfully, someone allowed me to use their phone card to call Steve this afternoon so I could hear his voice and once again feel connected with "my world" and comfort zone. As soon as I heard him on the phone I felt better.

This morning, our class was about the Italian school system. Our morning session provided me with an intersting perspective that the school has over counseling in the school. It was also a different perspective about how to teach. Italians view the US educational system as inferior and when Americans come over from the US they often need to complete a few more years of schooling in Italy to be considered proficient. The teacher that presented is a former American, now an Italian, and she was able to share her own views on school and attitudes about schooling in Italy. She talked a great deal about how teachers in Italy view their role and the expectations set upon them. She discussed their lack of cohesion in school to life and how this affects students and teachers alike. She also discussed the discord in teaching students about things that are applicable in real life as opposed to rote Italian facts and history. It is true that if not learned, history will repeat itself, but at times I believe it will repeat itself regardless.

The afternoon session, was Ethics in Counseling led by Dr. Ted Remley. We actually utilized his textbook in Ethics class at UAB so most of the information was stuff that I was familiar with. With that being said, it was nice to hear from the author of the textbook about his perspective, reasoning and understanding of legality in counseling. We were afforded the opportunity to ask questions and dialogue during class which was great. As Dr. Tyson pointed out, this is a great oppurtunity for networking and building relationships with others in the counseling profession because you never know when you may need to call on the expertise of a fellow collegue. Dr. Remley provided me with some great "words of wisdom" in the profession.

After Dr. Remley's session we had the choice to go to a small town and monastery for the afternoon. I had intended on going, but today, my body was telling me to stay and rest. I kept reflecting back on Henry David Thoreau wisdom and felt the need to simply get back to nature to feel whole again. I opted to stay at Casa Cares and do my own thing. It was pleasant and refreshing. I knitted, read for a while and attempted at a nap. The whole time I listened to the birds chirping and twittering in and out of the trees. I watched the kittens of the house chase lizards and play in the sun, I felt the heat from the sun on my skin and relished in the breeze when in blew by. I listened to the bee buzz above my head while I tried to nap and while I was slightly annoyed that I couldn't nap, I appreciated that the bee felt comfortable enough to flitter above me for most of the afternoon. I allowed myself to breathe and feel in tune with my physical and emotional needs today. I allowed myself more than a moment to relax and not DO a single thing nor plan another moment. Because of this, I was in the moment. sigh. I reflected on my life back home and what is essentially missing. I need a center, a place for reflection and creativity to rejuvenate. Some need to run to clear their head, I need to read, write and utilize my creative gifts given to me by a higher power. When I go home I know I need to allow myself time to sit and relax and paint, read, write and garden. I need to stop and breathe. Thank you Casa Cares for bringing that notion back into my brain.

It is almost time for dinner and then tonight I place to paint with watercolor and knit some more. We are heading to Siena tomorrow for the whole day, we will not return until almost midnight tomorrow and I am sure I will be exhausted and quite sick of the bus by then. For now I will close but I hope all of you are able to reflect and take a little more time to focus on your wellbeing - away from the computer, the phone or the television and enjoy some aspect of the natural beauty of which we are a part. Ciao!

23 Sabato

Today we took the trek up to Greve in the Chianti region of Tuscany for the weekly market as well as the wine and olive oil market store. I loved this little place. The bus ride was a bit ill in that the winding hills and quick turns made me sick. But, as soon as we got off the bus I fell in love. The people roaming around the market purchasing linens and food looked like a scene out of a movie. The fresh food smelled delicious and it was interesting to see a full roasted pig sitting on top of a food counter. Supposedly the pork sandwiches were delicious but I could not bring myself to eat one. I hope others enjoyed them. Claire tried her hand at bargaining down a price for two dresses but we had no luck. Instead we found others that cost less and purchased those. We meandered through the market and found some pretty linens for E1 a piece and bought a few of those as well. Then we split a mozarella and tomato panino while making our way to the wine store.

The wine store was my favorite experience! You purchase this little "debit card" and get a wine glass and walk throughout the store to decide which wines you want to try. You place your card into a slot and push a button and depending on the type of wine you choose it cost between .40E to 3E for a sample. My first try I accidently pressed the button twice for the most costly wine so quickly my card went from E10 to E4. However, this was okay with me because the first glass I drank (which was a full glass because of my button pushing error) was full bodied, tannic and delicious. I walked to all of the stations and checked out the "cheaper" samples. The cool thing about this place was that you had to put your card in to try samples of olive oils but it did not take anything off of it. So, I consumed a lot of bread and several different types of olive oil with my wine. I found the perfecto present for Steve while there and made my purchases. We were then piled back on the bus to head to, San Gimignano, another walled city like Lucca.

San Gimignano is a small town nestled on an incline. It is very pretty but felt a bit crowded for me. There were many tourists walking through the streets and the shops were higher priced. I had a little old Italian lady yell at me for waiting for Claire and Rhi to use the restroom. I am not sure if I told you yet, but here, you have to pay usually like .50E to use the public restrooms. If you go into a cafe or something of the like and purchase something then you can use their restroom for free. When we first got off the bus I had to go after drinking the wine in Greve so I paid. Claire and Rhi bought pastries in the shoppe and asked me to wait for them. SO, being the nice friend I am, I did and continued to look at the pastries while standing closer than the front door to the restroom. I guess she thought I was going to go as well and yelled and yelled at me in Italian and finally told me to go outside. I had orginally wanted to go back at the end of the day and purchase a pastry for dessert but after that I changed my mind. I understand this is a cultural thing, however, it upset me that she assummed I was going to be a rude American tourist and thus lost my business.

We walked through many shops there and one cool thing was there was a Torture Museum there with many artifacts from early times. I decided to go in there because when would I ever get the chance to go to a place like that again? The woman gave me the student discount, which was pretty fantastic, E3 off, and began my adventure. Wow, who thought of these things to torture suspected criminals? I mean, I know that the Papal society has driven many of the ideas in earlier times as well as the patriarchial society, but honestly, who, as an individual, comes up with these ideas? They were so awful. I cannot understand how anyone could create a device such as these and be the one to admister them to others. It was interesting because they showed many illustrations of these torture devices being used and many of the pictures were using naked women as the criminal. There was even a device called a "breast ripper" and it did exactly what it says. Imagine a handheld garden trowel (the three pronged tool) but larger and sharper. OUCH! I think I would punch someone in the face, in a bad way, if they even suggested this idea to me. They had a real life dungeon that was once used as well as something called a "diving chair" that people were chained to and dunked into a well sometimes for a whole day (continously) as the people in the town came and went. They also had remnants of an area where they "bricked" criminals into the wall (still alive) as a form of punishment. There was a skeleton left in one of someone that had been bricked in alive and eventually died from oxygen deprivation and starvation. It had an eerie feel overall and I was astonished to learn that people lived in apartments over this museum. I think this would be a place that "Ghost Hunters International" would investigate and have a lot of activity.

After the museum I was tired. I walked with a few women back down the winding street and jumped in and out of a few shops. We stopped in the large grocery store that was once run by the Communists and then boarded the bus to head back to Casa Cares. I dozed on the bus but woke myself several times due to my head banging against the window and bouncing down.

We are back now and it is almost time for dinner. I am pretty tired. But, I shall upload my pictures tonight if the internet stays pleasant. Ciao for now!

05/22/09 Venerdi

This morning was a bit tough for me. I didn't take my allergy medication yesterday evening and the farm below cut the alfalfa on Wednesday and my allergies kicked in last night. I did not sleep much and it was tough for me this morning. We were afforded the chance to sleep later and eat breakfast later. I finally fell somewhat asleep at like 7am and had a class at 9:30. So, I opted to skip group breakfast which was an okay decision.

Our session this morning was with Linde Mechi and Leslie Maj who talked about Counseling for immigrant prostitutes in Italy. They provided us with a ton of information about the cultural context in which the women they work with enter into the sex trade and prostitution in Italy. It was interesting to hear about the law in terms of prostitution in Italy and the confusion with the ever changing government seats in relation to this issue. Both Linda and Leslie are wonderful advocates for women's rights and self-care. They have a plethora of knowledge about immigrant (both legal and illegal) background in reference to family expectations as well as cultural foundation of certain behaviors. It was a bit sad for me to hear about all the basic knowledge about female body and care that many of the immigrant women have no knowledge of because of the control that is held with the family.

After lunch I spent some time knitting and napping and then headed to Reggello. Reggello was a nice little town to spend the afternoon in. Claire and I got some Gelato with the small group and then decided to venture off on our own. We walked down some small streets that did not lead to where we thought but were residential. We admired the small gardens that people kept and enjoyed taking pictures of the flowers that were in full bloom. If I do say so myself, the pictures of the roses are pretty dang good. We wandered all the way down to the church that was first built in like 796 or something like that and then added on to in like 1297. It was pretty cool to see the differences in the architecture and design. The church smelled like Christmas trees and was very quiet and serene. We then walked down to the large grocery for an adventure! And what an adventure - we oogled at the sweets aisle for quite some time and then wandered all through the rest of the store. The cashier was very sweet and Claire and I were both excited when we said hello and one or two bags to her in Italian as well as thank you and goodbye. At that time, we thought that we needed to be back at the bus stop at 5:20pm to get back to Casa and it was a little after 5. SO, in our manner, we booked it up the steep hills and were a hot mess when we arrived at the stop. Much to our dissapointment and hilarity, we missed the bus, because it left at 4:50pm. SO, with some time to catch our breath, we found Christiana and a lovely little bench next to the road. We watched many little Italian women walk up the street to a little Catholic Church near the center of town. We spent the time chatting and watching evening Italian drivers. We then met up with the group coming back from the designer mall (Prada and Gucci) and hitched a ride back on their bus. Dinner was delicious and I was a huge fan of desert since it was like a chocolate eclair with thicker more tasty chocolate. I wandered into the sitting room to update my blogs after dinner and my pictures. And now, I am caught up and have shared my pictures. Many of us are sitting here knitting and I am about to go up and grab mine as well. Tomorrow we go to Greve and San Gimignano for market and wine and quaint little shops. We get to sleep later tomorrow, too, and I feel my body will be quite happy with this. Enjoy my postings and pictures and hopefully I will be back tomorrow! With amore! Ciao!