My RomeMUN adventure

 My RomeMUN adventure

4 DAYS TO REMEMBER

by Emiliana Russo

From the 13^th to the 17^th of March 2014 I participated in RomeMUN, a simulation of the work of the United Nations bodies that took place in the Eternal City. In this event, I played the role of an Al-Jazeera journalist and worked with a fantastic team, sharing ideas and many interesting discussions. To show you how I got to grips with the world of RomeMUN and what I did there, I will narrate my experience. From its very beginning.

Applying for RomeMUN

On an unusually sunny day in November I met some students outside Sapienza University handing out leaflets about RomeMUN 2014 and decided to ask for more information. That was the starting point of my adventure.

One of the students told me that it was possible to take part in this fee-paying event as a delegate, translator or journalist, but that first I had to take an online English test to prove that my language skills were suitable for participating in the event. She explained that it was necessary to know English well, because it would be used throughout the simulation. I was also told that if I passed the test with flying colours, I would be able to apply for one of the 150 scholarships enabling free participation.

A few days later, I passed the language test with a good grade. I then wrote a motivational letter and send it by email to the association dealing with the event, Giovani nel mondo, to apply for the scholarship. I did not really believe that I had a chance to get one of these grants, but I decided to give it a try anyway. As we say in Italian, “la speranza è l’ultima a morire” (lit. hope is the last thing to die).

A month later, some days before Christmas, I received an unexpected present: an email from the Giovani nel Mondo  association informing me that I was one of the winners of the 150 scholarships. The moment when I read the email was one of real satisfaction and enthusiasm. From that point I really started looking forward to participating in RomeMUN!

Getting ready for the adventure!

In January I contacted some of the RomeMUN organizers. They told me that I could participate in the event as a journalist, as I had asked, and that I would be on the Al-Jazeera team. That meant that I would deal with FAO work at the simulation. I also received some documents which gave me detailed information on RomeMUN and my role there.

In February I met online the people I was to write an article with before the simulation: Ina, Letizia and Eloisa. We quickly established a friendly relationship. While studying for our exams and discussing our expectations for RomeMUN, we worked together on an article about ways of improving production in a sustainable way and through the spread of know-how. To produce a meaningful and well-structured text we spent time researching, analyzing newspapers articles and the Al-Jazeera style of reporting news. Not exactly easy work. On 1^st March our article was ready and we sent it to the RomeMUN organizers.

Time went by and some days before the big event I received an important email from Valentina, tutor of the Al-Jazeera group, announcing that I was to deal with shooting news flashes. Since I’m interested in cinema and in all kinds of images in motion, I was very excited about this. Now I was really ready to immerse myself in the RomeMUN world.

The RomeMUN experience

Day 1

Finally the big day came. On 13^th March I went to the FAO in Rome for the opening ceremony. Ina and I went inside together, full of expectations. There we met Valentina, Letizia, Eloisa and the other Al-Jazeera journalists and, while waiting for RomeMUN to begin, we all talked about our expectations for this event and our life goals. The opening ceremony was held in a huge room where every two years real FAO delegates gather to take decisions concerning worldwide agricultural production.

In this huge blue-seated room with technology transmitting the translation of the opening speeches, we listened to the inspiring words of people such as Stefano Baldi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Envoy for Youth. In English, of course. I felt lucky to be able to listen to what these outstanding people said, and gratified by the fact that they appeared to believe in us, the younger generation, and in our ability to make the world a better place. Now it was up to us, the young people, to start believing in our powers…

Day 2

On the 2^nd day I met up with the other journalists at the Luiss University in Rome and together we shot the first video to be published on the Facebook page of RomeMUN press. The journalists of my group and those of the other networks then attended a workshop, where the importance of protecting and evaluating sources was discussed. After that, I went with Francesco, another Al-Jazeera journalist, and Eloisa to the room where the FAO delegates gathered.

I was astonished at the professionalism of the young delegates, who spoke as if they really were the representatives of the countries they stood for. They defended the ideas and the principles of the countries they represented as if they were their own.

Later, while sitting around a long table, I and the other Al-Jazeera journalists started getting to know each other better, planning special interviews and formulating questions for the delegates. By the end of the day we had become a group, the Al-Jazeera group.

Day 3

16^th March was the busiest day for me and the other Al-Jazeera journalists. We worked in different task groups, but always kept in touch. Eloisa, Francesco, Ina, Alessia and I went back and forth to interview some of the most active delegates and the Chair of FAO, a 20-year-old studying Communications. We also shot videos for our Facebook page and for the reportage which was to be shown on the last day of the simulation. Along with some translators, we also revised the article written by some of the Al-Jazeera group for the RomeMUN gazette.

The third day of the simulation was not entirely rosy, owing to a small disappointment that the Al-Jazeera group had to face: some of the delegates refused to be interviewed. This led me to reflect on the attitude of politicians who refuse to answer journalists’ questions, political questions. Why do they act this way? They are representatives, and it is their task to inform those they represent, through the mass-media, about what is happening in the political world. Politics concerns society and, as a consequence, everyone, so people have the right to know what is happening among politicians. But to go back to RomeMUN…

At the end of the day, the Al-Jazeera journalists were paid an unexpected compliment by a FAO delegate: “Al-Jazeera is great, I really like it!”. That was a small moment of unexpected joy.

Day 4

On the last day of the simulation, everyone gathered at Eataly, a shopping centre, on the occasion of the closing ceremony. Before joining in, Eloisa and I chose the final images for the Al-Jazeera reportage. As there were about one thousand people participating in RomeMUN, we were divided into groups. I and the other Al-Jazeera journalists took part in the ceremony for journalists, translators and delegates of ITU  and International Court of Justice. During the ceremony, the four best journalists received an award, which was won also by Al-Jazeera member Alessandro. All the Al-Jazeera journalists were overjoyed about his victory, because Alessandro was one of us as well as a bright and aspiring young journalist.

At the end of our ceremony, we learned that the FAO delegates were to have their closing ceremony in that same room, so we stayed on to take part. Here too awards were made to the best FAO delegates. We applauded and cheered along with them, and continued being journalists by holding interviews with the winners.

Then came the moment when we Al-Jazeera journalists had to say goodbye. We were sad but also satisfied, because we were aware that we had lived the RomeMUN experience in full. Until its very end.

To sum up, the RomeMUN was an enjoyable and instructive experience, which enabled me to learn a lot about the United Nations, to practice my English and to meet interesting people. And, last but not least, it enabled me to express myself and my ideas.

The RomeMUN was a brief but intense experience of value.

An Elixir For Existence

An Elixir For Existence

A tale by Giulio Valeri

 

At the back of the room, a gold lamp on a marble table drew the attention of our traveler. He moved closer to the object, then stopped. It felt like the man and the lamp were studying each other with the crackling of the flames that lit up the room like a witness of a challenge to come.

He placed the firebrand on the floor and he took the lamp in his hands. After a few strokes, white smoke began coming out of the object, shaping a vague human figure.

“So the legends were true.”

“So it seems, my friend. As you probably know, you can have three wishes fulfilled.”

“Weird thing…”

“What?”

“The thing is… I do not really know what to wish. To be honest, I do not even think I have wishes to fulfill.”

“I do not understand. Every man has wishes to fulfill.”

“You are probably right. But the thing is they will never be satisfied. They will always be asking for something new, after they have fulfilled their goals.”

“Yes, but this keeps them in motion. I would dare to say it is one of the things that keeps the world in motion. It is such a perfect balance that cannot be broken.”

“True.”

“So why did you come here, if you do not have anything to ask?”

“Just for the pleasure to keep myself in motion as a man, I think.”

“Oh, I see. The thrill of the great unknown, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“So you are not that different from other men.”

“Probably not.”

“No, of course you are not. However you seem to be way smarter than your fellow men.”

“…and this is a thing you do not like?”

“I did not say that. But this leads to complications.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am here for a purpose, and it is my job to fulfill at least one of your wishes. You told me you do not know what to ask for, but you have to come up with something.”

“…otherwise?”

“Otherwise we will break one of the rules that keeps things in motion.”

“I see. Do I really have to?”

“It is up to you.”

“Okay. Just let me think about it for a moment.”

“You make me laugh. I am offering you something men could kill for and you said you have to think about it for a moment. As far as I am concerned there is no rush to make such a decision. Just take your time.”

“Thank you. However, before I ask you to fulfill my wish, there is a question hammering inside my head.”

“What question?”

“Do djinns[1] have wishes too or is their existence bound to what can be called their job. I mean, do they exist just to fulfill wishes others have?”

“Do not break the balance that keeps things in motion and in order.”

“I apologize, but you too make me laugh.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we are just having a conversation. A conversation full of questions and answers. I asked you questions, you asked me questions. I answered your questions, you answered my questions.”

“…and?”

“Do not you see? If you answer my questions, you are fulfilling several wishes I have, because a question that needs an answer, is a wish. The answer is the clear example of a fulfilled wish, because everyone who asks a question wishes to know the answer. Do not get me wrong! I am not talking about difficult questions like the one I asked you before (you answered anyway however), but I am referring to every-day conversations. Even I, by answering your questions, fulfilled your need to know the answer, your wish to know the answer. That is how language works. This makes me some kind of a human djinn, right?”

“I do not see the point of all of this. This is just what can be called semantics.”

“Indeed. But I would really like to hear your opinion about this issue. Is it something that keeps things in order or is it something that keeps things in motion? I am just asking once again, since you referred before to motion and order as two similar things or concepts or whatever.”

“Do you really want to know what I think about all of this, my friend?”

“Yes, please.”

“Good. The thing is I am really sick of answering your questions based on something imperfect as the human language which leads only to confusion. So, just ask me for a proper wish and I will be very happy to fulfill it.”

“What if I ask you as my only wish to fulfill infinite wishes?”

“Semantics again. Language as the king of turmoil! I am really losing my patience. Just ask me for the wish.”

“Fine!”

“What do you want?”

“Time…”

“What do you mean?”

“ Do not get me wrong. I do not want to become immortal. I would like to have the power to manipulate time. Go back and forth, stop it whenever I want. I will be always mortal, but when I travel in time to the past for example, I would become younger. I mean, if I decide to go back 4 years, I would be 29, since now I am 33. If I decide to go back 50 years I would die, because 50 years ago I did not exist. I would also like to be able to go back to the present whenever I want, but I do not want to know my future at all. I am not interested in that. I also promise you I will not go back to the point I met you in order to ask proper wishes I did not ask you a couple of minutes ago. I even promise not to stop my time in the past, in order to go back to the present younger than before. Do we have a deal?”

“Interesting. The power of manipulating time in a limited, yet wise way… nobody has asked me this before. Yes, this could be easily arranged.”

“Well, if you have the power to fulfill this wish, you will grant me what can be called an elixir for existence.”

“Yes! An elixir for existence that could give you the power to change things and all the mistakes you have made in your life. This is what can be defined partial immortality.”

“Exactly, but you are making me laugh again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you sure what I asked for will keep things in motion and in balance? I mean, I asked for only one wish, but I was smart enough to include multiple wishes in only one request!”

“Enough! Semantics again! I am tired of you. I like the rules you set for the wish and I am ready to fulfill what you asked for! Be prepared!”

“I am!”

And so it was. The wish of our character was fulfilled. He travelled a lot to the past to fix things he did not like in his life and he never abused his power. To tell the whole truth, when he fixed all the events he wanted, he got tired of that power and he stopped using it.

Time went by, and on his deathbed, he received an interesting visit from an old friend…

“Do you still recognize an old friend of yours?”

“…oh, you. Of course I do.”

“How are you?”

“What do you think? You are now talking with an 80-year-old man on his deathbed.”

“You are right.”

“I apologize. Aging makes men more irritable.”

“Yes. But you still have the power to go back if you wish.”

“Wishes again? No, I do not. I fixed everything I wanted in my life and there is really no need to go back once again. I could describe myself as a satisfied men and that is enough. Most of my fellow men will probably die full of regrets, whereas I did everything I could in my life. The only thing I really wish now is to die in peace.”

“Fair enough.”

“Why are you here?”

“I always pay a visit to the men I helped.”

“Only when they are on their deathbed?”

“Most of the time.”

“Can I ask why?”

“You are smart enough to know the answer.”

“Of course I am. You pay a visit to the men you helped in order to see if they get to the end satisfied or not.”

“Right.”

“Do you want to know the real answer?”

“You already told me you could describe yourself as a satisfied man.”

“I lied. I have only one regret.”

“Which one?”

“I understood too late what I should have understood better before…”

“Tell me…”

“When I met you, I teased you a lot with the whole thing about wishes…I was trying to play the part of the smart guy, but only now everything is clearer.”

“Yes, I remember. But you are still too cryptic.”

“Well, it is humankind itself. We think we always want something more, when all the power we dream and wish about is already inside all of us. I thought I did not want anything, but then you tricked me, you pressed me by asking at all costs for a wish I had, you fulfilled it, and now I have to die with the regret of not having understood such a basic thing.”

“I can assure you it is not so easy.”

“What if I come back now? What if I had not met you at all?”

“I am sorry, but now it is really too late.”

“You, trickster! I should have imagined it!”

“Hush! However you are right. Men already have everything they need inside them. They do not need any elixir for their existence. Their power is incredible, but it does have one limit…”

“…and that limit is what I tried to erase with my wish.”

“Exactly. The only limit you have is to make actions and decisions at the right time. After multiple failures some men learn from their mistakes and overcome this obstacle.”

“True, but this is not easy at all. Some others never learn.”

“Correct. That is why I am here to tell you that your request has been the smartest I have had for centuries. Do not judge yourself too hard. You lived a dream life and you have understood what most men will never have the chance to understand in their entire life. This should make you a proud and satisfied man. What you call regret is meaningless in comparison to regrets other men have.”

“If you say so…”

“Believe me.”

“I feel the end approaching. Before it is too late, I would like to thank you for what you did for me.”

“Thank you too. I learned a lot from you.”

“The same can be said for me. So I guess this is the end…”

“Farewell, my friend.”

The djinn vanished in a fog of smoke, leaving our traveler to his end. The latter smiled and closed his eyes. Then he died.

 

[1] The jinn (also djinn or genies, Arabic: الجن al-jinn, singular الجني al-jinnī) are supernatural creatures in Islamic and Arabic folklore(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinn).

Sea and myth on the Rome-Naples route. Third and final stop-over: Gaeta

Sea and myth on the Rome-Naples route. Third and final stop-over: Gaeta

By Donatella Acquaviva

 

And lastly, let’s explore Gaeta, where – according to the myth – Ulysses had the misfortune of coming across the Laestrygonians.

Parallel to the seafront, there is a wide variety of shops, restaurants and pubs for every need, taste, and wallets.

At the Antico Vico restaurant, the food is well cooked and pleasantly presented food, while La Taverna del Marinaio has inexpensive but delicious dishes.

Then delve into Medieval Gaeta at the end of the promontory, topped by the Castello Angioino Aragonese, which was built in the 6^th century.

Walking along the port in the evening is a delight, and the yachts in the bay create a very picturesque effect – a prime sight, especially for those seeking unbridled romantic ambiance. The ice cream at the nearby Gelateria Al Molo is also delightful!

Before you leave this charming place, be sure to buy some local produce, especially the olives and the Tiella – two layers of dough filled with seafood or vegetables.

The Hotel Le Rocce seems like a nice relaxing place to stay too, nestled as it is in a secluded inlet and surrounded by lush vegetation. Or try Il Vecchio e il Mare Bed & Breakfast, located near the historic centre.

I’m pretty sure your memories of these enchanting places between Rome and Naples will remain in your mind for a long time, brining a smile whenever they resurface.

 

…the end

If you have already been to Terracina, Sperlonga or Gaeta – I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Sea and myth on the Rome-Naples route. Second stop-over: Sperlonga

Sea and myth on the Rome-Naples route. Second stop-over: Sperlonga

By Donatella Acquaviva

 

Another must-do is the walk along the unpaved stretch of the old Via Flacca – few people know about this. You could park yourself on a bench, sip a drink while listening to some suitably chilled music and just gaze vacantly at the wondrous spectacle that confronts you, for hours on end. The archaeological site and the sea lie below, but go there only from November to March because in the hotter weather you may come across snakes.

From here you can go down to the East beach, sheltered by the cliff. Thanks to its gorgeously clean sand and water, the village has been awarded a Blue Flag certification for sixteen consecutive years and is a popular tourist destination during summer. Pick your spot and enjoy the finest beaches it offers. Walking along the beach towards the west you will see the 16^th century Torre Truglia, the recently enlarged harbor and the West beach.

You could also take a day-cruise and drift serenely towards the caves. For 25 Euros, I had a sailor-guide to the most magnificent sights, but they are also accessible by kayak, which can be rented at one of the establishments along the beach for a mere 5 Euros per hour.

The old town on the clifftop looks very picturesque, with its narrow streets and white-painted houses. From the Belvedere viewing point, the view over the bay is magnificent. There is also a wide variety of restaurants suited to every taste (and pocket).

Take the Ricciola Saracena for instance, with its fine wines and local seafood and vegetable dishes (12 and 10 Euros respectively), or Gli Archi, with its multitude of flavours and textures.

On Sundays along the beachfront – the new centre of the city – a large number of tourists flock to eat ice creams or dine at excellent restaurants, such as Da Rocco Laocoonte. If you do eat here, try their sbriciolata – a crumbled puff pastry filled with Chantilly cream and chocolate drops – it is a feast of the palate and the senses.

Many young people stay at the youth hostel, Marina degli Ulivi, which is very close to the sea. Those wishing to be surrounded by nature as well as close to both the museum and the sea might wish to stay at the hotel Grotta di Tiberio, where early morning provides wonderful photography opportunities: with a clear sky and calm waters, you will capture the beautiful turquoise of the sea and the Pontine islands in the distance.

to be continued…

Georgia on my mind – Sorry Ray, I mean the other place

Georgia on my mind – Sorry Ray, I mean the other place

by Romeo Ierone 

On 3 April I went to Georgia. The main reason was an intercultural exchange, organized by a Georgian NGO (Kutaisi pantomime youth theatre “Duemi”) in collaboration with the EU.

During my stay, I saw some interesting places. I’d like to share my impressions of them. As far as the exchange itself is concerned, my advice is: participate if you can! I read about the Georgia project here and applied as soon as I saw the announcement.

Ready to go!

Right before my departure, the whole trip seemed like a fairytale. It was to be my first time far from the Europe I knew in an unknown country with an unfamiliar culture. Well, maybe not exactly unknown since it’s considered one of the places where European people come from, as a couple of skulls showed us some years ago (bbc’s article). In any case I was really excited, because I didn’t know what to expect. This is why I decided to write a travel journal. Here are a few extracts from it.

Day 1, April 3 – It’s a sunny day in Rome.

At the airport I wait at the luggage drop desk, convinced that sooner or later somebody is going to tell me that for some reason I can’t leave and must go back home. I don’t know why but my trip seems unbelievable to me, as though something isn’t quite right.

What a strange place this airport terminal. Here people meet and wave goodbye and I can read entire lives in their faces.

The wait is long. To find a more comfortable place, I try to sneak inside a lounge, just to have a comfortable place to read, on one of those large sofas.

I’m in luck. After few minutes here I am, inside the hall reserved for children, stuck between Winnie and Mickey. Unfortunately, my joy doesn’t last long, because one of the airport staff spots me and with an unfriendly look invites me to abandon my comfort.

But everything goes fine and after going through security I start my long walk to the gate.

I’m in the area for international flights, and for the first time I see all the notices written in Chinese too.

I arrive at my gate and notice a huge diversity in faces and languages. The only exception are the Italian exchange students I met during the long wait. After some more minutes the passengers start to embark and suddenly Italy has completely gone. It’s 9 o’clock in the evening.

The flight lasts 4 hours plus 2 due to the time zone, so at almost 4pm Georgian time, I’m at Tbilisi airport. The trip goes well and I almost start to believe that it’s done and there’s nothing to be worry about. Not anymore.

At Tbilisi airport, the Georgian authorities won’t allow entry into Georgia since I don’t have a passport. Time seems to stop and I start to perceive my stay as if I were a second Tom Hanks especially since using English is not possible.

I’m shocked also because according to the municipality where I live, the internet and Alitalia had all assured me that my Italian ID would be enough.

Luckily for me, my fellow Italian students manage to convince the Georgian policemen I have no interest in bombing buildings or drug dealing, and so I overcome the last hurdle. Our destination now is the minibus which is to take us to Kobuleti, a village 7 hours away on the Black Sea.

The most surprising thing outside the airport is the cold: a frozen wind blasts, making my bones shiver.

On the minibus. I see Tbilisi and at the same time a recurring feature of this country: abandonment and ruins. In Georgia many houses and buildings of all kinds are deserted, like sunken boats in the ocean. You can see this especially outside the city, in the countryside. My Georgian friends tell me that people left to go to the capital because it was the only chance to earn a decent living. It seems to me that this is also the legacy of the Russian regime, which ended less than 20 years ago.

As I leave Tbilisi behind, the landscape changes. Here is the original face of Georgia: the mountains. Georgian culture is to a great extent closely linked to them, the Caucasus Mountains. They shaped the lives of many Georgians living in the area. For example, in winter time, people who live in the many villages scattered throughout the valleys and slopes can barely leave their homes. I wonder what life will be like in places like Svaneti Svaneti…

In Georgia you won’t find many people who can speak English, even among young people. On the other hand, and pretty logically, if you know Russian there’s no problem communicating. It is fascinating to hear all these new sounds and words and discover a whole new system of writing.

During the long trip in the cold minibus I can’t sleep, so I try talking with our driver. Of course he doesn’t speak any English but his Russian is fluent and he also knows some German. I do speak a little German and through studying Czech I can find some common Slavonic words which make sense for both of us. Five minutes of this pidgin communication and here we are smiling, laughing and talking about football (he’s a Juventus fan like me! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Juventus/528713460508794?fref=ts). During our conversation I get to know him better: his name’s Gela, he’s married, 2 daughters and he has always worked as a driver. He also tells me about places to see, what to eat and teaches me some Georgian words.

On the way to Kobuleti I can’t help but noticetwo other things: the first is the freedom the cows have: you might even find a cow chewing grass on your doorstep! The second is the Georgian driving style. This one is very easy to explain: all the roads in Georgia are like one long single F1 track, filled with Ferraris, MacLarens and Red Bulls disguised as minibuses, taxis and jalopies. A fabulous ride, especially when a few meters in front, another car appears, racing towards you. Funny things that make Californian bikers seem like puppies.

 

Day 2, April 4

Dawn, and it’s time for breakfast. I don’t know how to describe this place – it’s a kind of tavern. The breakfast is more like lunch, with salads, mushrooms, potatoes etc. Here I discover the importance of cheese in Georgian cuisine. It’s fundamental for their khachapuri. This is basically pot-shaped bread filled with cheese and an egg on top. It’s the best known food and the easiest to find.

Finally, after 3-4 more hours we arrive at Kobuleti. The hotel is right on the Black sea.

Kobuleti is very easy to describe: a street with some little houses on each side. Very minimalist. I imagine it as one of those western towns, with a large ball of dust rolling along the road.

Day 8, April 10 – Trip to Batumi

On the way to Batumi. This is the capital of Ajara region in the south west of the country, close to the Turkish border. The Black Sea makes it an important summer tourist destination.

The city looks like a mini Abu Dhabi with attractive skyscrapers and other futuristic buildings. It’s s popular summer destination and so now, still winter, it is less well prepared for tourists. I’m any case, the seaside is just a mask, because the city itself is quite humble. Wealth clearly belongs to the few.

Day 10, April 12

I still have a couple of days left so I can go back to Tbilisi and explore it. Once again, 7 hours on the minibus, and never a dull moment with Formula Georgia.

Rustaveli Avenue. The main artery of the capital. Like the rest of the country, this street gives me the impression that is constantly under construction. And like Batumi, Rustaveli Avenue has its rich and wealthy face and a majority of modest homes. It looks attractive, with many shops, restaurants and cafés but it is also shockingly full of beggars of all sorts: young girls and boys, old ladies and so on. If you’re in Tbilisi you’ll often be asked for money. Then there are the taxi drivers, lots of them, always ready to give you a lift.

The many young people in the streets make the city very lively, especially at night.

Day 11, April 13

I am in Tbilisi. I wander around the city, across the Bridge of Peace and up to the Castle. From here the view is breathtaking. The capital lies beneath my feet, its lights glittering like precious stones. Getting up here by nightfall turns out to be perfect timing. By daylight, the botanical garden is definitely worth a visit.

I really want to see the recently-built Sameba Cathedral. It seems to be right in the middle of one of the poorest neighbourhoods, with small houses surrounding the site of the Cathedral. The architecture looks very oriental: tall, white, very curvy.

Keep up your blood sugar level with a Churchkhela- a sweet made of nuts and flour. But there are so many varieties…

Speaking of churches, one of the most important aspects of Georgian culture is religiousness. The influence of orthodox Christianity on most people’s lives is very strong.

I see this clearly in my role as witness at the local Palm Sunday ceremony, the Sunday before Easter. Many adults and children can be seen outside the churches holding small branches in their hands, and many elderly women selling plants at church entrances. I wouldn’t know if this is only due to today’s event or not.

In the churches and monasteries, appropriate clothing and behaviour is required. You may even find baskets at church entrances with veils and blankets for tourists, who don’t always dress suitably for religious places. The black dresses of the older women and the bands on their heads are a clear sign of a very traditional culture.

Day 12, April 14

I have already seen most of Tbilisi, so I am thinking about taking a look at its surroundings. I decide on Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia and its monastery, whichis only 15 minutes away by car.

I take the metro, heading to the bus station. But…as I emerge from the station chaos overwhelms me. It’s the market.

This is the place most different from everything I’m used to seeing. Here I realize for the first time the enormous cultural difference. I feel like I’ve just jumped on the other bank of the river and there is a complete new environment in front of me. To my mind it looks like a market in Tunisi, Marrakech, Istanbul. It’s just an ordinary square, not even very big, but it’s full of stands selling all kinds of goods. They’re even better stocked than our shopping centres. The sellers look at me and invite me to buy their wares, linguistic barriers do not exist. Personally I adore this tradition of the market, especially the stands with the spices and coffees. An orgasm for your nose.

Alongside the pavement, an army of minibuses and taxis fill every centimetre. Drivers come to me one by one inviting me to travel with them. In this confusion I can’t find the bus I need and so I go for a taxi, especially since one of the drivers speaks English, what a relief! Price of the taxi? 30 GEL (around €12) to take me to Mtzkheta, a lift to Jvari, an old monastery on the hills, and back. Vladimir, the driver, is from Tbilisi and he’s a former university professor of Russian language and History. He didn’t lose his job, simply he was forced to leave because his salary wasn’t enough to maintain his family. He became a taxi driver, a job that potentially might fulfill his needs.

Back in the centre I walk around, looking at the city, at the people of this place. Maybe I feel little closer to them now. I know it’s going to sound very trivial and ordinary, but… I feel richer. Every trip changes your perception of people, objects and life.

1.30 AM. Time to go. The next dawn will be in Rome. Nakhvamdis Georgia.

PS: If anyone reading this article is Georgian, I’d be very interested to hear his or her opinion!

The challenge of our generation

The challenge of our generation
Two interviews by Giada Benesperi

“With cities, it is as with dreams. Everything imaginable can be dreamed, but even the most unexpected dream is a rebus that conceals a desire, or its reverse, a fear. Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears.” (Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities).

Moving abroad. The dream of many University students. Both a dream and a fear. Why a fear? Going abroad means leaving your family, your native country, your friends, your world. It is a brave choice. It is not for everyone.

I interviewed two friends of mine about their decision to study and work abroad. I think their answers may be very useful for those wanting to leave their native country. It is organized here as a double interview, one question a time with each person’s answers. I hope some of you will find them helpful.

A big thank to Eleonora and Daniela for helping out.

Question 4.

What is it like living so far from the village you come from?
Eleonora: I lived 27 years of my life in a small town near Florence. I attended school there, and even while attending university, I was still commuting, so I had never experienced living on my own, having to deal with housekeeping, utilities, bills etc. Moving to a different city and above all to a different country is really challenging. Here there are people from all over the world. I had never had a foreign colleague before. It’s nice because I can learn a lot just by talking with my colleagues.

Daniela: The hardest part of being abroad is being far from your family/friends. In my case, it is like I went abroad twice because, after 5 years, Ireland was a second home to me. Moving away from Ireland broke my heart, as did moving away from Montecatini many years ago. I had to leave family and friends behind and this is never easy. While in Ireland I got married – my husband is French, by the way, so hurray to multiculturalism! – and my husband followed me to the UK, which made things a bit easier.

Translating Scott Fitzgerald

Translating Scott Fitzgerald
By Irene Lufrano

If you have ever translated you will know how difficult it is to pay attention to all aspects of both languages while trying to understand what the author is saying to readers.

For my undergraduate thesis, I translated some short stories by Francis Scott Fitzgerald that had never been translated into Italian before. I already knew this author and something about his social and cultural context, but I realized it was also important to consider his writing style.

Scott Fitzgerald wrote about the US in the roaring twenties, a time of industrial expansion, as well as prohibition and the Great Depression. The challenge I faced was to recreate the atmosphere he described but also to depict the characters and the spirit of their dialogues accurately.

Here are some examples of the kinds of linguistic problems I came across.

In The Popular Girl, the main character is uncertain: “To marry for sentiment or for comfort”. According to my bilingual dictionary, WordReference, comfort in Italian is agio or comodità. But sposarsi per comodità or sposarsi per agio doesn’t make sense in Italian. In this case I had to pay attention to the whole expression, and so I said: Sposarsi per amore o per interesse.

Fitzgerald often uses alliteration, with groups of adjectives beginning with the same sound. Wherever possible I tried to reproduce this, although at times the translation seemed awkward. Sometimes I reduced the number of words, using a strategy of adaptation to recompose the author’s idea in Italian.

Here is an example:

“She and Scott would become the very auguries of the season, shifting with the slightest stirring of the social barometer from rusticity to urbanity, from palm to pine”.

In this specific case, I preferred to do a literal translation, in order to maintain the repetition of the same sound in the sentence. So I translated it as:

“Lei e Scott sarebbero diventati gli auspici di ogni stagione, spostandosi alla minima oscillazione del barometro sociale dalla campagna alla città, dalle palme ai pini”.

Translators must often choose between literal meaning and the rhythm of the words. In one story, for example, one of the characters sings the refrain of a song with a rhyming couplet: “Ridin’ on a rail / As when he’s out-to-jail”.

In Scott Fitzgerald’s text, rail and jail have the same sound, but the literal Italian equivalents do not! In this case, I decided to play with the words and their meaning, translating them as: Sul treno che viaggia e va / Quando dalla galera se ne va.

This back-translation might help non-Italian speakers to understand what I did here:
On the train which travels and goes / When the jail he leaves.

In other words, I completely changed the order of the sentences, also choosing the Italian noun treno (train) for the English word rail. Moreover, I translated the verb ridin’ with two Italian verbs, to obtain the same idea of movement.

Translation is no easy matter! Translators certainly need to be enthusiastic about their work and know their languages well, but they also need to be prepared to play with language. It is by mixing all these elements that they succeed in their task.

Excuse me, what time does the train leave?

Excuse me, what time does the train leave?
By Federica Ludovici

Do all students everywhere face the same problems?

After talking to some students who have lived outside of Italy for a time, I noticed some real differences in everyday life, especially as regards travelling to and from university. Here are the comments of some of the students in my English language course, who have lived in places such as Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), Oslo (Norway), Athens (Greece) and Shiraz (Iran).

Romeo’s experience: Romeo told me that in Prague, which is bigger than Brno, the dorms are on the outskirts of town, which means that students must frequently take 30-minute tram journeys. In Brno, on the other hand, students do not have this problem. Even when they live outside the city centre, they are usually only 5-10 minutes’ walk away, and generally live in dorms or rent a private room or share a flat with other students.

Giulio’s experience: Giulio said that he had lived in Oslo for a while, in a university flat. This kind of accommodation is in the city itself, not far from the University, so when he had to travel he used the underground, which was very efficient. It took 10 minutes to get to his University, and 20 minutes to the city centre.

Mavra’s experience: Mavra told me that she attended a course in Greek as a foreign language at Kapodistriaca University, in Athens. She lived with her aunt and uncle for the entire period, but she said that other students lived in the hall of residence, near the University (5 minutes on foot).

Ali’s experience: Ali is from Shiraz and he told me that his University was called (literal translation) Education Over Distance: many lessons were taken at other public universities. They did not have a hall of residence but they had a very large campus and the other universities had an accommodation service. There were students who travelled from nearby towns to the University, usually by bus or taxi. It took him one and a half hours to travel to University and the same to get home, because the University was in the North and so quite far away.

Obviously every country and every town has its own situation, but what about Italy? Here, the reality is that many university students continue to live at home with their parents. In the case of those who come from small villages far from the nearest university, the cost of renting a flat or room in the university town would simply be too expensive, and the number of rooms available in student halls of residence is very limited.

In addition, most students in Italy do not travel by car, but by train or bus, and they frequent have to deal with problems such as crowding.

Interview with Maria Maria’s situation is in many ways typical of the problem that a number of Sapienza students face on a daily basis. In the interview below, she gives us an idea of how some Italian students…study!

Hi Maria, tell me something about your daily commute. Where from? Where to? How long?

I’m from a small village in the province of Viterbo, in Lazio. Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct means of transport from my village to Rome, where I’m attending a postgraduate specialization course at Sapienza University, so I have to drive to the nearest train station, take the train and then the underground. It takes me an hour and a half to get to the University and the same time to get back home.

What are the bright and negative sides of being a commuter?

Being a commuter isn’t a piece of cake! The regional trains are sometimes crowded, in particular during rush hours, and it’s difficult to find a seat at times – unless a gentleman gives up his seat! Delays and occasional strikes make things even harder. However, using public transport might have its benefits too. For instance, in Italy and in this case in Lazio, if you are a university student you can save money by applying for the Melomerito, a travel pass managed by Regione Lazio. This is a special pass for people under 30, which gives reduced ticket prices. You can also take advantage of the time you spend on the train by reading a good book or a newspaper.

How do you usually pass the time while travelling?

When I’m waiting for the train or during the journey itself, I usually read my course books or something completely different, such as a newspaper or magazine. Sometimes I listen to my favourite playlist and just gaze at the landscape from the window, relaxing after a tiring day.

Does the daily commute cause you any problems regarding your studies?

Travelling takes up a lot of time and so you have to use your travel time to study. Usually I study on the train, but when I can’t, I try to study when I don’t have classes, even if I’m tired. In this way I can spend the weekend relaxing. The essential rule is to optimize your time!

Do you have any problems with train timetables?

Yes, sometimes. Actually, since the trains are infrequent, to arrive in time for a class I often have to take an early train or a later one so that I can stay till the end of a lesson. I have to organize my time well. But I can assure you that these hours, which may seem wasted, can be really useful.

I know you had an Erasmus experience in London: can you tell us about the differences between public transport in Rome and London?

I went to England, to a University in Egham, Surrey. Being near London, I went to the city often. The railway service was very efficient. Even when a train was cancelled, the next one came quite soon after. But in Italy, sometimes you have to wait ages for a bus or a train. The London underground is much better than the Rome one: 12 subways lines in London compared with just 2 in Rome! Commuters to London tend to use public transport instead of cars. In spite of this, commuting is common even though the city is crowded and full of tourists.

How does commuting affect your life?

Travelling daily is stressful because you are always under pressure. In some ways, your life depends on timetables and you have to stick to them if you want to get things done.

SRS thanks Maria for her time and her answers.

So it seems that university life is not the same all over the world because not all students have to commute in order to attend university classes and take exams. In Italy, many students commute because living near their university would be too expensive.

If you would like to tell us something about your experience as a student commuter, post a comment below and… Bon voyage!

Low-cost cinema

Low-cost cinema

Many Italian people think that it is quite expensive to go to the cinema, for that reason they watch films by streaming or downloading them. However, in many Italian cinemas in the period 8-15 May, it costs only 3 euros to see a film. So avoid breaking the law over next days and take part in a cinematic experience!

For more information on this Italian initiative take a look at this page:
Festa del Cinema

“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does,and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”
Ingmar Bergman

Sapienza students’ use of social networks

Sapienza students’ use of social networks
By Lucia De Stefano

Social networks are increasingly spreading among young people. Are these sites really essential nowadays? Let’s see what happens in the case of students at Sapienza University in Rome.

Last week I carried out a survey among my classmates. I asked them if they use social networks and I talked with them about their reasons for using them or not. Most claimed that these sites are a fantastic Internet service because they allow users to get in touch with people all over the world, at all times, at a low cost, and for various aims, such as leisure activities, studying, working, helping each other and exchanging all sorts of files quickly. Social media certainly make things quick and easy.

Very few of my peers told me that they have not signed up to any social network. They say they keep in touch with their friends and relatives in other ways, for example by emailing or phoning them. They claimed that these sites take up users’ precious time without them realizing. They also commented that it is difficult to keep personal information private on social networks since they are public spaces.

True enough, since once information is posted on the Internet, users lose control of those who have access to this information. Some of those against social networks added that they do not like this way of getting in touch with people because they prefer face-to-face communication. According to them, communication through social networks lacks spontaneity and does not convey emotions as face-to-face communication does. Besides, the nonverbal part of face-to-face communication, for instance the tone of voice and facial expressions, is replaced, but not in a completely successful way, by emoticons or capital letters and suchlike.

Some of those in favour of social networks said that users should keep a check on how much time they spend on them and pointed out claimed that people are free to decide what information about themselves they want to share with others. They added that people can choose who can see the posts that they share since it depends on their profile and privacy settings.

As for the most common social networks among my classmates, my survey clearly shows that Sapienza students use two types: some that attract diverse audiences, and others that are addressed to people who share the same interests or activities.

Facebook is the most used and belongs to the first category. Many students create groups on Facebook to exchange opinions, information, books and materials related to their university courses. As one of my interviewees said: ‘Often I find essential news related to my courses on these groups by chance’.

Mycrophone, created for music lovers, or Fubles, used to arrange the teams for five-a-side football matches, belong to the second category. They are used in an advantageous way because they allow people to save time when searching for participants and they make events easy to organize.

My poll also reveals that social networks can even have a beneficial effect since posting and sharing a feeling or thought makes people feel less lonely. This happens because social network users see that there is someone who is thinking of them or feels like them.

Nonetheless, it is important to keep the real and virtual worlds separate.

In my opinion, social networks are one of the advantages that current society offers its members, because they make it easy to get in touch with relatives or friends who live far away. They are clearly an efficient system for spreading or receiving news and make it possible to communicate much more easily and faster than in the past. For these reasons, I think that they are essential. And most of my peers seem to be of the same mind.

What about you? What is your relationship with the social networks? Share your opinion with us!