I think we’re all looking for something, especially at this age. What is that something? I have no idea. I think we try searching for it. Maybe it’s motivation. Maybe it’s change. Maybe it’s just a simple sign. It’s different for everyone. But, I think that a lot of students think they will find it through studying abroad. I’ve heard all of these wonderful stories and adventures about people who study abroad. “It’ll change your life,” or “It’ll change the way you look at things,” or “You’ll find what you’re looking for, and you’ll know it when you do,” are all things that I’ve heard constantly about studying abroad. I came on this trip for many reasons. For one, to see the world. Another, to try different types of food – still trying to figure out how Italians are not obese. And finally, to learn about sports in different cultures across the world. I come from a country that is revolved around football, and a family that is revolved around football. My father is a football coach. My uncle has coached in both the collegiate and professional level. My brother currently plays division I football for Marshall University. My grandfather played football at Notre Dame. I played volleyball and lacrosse in high school, but football was clearly the center of attention in my world. I think because football has always been the center of my world, I thought I needed something new. Some change. Or maybe, I thought I needed to be different than my family. I researched Europe’s sporting cultures before I left. Nobody cares about American football. No one. Not in the slightest. Who’s Tom Brady? Honestly, I thought to myself, this will be good. I don’t need to have my life so focused around football just like every other member of my family. Maybe I’ll learn to love soccer and its cultural influence. Maybe I’ll be inspired to work in tennis after going to the infamous French Open. Maybe I’ll love the importance of all sports and the Olympics, and how they bring together a country. I was overwhelmed when I visited EuroSport in Paris. These people work vigorously to provide sporting content in over 22 different languages for all of Europe. I was overwhelmed when I stepped foot on the grounds of Roland Garros and saw the multitude of tennis courts, the numerous amounts of fans, and the television screens that showed the match from the main court. I was overwhelmed when I walked up to the main doors of the Italian Olympic committee and peered inside to see a countdown clock to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. I was overwhelmed when I learned the history and impact that Mussolini made on the country, and how controversial that is when dealing with the sporting culture. I was overwhelmed when I walked into a local bar in Rome after Mexico upset Germany in the World Cup, and watched a literal outrage occur. People were dancing, drinking, singing and snapchatting like no tomorrow.
I was overwhelmed when I walked up the steps of the Coliseum and saw where 80,000 spectators would watch gladiators fight to their deaths. I was overwhelmed by everything that is and was sport in Europe. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when AJ Dillon literally threw a defender from Louisville to the ground with his opposite arm. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when the ball was loose and Jalen Watts Jackson picked it up and returned it for a touchdown to beat Michigan. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when Jadeveon Clowney demolished Michigan running back Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when the Patriots came back 28-3 to beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when former New Orleans Saint Zach Strief thanked Drew Brees for being the epitome of a perfect leader and teammate in his own retirement speech. I was overwhelmed, but not in the same way I was when Peyton Manning said, “God bless all of you, and god bless football” in his retirement speech. See the common denominator here? It’s football. It’s always been football, and it always will be football, for me at least. And Europe taught me that that’s perfectly OK. It’s good to broaden your horizons, in fact, it’s incredible. But, what I learned is that it’s OK to trust and love what’s familiar. It’s OK to fall back on what’s comfortable. It’s OK if you try something new and don’t like it. You tried. And that’s what Europe taught me. To try. Just simply give your best effort. Trying new things can end in an incredible change, or just a greater appreciation for what you loved before. Because let me tell you, I’ve never loved and appreciated the way I grew up as much as I do right now. On a non-sporting note, Europe helped me realize how lucky I am to be an American, and to be from this country. Seeing the effects of World War II on France in Normandy and the effects Mussolini and fascism had on Italy first hand gave me nothing but goose bumps. Not only did my private excursion of Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Normandy make me think, but visiting a church in the Normandy region where a German soldier wrote and asked for his sins to be forgiven made me feel. These peoples lives were effected drastically for years. At the Saint-Chappelle, people preserved the glass of the church and pieced it back together after the war. People in Italy are still dealing with the effects of Mussolini today.
These little stories make me appreciate the history of America. No matter what we are going through today, all of our own tribulations, these anecdotes make me appreciate being from our beautiful, free country. I’m eternally grateful for this trip and this opportunity to see the world, and even more grateful for the opportunity to truly appreciate my own little world.
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Loving to eat a cannoli I believe has to be an acquired taste, because it's not like most desserts. It's not your typical cake, cookie, donut, or ice cream/gelato. Every part of the cannoli is unlike anything I have ever tried.
For those that do not know: a cannoli is an Italian dessert of a ricotta cheese filling in a crispy shell. When you hear that this is a dessert with ricotta cheese, the first reaction is usually one of confusion and even disgust. Cheese in a dessert? What? Trust me, it's unlike anything you've ever had, and totally worth the try, in my opinion. I've had one every day since I've been in Rome. The filling is like a thick sweet cream. Some have chocolate chips in them, some have gummies in them, and some are flavored chocolate, hazelnut or pistachio. I've tried fillings that are as light as the filling in a Boston Creme donut, and some that are as thick as cream cheese icing. To me, the best part of the cannoli is the shell. The lighter shells are my least favorite. These are flaky and powdery. The hard, thick, crunchy shells are my favorite. When you bite into the cannoli, you have a crunchier shell, and a smooth, creamy filling to finish off the bite. Again, sometimes there's chocolate chips, a different flavoring, or some gummies which add a different after taste, but the cannoli is something that I will forever miss about Rome, because finding a cannoli in the United States is going to be a task. Yes. The simple answer is yes. We are capable of using sport for political and social manipulation. In fact, we are doing that right now in the NFL with athletes choosing to kneel instead of stand for the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick started a movement when he began to kneel instead of stand for the national anthem, and many other professional football players, and many other college and professional athletes are following the trend, or doing something else for the same reason. He doesn't want to stand for a country that doesn't support our internal social injustices.
The NFL is not the only place where the United States has used sport for political and social manipulation. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens took a stand and made a statement. He won four gold medals, making him the most decorated Olympian, and took a stand against Hitler. Hitler's attempt in making the Aryan race the preferred race during the Olympics went hay-wire as Owens soon changed the minds of people in Berlin. Owens received backlash from the NAACP and people back home when he decided to compete, but that didn't stop him, and he ended up making history. These two anecdotes put up much controversy in the United States and have made statements through the power of sport. These are just two of the reasons why I think sports can make some sort of big picture difference. I channeled my inner Lizzie McGuire and inner typical tourist and rode a did a segway tour today! Let me tell you... 10/10 would recommend. I was hesitant because I thought it would be difficult. Would I crash? Would I break it? Would I not have as much fun? Would it be a waste of money? None of these things happened. In fact, it was awesome. I had a blast. I felt like I was physically floating around Rome. How cool is that? I saw sights of Rome I never would have seen if it wasn't for our tour guide, and I also felt free. I was moving fast, I could turn quickly, and I felt in control. It was also nice to not walk for a change. It's something that I've always seen pictures of and videos of, and have felt like I needed to try. Now I have my own pictures and videos.
Sean Patrick told us a story about our hands today. First of all, if you flip them over and stare at your palms, you'll notice that the lines on your left and right hand are both different. He proceeded to explain that your left hand has all of the gifts and talents you were given and possess, and your right hand is what you choose to do with those talents and gifts.
For my left hand, I think I was given the ability to write, and to communicate. Not necessarily communicate via public speaking or on television, but communicating by being able to build relationships with all different types of people. I think that I'm able to connect with most people, no matter how different they are than I, and build a relationship with them. I was also given the given the ability to understand sports. I wouldn't say I know everything about all sports, but they are very easy for me to understand when explained. Also, a lot of what I know about sports is self-taught just from observation. I've watched football my entire life -- a man's game -- and was told very few things about the game. Basically everything that I know is from me observing and watching. For my right hand, I can confidently say that I work hard. I work incredibly hard. I put in the time, I put in the effort. I ask the questions that I want to ask. A lot of my learning is done through simply listening and observing people, I rarely ask questions on how to do something unless I have no idea where to begin. For the most part, just through listening to people and observing the way that they do things, I can work hard, and accomplish whatever task or goal that needs to be. I take my skill of communication and actively build relationships with people. In the fields of football recruiting and media relations (the career paths I have chosen) my ability to talk to people and connect with them is crucial, and my ability to learn different sports is mandatory as well. So, with the talents I have and was given, I try my very best to work even harder to accentuate them, and get even better. To be better as a worker, but also as a person. In Four Seasons in Rome, Anthony Doerr fell in love with the city of Rome. He picked up his newborn twins, his wife and moved all the way to Italy from the United States, to work on a book. He moved to a place to be inspired and to grow as a writer, and he did. Mostly because he immersed himself in the culture. He observed every tiny detail of the stores, the food, the weather, the shops, and the people and ended up getting to the point where everything was so normal for him. He was no longer a foreigner.
I think Rome will impact me in a multitude of different ways. For one, the food. I’m sure I will never look at pasta, pizza, gelato and cannolis the same. Not just the taste, but how Romans genuinely enjoy their food. They seem to take the time to make it, eat it and enjoy it with the people around them. Another way that Rome will impact me is with the people. Their voices, the way they talk, how animated they are. I love it. You can genuinely tell if someone is happy, sad, mad or feels as if someone’s funny. The final way that I expect to be impacted is by the history of this place. It’s ancient here. The Roman culture is something that I cannot wait to learn more about because of how beautiful everything has stayed intact, and how much it means to these people. They’re all proud of it, and that’s something to be fascinated by. Leaving Paris to me is like a metaphor of leaving and moving onto the next adventure/chapter in your life. For right now I’m moving onto Rome and I couldn’t be more excited, but also sad to leave a masterpiece like Paris. It’s a metaphor for a bigger picture in my life: graduating from college. I graduate in December and could not be more excited for what the future holds, but am also sad to leave the people and wonderful institution that is Michigan State.
But, back to Paris. I am so grateful to have experienced a culture and place as magnificent as Paris. I’ve only ever had opinions of it from movies, TV shows and what I see in the news, but to have the opportunity to see it first hand is incredible. The massive Eiffel Tower that somehow seems to look more beautiful every time I see it. The history and significance of the Arc de Triomphe. The talent in the artwork in the Louvre and Rodin Museum. The normalcy of eating a French baguette while walking to work down the streets of Paris. How dogs poop on the street and their owners leave it there. How smoking cigarettes is the most normal thing to do here. How quiet everyone’s voices are. I’ll miss all of it, and wonder about all of it, but am thrilled to see another historic culture, and how they live. What I've noticed most about Parisians is the way they interact with other people, and their body types compared to Americans. Parisians remind me of a quieter version of New Yorkers. Or what I would call a New Yorker -- someone who minds their own business, and has no intentions of taking a half of a second out of their day to acknowledge a random person on the street. However, New Yorkers are much louder than Parisians. This differs from Americans in the fact that I believe that we are much more willing to say hello, smile at strangers, and ask how someone's day is going when they check us out at the grocery store.
Something else interesting that I've noticed: the age and weight of people. I have yet to see someone over the age of 60 walking the streets of Paris, and I have yet to see someone that is obese. There are many reasons for this. One being that Paris is a walking city. I've been averaging walking over 10 miles a day. Also, the spaces are very tight and confined. There are very few elevators here, and if there are, they're tiny. That leads me to the age concept. I'm trying to picture my grandmother who is 80 years old in Paris, and I can't. She would not be able to walk 10 miles a day. She uses a walker, and would not be able to use that on the streets of Paris. She would not be able to use public transportation methods because they are not accessible for people who are handicapped or disabled, or just old. In America, there are more options for people who are handicapped or of the older generation. And, for the most part, people drive and use cars in the U.S. We don't walk everywhere. I don't average 10 miles a day. That would contribute to obesity in America. However, I have been eating way more sugar, bread and cheese here, so that's my only confusion towards the size of people in Paris. The Eiffel Tower. Cliche, I know. But, here's why. Before you come to Paris, you think of the Eiffel Tower. You see pictures of it everywhere. It's basically the monument of Paris, and France. To some, it might be a symbol of Europe. So, before coming here I knew I would see it and think it's spectacular like every other tourist. But, I thought I would feel the same way that I felt when I saw the Space Needle in Seattle: Wow, that's huge. That's not how I felt.
It was overwhelming and moving how big it is, how beautiful it is. To see all of these different people gathered around it, of all different races, wearing different types of clothes. Everyone was different, not cliquey. And they were all gathered around, happily, to see the Eiffel Tower. Some were tourists, some were residents. Some people were selling crepes, some people were eating them. The bottom line is, everyone was different and from a different place and background, yet still found themselves to be in the same place awing over the same thing: The Eiffel Tower. And that's the exact reason it impacted me the most. Not the size or the importance. It was the people surrounding it. It's a symbol of hope. The media is always accused of being biased. Some accusations are correct, while others are not. In some cases, it's just so easy to voice an opinion while telling the story.
On the flip side, I think that it is doable. Being objective while reporting overseas is something that ideally should be achievable. The job of a journalist is to tell the truth and report it. Some people are subjective, and some people are objective and are charged for being subjective when the news reported is not something that people want to hear. However, the job of reporting overseas would be difficult. For example, Jim Bitterman has to report to American culture from Paris when something huge happens here. It's easier because he's able to really report and acknowledge what's happening because he's living in it. It's slightly more difficult because he receives the Parisian point of view instead of the American point of view when reporting from here. Ultimately, it's up to him whether or not he reports it objectively. Bottom line is that it is possible, just difficult. But, that's journalism. Sometimes you have to report the things that you don't want to, and sometimes, people don't want to hear the truth. |