European travels, continued.

If I had to concisely sum up my European adventure thus far, I would use 2 words:
novel beauty.

It's novel to me at least. I honestly don't understand how these people take this day in and day out.. To stare out across the Apennines or the Alps or the rolling, gentle countryside with farms plotted brilliantly onto the sides of steep hills - and to somehow not go mad from its grandeur? Do they become numb to all this glorious creation? How could they stand to stop marveling at the Gothic elegance of the duomo in Milano or the incredible panorama of medieval Gubbio? (or Siena or Florence or most other Italian cities, for that matter..)

I know it's easy to jump the assumption that I have simply become numb to the beauty in my own home. But that's not completely true. I may not be working to keep my jaw up every moment of every day, but I still praise G-d for the intense beauty of the Arkansan landscape around the Ozark mountains on my drives home from Fayetteville. Or the gorgeous view when driving south on 540 when the leaves begin to change. Or climbing dad's ridiculous tower atop the knob and seeing the curve of the horizon. Or taking the bike trail in Fayetteville.

The European beauty here is.... Different. Very different. Age has a lot to do with it. I've walked the same uneven, narrow streets as Saint Anthony and Marinetti and Puccini and Mussolini and Caesar. Back at home I've done that with... Bill Clinton? And I'm not such a nostalgic Pastist to freak out over that, but it is something I consider. The times and events that these walls and streets have seen are so very different than those of infant America's. Those times have added something to those less-than-straight walls. Yes age. Yes wear. But also yes to a character incomparable to any American dream home.

I think back to Urbania, la casa mia nell'Italia. Those streets... Their beauty. I remember them well. I walked them daily, felt the cobblestone beneath my shoes, admired the pattern that took great care to construct. In some areas, the grass grows between them. Freely; not exterminated with some chemical to keep some austere evenness. What have those streets seen? Wars, sickness, death. Joy, love, flowers. Beautiful, beautiful flowers...

I do miss my Italia. That's not to say the rest of this journey hasn't had its surprising helpings of beauty. On the way to dinner in Switzerland the other night, we pulled over to get a good view of the snow-covered Alps. It was a moment I couldn't capture with my little camera, but it's one burned into my brain. Their grandeur, their crispness, even on a sunless, gray day. Admittedly, that was just one of many moments in which His glory shone through creation in a way that overtook me. It grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me, seizing my attention and screaming at me the wondrous, creative nature of the King Who has and is my life.


It was like seeing the clouds seemingly yards above my head in atop the Apennines,

like seeing the view of a whole city from above,

like inhaling the clear, Italian mountain air and wondering why I'm here...

At some point during a long train ride, the Lord taught me to stop questioning, start praising, and enjoy. So I am. To Him goes the glory. To Him goes my heart. To Him goes all thanks and eternal thanks dipped in reverence and awe. What else shall I give? My life, my love, my heart, my gratitude, and now this time. This solitary, blessed time in motion, hopping between countries and viewing His handiwork in a novel, beautiful way.

The terms 'novel' and 'beauty' cannot be separated and still properly describe this experience. Where I've been is CERTAINLY not new, and pretty places exist on every continent. But for me, this experience has been beautiful in an original, soul-shocking way. The novel portion is mine; the beauty portion is His.

For now I'll happily take a serving of both.

Grazie; danke; thanks.

A long overdue update d'Italia

On a planet at which a day consists of 100 hours instead of 24, I would have blogged regularly in real time about my incredible journeys. Alas, this is not the case.

Ma - buona fortuna! Non ho dimenticato tutto.

My three weeks in Urbania certainly deserves detailed recount, but that could fill a week of intense blogging. Glimpses of Urbania will undoubtedly pop up in my posts; those people and that town is dear to me.

Per esempio: I remember one of my first couple of days there. I had a moment (one of many really) of a certain variety I call ‘crispness’. Vision legitimately seems better; the air is clear; the edges of trees and signs are sharp; surrounding sounds are not muffled. A sort of "ah ha" weird experiential thing. I can't control it, but for it I am ever-appreciative. Those times allow me to soak it all in: the shapes, smells, sounds, shades of pink and gray and blue in the cool and calm dusk on my walk home. I saw people sitting and sipping vino o caffé. Others were heading home too. I could hear talking near the doors of some places. Some sat out on their porches and just watched, sitting with their dogs. No one really ever seemed to be in a hurry there, at least not in the early evening.  

The weather was fabulous; I was actually cold the first few nights and had to learn the word for blanket (coperta). I think the first word I recall learning with my host family was spazzatura (trash can). There are a ton of useful words that fall through the cracks of class Italian. But also, a bunch of vocabulary I thought was way beyond me or not useful came in handy so many times. I was able to discuss social and economic issues with Armando the bus/taxi driver. He was one of my favorite people. The guy freaking punked me in italiano about seeing a golden eagle during one of our bird walks.

Allora, I have now graduated from buses to trains in my travels. I'm finally starting to get the hang of it! 3 trains later... 

I love utilizing the rail system, but the stations are stressful. The trains are peace, contemplation, scenery, (for the most part) security. The stations have beggars, confusion, rush, odor, (at least the feeing of) danger. These two are separated by a mere staircase, or sometimes no more than a threshold. But at the end of the ride you are forced to re-enter the chaos. You must pass through; there is no alternative way out. And then a different type of confusion hits. I entered Pisa a few days ago with just a few lines of directions on a screenshot of an email on how to find my hotel. There's no getting lost in this type of travel; you start lost and move toward understanding, or you fumble around clumsily with hopes of good luck.

How odd that is. To begin in a solitary, lost state of being. We come into life without a clue, helpless, tiny. But not lost, for at birth, there is no hurry to understand. Our surroundings are unimportant and there is nowhere to be. Some cases are more unfortunate, but for the most part, someone or many people are present right at the start to assure our well being. In traveling solo (sola in italiano), I have no human caregivers, no people hovering to attend to my every need. I have an overly heavy suitcase, a bit of money, a small understanding of italiano, and a wee bit of courage.

Sometimes, I'm given a map. How empowering that semi-glossy foldout can be! It’s the same when I find the dot signifying my current position on a big public map, especially after wandering around a city. With a map I sometimes gain renewed confidence. This from just an idea of location!

How important is location? Does it define us? Constrain us? Is it exhilarating or terrifying to lose your sense of it? Or both?

My current location? 

I'd say motion.

Locomotion? Locomotive?

Train? Training?

Training for what? 

It’s a bizarre feeling to have (practically) no responsibility, no schedule, and nowhere to be. If I attempt to think back to the last time that happened... I enter time warp. 

Before this there was Urbania: amazing, but busy with school and trips.

Before Urbania: home, but also moving out of my apt, packing, and seeing lots of family.

Before Salem/Fay: school and Ozone and Ozone and school. Even Christmas break was highly structured due to familial obligations, Hogwild, and Ozone whatnots.

Before junior year: camp, all summer except 2 weeks spent at national convention in CO.

Before that (2011) summer: school and band and school and school. Limited Christmas break freedom due to traveling and such.

Before sophomore year: Camp all summer except for a weekend spent in KY and a bit over a week in Salem cramming in every ounce of family time, cleaning, packing.

Before that (2010) summer: school and school and band and school. I don’t even remember Christmas break for freshman year... So perhaps I had time then. 

Before freshman year: INSANE summer of DLA, LIT-ing, CA for national FBLA competition, and prepping for college.

Before that (2009) summer: the non-stop jam-packed schedule of high school with band and clubs and schoolwork and several sports.

So.... yeah. It’s been a while. 

I wander down the streets of these gorgeous Italian cities with very little, if any, aim. 

I don’t have anyone for conversation. And it’s been sweet.

I can choose to get by on loneliness, or I can rejoice in intimacy with the Spirit, One that will never abandon me. One that has no language barriers. One that loves more than I can comprehend.

For now, I have no hope of human companionship for a few glorious days. 

So I will continue to wander, continue to pray, and continue to praise Him for all. 

Italia cominca!

Written May 29, 2012 (delay posting; forgive me)

a view of Urbania

A new experience is like having a child. 

It’s simultaneously 

challenging,

invigorating,

exhausting,

totally worth it.

Babies may cry constantly and do nothing but eat and poop, but they are beautiful. A baby is life at its most delicate and gentile state; a baby is a novel soul and a needy body. One must nurture it, attend to it, appreciate it, and at utmost - love it. 

The above mentioned at least somewhat approximates my feelings on new experiences. I’m smack dab in the middle of what is arguably my biggest so far, and it’s incredible. 

No, it isn’t mind-blowingly awesome just because it’s Italia. Sheesh, what a copout, amiright? Sure, people do come here for the good times, ridiculous food, and fine yet affordable wine at literally every caffè (which is synonymous with bar, but not in a raunchy American way). This time is awesome because it’s a departure from norm. Many people that know me have heard me say “I believe in drastic change.” It’s healthy to be ripped out of comfort and routine and monotony and safety; it’s glorious to depend fully on the Father in times of complete uncertainty and lostness. It’s certainly not an easy endeavor, but it pays dividends. 

For me? Sì, sono in Italia! 

I am living with a tremendously nice host family, signori Lucerna. I have my own tiny apartment thing separate but connected to the family; I have a kitchen(non-working sadly)/living room open area, a small bathroom, and a bedroom. It’s simple and presh beyond belief. The family speaks very little English, which is excellent for me!

Since I don’t live with other students, lack interwebz, and have yet to acquire a communication device, I am alone quite a bit when not in class. The Millikin people are very cool, and it would be sweet to get to know them better. But alone is good too. It’s another departure from my traditional over-connected, over-socially saturated lifestyle. America also moves so quickly. Things here are in a slower fashion; people go for relaxing strolls (“fare due [o quattro] passi” is the colloquial term), and old retired men hang out at the town center for many hours a day. It’s really awesome. I can feel myself take on their mentality. I find myself eating slower, basking in the natural beauty of the countryside, sitting in purposeful silence for contemplation and reading. These sadly get largely overlooked during my crazy American schedule. 

The classes I’m taking are fantastic. Today we went on a seriously impressively gorgeous 3-hour hike to look for birds and experience Italian nature for the Biology of Birds class. I took so many pictures, but none of them do the place justice. That kind of beauty cannot be captured, simple as that. My Italian conversation private lessons are somewhat challenging but so applicable. My Futurism, Fascism, and 20th Century Electro-Acoustic Music class is one of the most interesting courses I’ve taken so far. We are going to build some legit noisemakers and perform in their style at the end. 

another view of Urbania

UPDATE --> June 2, 2012

I have since found interwebz for home, which is convenient, and acquired a cheap cell phone. Want to text me? Facile! Tweet at me: @stephmac19

I have gone on another glorious nature walk with my bird class and will post pics to Facebook soon. Soooooo much beauty here. I think I might drown in it. 

Oh, and gelato is as good as everyone says.