gina prescott

Well this last blog will be thrown together really quickly considering I am at an internet cafe and I have four minutes left on the computer. EEEK. Europe has been amazing. I leave tomorrow for Seattle, returning to my friends and family and stuff I know. It was funny because this past week I have really just been living like a tourist/local. I have been fitting in all the things I procrastinated doing and I have also been enjoying Rome like a Roman. Katie, my roommate, asked me what I love most about Rome. I told her its that everyone here has a passion for life, not money, not clothes. A passion to live life to the fullest. I love that. It has seeped into my bloodstream and I find I take things a little slower and enjoy everything a little more. I feel so lucky to have had this experience. I will remember it forever. I will probably reflect more but for now. Ciao.

This past week was uber intense. I finished up my tour of Italy by visiting Cinque Terre (requested by everyone i know) and spent 3 days in Florence and Venice with my whole class and professors.
I was really excited to go to Cinque Terre. I just needed time away from Rome. Overall it was really nice but it could have been SO much better. So that was kind of a bummer. What made it not as great was the fact that it was cloudy and raining. I really just wanted to do all of the hikes but since it was POURING and Rizzo (she came with me yay!) and I didnt have any rain gear we just hopped the train and went town to town. Overall I dont think I had the normal experience that most people have with Cinque Terre. I think my hope were too high or something of that sort. It was very cute and fun but I know it could have been better. oh well…..
I had about half a day to get ready for my trip to Florence/Firenze and Venice/Venezia. I have heard a lot about these places so I was really excited. For those of you who love Florence, I am sorry. Rome is so much cooler. Florence is like a smaller Rome with less to see. I mean you have the Uffizzi Gallery with Boticelli and Michaelangelo and Da Vinci and you have the David statue which was really impressive (its gigantic!) but Rome just has SO much more. I guess I am just biased, plus it was raining like mad in Florence. Florence was cool though, I just love Rome better.
Onto Venice. Now this place I LOVED! I mean you have seen pictures and movies about this place but its so surreal. It’s kinda like Disneyland. Venice has even less to see as far as touristy places (I guess I like those because Rome has SO many) but its just so beautiful. The water is disgusting but it just adds this really romantic feeling to the whole city. You are constantly getting lost and walking over TONS of bridges. Plus there are the masks…..oh the masks….This was a problem. I am a drama major. I love dressing up. LOVE IT. So you shove me in a city where every street has a mask shop with different types of masks. sparkles, feathers, pink, blue, red, cats, music notes, the different styles were amazing. I fell in love with so many masks…I ended up leaving with two. For myself. I figured that I will use them at camp or my kids will play with them. They can hang on my wall in the meantime. I just loved Venice and yes, I did ride in a gondola. It kinda happened by chance because I wasn’t really planning on it but then when I walked around on our last day with the Pantheon girls (a group of girls in my program that live by the pantheon) they planned on going on a gondola. I figured why not. It was pretty cool. The gondola is a very romantic little trip. I wouldnt suggest going with five other girls you dont really know but still it was fun. On the little ride we got to see Marco Polo’s house and Casanova’s (Italy’s playboy).
Overall this week was intense and ended with a wonderful Sunday at church and on via del corso singing hymns in italian (so pretty…)I was really glad to finally get to know the other people in my program and hang out with them and just kinda have a week off, even though all of our trips to museums and churches were lessons with Ricardo my Renaissance Art teacher. Ricardo is amazing by the way. He knows EVERYTHING. We asked him one time what he did know and he said “how not to buy books” that is how cute he is. I love Ricardo….soooo much. Greatest teacher I have EVER had, and that is saying a lot.
Those were my final Italian destinations. I still have a lot to see in Rome (in fact today I saw Saint Sebastians (the one who was shot with arrows) crypt). I love being back here. Time is short and I want to enjoy it as much as possible.

Traveling is very tiresome and fast. I have visited so many places in the past couple of weeks that all I want to do in my spare time is sleep. Italian sun makes you very sleepy. I have gone to Tivoli, Naples, Pompei, Herculaneum, Capri, and Cinque Terre. Oh and I went to the Borghese Galleria which has all of Caravaggio’s main stuff and Bernini’s main statues. I have also gone to the Vatican Museum. Lots of great stuff there too!I am learning so much in such a short amount of time. I think it might not be the sun. My brain is on an information overload. Lets see….Tivoli has Hadrian’s villa and Villa d’Este. I liked the latter the best, the former was later in the afternoon so it got really hot really fast. Villa d’Este was amazing though. It has 3000 fountains. It’s basically the best backyard anyone could ask for. So beautiful. Naples was an amazing trip. Stayed at a lively hostel which felt more like a family, in a good way. The pizza in Naples was AMAZING. I seriously cannot figure out why anyone else even tries to make pizza. Nothing can compare to the pizza I ate there. Ever. It’s funny because you can eat an entire pizza on your own and in the pictures people might think I am a pig, but one thing to note is that crust is REALLY thin. Its not like thick Americrap pizza. Its easily able to be eaten by one. Probably not the best idea but I wouldn’t want to share. Pompei and Herculaneum kinda go hand in hand. Both were destroyed by Mount Vesuvius when it erupted a long time ago (think Roman Empire). Pompei was preserved in ash while Herculaneum got a landslide of mud. Pompei is HUGE! and very cool, but its kinda like looking at the same thing over and over. Herculaneum is cool because it has mosaics and stuff. They both had preserved bodies that were kinda scary because they depict people struggling for life. You can literally see their pain. Moving on to Capri. How do I even begin to talk about Capri. It was amazing. I wish I had more time there but alas. The water was gorgeous and I was able to take the boat ride into the Blue Grotto. The water was neon blue. I have never seen anything like it. I doubt I ever will. It was amazing. Capri was all sun and waves and gorgeousness. I loved it.
This weekend I visited Cinque Terre. I loved it except it was kind of a bummer because it rained all weekend and I knew that my love for it could have been so much more if the sun was out. I was not properly equipped for the rain so hiking was out of the question. I ended going from town to town on train. They were super cute and it was fun just relaxing and not feeling rushed. Just sitting and reading and enjoying life. I love it there. I will definitely have to go back hopefully with better weather.
I have been to so many museums they make my head hurt. I love them but there is so much packed it gets kinda hard. Vatican was really cool. There is so much history about the Renaissance copying the antiquity and their preservation of it so they could really get it to the point. It’s way cool. The Borghese Galleria was intense. You get 2 hours to look at 3 hours worth of stuff. You have to quickly appreciate the beauty of Bernini and Caravaggio. Bernini was this child prodigy sculptor. He is intense. His sculptures are breathtaking. They are like real people ready to move at any moment. I love Caravaggio also, mainly because of my Grandpa who has about 10 half done paintings of his trying to mimick Caravaggio’s work. Caravaggio is so interesting. He was a rebel and said, “screw the rules of the Renaissance painting, my people are gonna be real and dark and relatable” I love his work. Needless to say life has been moving in the fast lane that I hardly ever have any time to catch up on updating those who read this. I am off to Florence and Venice for a week with my entire program, professors and all….. WISH ME LUCK!

So I always though Tuscany was a place…..but its actually a region. The movie Under the Tuscan Sun confused me. Me and my two roommates, Krytal and Gyaltsen, headed out to Siena. Siena was sweet. It was frozen in medieval times. It would have been even sweeter if people had dressed up. That would have made my day, but otherwise all the building are towers and it was built to protect from harmful outside forces. That makes really small, cramped streets. We wandered around, visited the town center…well you can’t really miss it. We went in the Duomo (cathedral) and it was pretty cool overall. The best part was going up on this sort of ledge that overlooks the whole town and countryside. It was gorgeous. Siena is like my ideal place to live.
We stayed at a hostel, the only hostel in Siena. It was a fun experience for my first hostel. Just a bed to sleep on basically. The next morning we set out to Pisa. Just to take a picture, really thats all we did. Its funny because there is this field and EVERYONE is doing the same thing, holding up the leaning tower. It’s pretty funny to see people holding up nothing. After taking some pictures we headed back home on a four hour train ride. Let me tell you, I thought trains were cool. NOT FOR FOUR HOURS. I went a little bit crazy, but I did get to see the coastline of Italy….mmmm ocean….. Needless to say, I love Tuscany and enjoyed my time under the Tuscan sun.

I must say that I have gotten rather good at being away from my family and friends. But I think it gets harder when you cant call them on a whim. There is something about wanting to call your best friend or your mom and not being able to because you dont have a phone. Let’s clarify. I have a phone, but I have no minutes on it. It’s free for me if you call me. But I can’t call out. No one has called my phone in a VERY long time. With Skype its easier to just get online. But sometimes its hard when all you want to do is talk to your family or friends. Oh well. You move forward and push along.
Italy is going great. My English professor is going crazy I believe (today he called Mother Teresa ugly and hunchbacked and questioned her true character because of some suspected political affiliations) and my Italian/Art teacher is cute and adorable. On Wednesday we visited the Villa Farnese. It has a gorgeous picture by Raphael painted on a fresco. It was just a gorgeous house in general. I was also able to visit the sepulcher of St. Peter. He came to Rome to visit the emperor that was in charge when Christ’s death was decided. He came to teach. He was crucified instead. Although he decided to hang himself upside down because he couldnt imagine dying the same way Christ did. He felt he wasnt worthy. Interesting stuff for sure.

So I am starting to wander around this city more. It’s crazy just walking around because there is SO MUCH history everywhere. It blows my mind sometimes just looking at medieval and renaissance houses paired next to each other and knowing what is what based on their construction. I am already learning a lot about the history of Rome, its rulers and government. Yesterday I walked to the Trevi Fountain by myself (during the day mind you, im not stupid i dont go wandering by myself at night) and it was so fun to just watch all of these tourists so in love with this such. I think I am blending more into a local, at least I like to imagine myself that way. I think i still stand out though as an American. The trevi was gorgeous. We also saw some Caravaggio paintings today. WOW. My grandpa loves this painter and he tries to replica his paintings but seeing them in real life is amazing. they are SO realistic. Caravaggio decided to go against the rules of his master by painting idealistically and instead he painted real people with dirt and dust on their feet and wrinkles on their faces. So amazing. I love just walking into a random little church with my teacher and seeing a painting by RAPHEAL! its mindblowing sometimes….

Does anyone remember the movie Anastasia where they sing that song. It was constantly humming through my head. Its partly true, but to be honest I think I like Rome better. So Thursday I embarked with my roommate Laura to Ciampino airport which is outside of Rome but I learned to use the bus and train and we managed to get there REAL early and so we had to sit around for awhile. We finally got into Beauvais which is an hour outside of Paris so we had to take a shuttle to Porte Maillot which happened to be near our hotel. YAY! so we arrived at our hotel dropped off our luggage and found a cute little restaurant and had some yummy food. She got this delicious mashed potato thing and I got some yummy duck. We decided to sleep and wake up early for some shopping before we met up with her friend Tammy. We got up and since we were close to the Arc de Triomphe we though…why not? so we took some pictures (for evidence you will have to check out facebook) and then got some breakfast. French breakfast consists of a croissant, orange juice, buttered baguette, and a hot drink. So naturally I got hot chocolate. It was soo cool because they gave you a cup of melted chocolate and a cup of hot milk and you mixed it yourself! of course i was like CHOCOLATE so it was a little strong at first and then i had a lot of left over milk…whatev. Then we found H&M! ok so this is a big deal to me. I love clothes and I have heard of this store since I was about 13 and I have dreamt of our union. What better than the fashion capital of the world to meet up. We found it and I was in heaven. I love clothes. especially cheap clothes. H&M is a dream come true…thankfully Seattle will be getting three next year. PHEW! anywho after I dudded myself up to look French apparently it worked because people kept coming up to me speaking French asking me for directions. I was able to help some (okay one who actually spoke english) because I am BOMB.com at metros. Seriously you should be jealous of my keen ability to get from point A to point B especially with transfers in between. So after shopping we met up with Laura’s friend Tammy at hotel number two. We set out once again, this time for the Eiffel Tower. So we get off at the right stop and walk out of the metro and there is this HUGE building in the way and we are turning around and we are like where is it? then we take a couple of steps past the building and BAM! Tammy screams and we jump in excitement. The Eiffel Tower was before my very eyes. It was amazing! We bought some berets (duh we are in PARIS!) and took LOTS of pictures. We then got a french hot dog (they use a baguette) and some french ice cream and got tickets for a bus tour. We rode around for about 2 hours while the bus showed us almost everything Paris had to offer. It was freezing in Paris by the way. We went back to H&M (which i was JUST fine with) and after being in Europe I had noted a fashion trend. It’s something I like call the Leather Jacket. EVERYONE HAS ONE! well i was cold and there was the cutest, cheapest (for a leather jacket) leather jacket at H&M so now I’m warm and happy. We go have dinner (escargot, steak, and creme brulee) and then go to meet Potato/Katie at the train station. We had a little time on our hands so we go the Eiffel Tower once more (its night now) and its the same reaction. We are jumping, arms linked laughing and smiling in amazement at the sheer beauty and power of this one monument. It really is gorgeous. Well we go get Potato and SHE wants to see the tower so we split up and Tato has the SAME reaction and we end up talking on some steps with the Eiffel Tower in view for awhile. It was amazing. We go back to the hotel and make plans for the next day.
I will start shortening this a little…I think I am rattling on a little too much. So the next day we hike UP the Eiffel Tower (literally we climbed the stairs ) and saw the 360 view of Paris. It’s very romantic architecture still with the houses and everything. So then we go to the Louvre and see Venus/Aphrodite and the Mona Lisa and…….the winged victory. That was my favorite. She is just soo gorgeous and hope filled. We got some souvenirs and then walked along the Siene River towards Notre Dame but the line was too long so we didnt go inside but took more pictures and then we took a break because of our poor feet. We headed back to the hotel to have dinner at the CUTEST little French restaurant with Laura and Tammy. We then visited the Moulin Rouge and went to bed. Woke up at 450 to get to the airport which sucked but it was worth it.
Overall I kinda missed Rome but LOVED Paris. It’s SUCH a romantic city, it makes you want to share it with someone special. I was glad I had Potato and Laura and Tammy. It will be an experience to remember forever.

So life goes on here in Rome. I have finally had all of my classes and my Italian/Renaissance Art teacher is the cutest thing alive. I mean that in the most grandpa-y sense. He is originally from Brazil and speaks english and italian and probably lots of other languages fluently. He takes us on tours of Rome. Yesterday we went to Basilica de San Clemente which was crazy because it has four layers of history. The top is an 18th century basilica, the next layer is a 12th century (this is going down into the ground btw) basilica, then a 4th century house/persian pagan temple, then down the FIRST century to a house with a courtyard that still has a running stream of water. Its pretty intense. I didn’t know how to handle it….so I hugged a first century wall. It seemed the best thing to do. I have been having a great time with my roommates, we laugh a lot. Good times.

So this weekend was a whirlwind. It was my first church experience in Italy. I wanted to go to General Conference but had to figure out how. Well I was in contact via email with the institute teacher here and he gave me some info but when Saturday came I called him to clarify some confusion. Have you ever been nervous to call a stranger. Well its one of my biggest fears. Now add being in a foreign country where they dont speak english…ahhhh awkward phone conversations. Of course it wasn’t awkward at all because turns out he spoke english very well. So Saturday came and I went to the bus stop with my roommate Katie (thank you for coming with me!) and we waiting almost an hour for the 916. I was scared it wasn’t going to come. Conference started at 6pm and it was 5:55….time was running out. Well we see the glorious number 9-1-6 and board the bus. We counted the 21 stops that we passed and at 21 got off at Boccea and Bra. I was greatful that we got off at the right stop because its hard to find a map of Rome that goes past the historic center where I live. So we find the building and walk in. ITS IN ITALIAN! nooooo but then I see a familiar sight, an elder. Thank goodness for Elders. He showed me where it was playing in english. I walk into a room FULL of elders and about 6 sisters. Mia would have been sooo jealous : ) Well Katie and I stood out but we sat down as they finished the sustaining. Oh yea I forgot to mention that with the time difference conference starts at 6pm here (live) and the second session is at 10 pm so most go home and watch the recording at 2pm on Sunday and then the sunday morning at 6pm and then the 10pm online. Anyways everything worked out which was really neat, because I was so scared the whole time. Well on Sunday I did the whole bus thing by myself and made friends with the sisters missionaries in my ward and even some sisters from Peru. The church truly is a united church. I love it!

I think I am getting the hang of this Rome thing. I wake up in the morning to the hustle of the market. Every morning I look out my window to a sea of color. The fruits and veggies bounce of the slate gray street. Its like my morning rainbow. Its funny. I have told a couple of people my feelings towards city life. Coming to Seattle was a change, not bad but not ideal. I have found I enjoy the outskirts of places much more than the hustle and bustle of Seattle. However, Rome has proven a very good point. Campo de Fiori is buzzing with life (its funny because it used to be a place of executions) but its still so small and quaint and personal. I am falling in love with Rome every moment. Just yesterday I saw the Pantheon. It wasn’t a formal excursion, we were actually headed over to a party with our classmates. They literally live right next door to it. Rome is crazy though because one moment you will be walking along tiny cobblestone streets getting nearly run over by vespas and cars and than BAM! you run into something with so much history. These ancient monuments and buildings aren’t set apart. They are literally in the midst of everyday life. I love that. It’s just so amazing to be able to discover something so beautiful everyday. The Pantheon is unreal. Its seems like it would be for a giant. If you have ever watched Hercules the movie and remember when he goes to Mount Olympus and he is so small amongst the pillars of his father. That is literally what its like. Except all around it (literally across a tiny cobblestone street on either side) there are apartments. This really is a magical city. I am growing VERY attached to it. I even say ciao and buon gourno and mi dispiache (im sorry) to the locals. Life is very exciting in the simple moments of this city.