Yesterday, our program visited the local high school, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and Rome’s homeless shelter, Caritas. In the morning, we visited multiple classrooms in the high school, Liceo James Joyce, where we interacted with small groups of students. During my time at the school, I visited the first year and the third year students. The first year students were in the process of developing their English, but they possessed a thirst and eagerness to learn more of the language. The first year students even revealed that English was their favorite class, and that thought was echoed by the third year students as well. Although an age gap existed between the two classes, the first and third year students hold many similarities such as their enthusiasm in learning English, their open and welcoming nature, their disdain towards History class, and their love for their favorite actor, Johnny Depp. My time with the third year students showed similarities between growing up in Italy and the United States. The Italian students struggle with pressure to drink, social media, and feeling shy – all which span across our two cultures. The teenagers not only gave us a glimpse into their culture, but they also treated us to an enjoyable morning.
In the afternoon, the group stopped by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, or F.A.O., which leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Touring the organization and learning about world hunger while at F.A.O. was thought provoking leading into our visit to Rome’s homeless shelter, Caritas. At Caritas, our program helped with their dinner service. Initially, I was interested in participating with Caritas because the nature of the program is different from subjects in our previous trips and lectures. We have learned about the extravagance and wealth of the Romans in settings such as Villa d’Este and the Roman Forum, so Caritas refreshed us with views of reality. While at Caritas, I worked at the front desk and handed out meal tickets. As I witnessed every person walking through the shelter’s doors, I realized that there is no formula or mold for a person in need. The shelter held a variety of ages, genders, races, and nationalities; some of the recipients wore suits or uniforms from work earlier in the day. Despite not having a consistent place to call home, recipients have a community within Caritas among the staff and each other. The people were so willing to share their story and motivations with us, and the language barrier was not much of an obstacle as one man sang to a number of students in the program. The experiences at F.A.O. and Caritas made me take a different perspective on my circumstances and renewed by thankfulness in my blessings. Overall, this day was a lesson in international communication filled with skills that are transferable to life in the United States. Most importantly, our group had the wonderful opportunity to give back to a city who has given us so many lessons, memories, and good times.
Ciao!
Mackenzie

Members of our program serving at Caritas’s dinner service