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!

05/21/09 Giovedi

Today we went to Tasimeno Lake and the ceramic shops located next to the lake. This little town is fantastic. Our bus ride was like 50 minutes maybe and as soon as we got off the bus, I let out a sigh, not because I was relieved but because I was immediately calmed. This place is spectacular! The lake is a volcanic lake and has a strange green tint to it, but it is not green like it is dirty. I could have spent all day at this place just sitting by the lake and people watching. We trudged willingly over to the ceramic shops located across the street and what a treat. Such beautiful pieces of work that were handmade and well priced. We were there for about an hour and I took the full hour to decide what to make my purchase. I finally decided on a nice oblong shaped bowl and a spoon holder for the stove with handpainted tomato and olive designs on it. The lady that wrapped my purchases was such a sweet Italian lady. She did not speak a lick of English and had no idea how to work the credit card machine but she slowly found someone else to do that part and delicatey wrapped my bowl and holder.

We piled back on the bus and took on the winding hills through the country side and headed to Assisi. This town sits on a huge hill overlooking the countryside and some homes. It is very hilly but great exercise although my legs are quite mad at me for this trek with only one day of rest in between these walking extravaganzas. Assisi is quaint with narrow streets and little shops all along the way. We went to St. Clare of Montefalco and took pictures of the outside as well as the view. From there I went with a smaller group to a little cafe and had a slice of pizza as well as a diet coke. It was so nice to sit down and relax while eating and it only cost about E1.5 more to sit down. After lunch we bounced from little shops all along the way as we decided to make our trip up to the fort on top of the hill. OEY! What a hike and in the hot and humid weather I probably lost any weight I may have gained from the larger meals I have eaten while here. However, because we take more time to eat I find that I am not snacking at all except for the occassional tea cookie in the morning. The fort was pretty amazing although I should have paid the E3 or whatever it cost to go inside. However, we did not have much time there so almost as soon as I was at the top and took a few pictures it was time to start the trek back down. The homes along the streets were cute with the little gardens. I took some photos of those as well. On the way down I stopped a quaint little linen and dress shop. Rhiannon was there and had made friends with the lady and I tried on a few dresses that I fell in love with. I finally decided on a cute summer dress made out of scrap pieces of different sari's. It is patchwork and maybe smocked (?)on the top. I know - not so much Italian - but handmade with love none the less. And, for E22, I got a patchwork sari bag to go with my dress purchase. Not so bad if I say so myself. We picked up a few more friends along our walk down to the Basilica(sp) and chose a path less traveled to get there. We managed to pick a street with tons of construction and no cars allowed. So instead of worrying about an Italian driver hitting us we just had to cope with Italian men gawking at us. In a little nook off the street we found an Olive Wood Shop and I purchased an angel christmas ornament made of the famed Olive Wood. The Basilica was a neat experience. St. Francis of Assisi is entombed there and the whole building and grounds are ornately decorated with beautiful paintings in tribute to St. Francis and his fellow clergy. Monks and Nuns were everywhere and I was lucky enough to be in a group of people that a Priet said a prayer for and blessed with Holy Water. My Grandpa will be proud=) I walked all around the grounds and spent time looking at all of the painting as well as the tributes and prayer requests travelers have put up for their loved ones. It was moving to see how faith in a higher power provides stability and a sense of security in many individuals lives. Their hope in healing with prayer was also touching. No pictures were allowed in the Basilica and I am having a hard time putting into words the overall feeling and sense that I felt from being there. I think it is really an experience, much like seeing the David, that an individual needs to experience in order to truly understand it. After that it was time to find Gelato and head off back to the bus. I was over the bus ride not long after it started and rush hour traffic was not my friend either. Upon arrival back to Casa Cares it was time for dinner and then I attempted to upload pictures which took quite a few hours and off to bed. Ciao!

Classes at Casa Cares 05/20/09

Today was at day at home. So nice. My body needed a moment to relax, check that more than a moment, and so classes at the retreat center were excellent. The first class in the morning was with an American Counselor who now lives in Italy, Amy Kleine. She shared with us about the ethical consideration differences in Italy. In Italy, the understanding of ethical dilemmas is much different as well as the concepts behind them. In Italy, sleeping with a client is not viewed as an ethical dilemma if both the client and counselor have mutual liking for one another. Italians also have difficulty understanding why it might be an ethical dilemma to exchange babysitting services for counseling services with a client. She also discussed dialogue with Italian counselors about sessions and life as an Italian vs. American. In Italy – in counseling – everyone talks at once. Americans are very pragmatic and regimented and therefore, counseling sessions generally have some agenda as well. Imagine an Italian counseling session when counselors get together and talk all at once! How must a session go? Italians in general are creative, find solutions, and involve themselves in rich conversation with reflection and solution because of the lack of specific agenda. It goes where it goes. Americans like a routine and schedule with a timeline. Some discussion was had about this as a whole and how we likely lose the opportunity for rich solutions because of our need for order. She felt that counseling in Italy needed to become part of the “in fashion” before it was popular and well utilized by the Italian public. Counseling needs to become more published in order for it to become what is talked about and what is popular.
Amy also talked about American students coming over to Italy and the problems they experience both emotionally as well as culturally. As a whole, American female students are viewed “easy” in Italy because they have difficulty understanding Italian men’s view on dating and being in a relationship. They often times fall for the romantic ideas presented by an Italian man when he is interested and mistake those gestures for “he loves me”. This gets many women into a situation where they view something to be there that really is not. Overall, individuals in America have a habit of “rushing through developmental stages” and this is not the attitude reflected in Italy. The Italian culture also reflects traditionally viewed male and female roles in society. The question was raised of how to incorporate Italian culture into life back home. The concepts of utilizing dinner as a time of socializing and eating dinner at a table without rushing is one that can be carried back. Overall, this session was informative about Italian culture reflecting back into the counseling profession and the progressive era that lies ahead for counseling in Italy. Because I have felt the most relaxed in a long time, I hope to bring the habits I have picked up here home with me. Life is too rushed and individuals and what makes them “them” is not enjoyed enough and I want to make it a point to begin to do that.
In the afternoon, a doctorate student on the trip, Mary Misenhimer, led a session called: Room for God in the Counseling Profession? It was interesting to converse with other counselors about the issues that religion and spirituality raises within the counseling realm. I enjoyed the discussion as well as the opportunity for Mary to share the knowledge she has acquired while in her program and has been helpful for her working in the counseling profession.
Another doctorate student, Alishea Rowley, led a session about Technology and Counseling. This was informative and interesting since I am new to the blog experience itself. I learned a great deal about the many internet resources available to me to help jump start my career. We were also able to have a group discussion about the many problems with the growing reliance with internet in our lives. Specifically, we talked about school counselors and the problems seen with students and internet bullying. As a student in the school counselor track I was interested in knowing how to stay on top of my game with the knowledge of what kids are doing these days. I think it is important to be in touch with the technology that kids are using in order to address these issues.
For dinner, we went out in Reggello to Ristorante Archimede. The food just kept coming out and it was all pretty tasty. I enjoyed the red wine of Tuscany and we were given a tour of the wine cellar, too. So cool to see the huge barrels of wine! I enjoyed sitting and talking with new friends during the meal. I never felt rushed and I enjoyed all the different tastes and aromas of the meal. After dinner, Dr. Krieg brought out a liquor called Grappa that Italians “enjoy” to finish their meal. I use the word enjoy loosely for many reasons. Apparently, it is made of grapes but I was disagree. I made the first mistake of smelling the stuff before trying it. I really should have just opened the hatchet and shot it down. After the sniff, though I needed motivation and encouragement. Adrian and I gave one another pep talks and decided to just down this Grappa stuff. OH MY GOODNESS! This stuff is worse than lighter fluid, no joke. It burned all the way down and then continued to burn for like at least 30 minutes later. Never again. It brought me back to early collegiate years when someone managed to talk me into a shot of Tequila or Absolut…bad idea all around. So, after that debacle, we headed back to Casa Cares. I met four of the volunteers and one, Carmen, is actually going to Niles this summer to spend time with her boyfriend. So, I told her all about Michigan and the places she should make him take her to visit. I think she learned some stuff about Michigan =) I then spent the rest of my evening outside talking with Alexis, Joey and Yvla, Yannik, Marco and Carmen. We talked a lot about the differences between Finnish, German and American culture. It was cool to spend time talking with people from other countries and hearing their ideas on school, work, language, etc. I ended the night at around 1am and knew I would pay for it in the morning since the next day was a traveling early in the morning.
Ciao for now!

Firenze (Florence)

We took a bus and then train into Florence today. One word really. Fabulous. My camera died the moment we arrived. My fault because I charged one battery last night for the purpose of this trip, however, I left it on the charger on accident and took my almost dead battery instead. Thankfully, we return to Firenze 2 more times before our departure so I can get many pictures. We walked so much I feel that we walked 17 thousand miles. No joke and my feet will tell you the same thing. Such beautiful architecture and art pieces. Quick list of all the places we went in Firenze – Santa Maria Novella Church, Palazzo Strozzi, Santo Spirito Church, Palazzo Pitti, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Repubblica, Palazzo Vecchio, Duomo, San Lorenzo Church, Accademia, Santa Croce Church….to name just a few ;-)

I chose to do the walking tour with Dr. Paul Krieg and I am glad I did. I learned a great deal about the history of Florence and saw some pretty cool fashion stuff while walking all through the city streets. Drivers and bicyclers in Florence – CRAZY. A man on a bicycle almost killed me that could not make up his mind which way to go nor control his bike. Not fun.

Seven of us, including Dr. Suzan Thompson, went off on our own after the walking tour. Great idea. We ate a delightful little Pizzeria and I tried a slice of basil, tomato, and mozzarella pizza – cold – cause that is how the waitress said it tasted best. And it did. No sauce on the pizza and I loved in more than the panini’s I have had here thus far. We shopped for many hours and I had such a good time. Dr. Krieg knows the owner of one of the market shops and he let us into his actual shop as opposed to just the street sale. Fabulous. It was totally a Sex and the City moment. He opened the store up for just us seven! We all stopped and took in the sight and smell of the Leather purses. Then Rhiannon modeled some purses and took a poll before making her purchase. The owner gave us almost 50% off the ticket prices because of our knowing Dr. Krieg. We took a picture with him to commemorate our time, too! I bought a fun purple big purse made of genuine Italian leather! I also purchased some yarn and knitting needles at the yarn store. Rhiannon was in knitters’ heaven and I relished in her delightfulness and excitement about something she was so passionate about. I was talked into attempting to learn to knit, too. Not my idea. I insisted that I would get mad, mess up, and then quit because I am not good with the hand eye coordination thing. I was told that I could do it – she teaches 6 year olds, but I feel I might fall on the scale of a 4 year old, when it comes to knitting. Still be determined. I am going to try at a scarf and get back to you on this one. I then got a super cute flowy dress. The best part of this adventure was having to explain what counseling was to the Italian man that was “helping” me with my dress purchase. When I asked what size a dress came in, he simply said, “your size”, which I found greatly amusing. However, like our speaker yesterday said, he had NO idea what counseling was. Claire and I did our best to describe how counselors help people “get to know themselves and work through issues to feel better” and at the end, I feel he understood. However, his salesperson said, “ohhh, ,kinda like a psychologist” which is precisely what the counseling profession is trying to decipher itself from in Italy. Clear that the word still has not gotten out enough to the public of Italy. I’ll try to work on that more while I am sightseeing.

When we went to Accadmia, we obviously saw The David. Breathtaking. I mean to think that this man created such a detailed piece of a human form out of one piece of marble. No words. The artistic ability baffles me beyond comprehension. How does one create something without an example in front of them? Out of a piece of marble? To chisel such detail from the texture of human skin down to the veins in the hand and arm…How? What patience for man said to be wild and a bit of a scrapper. The other marble works there were pretty amazing, too. I wish we could have touched them though, to touch and truly feel the detail and hard work and probably frustration that went into creating these pieces. That would have helped me comprehend. We also went to an old world pharmacy that was once run by the Monks. It was pretty fantastic. It smelled like fresh herbs in there and I took a few descriptive fliers (two in Italian and one in English) about all the natural remedies in there. Overall, it was delightful to see such rich history in a city. Americans do not understand the meaning of “old” – to us 70 years is really old and a relic. To Italians – 700 years is old and they work hard to preserve this “oldness” whereas we knock it down to build skyscrapers instead of building upon what is already there and maintaining a sense of what it means to be us. Shame on us.

It is almost dinnertime and I am exhausted. I will close for now and possibly write more tonight. Tomorrow is a day at Casa Cares with classes. More on that tomorrow.

Ciao!

Classes - 05/18/09 at Casa Cares

Classes today at the retreat center. The morning session was about how Counseling in Italy differs from the United States. Eugenio Bacchini provided a great prospective about these differences. In Italy, at the moment, one does not need a degree from the University to be a counselor. So really, anyone, like a garbage man per se, could claim to be a counselor and if they could get people to come to them, charge. Talk about ethical practices gone wrong! Overall, in Europe, one only needs a high school diploma to become a counselor. Over the past few years, many “counselors”, with backgrounds in psychology from the university, are struggling to define the proper training to become an actual counselor instead of a “friend with a listening ear” or a psychologist that provides other services and proclaims to be a counselor. Dr. Bacchini made a good reference in saying that “psychotherapy is where a patient needs to be repaired and is more passive and dependant and counseling is like jump starting a car. It is a balanced relationship where the client must be active in the process. It is also where there are already all the necessary working parts but a need for a tune up. The push for private associations to support basic training of at least 3 years post high school as well as 450 hours of personal counseling has become quite popular. There is also a push to provide training of specific counseling skills versus psychotherapy skills for many professionals already recognized in Italy. Dr. Bacchini is looking to start certification of counseling seminars for doctors, nurses, and social workers for the purpose of reaching more individuals. His session overall was very eye opening in regards to the huge steps counseling in Italy is taking that now that the United States has taken in the past 40 years. Still processing what I have taken away from this session – more to come later.

Our second session was about Play Therapy by Dr. Terry Christensen. FABULOUS. She talked about how play therapy helps children the same way that talking during counseling helps adults. She re-enforced many of the ideas that I learned about during my two play therapy classes at UAB. Her enthusiasm about play therapy as a whole was incrediably rejuvenating and motivating. We watched two tapes of sessions with children of trauma in play therapy and this helped me transfer the content behind play therapy to real life. Dr. Christensen has a great deal of experience and interaction with individuals behind the development of play therapy. She has written some literature about the topic as well and I am interested in reading this upon my return. She talked about advancement in the field of counseling as a play therapist as well advocacy for children. I am processing a great deal about this session and hope to talk more with Dr. Christensen about play therapy during the rest of my trip. This is my area of motivation along with working in the school. More self-actulization and growth to follow.

In the evening, we ate another fantastic dinner. I never seem to eat too much to feel stuffed but enough to feel satisfied. After dinner it was socialization time in the sitting room. Great conversation again. Talked with Dr. Pat Thomas about doctorate programs and searching for a good fit. Watched the phenomenal sunset and took pictures. Then it was off to bed with another beautiful view and peaceful sounds =)

Pisa and Lucca

Yesterday was fantastic! We traveled from Casa Cares to Pisa and a small city called Lucca. Pisa was your typical tourist town where plenty of people squishing in to get photographs of the Leaning Tower, which in all honesty, isn't as "leaning" in person as it appears in photographs. We walked around a bit while there and I bought an alabaster wine stopper that is pretty but that lady in the store was not pretty. By not pretty, I mean she was rude and a bit anti-American I would say, refusing to take my cash and give me change. Thankfully, Rhiannon had a few Euros and covered me so I could make the purchase and pay her back. There was also a marathon in Pisa while we were there. It was so HOT and Humid, I pray that the individuals running were able to finish and rehydrate! It was pretty cool watching them cross the finish line and listen to the announcers in Italian.

Lucca was stunning. The city is completely surrounded by a wall so it is quaint in it's enclosure. We. Claire, Rhiannon and myself did a pretty fabulous job navigating our way around town knowing little Italian and less than par map reading skills. We ate panini from a small cafe and then began our trek to find a cheap bicycle rental shop. After about 45 minutes of wandering, we stopped in a small shop to purchase postcards and ask where the bike shop was. To Claire's disappointment, I did not bring my small Italian phrase book and she attempted to ask the man in English about the bike shop. Not only did he have NO IDEA what she was saying, she had NO IDEA what he was saying and had to resort to a game of charades to act out a bicycle. With much hilarity, as soon as she completed her actions for bike he knew where we needed to go and we found it without problem.

The bike ride was an Italian adventure! We pedaled all around the city and the wall, taking in the view from the wall of the city and outlying countryside. I took so many pictures of the landscape and city. You will all be amused. We had an hour on 2.5 euro and decided to check out the inner landscape of all the city streets on bicycles. This part of the bike ride was hysterical. Not only did we get incrediably lost and pass a multitude of the same city streets several times, but we also dealt with safety on bike. Rhiannon and Claire at one point almost became hood ornaments for a nice little Fiat flying down one of the city streets! We turned down so many one way streets, dodging cars, pediatrians and market tables. We laughed and laughed and managed to find our way back to the rental place with just three minutes to spare!
Afterwards, we shopped and visited several local Lucca shops. We purchased homemade soaps and spoke (loosely used term) Italian with the shop keepers to practice. We then went into this quaint little embrodiery shop and made friends with the man. He made each of us an embrodiered bookmark with our names. He talked with us about Italian culture and people and genuinely was nice. He made us our souviners and was a true Italian suave man! We ate gelato and wanted more but restrained ourselves!

Our travels back were a nice time to sleep and relax and pretty soon after our return it was dinner! It was delicious and a great time to socialize with everyone. After dinner, Dr. Thompson offered to guide anyone who wanted to try, in the art of watercolor painting. While enjoying some red wine and good conversation, I delved into the opportunity and loved it! I may not be an "artist" by trade, but I think I did quite good with my Italian postcards! Watercolor ended and conversation continued with new friends until 1am. Claire and I slept with our windows and shutters open and it was fabulous - the view of the countryside with lights and the quiet sounds of nature eventually lulled me into a deep sleep.

I will close with this for now and hopefully post about today's experience this evening. Look for photos to be posted later in the day in either blog format or slideshow format on here! I hope everyone back in the States is enjoying the reading and please post your thoughts, comments and reflections because it is all about the reflective experience for me while here!

Ciao for now

Casa Cares day one

First and foremost, please excuse the spelling errors - my spell check is apparently out of commission.

Today was a good day. Check that, pretty fabulous. I slept wonderfully and generally feel adapted to the time change. I actually do not think I have slept this good in months probably years at home. Maybe it is the lack of stress and worry that I am carrying with me.

Casa Cares is lodged in the beautiful region of Tuscany, Italy. We had two class sessions today and both were about taking care of oneself as well as alternative and complimentary therapy sessions.

We learned about Italian history in the morning and with the limited knowledge of Italy I came with, this gave me a new perspective and better footing about interacting with native Italians. Some small tidbits I learned...
Did you know that Italy is number one in the world for having citizens that are homeowners? Italy has pretty cheap taxes and land was inexpensive for families to build homes in earlier times. This is how many families are able to survive on lower salaries and own a home in Italy. I also learned that the Pope preached against a united Italy in earlier times because of the fear that the power of Catholicism within the country and the culture would diminish. Organized crime in southern Italy is large mostly due to the great wealth in the northern regions of Italy and the focus of prosperity in northern Italy due to this. Italian is the easiest language for English speaking people to learn due to the phoenitic pronunciation of words.

I was able to relax and enjoy the Italian sun this morning and afternoon. Rhiannon and I took a walk and made friends with the Casa kittens as well as the chickens. We enjoyed the breathtaking view of the cliffs as well as the aromas of the flowers growing all around. Between our sessions we took time to read on the mountain side and enjoyed listening to the cars honking rounding the cliff curves as well as the huge rain drops that began to fall for a short time but quickly passed.

Dr. Thomas' session on personal wellness and balance was refreshing and nice. As counselors we focus on our clients and their awareness of self and often times forget to take the time to focus on ourselves. This session gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own areas of wellbeing and what my areas of strength are as well as areas that I would like to add to. I enjoyed our group conversation and openness about strengths and personal areas of improvement.

Dr. Suzan Thompson's session on Complementary and Integrative Therapies was a breathe of fresh air. It was perfect timing for my new reading for pleasure, "Women's Bodies, Women's Health" and aligned well with my personal endeavor to find a more holistic approach to my lifestyle and wellbeing. I learned a great deal about the several approaches that are not often talked about in the counseling and medical professions.

Overall, I have not felt this relaxed in quite some time. I feel in touch with my self, my reactions and feelings. When is the last time I have thought of this stuff? I don't know. I feel reflective and simply at peace. At home I feel chaotic and less than adequate in most things in my life. I obviously need to work on self-improvement and reflection. It has become apparent to me as well that I have self-esteem issues and need to feel better about myself so that I treat others better. I have reflected that I have taken out my lack of self-esteem onto to those in my life that I love the most. I feel poorly about myself and therefore, when I get frustrated or angry at myself, I outwardly respond and yell or criticize others to make them feel like me. However, it is completely subconcious and not meant to harm. It does harm though and makes my relationships strained and I am now more aware of this on a personal level where I can improve.

Tomorrow we are headed into Pisa and Lucca and I am anticipating this trip greatly. Thus far, I have been positively suprised with all of my interactions and experiences while here. However, I feel tomorrow will be a true test of my ability to adapt and deal with cultural differences. Not only will everyone be speaking Italian and I will have to attempt to speak and comprehend, but I will need to be aware of cultural nuiances to acclimate better.

It's one in the morning here and I need to get up at 7 tomorrow to prepare for our trip. I will close for now and apologize for my stream of subconcious.

Thanks for checking in and tomorrow I hope to post more pictures and reflections on my adventures thus far!
CIAO

Weary Traveler

I have safely arrived in Italy - but not without adventure along the way. You all know me and how I seem to attact chaos and am a bit accident prone=) The morning Thursday started out well, Rhiannon picked me up for the airport and we were even there early. I was subjected to search at security - which was loads of fun considering all of my carryon luggage. I remained pleasant and calm and was allowed to continue on my journey.

We traveled to Atlanta without incident and then it was a mad dash for our next flight, to Italy! Claire and I ran to our next gate, which thankfully we did because, for one, I had to go to the bathroom and for two, they had overbooked our flight and moved the departure up by 10 minutes. Now to most, 10 minutes would seem like no big deal, however, our flight from Birmingham landed at 3:15 and we were supposed to take off for Rome at 4:15pm. By the time we unloaded the plane and got over to our gate, we saw they had moved the flight departure up to 4:05pm and were already boarding! YIKES! Thankfully, we all made it on the plane. However, upon boarding, we proceeded to sit for 60 minutes waiting to depart the gate and be cleared for takeoff! And thus began my relationship with the airplane bathroom. I swear, my body knows if I am not supposed to have to go and then makes it a point that I have to go at least three times! We finally got into the air at like 5:15pm and were served dinner at around 6. not to shabby for an airline dinner to I might add. I took a benadryl from Claire in hopes of falling asleep so I would be well rested when we arrived in Rome at 8am =) My friends, benadryl did not work, and I did not sleep one lick on this 10 hour plus journey!!! I did however, watch Madagascar 2 as well as Last Chance Harvey - both good. The women behind Claire and I managed to talk the ENTIRE 10 hours we were on the plane. At one point, I believe it was around 3am (Italy time) one of the ladies was talking quite loudly about how she rarely wears brown shoes and I was trying to fall asleep while everyone else was sleeping. I said "Shoosh" very loudly but feel it had no effect on their conversation. I then tried to twist my body into a comfortable sleeping position but to no avail. I climbed over Claire at least three times to go to the restroom and spent most of my time flopping around trying to get my rear end to wake up as well as my hands....First class may be my best friend the next time I venture overseas.

Upon arrival to Italy I was dazed and confused. My luggage arrived without incident and I made it through Customs and exchanged American for Euros. We met with our group venturing to Casa Cares and from there, I wanted to sleep. I even went to the bathroom at the airport, to freshen up, and while I felt a little better, my eyes felt like sandpaper! Both Dr. Tyson and Rhiannon found this little traveling toothbrushes in the bathroom - "fuzzy brushes" - that looked like they were encased in superballs...apparently they were pretty gross but funny looking!

Our bus trip to Casa Cares from Rome was around 3.5 hours....and I still could not sleep! I began to take in the scenery and Italy, at least in Rome, looks a bit like California with the rolling hills and grape trees. It is beautiful. Our ride off the interstate was breathtaking through all of the little towns. Although a bit frightening - the bus driver was going pretty fast on these mountainous roads and would just honk the horn before going around a bend to let others know he was there...I felt we might tip off the side at times. But, we arrived, it this place is beautiful. There are mountains all around us, with tiny towns and monasteries. We unpacked and had our first meeting. I quickly showered, to wash the airplane off of me and ate dinner. Dinner was fabulous, too! I tried to call Steve with Claire's phone card, however, it was somehow activated in Russian, which was a bit amusing to myself and one of the volunteers here trying to help. We finally got through on another calling card, but much to my disappointment, Steve was not at his desk. (WAY TO GO STEVE). I soon crashed for the night and slept like a rock.

I am attaching a few pictures from my first day in Italy. I will hopefully post a few more tonight as long as the internet cooperates. For now! Ciao

Four days until my travels begin

Italy is quickly approaching and I have a great deal to do still. Check that, I have EVERYTHING to do still.

I have not begun to pack in the slightest. I feel like if I pack now I will forget a great deal of stuff. I do this before every trip I go on. Wait until the last minute that is. Actually, I do this with most things in life. Steve gets frustrated with me because I wait. But I do not know how to function unless I feel pressure to meet a deadline. Beginning work two weeks before a deadline seems like nonsense to me. Maybe because I like the sense of accomplishment I feel when completing a task just before a deadline. Packing is thus the same way.

It is strange. Everyone keeps asking me if I am excited. My honest response, No. If you ask me within the next few days if I am excited, I will probably say yes. But in actuality I will be lying because I don't want to feel stupid and get a lecture from one more person about my lack of excitement. Enthusiasm and Excitement do not go hand in hand for me. Enthusiastic I am, excited, no. Not that I am not eagerly anticipating my travels and learning experience. I just am not excited. I have NO idea what to expect from a European country to excite me. People have shared their personal experiences and while they have been enlightening, they are not mine so it is difficult to feel a connection and understanding. At the moment, I feel calm and peaceful. Not energetic and excited. I don't think that is a bad thing, I think it is just a thing. I believe once I arrive and begin to know the routine and expectations in Italy I will become excited about the prospects and experiences I will have. I always take time to process and understand my experiences whether they be in my classes or real life experiences. I choose to sit back and observe and take in the whole picture. I think and then usually is a few days, I begin to understand and see my role in the experiences. I think this will be the case with my trip to Italy.

T-2 weeks, stream of consciousness

As my trip draws closer I find myself with mixed emotions.

I am nervous to travel without knowing the language. I know bits and pieces of Spanish and French but that doesn't account for much. I even uploaded a Italian Immersion CD series onto my computer - we will see if it helps. I could probably read small things but speaking and listening to conversation is a whole different ballgame. My sister spent six weeks in Costa Rica one year and started to dream in Spanish....but, she also had four years of college Spanish before going...I am going to be a fish out of water with little preparation for my baptism by fire.

I want to get the most out of my trip and learn so much about the country, its people and their customs. I worry about offending locals and their customs and norms. Being Catholic, I am interested to see how the culture is based off of the importance of Roman Catholicism...in the United States I feel many people choose religion as a status position. It is my current perception that we, as Americans, have lost sight of the overall purpose of religion and believing in something that is not tangible. We have built religion up to set boundaries for lifestyles and judgement of others instead of bettering ourselves. I want to see how organized religion shapes the culture in Italy. Our people and families bonded together because of their religious beliefs and growth? Or do they use their religion as a means for status and judgement? Whoa, major stream of conscious...

I want to enjoy myself - after all, I had to spend a great deal of money to take this school trip. I am looking forward to meeting new people and growing closer to the individuals I am traveling with from UAB. I want to take in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and interactions with native Italians to make the most out of my two weeks there.

As a counselor, I hope to gain insight and knowledge into different cultural norms and how to make new techniques applicable in my own professional development.

I am a bit sad that Steve cannot take this trip with me. I am also anxious to leave my sweet bunnies at home with him for two weeks. I know he will care for them but I feel they will miss my bonding time in the evenings. And then of course there is the whole worrying about finances and making ends meet to pay all the bills when I return. Two weeks without pay is a LONG time to go at work but I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Especially with my hours just being cut - UGH.

Overall, I hope to come home with a renewed sense of self and personal insight and grow.