PCS Adventures in Arezzo

  Studying History While Living in It: What has been the largest impact     People have called what we now know as Italy since about 2000 BC. Italy has vast ancient culture from the Romans, to the medieval city states. This makes the history of Italy way more extensive than the history of America. Not to knock America it has amazing history too but Italian history is just way more complex and has so much more to it. I have always been so interested in history so it was surreal to see all of the amazing monuments I have read so much about.  I feel that history has such a big impact on what we as a society are like today. We need to study history to learn how to be better than the past. For example, many great leaders learned from Julius Cesar and his great Roman Empire. We have copied many ancient Roman techniques in engineering that still work today. Even though some Roman aqueducts are still in use it is such a feat of engineering. We have so much to learn today jus...

  Living the Dolce Vita: The True Meaning of ‘La Dolce Vita’ and How It Applies to Study Abroad      Picture this, you are me and you tell someone that you are studying abroad in Italy. "Yeah, I'm studying abroad in Italy I'm so excited!". The other person says, "Oh my gosh that sounds like so much fun I would love to be in Italy!". I feel like that is an example of how not only are you living the sweet life but others think that too. It is just a different type of lifestyle than American life. You can feel it and so can everyone around you.  For example, this is what my daily life in Arezzo looked like. I would wake up early which is something I would never be doing in America. I go downstairs eat a nice fresh breakfast and have my first cappuccino of the morning. After this, I would go to class with 39 of my closest friends and enjoy the first lecture of the day. During the breaks between lectures, I would go to a cafe with a few of my friends get my secon...

    Florence, Sienna, Assisi or Rome: Which Italian City Best Captures the Spirit of Studying Abroad?  After reflecting upon the trips to all of these different cities I have no clear answer as to which best captures the spirit of study abroad. What I do know for sure is that Rome was my least favorite in terms of the people and city itself. The city was dirty and everyone that I encountered was rude. Yes, the monuments are amazing but other than that the city doesn't have much to offer. However, I did enjoy the pizza that I had there. Rome was definitely something that's for sure so I'd rank it a 5.3/10.  Sienna, on the other hand, was a nice change of pace. The city was busy, yet still quiet, and had a very relaxed vibe about it. I really enjoyed Sienna from the history to the people it was definitely one of my favorite cities. The people of Sienna were very nice and welcoming to us from the encounters I had. OH, and the food! My friends and I went to this little s...

 "Reflecting On GOALS"      Well, the trip is officially over! That was my life's most fun, busy, and chaotic trip, but wow, it was worth it. From staying up late to waking up super early it was an amazing experience. My favorite part of the trip would probably be the chill days in Arezzo just hanging out with everyone. It was so fun to grow closer to everyone on the trip and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. Even though I averaged like 5 hours of sleep each night.  After reading over my first post I definitely achieved my first goal. That being learning just how adaptable I can be and how I can make the most out of every situation. For example, if a restaurant was closed that me and my friends were going to then we'd have to be adaptable to make a decision. This happened quite a lot with the very odd hours of restaurants. I learned how to make the most out of every situation like when it was scorching hot in Rome I made the most out of...

 Rome     Julius Caesar, Constantine, St. Peter, Nero, and St. Francis all have one thing in common. That being said they were all amazing leaders. However, they all lead in a different way. Julius Caesar was a very bold and ambitious leader. He rose through the ranks of Roman politics and military, and he gained fame for his famous conquest of Gaul. Caesar aimed to centralize power and address economic inequality which eventually caused him to be assassinated. Constantine shows a different leadership style in the way he leads with spiritual conviction and alliances. However, Nero was completely different from these leaders. He leads with a huge ego and cruelty to his people.  Storytelling in leadership has a huge effect on how others see you. If people tell a terrible story about you then other people won't want to follow you. For example, if I am a mean person and treat my friends badly. Then in turn my friends will tell people about how I am and that will make me ...

 Assisi     When we think of a great servant leader we often think of St.Fransis of Assisi. St.Fransis grew up very wealthy, but one day was arrested while on a crusade. He was freed but he began questioning if this life was for him so he began to pray. God told him to rebuild the church. St.Fransis began giving to the poor and performed many miracles. St Fransis's impacts are still felt today by many. His commitment to serving the poor encourages many social efforts and volunteer work.     Servant leadership has meant a lot for me during my life. I have served hundreds of hours doing various activities such as  volunteering at a Christian camp to working in food banks. I think that St.Fransis have a very similar style. That style being that he led through service and humility rather than power and authority. I have closely modeled my leadership style to this throughout my life without even realizing it. However, this just gives me more inspiration to ...

 Florence     Simply just walking around in Florence you are surrounded by the influence of art. It feels like a living museum with how much significant architecture there is around the city. From the churches, bridges, to the town hall you can simply get a feel about how significant this city is. After all Florence was the home to significant artists like  Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Donatello. This makes it a very big deal for Renaissance art enthusiasts and is very important in art history. They are also ninja turtles too so that's cool.     The  archeological impact this city had on me was very profound. Florence is very well known for the absolutely breathtaking Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as Il Duomo. When I first saw this cathedral my jaw hit the floor. The architecture is so beautiful and had so many intricate details. While inside of the cathedral you also see many pieces of Renaissance art which brings me to m...

 After Conference Feelings     The Leadership Conference was amazing for getting to meet the local Italian students. I really got to connect with them and learn more about their culture. This helped me get more immersed within the Italian culture. For example, I was talking with Federico about how I got a cappuccino one evening and he gave me a weird look. I was confused by this so I asked him what was wrong. Federico then explained to me that you only order cappuccino's in the morning. I had no idea that you were looked at differently for getting a cappuccino in the evening so that was really interesting.     The relationships I made during the conferences have influenced me to dive deeper into the Italian culture. I have found that they are very traditional in the way they do things. For example family dinners are very common and traditional. As well as the way they make their food and the ingredients they use. I have learned this from interacting wi...

  "Sienna"     While observing the Sienna Duomo I saw many extravagant designs and vibrant colors. Then I looked closer and saw the sculpted faces of 172 Popes. I think I relate this to leadership in PCS as well as my fraternity. Many of my peers and higher ups are constantly judging my character and actions. Just as if the Pope figures are judging the audiences actions in the Duomo.     This also relates to how we are seen on this trip, how people view us and our actions. I think an important decision I made while on this trip was trying my best to engage with the Italian students in our group. I  think that they noticed this and started to be more engaged. My other team members also noticed this and started trying their best to make conversations with the students. This made the environment in our group very comfortable and open.     Influence can be a blessing and a curse. If you make one wrong decision and things fall apart in your group. Howe...

 Pomaio Winery + Pasta Making     First off the winery was absolutely amazing and the views were breathtaking. After visiting the winery there are many things I've learned. One of these being just the entire process of making wine. I had absolutely no idea how it's made in general so it was really cool just to learn about it. The second thing I learned is that the color is based off how long the grapes are in the wine. The third I learned was that the oak barrels give the wine extra flavor. The difference between the Italian and American culture is that wine in America is more of a fancy drink but in Italy it is casual.     What I observed from pasta making with my peers is that some of them were naturally better than others. For example I am not a good cook at all but Jack knew what exactly to do. Also I noticed that people were fine with the few instructions but I was very stressed with everything not being laid out in front of me. Fabio has a very interesting...

 Enneagram & Strengths     My enneagram test result was a seven. I think that this result describes me pretty well because sevens are extroverted, optimistic, and spontaneous. My top five strengths on my strength finder were adaptability, woo, competition, harmony, and empathy. I think that these are also very accurate for my personality. Three significant things I learned from these tests are that I really try hard to get people to like me whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. I learned that I am always willing to be flexible to others and finally that I have a good sense of what a group is feeling. I can improve upon my focus and discipline characteristics within the strength finder test. I can lean more into my empathy to lead a group better. Strengthfinder Results Pasta Enneagram Results

 Look Around, Salve Arezzo     Walking around the beautiful city of Arezzo I have noticed many things. From the breathtaking architecture to the beautiful art within the churches. Arezzo has had much significance within Italy like being a great strategic point in the hills of Italy. Arezzo is also the second city in Italy to adopt Christianity as its  religion, making it very historically significant. Not to mention it is also the center of fashion of Italy and the capital of Italian gold. One encounter that I had that I realized I was no longer in the US was ordering at a restaurant. The lady taking my order did not understand what I was wanting and so I had to point and explain the best I could. The geography in Arezzo is completely different from anything I've seen in the US. The rolling hills surrounding the city are beautiful and make for an amazing view. The buildings themselves are very different from the US being that they are super old and have a Roman and s...