BWIIC editorial note … be it jet lag… lack of computer acumen …or simple ignorance … I have been unable to master the photo within text formatting mysteries of this software. What looks letter perfect in draft … has no relation to appearance in the preview or published version. So …if it looks a bit out of whack … in the final product ..you can rest assured that it looked borderline perfect prior to hitting the publish button.
It’s 2144 (Wed. back in Norfolk / Va. Beach) and I’m reeling a bit from the cumulative effects of an Odyssey …as well as …. the horizontal rain and (believe it or not) hail that literally erupted (no Etna/Vesuvius pun intended) with a horizontal
and high kinetic energy vengeance about 30 seconds before we stepped from the safety of the intra-terminal bus at Leonardo da Vinci airport and made our way to the covered safety of the terminal 5 approach covered walkway. There’s a lot of “glad to be home” punctuated by the frequent “I can’t believe it’s over” refrain.
Allora! …. So there we were on Tuesday night. The Bulldog Team was enjoying his/her last full Italian dinner in all it’s splendor (5.7 lbs. in 10 days of splendor for the BWIIC that is ….yikes!) when a classic wedding reception”ish” ring of metal rapping on crystal broke the silence 130 db (110 db is the threshold of pain) din.
The BWIIC asked each team mate to take a moment and write a “word or fifty” into a file on the laptop. I originally thought I would use names but opted to remove any suggestion that the thoughts would be part of some comparative event where the most eloquently crafted (albeit less than heartfelt) paragraph of “solving world peace,” “epiphanies,” and “cathartic moments” would garner a few final points toward total victory on Mt. Midoryama. The team responded well and within a few hours…. the guts of this final post (from the BWICC at least) were typed, saved, and ready for compilation/publication.
What follows are the thoughts, reflections, humor, and perspective that each member of the team chose to express. Whether it be two or three words (my favorite being “gelato is very good”… profound by any measure) or a 100+ word carefully crafted paragraph …. each one is a gem… a jewel …a legitimate treasure. In no particular order and scattered amongst a collection of pics …. here we you go: (fyi … photos are low calorie eye-candy, and most likely have little to do with the important part of this posting… “The Mouths of Babes …. Stuff.”
“Gelato is really good.”
The Odyssey trip was absolutely incredible. Before this journey I had never seen ancient Greek and Roman structures before. I have a new perspective of these amazing civilizations and how truly spectacular their work was. Before I only knew of their cultures through pages in a book, but now I have personal experience with their creations and ideas. To genuinely understand their genius, I had to remind myself that these people were humans just like myself, with ability similar to mine. To see a complete city like Pompeii, It gave me a personal perspective on how amazing the Romans were and why these two cultures continue to spread influence to this day.
These past 9 days have been an experience of a lifetime. These are some of the inside joke-quotes that have made the trip extra special:
“Hi, welcome to chili’s”
“gelater”
“look at all those ruins”
“schemaaa”
“ooooh….spicy”
“somebody come get her, she’s dancing like a lizard”
“we gucci”
“I’m in Italy, just caught a lizard, I’m in Italy, having fun”
“Coach Poole, are you wearing my shirt?”
Despite hours of driving, losing my phone,scraping up my elbow and knee, and the constant packing and unpacking, this trip has been an amazing experience. I have grown much closer to so many people and learned so much in a new and exciting way. seeing lessons taught in school applied to the real world was incredible and i am so happy to have had this experience!
My favorite quote? Probably “It should be Schema, not Scopa” – (Scopa player …late at night)
This is the story of the time we went to Italy. it was scary at first but we …olived .
What a trip… (I will not try to emulate Mr. Poole’s style of writing) This “Odyssey” has given me a needle to pop the protective bubble of N.A. and the U.S.A. Venturing into a different society, where weird customs (pickpocketing/bartering), amazing food (gelato, pasta, and coffee), and a odd language are present, have opened my eyes to the amazing nature of the world we live in.
I always thought that other countries would have incredibly different traditions that would blow me away, but I didn’t realize their true gravity. Also, underneath this new experience, my interest in the ancient civilization that has made the modern society we live in was given more food than it could
handle, in the whirlwind of temples, amphitheaters, and 2,000 year old cities. This trip would be categorized as a delve into the world of “different”, and has opened my eyes to the beauty of what was, what is, and what could be.
Today was day 9 without food or water, Mrs. Pollio and Mr. Poole are continuing to starve us. I’ve just managed to take Mr. Poole’s laptop to contact the outside world for one minute while he’s asleep. All 15 of us have been locked inside a dark cage for the past couple days. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I’m starting to miss my parents. Sometimes, just sometimes, I think I can
see the light, but it’s just my brain playing tricks on me, I’m hallucinating. J-joshing (just joshing). These past 9 days have been magnificent, with all of the temples, ruins, volcanoes, and hiking, I never want to leave. With Alastair’s sense of humor, “someones” schemyness on every single girl, and getting to know other people better, I’ve had the best experience.
Aleas Jace (Throw the dice). -me
Despite the number of times I have hit my head, I still remember some parts of this trip. This trip has been such an amazing adventure, and I have become so much closer with these 18 great people. I will always remember this wonderful trip to Montana, or wait…was it Italy…I can’t remember 🙂
This trip has been phenomenal and I can’t wait to tell my family about it.
Piece of Advice:
When walking down Mt. Etna, Mrs. Pollio is great at holding your hand for stability.
“Two roads diverged in an Italian wood, and I, I took the one traveled by the hungry American, and that has made all the difference (in my stomach).”
-Myself
“Italian coffee is really good”
“Time to greet each other as friends.”
and when it was all said and done …
Love you all … BWIIC…
Note: There is no way whatsoever that I could say the right words to put a capstone comment on this capstone event. For one … this was not my gig …. this was the product of Senora Lucia’s passion, drive, commitment, execution …(you get it). I can only offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks that this opportunity to share something of this magnitude with your Bulldog fell into my lap. Wow!
At some point after I hit the “publish” key …. Senora Lucia will put the finishing touches on the Blog … Arrivederci !