Quest for Beauty // Italian Hearts

jmj

From the very beginning, Jennifer (our hilarious and inspiring Scottish-born, Italian-raised academic director) has been reminding us that her goal for us this semester is to find and experience beauty all around us. The first time I heard this I took it as a nice thought, but it didn't sink in.

Last night Jennifer reminded us of this goal and of all the ways that we are able to experience beauty. She brought a young Italian woman who had lived in the U.S. to speak to us about her life abroad and her own life experiences. When she spoke of the U.S. and the people there she had such joy and love in her voice! I found myself wanting to appreciate Italian life and culture as much as she appreciated American life and culture! She experienced beauty in the U.S. and I wanted to experience beauty in Italy!

While I was on my way back to the villa today, coming back to the villa after a great afternoon with some family friends from home (Shout out to my mom who sent vitamins and my favorite sandals! Now I have happy feet and a healthy system. Thanks Mom!) I was able to witness this beauty in the people around me.

 Before today I thought that Italians were cold and unfriendly. I hadn't had very many great experiences with the Italian people. I realize that in some respects that's still true, but in other ways they are more charitable than many Americans.Here are the events I witnessed that redeemed Italians and gave me a glimpse of God's love and beauty:

Mr. Umbrella Man: It started raining while I was waiting for the bus. Many people were prepared with umbrellas and others were making due with plastic bags, etc.. There were also a lot of street peddlers taking advantage of the poor weather to market their umbrellas. One man came running over to the street peddlers and bought an umbrella from him. As he was waiting for his bus there was an elderly woman who had a plastic bag covering her head. The man with the brand-new umbrella walked over to the woman and offered her protection from the rain with his umbrella. As they huddled under the one umbrella it was obvious that they didn't know each other before, but still, this man despite any discomfort and awkwardness offered this woman his umbrella. I was struck by this act of kindness. Never had I seen a stranger offer another stranger their umbrella. It really opened my eyes to the kindness that people are capable of. This was an experience of beauty to me.

Punk Rock Teen and Street Peddler: Shortly after Mr. Umbrella-Man, a punk rock teenager arrived at the bus stop, standing under his umbrella (it looked like he was borrowing his grandma's old one. It made me smile). He had piercings in his nose and one on his neck (I was trying to figure out how that worked) and couldn't have been more than 17. A street peddler near by was trying to adjust his poncho so that his backpack wouldn't get wet. With new umbrellas in his hands and one up trying to protect himself, he was struggling. The boy with the piercings saw the man struggling and offered him a hand, adjusting his poncho to fall over his backpack. I know this seems minuscule, but I was struck by the kindness towards this man that most people see as a nuisance.

Woman on the bus: Finally my bus arrived and I was so relieved to sit and get off my soggy feet. At one of the many stops through Florence we picked up a young woman and 3 children, it appeared that she was their nanny. All the seats were taken near them and she was supporting the little girl so that she wouldn't fall on the bumpy ride. A woman in her early 60s saw this young woman and the girl and motioned for the little girl to take her seat. She didn't seem inconvenienced or anything, but looked so happy to see this little girl more comfortable.

I have realized that Italians are kind, but in their own way. When I think "nice", I think warm, friendly, welcoming and inviting (a.k.a. Minnesota-nice). These things aren't terms I would use to describe the Italians I have met. But Italians are kind, charitable and have hearts that serve. I realize that being "nice" isn't everything. Being real and answering the call to serve when you see a need is what really matters.

Through the scenes of life that I experienced today I feel as though I have really experienced beauty and have come to a new appreciation of Italian charity and culture. For the rest of this week and the remaining semester I hope I can open my eyes to the people that show me beauty through their charity.

-Michela

London to Rome // Just the beginning

 So, at last I am able to sit down and share with you all what I have been up to for the past few days! I'll try to share with you the really good stuff so that I don't bore you to death. So much happened though! I won't be offended if you get bored and stop reading. In fact, I'll never know!

Monday:

Arriving in London in the morning we had all day to explore! We didn't know where to start but somehow found our way to Hyde Park. What an amazing place. It was so green and colorful! The flowers, bikers, people picnicking, strolling and just soaking in the perfect weather made it a picture perfect day! Londoners love their parks!

All of the flowers were this beautiful!

Again, beautiful.

I love how this mom and her son are playing right next to the Peter Pan statue. They were so cute to watch. Oh to be a kid again...

Jenny, Becca and I next to the Italian fountains (precursor to the real thing)

Later that day we had dinner at The Swan, a busy and fun place to be right next to the park. I ordered the fish and chips (it was on every menu we saw!). I love fish and chips, but the one new British thing was the mashed peas (pictured below) that came with it... So strange. At first I thought it was guacamole. I was a little disappointed. But, I made myself eat them (aren't you proud, Mom?!) because I wanted to know why they are so popular. I'm still trying to figure this one out.

1st English meal.

(13 hours of sleep later...)

Tuesday:

It was another perfect day in London. The weather was cool but still sunny. First, random thought: The people in London dress so classy. I just love to people watch and see how stylish people are. I honestly think there is no such thing as hipster in London because they are all so cool and unique in their style. Ok, thank you for being patient with me. Now back on subject... We had the intention of going to Hyde Park to meet up with the Sandeman's Free London tour. It was fantastic! If you ever go to a city with Sandeman's use them. They are great. Our tour guide, Mark, was hilarious but so knowledgeable. Here are some of the places we saw:

Classic Phone Booth Pic. I just had to.

Awesome door to an Anglican Church.

Buckingham Palace. 

Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben (did you know that Big Ben is not the name of the tower itself, but rather the name of the huge bell inside? Crazy right?)

Westminster Abbey

Mark out fantastic guide with a crazy hair cut, telling us all about Guy Forks and the event that could have changed England's history forever. 

I feel like part of the experience in traveling is meeting new people from all over. On our tour we met two nice Australians and enjoyed lunch together. Mia and Jimmy were both traveling by on their own (a new idea for the three of us) and were exploring all of Europe for 3 months. Apparently this is a really popular thing for young adults in Australia. I thought that was so cool. I loved talking to them and hearing their accent. Quite fun. Food note: I ordered the traditional Steak and Ale pie and mash. It was delicious, though not what I expected. Sorry no picture to show.

After we went on another tour with Mark (yes, he was that good, we even payed for the next tour with him). It was called the Grimm Reaper tour and took place in East London and visited a lot of the not so pretty but quite interesting places in London: Tower of London, public square where beheadings took place, sites of Jack the Ripper killings, Old London wall, and more that I am forgetting. To end the night we headed to High Holborn Street for a beer at Cittie of Yorke pub, a recommendation by a experienced London traveler. So good.

Tour of London. Pretty Creepy stuff happened in their. 

Here's one for the Queen! 

Wednesday:

Our main goal was to see a play at the Globe theater today. We decided to get the tickets and spend the rest of the day on the south bank of the Thames river (pronounced "Tems" by some and "Tims" by others...confusing). We saw the "Taming of the Shrew" and it was incredibly hilarious! It was so cool to be right next to the stage, standing so close to all the action. I don't think my feet thought it was that cool, but they complied with my demands.

Eating a Brat at the Borough Market... Yum.

Tate Modern Art Exhibit

The "New" Globe Theater.

Such a fun night! We made "10 things I hate about you" comparisons all night.

London at night

Overall, London was a fabulous experience! The weather, the people, the sites, it was a perfect way to begin this adventure. (And my new favorite word is rubbish. Can refer to ideas, material trash, people, or things that are a bunch of bologna)

I won the award for best use of map and most obvious tourist! 

Arriving in Rome today was not so comfortable, but an adventure in its own way. In short, I arrived in a busy airport where everyone was speaking a different language, I found my way to the train and then to the metro with a purse, backpack and suitcase (I sympathize with the handicap. Every station should have a lift (aka elevator)), I felt completely out of place and alone in a new huge city by myself, I almost got run over by a car, I got lost on the street where the hotel is supposed to be and walked around asking random Italians who knew little English where this place was, and then after finally finding it I realized I really should have tried harder to learn Italian this summer, seeing as almost everyone I have met really doesn't know English. Oh and we accidentally ordered 4 pizzas for 4 people for dinner because the lady didn't know English and we knew so little Italian. Lunch tomorrow! 

Yeah, today was stressful in some ways, but I'm so glad that it all happened. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to, that I have enough street savy to find my way around a new, large, and intimidating city, and also, I was constantly comforted remembering that I have nothing to fear, because God is at my side. He must have given me an extra dose of courage today :)

In spite of it all, it was a great day for learning and I am so glad to be with some familiar BC faces!

Tomorrow is a new day!

God bless you all! Ciao!

-jmj

Today is: National Girlfriends Day!

-jmj

Hey Gurlfran! (best if read in your best ghetto impersonation)

While catching up with my blog news, I learned an interesting fact! Today, August 1st, is National Girlfriends Day! I loved this email that Shannon Brown @ life in general shared! It's quite accurate. And being a Psychology major myself I quite enjoyed it....

          THEY teach it at Stanford 

 A thought to share...and so true… 
 "I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection-the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? - rarely. Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged--not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking! So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

The funny thing is that there is a day set aside to appreciate our girl friends. But in reality they are so much a part of our everyday journey. At work, at school and at church, they always bring joy to my life! Whenever I think about how one of them has impacted my life I feel overwhelmed with joy, peace, and contentment. Because through my girl friends I truly experience God's love.

So God, please let me never take advantage of the gift that girl friends are!

So if you are one of my girl friends reading this, thanks! I appreciate you so much, and all the ways that you have impacted my life, both big and small.

Love you! and all the nicknames you have given me too!

Michela

Make it a [lil sibs] Date #2

jmj

Sibling [Double] Date #2: Gabrielle, Annemarie, & Michela

Just a Lazy Sunday turned into the perfect day for a date with Gabrielle and Annemarie!

Started out by using all of our Baskin Robbins Gift Cards for a very satisfying and free snack! 

Exhibit A: Two very satisfied girls...

 Exhibit B: Three very satisfied girls...

Exhibit C: My favorite. 

After our {ice cream} adventure we headed to the movie theater to catch "Brave." I'm not big on going to the theater and paying a bundle "for the experience" so this was a big deal. We all really enjoyed the movie though! Towards the end I hear Annemarie sniffling next to me. I couldn't believe she was crying! And then I realized, "Yeah this is really sad! Why am I not crying?" Again, my cold heart inhibited me from crying during a movie. Oh well! She is just much more in touch with her emotions I guess =]

Cute picture, minus the glare. The little brothers were my favorite! 

 Look at my beautiful little sisters! Cute, right?

Well that was the end of our Double [Sibling] Date! It was a ton of fun and I love spending time with them! 

I am really trying to appreciate the time at home with my family. I know that I will not always return to Las Vegas for the whole summer so I'm trying to live in the present (trying). God has given me this time to really invest in my siblings. I need to enjoy every minute of it while we are all here. 

God bless and thanks for reading!

Make it a Date! (lil sibs edition)

Lately, I have seen so many cute Date ideas for couples posted on Pinterest and different blog sites. Being single myself, my first thought is wishing for a special someone to go do all these fun/romantic things with. Even though that is not in God's plan at the moment, that doesn't mean I can't go on a date! That's where the lil sibs come in...

One thing that I have noticed as I have gotten older is that spending time with my younger siblings (8 in all) is not as easy as when I was 7, 8, 9, 10 or even 12. Life gets busier and sometimes I think "grown-up things" are more important (they really aren't, I just think that sometimes). 

So, this summer I am trying harder to spend one-on-one time with each of my siblings. I have added it to my 101 things in 1001 days and  my goal is to have one "sibling date" with each lil sib this summer. That's going to be kinda hard since Matthew has already left for WestPoint Basic Training, but I will make it up to him by the quantity of letters he will receive from me.

Let the fun begin!

Sibling Date #1: Julianna + Michela 

Julianna and I had a rather spontaneous sibling date. We were goinging to go golf on the putting green with some friends but it didn't work out. We had already gotten all dressed in our sporty, golf-gear, and I was not about to let my outfit change go to waste. So instead we took our dad's gold clubs, and took pictures in our front yard of us "golfing" (Note: No golf balls were actually hit during this adventure due to the close proximity of cars, people, and houses).

Then, since Julianna got her permit earlier that day, I took her driving for the first time! I drove to the church parking lot (classic first lesson spot) and then handed the wheel over to her. I have to admit I was kinda nervous. As my heart rate was increasing my thoughts increased as well, "This is what my mom and dad went through with me," "I understand why dad always seemed so stressed when I was driving," "I can't believe I have been driving for 7 years now!" "I can't believe my dad took me on the freeway the first time I went driving!!!" "Why did we take the nicest car we own?" "I've never been in an accident before...." Needless to say, we survived! And had fun on our first sibling date/driving lesson!

Good work, Julianna! I'm so proud of you!

-jmj

Funny [Real-Life] Reminders

Every girl wants to be told she is beautiful. Especially any girl whose love language is Words of Affirmation (That's me!) Even though we may know it, it's always good to be reminded. 

 Here are a few funny real-life reminders:

1. James, my 4 year old little brother (pictured below hamming it up for the camera) is currently obsessed with the One Direction song, "What Makes You Beautiful." When I say obsessed, I mean OBSESSED! If we are driving together he makes me scan the airwaves till we find a station that is playing it.

Anyway, the other day when I was helping in the kitchen he came up to me and said, "Michela, you don't know you're beautiful."  Awwww! That's sure to melt any big sisters heart. Thanks for the reminder, James!

2. Best part of my work week is when Allison and I get to go to Costco to stock up the kitchen.  (confession: its my favorite part because of the samples. Who doesn't like free food?! And my mom never buys dinosaur chicken nuggets so I might as well experience them when I get the chance, right?)

Today was especially interesting because Allison and I got a funny little reminder. We were walking along, pushing our massive cart when this old man (probably between 70 & 80) stopped us. Here is the conversation:

Old Man: Are you ladies from Tennessee?

Allison and I: (nervous/confused giggle) No... We're from here...?

Old Man: Are you sure?

Allison: Yeah, we're sure.

Old Man: Really? Cus you're the only tens I see!

Allison and I: (confused laughter) Haha, Thanks?!? (probably blushing)

We definitely weren't expecting that to come out of his mouth! When I think about it, it was hilarious, but it was also a little reminder from God for me to keep smiling and recognize my own beauty, even when I don't feel like I'm beautiful.

Someday my prince will come and use cheesy pick-up lines on me all the time! Haha maybe not, but he will definitely tell me that I'm beautiful. Right now God reminds me of my beauty in His own sense of humor.

What funny real-life reminders has God given you lately?

-jmj

FUN-draising!

One of the big projects/hardest thing I had to do this summer was to fundraise... dun dun dun!

My original problem was that I had the wrong mindset. I didn't want to ask people for money. That's just awkward. (Crazy, most people love money but hates talking about it! Interesting...) But what I really needed was some encouragement and words of wisdom from my good friend Kevin. He reminded me that I am not asking my friends and family for money, but instead I'm asking them to partner with me in this mission, outreaching to college students. To be better equipped I need training (aka School of the New Evangelization)! That's where the money comes in... 

So anyway, thanks to my good friend, I am doing it! I am raising partners in my mission to share the gospel on college campuses! To share life with me and to share the good work that God is doing! It has been a lot better since changing my perspective. I hate to say it, but *Gasp!* I'm starting to enjoy it!?!?!

I am so excited to go to Minnesota and reconnect with all my friends and those I met last summer. Seriously, it was such a rejuvenating 9 days last year and really got me excited about ministry on campus and household life! This year will be different but so good.

As a way to connect with my partners I'm making a prayer intention card for each. You those times when you ask someone what you can pray for them for and they tell you and then you promptly forget. Now I can't forget! I'm so excited to be interceding with my partners as well. It will be a beautiful, prayer-filled year! 

So here is the prayer intention ring that I'm making.... 

 Their name on the front (made all pretty with scrapbooking supplies), and their intentions on the back.

 work in progress... (cheese!)

all the supplies: note cards, 1-hole-punch, scrapbook paper, cutouts, pens, etc., and a expandable ring! 

the finished product! 

It's easy and a fun project to do with your friends (The first one I did was with the sisters of NET team 1! I'm just adding more people to the same ring.)

God bless!