My Interpretation of 2 short stories from Multicultural Literature

"Home..sickness" 

Page 91, by Kossi Komla-Ebri

“Ah Italy! To think that in Italy I wanted so much to go home! Now I feel like a tenant in two countries: sometimes I’m happy for that, sometimes I feel divided, a little unbalanced, as if a part of me remained there, and yet I know that there I would have still suffered from “mal di Africa” (nostalgia for exotic life they had in Africa)”

This story is about Kossi’s stay in Italy and her integration back into the African culture. Her first impressions of Italy was that it was a place where” everyone must think of himself, end of story.” It was cold and unwelcoming. Her efforts at integration were admirable, and she worked hard and learned the trade of sewing. But upon her return to Africa, things had changed. Her experiences had changed her as a person (she could no longer tolerate life without commodities such as heat and running water), and time had changed things back at home in Africa (most of her friends were married and had multiple babies). She moves to the city and has a successful career as a seamstress, but still has nostalgia for Italian life. I imagine that life would be much different for her had she never gotten the opportunity to travel to Europe, even though most of her time there was spent completing domestic chores.

This story is applicable to our experiences as travelers. Though it won’t be to the same extent that Kossi experienced this phenomenon, when we return home, things will be different. Italy has changed us, and time has changed conditions at home. Though I am excited to go home and see people and return to life in Seattle, I am nervous to integrate back into American culture. I know that I will experience that same nostalgia for Italy experienced by Kossi.

"M" 

P 114 by Ron Kubati

“The first thing I see when I wake up is the window. It shows me which room I’m in, and consequently the kind of world waiting for me outside. It tells me where and therefore who I am.”

To be honest, this story confused me quite a bit. Ron begins by discussing how where he is allows him to understand which role he is playing, which Ron he is being. Then he vividly discusses the Metro, how it is a small world beneath the city, how every type of person is present down there. Every stop looks the same underground, but above they vary greatly. He then talks about how children, when fed up with their family, often assume they were adopted and never told of it.  “The claim to another origin is the optimistic rejection of fundamental discomfort.” I don’t really see the parallel between these three ideas, but I’m curious to see if any of my classmates chose this story and what they thought of it.

Italian Immigrant Life Illustrated Through a Visit to the Esquilino Market: Where Are All the Women?

1.     Introduction to Esquilino Market, description, observations, discuss how few women are present in the market

2.     Describe the few women who ARE present in the market (using my own observations from visits to the market)

3.     Discuss why there are so few women in the marketplace/ where they are (use the answers provided by Ms. Dinh when she e-mails back, stuff from Mirela Pribac’s lecture about the Roma people)

4.     Talk about the occupations that female immigrants hold (information from Ms. Dinh, Maria Teresa Natale, various online articles)

a.     Caregiver

b.     Staying at home to care for the children

c.      Others?

5.     Discuss where the women come from and why there is a huge difference between countries in the percent of immigrants that are female versus male (information from Ms. Dinh)

a.     How common is it for women to come to Italy alone or do they often come with family? Do they usually come with the intent to stay for long, or just to work and send money back?

b.     How prevalent is human trafficking? Ms. Dinh spoke about how 80% of female immigrants to Italy have been raped, discuss the lasting social and psychological effects of this on women

Writing Assignment 6

            What automatically comes to mind when you think about the rione Trevi? For me, without a doubt, it is the Trevi Fountain. It is an obvious staple of Roman history, the majestic monument that the rione was named after. Although this fountain is the most well known feature of the neighborhood, there are multiple other hidden gems scattered throughout the area. Across from the fountain is the Church of Saint Vicenzo and Anastacio, where the hearts (these muscles that pump blood throughout the body are seen as relics for the Catholic Church) of over 30 popes reside. Close to the magnificent fountain, near the Piazza dei Croceferi, is the Quirinal Hill and Palace, where the president of the nation resides. Across the rione is the intersection of Quattro Fontane, where from the middle one has a view of the Quirinal Palace, the Spanish Steps, and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Lastly, the Palazzo Barberini holds the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, as well as the renowned Fountain of Trition created by Bernini.

            My first journey through this neighborhood was an accident, the first two weeks that I lived in Rome I was in a constant state of wandering. I was trying to find the Pantheon, but apparently went too far. As I walked through the Piazza dei Croceferi, I heard gushing water and loud chatter. The people were giddy, it is difficult to describe the aura of enchantment that surrounded the area. I had heard the fountain described as “magical” and seen pictures, but I was still not adequately prepared to view this masterpiece. Even on a drizzly Thursday afternoon, as I walked from the right hand corner of the fountain, I saw an enormous crowd of people smiling and pointing.  Most had brightly colored umbrellas and were flashing portraits in front of the fountain with their cameras. I witnessed a few people throwing coins into the fountain, which according to a legend, when done with the right hand over the left shoulder, ensures one’s return visit to Rome. Three thousand Euros worth of coins are thrown into the fountain each day, and this money is used to subsidize a supermarket for the needy.

            As I approached the fountain to see it for myself, I was utterly amazed. I’m not sure what exactly makes the fountain itself so renowned, maybe the sheer size, possibly the detail and mystical nature of the figures. The water appeared unnaturally blue and spotlessly clean. It glimmered with the reflection of thousands of coins. The opaque white marble of the fountain added to the clean appearance overall. The emotion of the figures and the complexity of the composition add to the  magnificence of the piece. In short, before I visited the fountain, I was skeptical that it could be described as “magical” as my friend had put it, I envisioned it to be simply an overrated symbol of the city of Rome. On my first visit, I was taken aback by the splendor and beauty of the piece.

            Upon returning to the rione, this time during the early evening, I was still amazed by the brilliance of the statue. It was different at night, still the center of attention and being adored by hundreds of people, but it had a different sense of mystery. The multiple spotlights enhanced the white marble, the blue water reflected the image of the figures, and the dark night juxtaposed the gleaming light of the fountain. This time, I paid increased attention to the people who were gazing at the monument, and I listened intently. “Oh my god! This is so surreal that we are actually here,” was one of the comments I heard beside me in a deep British accent. Nearly every person was holding a camera. There were families and there were couples, and there were a few people, who like me, were at the monument alone. Even on a chilly evening in late January, the plaza in front of the fountain was on the crowded side. I cannot imagine how packed it is on a hot summer day.

            I have returned to the fountain a few times since then and observed similar situations of awe and admiration. For me, the fountain maintains its majesty every time I return, but from my observations, the people who frequent the monument are not necessarily what I would consider Italian. After living in Seattle my entire life, I’m going to admit that I have never been to the top of the Space Needle. It is magnificent, it attracts tourists, but it does not represent the typical culture of Seattle at all, just as the Trevi Fountain is not a crucial part of every day Roman life. At the first glance, the rione Trevi simply seems like a tourist area, not a region rich in legitimate Italian culture. And to be honest, I have not ventured much within the neighborhood besides the vicinity directly around the fountain. But in the next few weeks I plan to explore the less well-known areas of this rione, to see what those who are in Rome for only a few days do not get the opportunity to observe.

Writing Assignment 5 - Revision of Writing Assignment 4

Although venturing out into the unknown can bring excitement and emotional and intellectual growth, sometimes this growth is accompanied by anguish and frustration. Sometimes in order to learn a lesson, one must experience the unpleasant consequences associated with the corresponding lesson. I did not fully understand the necessity of carrying my keys around until I was caught without them at 1 a.m. with nobody around to let me in. I didn’t realize how much I appreciate the comfort of a routine and the familiarity of lovely Roma until I journeyed to Florence in the scenic but frigid land of Tuscany. And until I left Seattle for Rome, I had a bitter loathing of most of the things that had to do with home.

Being locked out of a place and then allowed access again made me appreciate having a place to sleep and access to a heat and my belongings. With most of the group gone in Venice for the weekend, Carisa and I had the apartment to all to ourselves, a fairly ideal situation in my opinion. After consuming an entire batch of brownies between the two of us, we decided to go out for a while. Returning to our apartment, we realized that neither of us brought keys… Normally this wouldn’t be a huge issue, but since it was a long weekend, EVERYONE was gone. So we spent the rest of the night on our stairs, wishing our my cozy beds, dreaming of a hot shower, trying to decide what to do. Finally at 6 a.m., we worked up the courage and humility to call Julie and ask for help. She was more than generous, allowing us to sleep on her couch and cooking us delicious crepes. Eventually we were able to get ahold of our landlord who graciously unlocked our door for us. Such a simple action had a profound effect on my attitude, my demeanor, and my personal accountability for carrying my own keys. Going without my necessary accommodations for a night made me appreciate them immensely.

Leaving the comfortable routine in Rome while we were in Florence had this same profound affect on me. Rome had begun to feel like home in a sense, and not in the positive way. The bustling city somehow felt mundane and uninteresting. After adjusting to the routine of our schedule and surroundings, I frequented the same grocery stores and gelato shops as I had subconsciously decided that I had adequately explored the city and that I was a veteran of my neighborhood. Seeing Florence for the first time was a flashback to when we first arrived in Rome, experiencing new surroundings brought the accompanying energy to explore, wander, and observe. This abbreviated trip was a reminder that I am here as a traveler, that I have five weeks left to experience the true essence of the city.

Though I would love to stay in Rome forever, eventually I will have to leave behind this fairy-tale quarter of college and integrate back into my life and routine back at home in Seattle. I hate to think about this now, but as we are on the topic of leaving and returning, unfortunately this idea of eventually returning to Seattle is an obvious one to discuss. I am not looking forward to having to walk 25 minutes to get to class in the morning, to taking classes that have 300 students and are curved to an average grade of 2.6, to working 16 hours a week, to driving in Seattle traffic, to dealing with Seattle weather, to living in a house with 100 hormonal females. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t leave this beautiful urban city with historic ruins scattered throughout and a fascinating culture, I wouldn’t leave the intimate and supportive academic environment. But that is not an option.

On that note, how will I make my transition back to Seattle a smooth one? How will I incorporate the lessons and skills that I have learned here in Rome into my lifestyle back in Seattle? How will have this journey changed me as a person? Adjusting to life in Rome was an enormous shift for me personally, I was not healthy fall quarter, I was unhappy in my living situation, and I was struggling in my classes. I was almost under more pressure than I could handle. The transition from a state of poor functioning to a state where I was thriving was a drastic but welcomed. I am literally a different person than I was three months ago. Though many of the issues that caused my distress have been dealt with and I will no longer face some of the stressors, I still fear my return. I fear that I will regress into the person that I was fall quarter, and that terrifies me.

I have learned multiple lessons while in Rome that would have been helpful for me in the previous months. Cohabiting and studying with the same 14 people has provided unique social opportunities, but has also caused predictable social issues. Florence was particularly interesting, people were separated from the familiar and constrained by travel schedules, and seemed rather grouchy. But being with these people in such close quarters has for such a long period of time has allowed me to form a special bond with them. I have become more understanding, gained the ability to see situations from perspectives other than my own. I realize that I am so quick to judge, so quick to assume that my way of dealing with things is the only right one. I have come to the understanding that people behave the way that they do for a specific reason, they too have a story, a background, a reason (not always an excuse) for their behavior and attitude. I have changed, I can see this now, and it make me a more satisfied person because I can see a reason behind the actions of others.

I am apprehensive to see how spring quarter will go and where I will end up next year. This quarter has changed me. It is impossible to predict whether or not I will be satisfied in my living situation in the future, which (if any) nursing programs I will be admitted to, who I will be friends with, what life will be like when I get back. Honestly, I am terrified of the future and I always have been. I have no reason to be, in general life has treated me well. I am excited to see my family and friends, to return to the familiarity of the Pacific Northwest. But having left my known world in Seattle in a state of dissatisfaction, I am rather nervous to return.

Questions for Caritas Visit

How does racism affect the immigrants that you work with? How does language proficiency affect this? 

What is the most common service that you provide? Least common? (housing, food, work, etc.)

Is there any particular immigrant group (not necessarily racially) that is in need of more help than others?

What trends in immigration have happened in the past few years? What trends do you think will continue to progress?

What are the biggest issues health wise with immigration? HIV/AIDS? Immunizations?

Writing Assignment 4

            Our trip to Florence, a city filled with immense history and enough art to prompt Stendahl Syndrome in an art history buff, had a perplexing effect on me. I thoroughly enjoyed my date with David, viewing the sunset from the top of the duomo, and our group dinner at Trattoria Zaza, but this weekend excursion allowed me to see the city of Rome from refreshed eyes. Before we left, I was in some sort of a funk, in a sense Rome had begun to seem like home, the bustling city somehow felt and mundane, standard and increasingly uninteresting. I had adjusted to the routine, frequenting the same grocery stores and gelato shops and subconsciously deciding that I knew the city and had experienced it fully.

            Seeing Florence for the first time was a flashback to when I first arrived in Rome. Experiencing these new surroundings brought out the accompanying energy to explore, to wander alone and observe, to try new food and support the local economy by perusing the repeating market stalls filled with similar leather goods and purchasing intriguing trinkets. Having this abbreviated trip as a reminder that I am here as a traveler inspired a rejuvenated sense of curiosity within me. It made me realize that I have six weeks left to experience the Eternal City and the other parts of Europe that strike my fancy. I reevaluated my goals and my reasons for being here and made a list of what I would still like to, learn, see, and accomplish (aside from what is required in class) while I am here, and this is what I came up with.

1.     Gain an increased tolerance and understanding of those around me and learn to communicate effectively and evaluate how others view my behavior

2.     Learn how to see places and people in a different way, giving things unbiased second chances

3.     Climb the dome of St. Peter’s cathedral on a sunny day

4.     Visit the Capucin Crypt

5.     Go to an AS Roma soccer game

6.     Go to the Porta Portese flea market

7.     Spend an entire weekend day wandering the city alone taking pictures

8.     Gain confidence in my ability to travel by taking one weekend or overnight trip outside of Rome alone (Amalfi coast after Naples? Fly to Cadiz, London, Istanbul, or Amsterdam?)

Six weeks is a long time, plenty of time to accomplish or at least attempt to accomplish these tasks, and I am so grateful for this chance to reevaluate my goals by leaving the place that had become comfortable. I know that the next six weeks will seem like they pass in a blink of an eye and that I simply need to enjoy them and extract as much as possible from this journey of a lifetime.

On another note, this trip to Florence was particularly interesting socially. Personally, I am used to living in a house with 100 girls, so living in an apartment with 9 was a warmly welcomed break. But traveling with 14 different people is a completely different story. Being separated from familiar surroundings and constrained by transportation schedules seems to either bring out the worst characteristics in people or simply cause me to notice them. Maybe it was the increased time spent together or living next door to everyone in the program. Regardless, I felt increased tension amongst the group, and I blamed it on everyone else, THEY were the ones with irritating behaviors, THEY were the ones being irrational, THEY were the ones causing conflict.

Reading the excerpt from The Others got me thinking about my behavior, and I realized that I inherently assume that I am right, that my point of view is the only valid one, and that I make the best decisions. I inherently consider those different from myself as “others”. I realized that I am so quick to judge, so quick to criticize. I forget that people are simply a product of their upbringing and surroundings, that people do the best that they can in regards to what they have to work with, so to speak. Granted, this isn’t an excuse for immoral or unlawful behavior, just an explanation of some sort. I cannot count the number of times that I have judged prematurely, forming my opinions based simply on MY point of view, later to find out that there was a reason for their behavior or words.

In the words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Everyone has a story. Some people are blessed with more challenges in life than others. I have come to find that the people who I respect most are not the ones who make the best impressions upfront, whose lives look good on paper. The people that I admire are the ones who are able to make changes in the cycle of their environment, who come from a dysfunctional family but are able to support a healthy home life for their own children, who graduate from high school while having to work to support their families, who stay positive despite their situation. I admire and envy this resiliency. But often these special people go unnoticed or are criticized for their faults. I cannot count the number of times that I have prematurely judged someone, only to later learn their story and gain an enormous amount of respect for them. I have come to understand that the only way to avoid this is one of my most apparent flaws, listening. It is impossible to discover someone’s story without paying attention to their voice, without watching their actions, and inquiring about their origins.

Traveling to Florence provided me with a perfect experience of the possible benefits reaped from leaving somewhere and coming back. Geographically, we left Rome for Florence, and when we returned I brought with me a new sense of curiosity and adventure. But more importantly, I realized that in many situations where I deal with people different from myself, it is necessary for me to emotionally leave the situation for some time and then come back. By taking time alone, evaluating the position that I am in as well as those around me, I am able to see the situation in an environment where I am not being directly affected by the events, to make decisions not based on emotion but sound reasoning. Though this can be difficult to do, it helped me thrive in the stressful environment in Florence, and I plan to practice this coping tactic in the future.