Reflection

It hasn't even been a full week since the trip ended, and I've been home. I am actually in Montana right now with my family. Thinking back on Western Civ. I am really happy that I was given the opportunity to participate. It was really an amazing experience that I know very few people are privileged with. In all honesty I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but who wouldn't be? It's almost a full month in a foreign continent with complete strangers. It would have been odd if I hadn't been nervous. Thinking about it now, there isn't much I can do except miss it, and try to remember every single detail of the amazing time I had.
I think my two favorite cities were Rome and Paris. Rome was just beautiful everywhere you turned. It was a city I didn't mind getting lost in. I especially liked our trip to Naples and Pompeii. That was one of my favorite day trips. In Paris I really loved going to Versailles. I loved having free time to just wander around the gardens and hang out. In Paris I also liked La Musee d'Orsay. It was so beautiful and I've always wanted to go and see the Van Gogh exhibit.
In Athens, my favorite part was the food. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy Greek food as much as I did. I also really loved going to Mycenae. Over all I am happy with the amount I learned. I am also really happy with how comfortable I am traveling now. I am still not a huge fan of airplanes, but I am less stressed out moving through an airport, thanks to this experience.
It's amazing to think how absolutely privileged I was able to go on this trip and experience what I did.
I am so happy with the way this summer went, and I am sure that I will always remember what I learned.

Last night in Paris

It's been a lot of fun and I am so glad I went on this trip. I made a lot of good friends and had a really great European experience. This has definitely been one of the best summers I've had so far.

The Moulin Rouge!

I kissed Oscar Wilde's grave today

Last day in Paris :'(

We have a free morning so my friends and I are going to go see the Moulin Rouge! Then at 3 we are all meeting back up at the hotel to go shopping in the Miret. I'll post lots of pictures when we get back!

Here is ANOTHER video

Emma and Jacob reading Latin in Rome:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plcp&v=9Yiu_vWxi70

Napoleon's tomb

Versailles!

La Tour Eiffel!

The view from the boat we went on today

Sacre Coeur

First day in Paris!

We got to our hotel (which is adorable) and then went out for a quick panini. Then Emma and I took a 2 hour nap which was awesome. At 6:30 we all walked up to the Sacre Coeur. It was absolutely beautiful. It is the highest point in Paris. Tomorrow we are going to Notre Dame and a cruise on the Seine, then the Eiffel Tower by night. So excited!!!

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

It's our last night in Florence! Yesterday we visited the Boboli Gardens, which were beautiful. Then I went with a small group to an optional ceramics activity, where I got to paint a plate! That was a lot of fun. I can't believe how fast this week has gone. today we took a surprise trip to the beach and the. got to visit Pisa! It was a nice surprise. I have pictures but I am going to wait until we get to Paris to upload them. The hotel we are going to be staying at supposedly has free wifi. I am so excited for Paris! Finally we are going to a country where I can actually speak some of the language. Overall I think my first official trip to Italy was a success, and I am sad to leave it behind.

Today we went to Sienna!

We had an all day excursion to Sienna today, and it was absolutely beautiful. We started class today by learning about St. Catherine, and then actually got to visit St. Catherine's Basilica. We got to see the relics of her finger and her actual head. After that I went off to a museum with a small group and our temporary Florence instructor, John. We got to see tons of relics as well as more art of the renaissance. It was a really good day. Also tomorrow is my friend Addie's birthday!

We arrived safe in Florence yesterday! We pretty much immediately went to see The David, then after dinner we saw a dramatic reading of Dante's Inferno, read by Roberto Benigni. Today just so happens to be my birthday. This morning we went to Uffizi Museum and saw The Birthif Venus along with many other famous works. This afternoon we climbed the Duomo! it was like 500 steps but it was so worth it. I will post photos later. now we are doing cooking groups and after dinner we are going to watch Life is Beautiful. I had a really great birthday.

An okay photo of PART of the Steps

I don't know why I didn't just take a better photo. Oh well.

Addie and I in our matching dresses

Selfies on the Spanish Steps

Last night, on the Pointe Garibaldi, overlooking the Tevere River

July 21, 2012

Today we visited the Borghese Gallery, which was probably one of the most beautiful museums that we have been to so far. I think my favorite sculptures were the one of Hades taking Persephone to the underworld and then the one of Apollo attacking Daphne as she is turning into a tree. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures in there, but I still had a lot of fun. After that, we walked to the Spanish Steps, which lead to a touristy shopping area, with places to go to lunch. The plan was that after lunch we would go visit the Bone Church, so to be courteous my friend Addie and I wore long pants. It was so hot outside that we went into a store and bought matching long dresses and scarves. We were comfortable and still church-appropriate. The crypt itself was a very emotional experience. It is sort of designed to face you with mortality. Everyone was very introspective afterwords. Following that, we walked to the tomb of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. We read what he had set to be engraved on his tomb stone as well as around the world. Now we are back at the hotel resting before dinner!

We visited the cat sanctuary today!

The Flavian Ampatheater! (The Colosseum)

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II

A few photos from the National Archeology museum

With Emma, Juliana, and Addie at the beach in Nafplion

At the Byzantine museum in Athens

Our second day in Roma is completed! I am so excited to be here because this is actually the first time I have ever been to Italy. This city is actually so beautiful I cannot get over it. In all honesty I prefer it to Athens. Yesterday after we arrived, we waisted no time and went right to the Pantheon. It was beautiful and magnificent like a lot of other parts of Rome. I wish I could show pictures but I think they will have to wait. I will try to explain my experiences to you with words as best as I can. After the Pantheon we saw the Trevi Fountain, which actually wasnt that crowded and very easily navigable. I threw my coin and made a wish because hey, when in Rome right? Today we took an all day trip to Naples and Pompeii. We watched the movie Angels and Demons on the way there, which was kind of fitting since we are in Rome. The three hour ride was well worth it in the end. The Museum we went to in Naples held a lot of the sculptures and mosaics found in Pompeii. Then for lunch we went to an amazing little pizza place. We were told by Emily that Naples was the birth place of pizza, and I believe it. Most of us ordered margarita pizzas beacause that is basically the custome in Italy. It was like I could actually taste the freshness of the tomatoes on my pizza. After lunch was another short bus ride to Pompeii to actually walk the city. It was an incredible experience to be able to actually walk around and just imagine what life was like. As a class, we read letters from Pliny the Elder, recounting the events that unfolded at Pompeii. It was really just incredible. Tomorrow we get to sleep in (we got in pretty late) and then pick up our laundry. I think me and a bunch of the other girls on the trip are going to use our free morning to do some shopping!! I am very excited. Also I think we have plans to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Big day ahead! I had better get some sleep.

Yesterday we took an all day trip to Mycenae and Napflion. For our group discussion we had a small debate about a dialog between Socrates and Crito, written by Plato. We discussed the questioning that could come up when you consider if breaking just laws is acceptable or not. We walked up the ruins of the Citadel in Mycenae and then moved to a huge castle that overlooked the beach. Then we were given a few hours to actually go down and swim and to have snacks by the water. After the beach we were given more free time to explore the town that we were in. It was very pretty and quiet. Some friends and I went into a store and talked with the shop who was very nice. She taught us some Greek words! Today we visited the National Archeological Museum. We saw the burial crown of King Agamemnon. We also spent some time discussing the differences between the Archaic period and Classic period of Greek Art. It was all a lot of fun! I am having major problems uploading the video... so that probably wont happen until Rome. Tomorrow is our last full day in Greece! We are doing another beach day which I am thankful for. Goodnight!

We went to the Acropolis today and saw the Parthenon! It was so amazing, the sheer magnificence almost distracted me from the fact that I was sweating bullets (almost). I took a video while we were up there which I will put up once I figure out how. In the mean time here are some more pictures from yesterday at the Agora and it's surrounding area.

We arrived in Athens safe and sound! I slept a whole lot on the plane  and then some more when we got to the hotel (which is lovely). We went out for dinner at a really nice restaurant and ate on it's rooftop garden underneath an awning. I got to try real authentic Greek salad which was delicious, then last night we went over our orientation. Today we visited the Agora, which I learned was a type of market place for socializing in Ancient Athens, as well as a place for political debate and information. There was a small museum in the Agora, which had many pieces of pottery, some jewlery, small tombs, urns, and even a cheese grater! I will post my pictures from that museum when I finish explaining our day. After we left the Agora, we went out for a group lunch around the corner from our hotel. I had Greek salad again (because I loved it so much) and then a classic gyro, which consisted of beef, lamb, tomatoes, and greek yogurt, all inside pita bread. The food so far has been as amazing as I expected. After lunch we went to the Acropolis museum, which is actually a fairly modern museum dedicated to Acropolis, mainly the Parthanon. We talked a lot about how this museum was a sort of message to the British, saying that Athenians were perfectly capable of preserving their own history and culture. We learned that the British had actually taken pieces of the Parthanon and put them into the British Museum. This Acropalis Museum was an answer to that. After dinner we were split up into groups and set on a photo-scavenger hunt. My team won!! We call ourselves "The Dream Team". It consists of my new friends Addie, Juliana, and myself. Aparently we will be getting a prize tomorrow morning. Also we were told that these photo scavenger hunts will be a reacurring thing with each new city we visit. The Dream Team plans on being undefeated. Tomorrow we will be leaving early to actually visit the Acropolis so I will be sure to get some good pictures to post on here. So far everyone is really nice and we all seem to get along. I can tell this summer is going to be a lot of fun!

Here's one piece from the Agora. There is more to come.

Pre-Departure Reflection

            My name is Amelia Kuskin, I am 15 years old, and this is my second time of having the privilege of participating in the Abbey Road Programs. I am very excited to have been chosen to be a Student Ambassador and I am also really looking forward to sharing my experiences with my friends and family, as well as those I will meet on my upcoming trip. Last summer I participated in the Nice summer program with Abbey Road, and I really didn’t know what to expect. Being a summer camp kid for the majority of my life I was prepared for the separation from my family, but I had no idea what by own feelings would be while actually on the trip. I feel that because of my experiences last summer, I can better illustrate what I hope to gain on the Western Civilization Program this year.

            During this summer I am probably most looking forward to going to Italy. It works out nicely that we are spending two weeks there, in Florence and Rome, rather than one. I have never been to Italy before and I would really love to round out my European experience. I am really looking forward to really getting to try authentic food of all the different places I will be going this summer. I firmly believe that food is a major part of culture and if I am going to invest in learning about these western civilizations, I retain the right to gorge myself as much as possible. More seriously however, I am really hoping that this trip improves my knowledge of history and helps me further understand how civilizations really work. History is one of my favorite subjects in school, which is part of the reason why I chose this program, and I think that if I can understand these great civilizations then I can understand current events more clearly, as well as all civilizations’ separate cultures.

            What I am mainly looking forward to are all the fun experiences I am going to have while on this trip including, learning about the places we visit, eating amazing food, and overall having a good time with the new people I meet. I hope that everyone will enjoy the blog I will be posting during the course of the program, and I sincerely hope I have as much fun as I am expecting to!