Today is the last day of the camp. Sad, I know. At 7:45, both Boomer and Sooner groups met and went to the Rooney Family Center to meet the kids one last time. We then went to the community pool to swim and enjoy the sun. We had to wear these swimming caps that made me look like an earth worm. It was my favorite day of the camp. It was such a beautiful pool complex. It had huge green lawns with umbrellas and volleyball courts. After a couple hours of swimming and playing volleyball, we made our way back to the monastery. The camp was coming to a close. As we got back, we had a short time to meet the kids’ parents before they took them home. I was a little worried at the beginning of the camp of the language barrier, but that quickly faded away once I met the kids. After we said goodbye, we went back to the monastery to get ready for dinner. Three words. Best pasta ever.

In today’s lecture, Dr. Cruise discussed the importance of the Mafia in Italy’s society. Due to the insufficient systems in Italy’s government, the mafia fills in gaps where the government fails to support a population of Italy. For example, the Mafia provides trash services for certain cities. The four largest and most prevalent mafias are Costa Nostra, Comorra, ‘Ndragheta, and the United Holy Crown. These Mafias make billions in revenue every year. With organized crime comes violence and distribution of illegal substances, such as cocaine. This may cause the mafia to lose support from the people. 

After the lecture, we went on a scavenger hunt for famous places around Arezzo. During the scavenger hunt I began to have a migraine. I slept for the rest of the day. What a short day.

Boomer group started the camp this morning bright and early! Charlotte blessed us with coffee so we didn’t feel super drained for the rest of the day. Today, our camp was split into three rotations. One of the rotations I helped with was the scavenger hunt with Charlotte. Charlotte would read off riddles in English to them and they would have to figure out where in Arezzo the riddle was talking about. There was a misunderstanding when switching groups and the rotations got a little mixed up. It was quickly fixed and everything went smoothly. The kids were understanding of the mix up and were still having such a great time. 

After the camp, we went to have lecture with Dr. Cruise. She was so kind enough to buy all of us gelato before class. Today’s class was an introduction into the European Union. Before the class, I knew very little about the EU. I learned that it is an economic and political union with a single market system. It has 28 member states with its headquarters in Belgium. 

Our dinner tonight was at the winery. It overlooked Tuscany and you bet I took a thousand pictures of that place. They gave us three wines to try and I bought a rose. They showed us the importance of wine in an Italian meal. They asked for four students to model for their wine magazine. Rhayan, Patrick, Maddie, and I jumped to the occasion and did the photoshoot. It was such a cool and funny experience that I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life. 

This morning we had class with Dr. Cruise. We met at the Annex and walked to our lecture spot. It was a park that overlooked the city outside of the medieval wall. It was stunning. We reflected on our first day and the first day of the camp. We then continued our walk to a cemetery. Dr. Cruise asked us to take 15 minutes and walk around and make a few notes. The cemetery was very peaceful and had numerous sections. There was a tower specifically for people who were in the military. Something that I noticed was that each grave had a light with a glass casing that looked like a flame. This was supposed to symbolize eternity and the everlasting flame of life. Most of the graves were small squares with one or more names on them. With the importance of the family being prominent in Italian culture, some families were buried together. On the lower level, there were more traditional graves with headstones. It was a very humble experience. It made me think of my family back home and how I haven’t visited my loved ones who have died in a very long time. After the cemetery, we went and grabbed lunch at Pia Dina. 

After lunch we went back to the Rooney Family Center to work at the camp. We played games with them outside and learned more about the kids. For free time, we went inside and spent some time in the Great Room. I played some popular songs on the piano for them to sing. There was one kid who could play the guitar so well. We sat around him and sang until it was time to leave for the park. I could tell that the kids were a lot more comfortable around us today. We then went to the park to play capture the flag. Italy vs USA. After that, the kids were picked up by their parents. 

That afternoon we learned how to make pasta from our new friend Lucio. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. My friend Patrick was having some difficulty with the pasta, but eventually he got the hang of it. All of this still feels like a dream. I hope it stays that way.

Today is the big day! With the first day of camp upon us, I am beyond excited to meet the kids. I am in Boomer group, so I had the morning shift for the first day. Around 8, the kids slowly showed up and were welcomed into the Rooney Family Center. We started to play games, like volleyball, while the rest of the kids showed up. I got hit in the head twice with the volleyball. The kids were shy at first, but they slowly opened up as the day went on. After check-in, we led a group of kids into the mesa to make edible arrangements. One of the kids began teaching me the name of the fruits in Italian. I was surprised that they trusted the kids to have knives to cut the fruit. The kids were so mature for their age. They seemed very composed for 10 to 15 year-old kids. After activities was break time in the Great Room. The kids were extremely talented. I met this girl named Ella who was a genius at the piano. We played the piano together until it was time for Boomer group to go have lecture with Dr. Duclaux. This first day made me very excited for the rest of the week.

After the camp, Kirk gave us a tour of two churches that had historical significance in Arezzo. We learned that Arezzo was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and the first Christian city outside of Rome. We also learned about Gothic and Romanesque art styles. It was truly fascinating to learn about art in this organic setting. As we continued through Arezzo, we made it to the Piazza Grande and learned about Giorgio Vasari, the first modern art historian. I was blown away by Kirk’s lecture. His passion shines through all the facts about the art. I can’t wait to learn more from him.

I can’t believe I am here. This morning I sat in bed and stared out the window of my hotel room in awe of the city’s beauty. It felt like I was in a dream. Today was full of firsts. We had a tour of the Rooney Family Center, which is a super old monastery that has been renovated into this beautiful campus that you could never get tired of staring at. My favorite part of the RFC was the tower that hovered over the city. It gave a grand panoramic view of Arezzo. We then went downstairs to go through camp orientation and have our first lecture with Dr. Cruise. Over the next week, PCS is aiding OU Arezzo in their summer camp for kids from the Arezzo community. I cannot wait to meet them tomorrow. 

In Dr. Cruise’s lecture, we discussed the difference between service learning and community engagement and how these relate to our camp. Service learning uses community service with specific learning objectives to meet social needs. However, while our kids camp has some similarities to service learning, that is not our goal. Service learning implies that we are giving back. Community engagement is a more suitable term for what our kids camp is about. As PCS, we are engaging in a dialogue with the Arezzo community through this camp. Through this dialogue, we learn from one another. By doing this, we can give the kids an environment to practice their English and give them the confidence they need to be global citizens. To prepare for camp, I am going to get a good night of rest. This will help me be fully present at the camp and go in with a clear and calm mindset. 

As I begin my two-week trip to Italy, I wonder what it will be like. For a person who has never traveled to another country, my knowledge of life is very limited in a global sense.  When I arrive in Italy, I don’t think a lot will be different. Everyday life in Italy will probably be almost the same as in the United States, but just with slight differences. My first expectations for this trip to Italy were basic: make great memories, see pretty cool stuff, and eat amazing food. Also, I hope to develop a broader idea of how life is lived in this world and understand what it means to be a global citizen. I hope most of all to learn more about myself during this trip. Through working at the camp, traveling through Italy, and experiencing Italian life, I hope to find a little more of myself. 

As I continue to reflect on how this trip will be, a few worries emerge. I worry that the language barrier might be too much to continue certain conversations. Therefore, I plan to challenge myself to be able to have basic conversation in Italian by the end of the first week.