Author Archives: Morgan Nicole Ringgold

“O Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

The sweet surprise of the semester was Verona, Italy. This little town just an hour outside of Milan gave me one of the best experiences of my life, and it was so unexpected. My roommate Lynnsey and I decided to travel to Verona on somewhat of a whim for a weekend. All of our previous knowledge of the small city revolved merely around Shakespeare’s story of Romeo and Juliet, but instead of a tragedy (slight Shakespeare humor) we ended up having an amazing time.

First and foremost, Lynnsey and I are not on the planning committee. The planning committee consists of my other roommate and two of our friends. Their job is to book a place to stay, decide on train tickets, and plan particular activities to do. It worked well in Florence and Pisa, but this time Lynnsey and I were without them. Needless to say, I was quite worried. After only getting an hour of sleep, we finally ventured on our own to Verona early on a Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. Once our quick layover in Bologna (a place I must come back to!) ended, we were off to Verona traveling through some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. When we arrived, we quickly walked straight to the arena, which looks like a miniature Colosseum. Although I didn’t get my gladiator on, it still felt incredible to be there. It was crazy to see how this structure was still standing even after being built nearly 2,000 years ago.

After the arena, we ended up at the most notorious spot in Verona: Juliet’s balcony. Lovers, hopeless romantics, and people from all over the world overran the patio below. To get to the balcony you first have to walk through a tunnel of love notes. People stick these notes all over the walls in hopes of finding true love. Of course Lynnsey just wrote “#SingleAsAPringle,” and for me I wrote a heart warming letter to Juliet: “help a sista out!” Once you make it through the tunnel the next step to finding true love is apparently rubbing the statue of Juliet’s right breast. In my opinion that’s more sexually violating than a sign of good luck, but it’s tradition and we participated. The most entertaining part was watching a group of British elementary school boys fight over who would get to touch the breast. One boy in particular, the one who fought the hardest and won, had a wide grin on his face while groping the young Juliet. The adults who were overseeing the boys took their photo while onlookers spent their time pointing and laughing. I must admit it was hilarious, but I’m also slightly concerned for that boy’s future…let us pray.

Location: Verona, Italy

Florence: The City of Stairs

463…four hundred and sixty-three steps were between me and partial death as my roommates and I ventured to Florence, Italy. There is no question that the city of Florence is beautiful and majestic, but afterwards I began to cringe at the sight of a staircase. We arrived in Florence in the early morning with our plans already in tact to explore museums, such as the Uffizi and the Accademia (where Michelangelo’s statue of David resides) and the incredible architecture. What we were not prepared for was the stairway to heaven (yes, on my way up I thought I saw the light)—that was the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), which is one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. The cathedral allows you to walk all the way to the top of its humungous dome giving you the best view in the city. Although my lungs almost burst from pure exhaustion, it was well worth it.

414…four hundred and fourteen steps when my lungs felt aflame. Right after climbing the Duomo, we decided to get our money’s worth of the 10 euro ticket and climb the tower next to the cathedral. Even though the tower was about 50 steps less, the struggle was very real people. But there is no denying that the view was worth it as well, and by this time the sun had set providing us with a gorgeous night view of the city of Florence.

294…two hundred and ninety-four steps stood between us and much needed rest. The next day we ended up in Pisa, which is a small city located just a few kilometers outside of Florence and home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The climb was a constant “lean wit it rock wit it” motion all the way to the top because of the position of the tower, but of course…it was worth it! The sight was astounding with the mountain background and the sun shining on the large marble cathedral located beside it. All of the leg cramps, occasional moments of near death exhaustion, and heart palpitations actually ended up putting a smile on my face. I was doing something with my life. I was experiencing things people only read about in those awful travel magazines, and it felt good to know that I’m not just existing but rather I’m living life.

1,171…one thousand one hundred and seventy-one steps later, and I’m really not complaining. The River Arno runs through Florence and the sight was definitely one to see. You always here about the Leaning Tower of Pisa and to actually be there pretending to knock it down is practically everyone’s dream. There are people around the globe trying to experience what are the stunning city of Florence and the small town of Pisa. Luckily, I had a multitude of near perfect bird’s-eye views throughout the weekend, and in all honesty, it was incredible and glorious and awe-inspiring. I’m still trying to rap my head around the fact that I was there and that I’m here in Italy. There was a moment on top of the Duomo when I had to stop taking photos and just take it all in. That was the part I enjoyed most. That was the part I will take with me. There is no doubt in my mind that I would climb all 1,171 steps again if I could…but 1,172 and I’m out.

Italy Knows What’s Up

Italy just has it figured out—everything from the food, to the schooling, to the culture just seems so right. I’m really starting to wonder what America is doing wrong.

Well let’s first start with the food. Italy’s main food groups consist of wine, bread, chocolate, and pasta. If you’re at a restaurant and ask for water and a bowl of bread for the table, you’ll pay for the water but not the bread. Some of the chocolate shops stay open later than the majority of stores and restaurants. You can go to the local grocery store and get a bottle of wine for as little as 3 euros…and it’s not in a box. The thing that surprises me the most is how fresh everything is. Preservatives are nearly nonexistent in their food, and fast food or takeout is practically frowned upon. “Mom and Pop shops” are how people get their meals when they want to eat out. These shops are just a fancy way of saying family owned. There aren’t all these chain restaurants that serve the same menu and whip up some frozen meal for you. Most of the Mom and Pop shops include handmade pizzas, fresh cooked pasta, and traditional family recipes. The only time you can really find that in the States is if you’re in a Little Italy in one of the cities located close to you. But this isn’t Little Italy…It’s Big Italy and it’s great! People fill up on delicious and huge amounts of food but the country does not have the obesity problem that haunts the American lifestyle. Food is also a social thing here. Italians aren’t really found out at restaurants eating for comfort or because it was just something to do, but rather they spend time socializing with their friends or family at the dinner table and pace themselves while they’re eating.

So I guess I should throw something in here about school because you know… “study” abroad. Trust me when I say that most of my blog entries will be about my actual travel experiences, but for the sake of the parentals (who practically funded the trip…love you), or my University, or for those who believe knowledge can be obtained only from a classroom rather than immersing yourselves in a person’s culture and environment I will have a small snippet about my classes. Well…I love all of my professors. Some come from Rome others from Florence. Some are even Perugia natives who have studied all over the world, but the thing I love most about them is their vivaciousness. I’ve never been to a school where every single teacher had the eagerness to teach and the excitement to go along with it. It makes learning for me an even more enjoyable experience. I’ve even signed up for a more intensive Italian language class because I loved the teacher so much. Yes, me…a girl who practically cursed at seven years of trying to learn Spanish. But I’m thrilled. I feel like I have already learned a decent amount of Italian (or at least enough to ask how much those pair of shoes cost) and my other classes—Archeology, Italian Mafia, and Intercultural Marketing—really have me looking forward to the rest of the semester!

After only being in Perugia for two weeks, I am proud to say that most of my pre departure thoughts are not very accurate. My biggest surprise came when I developed “diversity shock.” And, yes, I do believe that is a phrase I invented but for now I am going with it. Perugia is the capital of the region Umbria, and even though it’s the capital, compared to Rome it is practically unheard of. Although, to my surprise, the rest of the world has heard of it because they’re all here. I’ll be honest, when deciding to study in Perugia, Italy I expected…well…Italians (okay, white people), but the beauty of it is there are so many countries represented in this small town it’s impossible to count. It’s not like in the States where diversity is literally categorized into four groups: black, white, Asian, and Hispanic. It’s also different in a way that most people who are black, white, Asian, and Hispanic have never been outside of the U.S. nor have they actually been a part of the true cultural experience that their ancestors were once a part of before coming to America. Here, you can be from Afghanistan, have gone to school in South Africa, taught in Saudi Arabia, lived in Greece, and now you’re in Perugia. In fact, I have met a few locals with practically that same backstory. I’ve bumped into Nigerians, Chinese, Germans, Georgians (the country…please don’t think Atlanta), South Africans, Afghani, and Greeks who now reside in this beautiful small city. I think that’s one of the things I’m going to miss the most: walking around, listening to all these different languages and seeing all these different people, and thinking “this is like the true American melting pot”—except I’m Italy, and right now that seems alright!

Location: Perugia, Italy

The View From Up Here

Perugia, Italy—It feels like something out of a fairytale. The cobblestone streets swivel throughout the city going in between the beautiful stone walls that stand with the ancient buildings. You know those movies set during the medieval times with all those princesses searching for their princes…well that’s the scenery. That’s my life now. Of course there are no real princesses, I don’t expect any frogs being kissed and turning into princes here anytime soon, but the sights are that spectacular. I’m sorry to say that no matter what I write I feel that it will truly never capture the immense beauty this city has to offer.

So as we drove up (and up and up and up…) to the small city of Perugia, my new roommates and I were in awe of what surrounded us. The shuttle slowly slid through the alleyways and up to the top of the mountain we went. Once we successfully climbed the steps to our newly awaited fortress, we were exhausted (yes we each carried 2 suitcases up about 4 flights of stairs but, hey, welcome to Italy) yet ecstatic. We turned the corner and there it was…the most amazing view I have ever witnessed with my own two eyes—right from our living room. We would look at this everyday for the next four months entranced by its mountainous landscape and its ancient buildings atop the hillsides. Every direction told a story, and I wanted to read every word of it.

Now, I know I am sort of writing this post as if it were a Shakespearean play or a Jane Austen novel, but it is that fictitious to me. It’s fictitious in a way that I still can’t believe what I’m seeing is real. It’s fictitious in a way that I am still trying heavily to grasp the fact that I am in Italy. I am experiencing the exquisiteness, the cappuccinos, the fashion, the language, the wine, and most importantly the people. People here are generous and seem to understand the bigger picture in life. They love to laugh, drink, and live.

Just the other day my friends and I went to get breakfast at a local bakery. One of the girls didn’t exchange her money yet and didn’t have enough euros to pay, so the man at the counter politely handed her a chocolate-filled croissant and told her to come back and pay when she had money. People just aren’t that nice anymore. Greed takes over so much, and no I’m not saying that everyone in Italy would do that, but that is just a good glimpse of the people I have met since landing in Perugia 5 days ago. And to be honest, it’s going to be hard to leave.

And side note—no, it’s not really anything like The Godfather…but that might be a good thing!

Location: Perugia, Italy

An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

The journey is about to begin. The adventure is nearing, and for the first time in my life I am actually packed before the day of departure. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Morgan. I am a junior studying Public Relations at Penn State University, and I will be spending the next 4 months studying abroad in Perugia, Italy.

Traveling is something I look forward to. There are 2 things I want to accomplish more than anything else in my life: to travel the world and to meet Morgan Freeman. Sadly, the latter is much more difficult, but I am thrilled to be given this opportunity to travel to a beautiful country such as Italy. Although I don’t know how to say anymore than maybe 5 words (hello, goodbye, thank you, bathroom, pizza) in Italian, I can’t wait to be immersed in their culture. It will be exciting to explore the language, the food, and the people.

Now, my preparations have been somewhat subpar. I apologize. I’ve done my general research on Italy and the city of Perugia, but unfortunately much of my Italian cultural knowledge has been obtained from The Godfather…part I, II, and III. But if there is anything I’ve learned from the classic film it’s that Italian culture values family and history, and that is something I look forward to being a part of and learning more about. History intrigues me and luckily Italy is rich in it. I don’t think I have been more eager to learn in my life.

So here I am…just hours away from venturing on this exploration. I hope to truly absorb the Italian culture. That is why I chose a town like Perugia, which puts you in a true non tourist-like kind of vibe. I hope to gain a new understanding for people of all aspects of life. I hope to get more in touch with the art and architecture that helped influence so much of the world throughout the years. But most importantly, I hope to discover more about myself during my first real voyage away from home.

This study abroad offer was one I could not refuse! I am grateful to be given this opportunity, and I wish for you to follow along with my blog and join me on my journey.

Goodbye America! Ciao Italia!

Location: Columbia, MD

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