The Price of Kindness

Listen here if you prefer! :)

"Kindness costs $0.00."

"It costs nothing to be nice."

Yes, this is financially true. Emotionally? It's not always free. Sometimes there is a cost.

I'm in graduate school right now studying Education Administration. I am in a group on Facebook that is generally super positive and supportive. There are tons of great discussions about all the factors involving school leadership.

Today, the 3rd day of Pride month, a school leader posted on that Facebook page asking what, if anything, their schools do to celebrate Pride if their school is still in session in June. Lots of administrators posted about different grade levels wearing certain colors to make a rainbow, reading stories about diverse families (about kids having two moms, two dads, or non-binary parents), and one school even gives out Pride bracelets, stickers, and face masks. I loved reading through the different ways schools celebrate Pride and feeling so appreciative that school leaders are investing time and resources into celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

THEN. One lady posted "hell no."

"Hell no."

A school administrator.

This is where it feels like it costs me something to be kind. Sometimes when people hurt my feelings badly, it hurts to be kind to them in return. It hurts to choose to be emotionally mature and intelligent. It hurts to take the high road when they got to behave badly. It hurts to feel like I don't get to say my piece because I'm choosing kindness. It can feel like losing or being taken advantage of. It really can hurt so bad to be kind, or even just non-reactive.

Now, I do not spend a lot of time arguing with people on the internet. Especially complete strangers. Not my style. But today, with nothing else to do but laze around my apartment on summer break, I decided to choose violence.

Okay, not actual violence- I just like that phrase.

Back to the "hell no."

When I see that, as a queer person, I am abruptly taken out of the happy bubble I live in with my beautiful girlfriend, my incredible queer friends, and my supportive family and ally-friends and reminded that there are a ton of people who do not support the queer community. I usually don't think about those people because it generally doesn't matter to me what they think. I love being queer and everyone I am close to knows that. I have an amazing community around me.

The most common argument I saw on the post was that topics around queer people shouldn't be discussed in elementary because "students aren't questioning their sexuality that early." Also, some administrators believe that acceptance around queer people should be addressed at home, not school. They just "want to focus on improving performance in reading and math," as if that can't be done using queer-inclusive texts and examples.

So here's the thing about American culture. Little girls and little boys are raised to meet cultural expectations of girls and boys. They are assigned a gender. Assigned interests (girls: ballet, boys: cars). Assigned who they should like (girls should like boys and vice-versa). Assigned colors (girls: pink, boys: blue). Girls are encouraged to pursue soft sciences while boys are expected to pursue STEM fields. It also has to do with an extremely patriarchal society. 

Kids are aware of the expectations set for them by the well-meaning parents and adults in their lives. It's a part of a system called heteronormativity: denoting or relating to a world view that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation. Kids learn these heteronormative expectations early on. Pre-K girls learn this when adults ask if she has a boyfriend yet. Boys learn it when parents tell them they can't paint their nails like Sister does. Seemingly small, daily heteronormative expectations become deeply ingrained in our children because they are constantly exposed to them by adults who either aren't aware they are doing it or choose to perpetuate it because they want to mold their child into who they envision them to become.

LGBTQ+ support and celebration in schools at the pre-k or elementary level is not about focusing on their sexuality as children. It's about interrupting those heteronormative standards that have been ingrained in them so they can make an informed choice on who they want to be. They should have the opportunity to learn about diverse family structures and queer children and adults. They should hear stories about happy, successful queer people, and not just their often heartbreaking coming-out stories. This is why I am "out" at my school- I want kids to see a queer adult living her beautifully ordinary life.

Also, the argument of what should be learned at home and what should be learned at school is ever-present. The why-didn't-I-learn-this-in-school? debate about all kinds of adult skills, like how to do taxes, riddle my Facebook home page. Students who were privileged enough to have parents with enough financial expertise could teach them those things, but not all kids have that. Same with LGBTQ+ topics. Not all, maybe even not many, kids have parents willing to read them books about queer people, fictional or non-fictional.

Sadly, a lot of people have issues with the LGBTQ+ community because of religion and for those reasons do not talk about queer people and certainly do not support it in their homes. They raise their children to either know nothing about it or to be biased against it. But you know what, my girlfriend is a Methodist pastor and she says Jesus loves queer people. Because Jesus is love itself. Because Jesus was an outcast, too. If your church is telling you that something is wrong with or sinful about the queer community, that is just a misinformed, misinterpreted opinion. Probably based in homophobia due to your pastor's upbringing.

Now, back to the "hell no." Actually this time. I could have not engaged. I know internet discourse with strangers has a 0.000001% chance of changing someones ideas. But, like I said, I was bored. And I love queer people. I love queer children. So it's hard to watch ignorant people discuss what children should be exposed to in school.

Original question: Do any of you have a spirit week for Pride Month for elementary school?

Angie: Hell no.

Adam: RE: Hell no - - Well, that's an awkward response, and it can be interpreted as being extremely rude.

Angie: I’m not being rude - just definite “no” reaction.

Me: It was rude though. Like you can’t imagine why a school would celebrate the LGBTQ+ community?

Angie: Well you asked for an opinion and that is mine. Way too young to explain this topic to. Middle school - maybe - but I really think high school or older.

Haley: I really don’t think you get to decide that and elementary students have committed suicide because of reasons like this and because it ISN’T discussed as it should be. A “Hell no” response isn’t any type of leader I would want to work under if I were to have asked this and got this response.

Me: I think the earlier children are exposed to the idea that girls can love girls and boys can love boys, the better. It could curb the amount of time kids spend in the closet feeling shame and misunderstood. Queerness shouldn’t be controversial- exploring it with kids and middle schoolers could literally save lives. Showing them what different families look like (2 moms, 2 dads, non-binary parents) could be the first step in showing them that they are loved, valued, and supported in whoever they chose to love someday. It doesn't have to be time consuming. It doesn't have to distract from curriculum or learning. It could even be integrated into meeting standards.

Kevin: Sexuality doesn't belong in elementary. As Angie said very well, middle school, maybe & high school even more likely. But not elementary. I'm more focused on them learning to read than starting a fire. We have issues enough teaching reading and math. Bring on controversy and that becomes more difficult. Let the parents keep this and let's stay in our lane.

Kevin (to me): I can't think why a school would celebrate that. Do they celebrate the straight community? Should a school "celebrate" any sexuality? I didn't say not to recognize it. But to celebrate it? We've a big enough burden that we fall too short on yearly despite brilliant efforts and billions of dollars. When we take our eyes off of the ball it doesn't help our purpose.

Me (to Kevin): "The straight community" isn't subjected to hate crimes based on sexuality, higher rates of suicide, exclusion, or constant judgement. So, yeah, I think it's worth our time as educators to celebrate our LGBTQ+ students. To love on them extra hard. Show them we are here for them as people before students. Because that's what they'll learn and that's what they'll remember- who loved on them along the way. Who read them books that reflected their families. Who made them feel safe.

Kevin (to me): Again, schools have resources to deal with students needing services. Bullying, hazing, etc, can be dealt with in the usual course of business. And they should be. You don't have to take time out of instruction to do something that is controversial in many of our communities (teach sexuality, gender ID, etc). Teach them about what they struggle with at present. When we master that we might want to look at moving on.

Me (to Kevin): We'll never agree because we clearly have different ideas of the purpose and scope of school. Nice chatting though!


So friends, I do not endorse arguing with randoms on the internet... Unless you're bored like me and feeling spicy. Ultimately, Angie and Kevin were never going to have a change of heart and I certainly was never going to agree that schools shouldn't celebrate Pride or queer students year round. 

This interaction today just got me thinking about the price of kindness and civility. Yes, it's financially free, but it can take an emotional toll. 

It's like an equation in my head:

self-control + emotional intelligence + willingness to engage + knowledge that engaging could lead to further hurt + knowledge that engaging will likely not persuade the other to change their mind + clear communication + not being sarcastic or defensive + honesty + being extra careful to word things kindly = being nice

Niceness can have an emotional cost. So when you are being kind to someone who has hurt you, know that it's okay to feel a depleted afterwards. It can take a lot out of us to be kind and try to explain our side of an issue that is deeply personal to us. Know that you never have to engage- you don't owe anyone anything. Always take care of yourself first and check in with your emotions before attempting to reason with someone who disagrees with you.

Wishing you all a beautiful, joyful Pride month. 

Bethany

Last Stop: Spain

Hello everyone!

I've been back in the States for over two weeks now and am just realizing that I never put together a blog about my week in Spain! I spent a whole week in Madrid with my mom, with a day trip to a really cool city called Toledo. It was such a great little vacation for those who love tapas meals and sunshine!

Selfie with the king and queen of Spain in the Royal Palace 

For my trip, the tapas was there, the sunshine was not; however, we made the most of each day! We stayed in one of the vibrant plazas in Madrid called Puerto del Sol (port of the sun). Our hotel had a great balcony from which we could watch the plaza, as there were often street performers of all kinds and just general hustle and bustle of a big city. Tons of cool places and attractions were walking distance from our hotel, and on the days we felt a little tired we took the metro and it was super easy.

Almundena Cathedral 

My favorite Spanish food!

It's hard to say what my favorite thing about Madrid... it was just such an easy-going and scenic place. The food was great and the people were super friendly, although I found that many more than I expected weren't English speakers so that presented some difficulties every now and then, but we were always able to sort it out somehow! The challenge to find another way to express myself besides in English or German was fun. The Royal Palace was everything you would expect a royal palace to be, the cathedrals were breathtaking (the Almundena earned a spot in my top three favorites!), and mom and I enjoyed art museum hopping. We got to see several works of famous artists, especially Picasso! It was so unreal. We also went to see a flamenco dancing show- I loved getting to experience a little taste of Spanish culture. Retiro Park was also a fun adventure. It was really well taken care of and had lot of nice areas to sit and relax, I loved it.

Picasso's art in the Prado art museum 

Retiro Park 

Toledo was a very interesting city, especially because of the religious battles that were fought there. The city was divided into the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sectors, which eventually all became Christian, but many markings and historic places of worship from those days still remain. There is also remains of the original Roman road! I thought that was out-of-this-world cool, especially since I learned so much about the Romans in February when I visited Italy. Toledo was a super fun day, even though mom signed us up for an old-folks guided tour! I was probably the youngest person by at least twenty years, but I still enjoyed it because our guide was so knowledgeable about the area and we saw all the main places without the hassle of finding it on our own. Plus the weather was absolutely perfect- sunny with a high of 75- which was a welcomed break from the cold, windy mess that had taken over Madrid.

View of Toledo from where the famous artist called El Greco painted 

Remains of the original Roman road in Toledo 

So there we go! My European adventures have all been documented and shared. I already miss living in Europe and feel a little homesick for the life I had in Germany, but I am still happy to be here and to be reunited with my friends and family. I'm flying to Louisiana in a couple of days to see both sets of grandparents and all of my aunts and uncles and their sweet children! My aunt Caroline just had TWINS today so I cannot wait to meet little Wyatt and Levi next week. I'm blessed blessed blessed.

Also! I'm working on a blog right now about all my travel tips and recommended places to go for those who would like to travel in Europe. I'll post it as soon as I'm finished! Of course anyone is welcome to ask me specific questions if you have them, or need some advice in planning your trip. I'd love to help and I hope my blog will be helpful!

Thanks so much for reading! It truly means the world to me.

Bethany

Prone to Wonder

Hi everyone!

"TRAVELING- It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." -Ibn Batutta 

My time in Europe is sadly ending in just a couple of weeks. I have left my heart in so many places and with so many wonderful people. I will miss my life here in Germany without a doubt, but just because this chapter of my life is ending doesn't mean it is the end. I'm ready for the next chapter of my life, starting with finally seeing my family and friends and then spending a month with my Louisiana family, where I will learn how to sit and stay down because I'll be holding my newborn baby cousins all day long. :)

I first moved to a small town in southern England called Petersfield and stayed with Joe's family. I really loved Petersfield; it took adorable to a whole new level. I had to learn quickly how to be a little more European and stop smiling at people when I passed them on the sidewalk and to say "pounds" instead of "dollars." I also had to get used to people staring at me because I didn't have a British accent... I just wanted to cross my eyes and yell "YEAH I'M FROM ALABAMA" in a southern accent, but somehow I refrained. ;)

I went on a trip with Joe and his family to Chester to visit the giant zoo there, and then we went to Liverpool. That trip was so fun and of course I loved the zoo! Liverpool is a very cool city. The Beatles started out there so we visited the Cavern Club where they used to play. We went through a few museums and walked around the city shopping streets. It was a really nice vacation! 

When I moved to Schmalkalden, I experienced being completely alone for the first time in my entire life. I was in a country where no one knew my name. I had nothing to do, didn't know how to get around town, and I was already missing the comforts of home. Nobody tells you about that part when you think about going abroad! But what's important about that is how I learned to pick myself up, how to stay positive when everything seemed horrible, and to never give up on what I'm trying to accomplish. I learned how to be my own rock, how to depend on myself, and how to read a map. ;) I may have called mom a few times all teary-eyed, and I may have thought about catching the next plane to get the heck out of Germany, but I stayed. It takes much more courage and bravery than you would think to study abroad. I loved Schmalkalden from the very beginning, though. It's a small town in the middle of the Thuringian Forest, so it's not much of a college town, but it is absolutely charming. It has become my second home, I have loved living here so much. I will miss long walks around town and having apple strudel at Café König in the square. 

With that said, I learned to not worry about everything because you never know what is right around the corner. Around the corner for me was a huge group of friends from all over the world. We cooked for each other, went out together, hung out constantly, ate lunch in Mensa together everyday, and traveled together. I always had something to do and someone to go with. I couldn't have ever imagined that I would have such amazing friends here. I will never forget them and all of our memories. This photo was taken on "Fancy Night" in the "Embassy," AKA Dustin's room. All get-togethers were held in Dustin's room, and we called it "the Embassy of the United States of America- Schmalkalden." It was always "meet at 20:00 in the Embassy." And everyone in our group was one of the "Embassy people." It was so awesome.

This is a picture with Nadia and Viktoria from Ukraine! They were my first friends in Schmalkalden. I have learned so much about Ukraine and I would love to visit them someday. This picture is from my first visit to a city that soon became my favorite place in Germany: Erfurt. We decided to go there and spend the day, and there ended up being a festival in the square in front of the cathedrals. It was such a fun day, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get to know them this year. I will miss them so much!

This picture was taken at the Weimar Zwiebelmarkt, AKA a huge onion festival! It sounds weird, but basically vendors made pretty arrangements using flowers and onions that are dried out and are hung in people's kitchens. We had fun walking around Weimar because it's a super cute city, ate Bratwurst (of course), listened to some music, and rode the ferris wheel. It was a really fun day, and I loved the city of Weimar.

Here's a picture from the day I hiked to the summit in Zella Mehlis on a really foggy day. The forest looked so cool and spooky. It was really awesome!

This picture is significant because I took one like this in 2011 when I first visited Germany, and when you spin the small wheel at the top it means you will return to Nuremburg someday! I was so excited to be back and to meet family members for the first time who live near there. It was great to meet Sonja and Rainer, and to feel like I could go home for the weekend like I did in the States. They have been such a comfort to me here, and I will miss visiting them so much.

Halloween! This night was fun because it was the first time I've dressed up and celebrated Halloween in a long time, granted no one knew what I was dressed up as because I was missing the headband that would have tied it all together as 1920's flapper. Oh well! It was such a great night and everyone's costumes were hilarious. 

Prague was amazing. We spent the weekend there and had such a great time! It's an incredibly beautiful place. We walked all over that city and saw everything there was to see, and lots that we didn't expect to see. We ate great food and had fun trying to decipher the language! We were also able to catch the Christmas market there in the Old Square, and see the lighting of the massive Christmas tree, at which I overheard a Scottish man behind me saying that his "cat's tongue is more interesting than this tree lighting."

This was my next visit with Sonja and Rainer! They took me to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is just about the cutest town ever. It wasn't damaged during the war, so most of the buildings have been around for centuries. It's very cool and medieval. I had a really great day and enjoyed the nice weather!

Here's a picture from the day we went to Eisenach & Wartburg. This was my 22nd birthday! Our plans to go hiking fell through when we missed the train, so we took the next train out of Schmalkalden and ended up going to Eisenach. It's also a very cool and historical city, especially because it's where Martin Luther hid from the Catholic church while he translated the Bible into German. I really liked the city and had a really fun day there with Dustin and Joe. The best part about this day was the surprise party that my friends threw for me!

December was the month of family! Dad and Kristy visited in the beginning of the month and we visited Berlin and then worked our way down to Nuremburg to see Sonja and Rainer. It was so good to be with family again. We enjoyed touring around Berlin and saw all of the cool stuff! We also had a good time walking around the the Christmas markets in Berlin, Erfurt, and Nuremberg. 

Mom and Tim came at the end of December and we visited the Christmas market in Munich, saw the Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles, and visited Frankfurt again. I loved seeing the Bavarian Alps... it was breathtaking. Both mom and dad worked Schmalkalden and Erfurt into their plans so I was happy to get to show them around!

London is my favorite city out of them all. I love it most. Mom, Tim, and I spent a few days there over New Years, although we rang in the new year exhausted in our hotel room. We had an amazing time touring the Tower of London and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which was a dream come true for Shakespeare nerds like me! I just love everything about London.

Here's a picture from the day I went snow skiing for the first time in eight years or so. It was so much fun! I was glad that it was like riding a bike, since I had learned at a young age it was pretty easy for me to pick it back up. I had a really good day there and wished that I lived closer to mountains in the States so that I could go more often.

Scandinavia! I got to visit Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden in January. I had the best time and like everyone else who visits Scandinavia, I didn't ever want to leave. I enjoyed walking around both cities and seeing the Baltic Sea.

My trip to Italy was amazing. I loved the places we got to visit and all the amazing pizza I consumed! I will always remember this trip because I went with such great friends and we got to do so much in ten days. My favorite memories are laughing at some of the artwork in the Uffizi museum, spending the day at the Leaning Tower of Pizza, and walking around the Roman Forum & Colosseum. 

Here's a picture of my best friends, Dustin and Marika, and I in front of the cathedral in Milan. I am so lucky to have met these people, they mean the world to me. My time in Schmalkalden would not have been nearly as amazing as it was if it weren't for them. They were always down to do anything from hiking in Zella Mehlis to traveling to the Czech Republic and Italy with me. I love them so much and will miss them everyday.

This year has been memorable for so many reasons. I am blessed to have been able to travel at a young age and to study here in Germany. I've learned an incredible amount about myself and how the world works. Travel is absolutely worth your time, it changes how you see everything. I hope that I am returning to the States as a better person than when I came here. I am so thankful to my parents for making this possible and to everyone who has been apart of this year! I wish I could do it all over again.



Thanks for reading!

Bethany 

Viaggio in Italia

Ciao da Italia!

How does one write a short blog about such an amazing trip?!
This trip has been amazing. I am feeling so lucky to have traveled around Italy with three good friends. We spent ten days there and I'm so glad we did because we were able to see and do everything we wanted without having to rush from place to place each day. We spent two days in Milan, three days in Florence, one day in Pisa, and then three days in Rome with travel days in between. Even with it being a "relaxed" time schedule, we were still exhausted at the end of everyday and got up at 8AM the next day to do it all over again. I couldn't have picked a better group of people to do this trip with! We had such a great time together and this trip was a good way to end the semester on a high note since we will all be going our separate ways soon. With me were my two friends from school in Schmalkalden, Dustin and Marika, and our friend Martin flew down from Sweden. We had a lot of fun seeing such beautiful places and learning some Italian!

Milan Cathedral Our first stop in Milan was interesting... and by interesting I mean terrifying. Milan is basically New York City with it's emphasis on fashion and art, but with the sketchiness of an intense magnitude due to scary people selling things on the street, and by selling I mean literally putting it in your hand and telling you to give them 20 euros. The worst were people in the square that we're giving out bracelets "for Africa" and they would not stop harassing you to put the "free" bracelet on. They would do anything to get the bracelet either in your hands or on your wrists and then demand money. They were seriously scary and would follow you and touch you... it was really bad. I'm basically scarred for life.

Milan's Mall

Milan's "Arch of Peace"

Dustin loves Swedish girls!

However there were some great things about Milan, too! We loved the cathedral, stayed in a great hostel, walked all around the city, did some window shopping, saw the castle and really enjoyed the food. It was our first taste of italian food and it did not dissapoint! We just felt like the cons outweighed the pros, and as a group we would not recommend traveling to Milan (unless you're very rich and can afford to stay and eat at the swanky places!). If you do chose to visit Milan someday, all you really need is a day and you can see everything. Two days was way too much time there for us.

View from the roof of the Milan Cathedral

The inside of the Milan Cathedral was so amazing. We went to the top of the church and got a really awesome view of the city. Milan has giant mountains next to it, but the haze was too heavy to see them unfortunately! Milan had a good mix of the old and the new, and you could see it all from the top. Plus the church was just incredible so it was really cool to see the church from the roof. Also we went under the church and got to see the old remains of the very first church in that location!

We found the American flag!

Martin joined us on our second day in Milan and we showed him around Milan. The next day we travelled to Florence (Firenze) on Valentine's Day, which was also Martin's birthday, so in celebration we all wore our plaid shirts! It was pretty funny. I'm sure we all looked weird to the Italians.

Florence 

We immediately fell in love with Florence and felt 100x safer and more comfortable. It was literally a breathe of fresh air after Milan. Florence is amazingly beautiful and has a very relaxing atmosphere. It is everything you expect to see in Italy with the adorable buildings with green shutters and cobblestone roads. We feel like Florence is such an easy-going place and highly recommend it to everyone!

Florence Cathedral

We enjoyed the wine, of course!

Leonardo Da Vinci museum

We visited the Uffizi art museum which was very cool, but we were a little disappointed that there was not much Italian art on display and one of the exhibits on mathematics was closed and the guys were looking forward to that one. We still enjoyed the museum and I especially loved the "Birth of Venus" painting, which Katy Perry took a picture with just days after we were there!

"Birth of Venus"

Martin being a pretty picture! I think we spent more time laughing at the art than appreciating it...

After the Uffizi we walked to a view point where we could see the city skyline. It was quite a hike up to the top, but it was gorgeous! Most of the buildings in Florence are not tall, so it made the cathedrals look even more impressive.

View of Florence 

"Fake David" in the original David's original place in Florence 

As a group we decided that Florence was our favorite city that we visited. If ever I was going to live in Italy, I would chose Florence without a doubt. It's gorgeous, very easy to navigate, the people are friendly, and it's not too touristy of you take the side roads. Just walking through the city is nice in itself because our hotel was located very centrally, so it was easy to get to and from anywhere we wanted to go and we didn't have to worry about taking buses or the metro. One of our favorite areas was the Ponte Vecchio bridge because it was just so cute! From that bridge we got some really nice pictures of the river and buildings around it. It was all so beautiful and scenic that I wanted to take a picture of everything.

Ponte Vecchio bridge

On the bridge

One of the most memorable days for me is our day trip to Pisa. We absolutely loved it there! We spent a lot longer than we had originally planned because the sun was shining and the weather was around 62 degrees. We laid in the sun by the cathedral and Leaning Tower for hours. Of course we also took the obligatory photos of us leaning on and holding up the Tower! We were laughing so hard at making our photos and watching other people make theirs. People can be so intense about these things! The train station was about a twenty-minute walk away from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the cathedral, and baptistery and we really enjoyed the walk through town, too. It's such an old and historic city so there was a very cool feel to it. 

Pisa Cathedral & Leaning Tower 

Poses like this could be spotted all over the place around the Tower! So funny

Our next stop was Rome, and it was AWESOME! We really loved the place we stayed called "The Yellow" because it was run by super awesome people, they owned a pub across the street that was cheap and delicious, and our room was great. It was our favorite place we stayed! The atmosphere was just so cool and we loved the whole experience there.

Colosseum!!

After getting checked into our room, we headed straight for the Colosseum! Unfortunately we had to go through kind of quickly because they were closing in a few hours and wanted to start herding the tourists out about an hour before the official closing time... but we still had enough time to appreciate it and take pictures! The whole time I was there I was in such disbelief. It's one thing to see pictures of places like the Colosseum and wish that you could see it someday, and then all of the sudden you're standing inside of it and wondering if it's real or not. The whole trip I was just so thankful to be seeing and doing everything that I got to. It was so amazing. 

View over looking the Roman Forum. You can see how high up Rome is built.

Roman Forum

The next day we visited the Roman Forum and ended up staying there for four hours! There are things there that date back to 54 BC... I can't even fathom that! We (discretely) touched some of the columns and pieces of the buildings so we can now say that we've touched something built over 2,000 years ago! It was fascinating to learn about and see in person. From ground level at the Forum, you could see that Rome is built very high up; the buildings are huge and they are built on foundations that are also built high up, so in order to see most buildings you had to look all the way up. It was such an incredible sight. But really, every thing that I saw in Rome was cool. It's the oldest, most historic city I've ever visited so I enjoyed just being there and soaking it all in. I love to stand in a very old place and just imagine what it was like back then.

St. Ignazio Cathedral

The dome is an illusion! It's painted on a flat ceiling. It was incredible to see

The Vatican

Swiss Guard

We visited the Vatican on the last Sunday of this month so it was free to enter! We were lucky to get in for free, but extremely unlucky that the Sistene Chapel had closed just a few hours before arrived. We were all really sad about that, but still enjoyed the sights and cathedral in the Vatican. We actually spent longer standing in line than actually looking around the inside of the cathedral in the Vatican because there were so many people. It was crazy. But now we have been to the smallest country in the world! The Vatican only has about 600 residents, and it was really cool to see the Swiss Guards in their traditional uniforms. 

Gorgeous view outside of the Italian Aerospace Museum 

We walked from the train station to the museum! We felt like we were on some sort of pilgrimage walking along the road... haha.

Inside the Aerospace museum

So like I said a million times, the trip was incredible; however, we were more than happy to get back to Germany! The culture in Italy can be described as "mass-chaos." It's good to be back in a country where there is more order and not so many crazy tourists.

Our trip didn't end so well though, because Dustin, Marika, and I decided to spend the morning in Frankfurt before heading back to Schmalkalden so we left our luggage in a locker in the train station, and then were distracted by a lady asking for money so we didn't take the key out of the locker. Naturally, all of our stuff was taken. We went to the police and they watched the security cameras and after an hour or so, our stuff was returned with most of our belongings still in there. They took weird things! Like only one of Marika's gloves, her small camera, all of Dustin's college t-shirts, some of Marika's Italy souvenirs, both my make-up and Marika's, and Marika's nice sunglasses. They left my iPad and my nice Canon camera, but they took my room keys... which is unfortunate because they will be expensive to replace. Even the police were laughing at how crazy it was for them to take what they did and leave the expensive things. I stayed in Marika's room when we got back to SM and picked up a temporary key to my room the next day. It was a nightmare, but we were glad that the person who took our things brought most of it back with the most valuable things in it. The police said that they usually just search it for money and then dump it back at the train station.

So apart from the ending of the trip, I had an amazing experience and am so thankful to have been able to travel Italy with such good friends. I will never forget our memories.

Now I just wait to fly to Spain to spend Spring Break with mom and then I'll be States-bound!


Thanks for reading!

Bethany