Here's to New Friends!

So this is my final post on my once-in-a-lifetime trip.

There isn't much else to say, other than it was the greatest month of my life. I have truly made some lifelong friends, and I learned so much about myself and the Italian culture throughout the month.

I know its okay to ask for help. To admit when I am wrong. To say I don't know. To make sure my friends know I love them. To go out of my comfort zone. To be spontaneous. To be adventurous. To break the rules. To relax. To lead. To follow.

World Premiere? Been there, done that.

Yes, this is James Franco.

Yes, he is beautiful.

Yes, I asked him out.

So one of the coolest things that happened in Taormina was the 54th Annual Taormina Film Festival. It was AMAZING!!!! Not only did we get to meet James Franco, but we saw a bunch of movies in the ancient Greek theatre, and we had the opportunity to see the WORLD PREMIERE of "Transformers." The movie's directors and stars all came to the event, which was awesome. It was truly a unique experience :)

A Big City.....in Sicily?

"Agata.....Agata.....Agata..."

We heard these desperate pleas of a homeless woman as we began to enter this sacred cathedral, located in the heart of one of the biggest cities in Sicily, Catania.

The woman, as we soon found out, was asking for help from Catania's patron saint, St. Agatha.

This is Agatha's cathedral, a beautiful structure in the center square of the city. As we went inside, our voices became hushed and our manners reverent-- we felt calm and at ease in this holy place.

Catania seemed to have that effect on us in every place we visited. In the fish market, we grew loud and rowdy, joking with the seamen. In the castle of Frederick II, our eyes became wide as we heard of tales from his reign. We were all so used to being in Taormina, a very small city, that we were overwhelmed with Catania!

One interesting point: Outside of Frederick's castle, there lies an eagle clutching a lamb with its talons. Our guide described this as Frederick's doing-- Frederick himself was the eagle and his people were the lamb. This statue symbolically portrayed the king's reign over his people. This statue intrigued me-- is that how leaders are supposd to act? Tryannical? Dictatorial? It seemed as though Frederick II never got the memo on how to be a good leader. Followers should not fear their leaders-- they should respect and admire them. I'm not sure Frederick II received the respect he could have if he would have tried a different leadership approach.

A Little R & R

So educational excursions are a blast, but sometimes, you just need a little rest and relaxation with your friends.....here we are taking a boat ride through Taormina, near Isola Bella.

Everyday, I felt like I was walking through a painting-- this beautiful place didn't even seem real!

If I could pick my favorite event from the trip, it would be this boat ride. The group bonded even more, and we had a blast cruising around with our guide, Andre. My favorite times from the trip were when we were all together, enjoying and experiencing Italy. What a trip!

Appreciating the Past

William Faulkner once said, "The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past."

This embodies how I felt as we walked through the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. The entire site felt completely alive, almost as if the stone structures and ionic columns were waiting for the worshippers to enter, just as they did thousands of years ago.

It was an amazing sight, seeing what ancient civilizations could create without modern tools or Ivy League educations.

During this trip, I realized how important and beneficial using the past can be. If the saying is true, and history will repeat itself, then shouldn't we focus a little less on the future and see what has actually happened? I don't know, it may be silly, but I don't see any "Future" majors; I see a bunch of "History" majors, though!

Many temples have been built based on the Agrigento temples, and it occurred to me that leadership, in many ways, is the same. You can look to the past to help with you with the present. Using resources effectively is a major tool to success, and I believe the people who used Agrigento's magnificence as a resource were most likely very good leaders.

Taking Risks....

So this is us. On Mt. Etna. Europe's most active volcano.

Our excursion to Mt. Etna proved to be a big moment in my life. You see, I am somewhat afraid of heights. And definitely afraid of heights with no railings.

As we started to climb this monument, I thought I was going to die. I don't think anyone could blame me-- if you slipped, you were done. As funny as that sounds now, it was certainly not amusing at the time.

Overcoming this fear was no easy task for me, especially when other people were even more frightened and turned to Mama Tooch for help. So, I put up the best front that I could and reassured everyone that, no, we were not going to die. My reassuring them actually helped me more than the others! I knew that all of us couldn't be scared, so I used their nerves to conquer my own. Pretty soon, I was laughing and running and feeling completely liberated, which is what the volcano was supposed to make you feel. I felt small, yet huge at the same time. What a rush!

After climbing this mountain, I felt so proud. Proud of overcoming my fears, proud of accomplishing this not-so-easy task, and proud for lending a helping hand to my friends.

First Impressions

So this is the view from our hotel roof. Enough said.

When we first arrived in Taormina, I was very nervous. I didn't know how much I would like the group of people with us; I didn't know if our classes would be difficult; I didn't know if the people in Sicily were different from the people in Rome.

Our Elon group consisted of 15 very, VERY, very different people. We had athletes, sorority sisters, music theater majors, frat boys, Elon grads...you name it. The group was diverse! The first night at dinner, I didn't even know what to say to everyone. How do you start conversations with people you have never met, but you are thrown into a foreign country with them? Luckily, everyone was absolutely INCREDIBLE, which makes me love Elon even more. We all had different points of view, but we were open with each other and made each other feel comfortable right away. We even played ice breaker games at my table (so fellows-ish!).

Even at these first moments, I saw my "everyone is going to be friends- I will make sure of it" side coming out. By the end of the first night, I had a new nickname, which stuck till the end of the trip (and is still my nickname today)-- "Mama Tooch." I think everyone saw me as trying to take care of the group, which I was trying to do! I took it (and still do) as a compliment-- I organized, planned, made peace.......I really was the Mama.

Growing up in Roma

Ciao from Italia! This trip has truly been the experience of a lifetime. Let's start from the beginning.....

Whitney and I flew in to Rome (just the two of us!) and this is where our adventure began. Thank goodness she was with me! Try never being in a foreign country before, not knowing the language, and being two girls alone...... put those together and it makes for some great stories.

We tried to see all of Rome in only 2 days (which is impossible, may I add). This picture is inside the Colosseo, home of the gladiators and ancient Roman entertainment. It was a magnificent site! I think this is where I first began to feel truly small and realize how much is actually out there in the world.

Being thrown into this situation made me feel as if I had grown up 10 years in only 2 days. I felt my leadership skills emerge as I asked for directions and tried to understand Italian accents. What helped me the most, however, was my decision to step out of my comfort zone. I have never been very good at asking for help, as I try to be independent and figure things out as an individual. But here, in Italy, I had to realize that I did not, in fact, know everything (or anything, for that matter!), so asking for help was a big step for me. I found myself starting to ask more and more, and being more comfortable as I did. Rome, for me, was not as much culture shock as it was "get off your high horse and ask for help" shock. I matured infinitely during these 2 days, and I am proud of myself for going outside what was natural for me.