The Beginning of the End

It's been a little more than a week since my arrival back into the states and the beginning of the end approaches. I start my final paper today and with the conclusion of the paper comes the conclusion of my study abroad experience. The topic I've decided on for my final paper will be that of moneylending. I figured this would be an interesting topic seeing that it was so prevalent throughout Judaic history. I'll be making a trip down to college park Friday afternoon to use the library and other resources. Other than that I really have no updates right now. However, I will continue to update this blog as I begin my research into moneylending.

Back in the States

Upon my arrival back into the States yesterday I was greeted with open arms from all my family members. I was then grilled with 101 questions coming from all angles. While I'm usually not the type who enjoys entertaining tons of questions I thought it was the least I could do seeing that my family was the main factor that enabled me to study abroad. After the Q & A session was finished I decided to make a list of do's and don'ts covering everything that I experienced while abroad. This list will be very beneficial to all of those contemplating taking the same program next year. So here it is...



DO's
Indulge in Italy's cuisine. Italy truly knows how to prepare and use fresh ingredients. I can't say that I went to any restaurant and was displeased with my food.
See as much as the city you can. It's fine to just walk around aimlessly because Florence isn't that large of a city and with the location of the duomo its very hard to get completely lost.
Go out at night. Florence offers great night life with a large variety of night clubs/bars to choose from.
Make sure to visit all lof the historical structures each city has to offer. And while your there don't just be complacent that you came and saw. Actually read up on the structures because majority of the historical structures have interesting backgrounds to them.
Get mosquitoe repellent. I'd actually put that as the number one thing to remember. The bugs over there are relentless and they dislike Americans as much as some of the natives or so it seemed.
Brush up on the common phrases in italian. It will do alot for your experience and also show the italians that your not trying to push your language on them.
DON'Ts
Don't be complacent. You only have three weeks and I advise you to squeeze as much as you can into that time.
There is no room for arrogance while abroad in a country that isn't particularly fond of Americans. So be humble.
Do not tip. It's not necessary.
That's all I can think of for now BUT i'll be updating my blog while gathering things to write my final paper. So anymore advice that I can remember i'll throw up here.

Look Out For New Jersey!

Ask nearly any sports fan in New Jersey who the teams they root for are and you'll find a plethera of answers. A couple of examples would be:

"Oh, well I like the New York Giants and the New York Mets."

"I root for the New York Giants and the New Jersey Devils!"

"I'm a fan of the New York Yankees and the New York Jets."

With New Jersey bordering the more distinguished and cleaner states of New York and Pennsylvania, it is easy for a New Jersean to be confused about his/her identity. However, as history has shown, one who suffers with a confusion of identity can be sure to make irrational decisions. This irrational decision making cannot be portrayed any clearer than in the city of Trent located on the northeast border of Italy. Back in the late 15th century, one of the most notorious Blood Libel cases occured in the confused city of Trent. For those who don't know, a Blood Libel was known to be a ritual murder which involved a group of Jews taking a Christian male baby, killing it, and then using its blood for a sacrificial ceremony. In the city of Trent, several Jews were brought to trial, and deemed guilty on charges of Blood Libel against a Christian toddler named Simon who was found murdered and crucified in the waters of Trent.

It should be pointed out that some time later the trial was proven to have no evidence against the Jews whatsoever, and the final decision pertaining to the case of Simon was completely irrational on all accounts. It should also be pointed out that nearly all Blood Libels popped up in bordering cities.

With all of this information it is clear that when a city, state, or any nation fights with their own identity, poor decision making is sure to follow. In the case of New Jerseans, don't think that because this tiny little state lacks identity they are going to be going out and convincting Jews of Blood Libel BUT beware of their sports knowledge. I can say from first hand experience that when I come in contact with those from New Jersey who try to talk sports they really have no idea what they are talking about. Now, knowing what I do about those in bordering lands, I will never blame New Jerseans for their confusion and poor decision making in the sports world. I will instead lead them towards the land of the Philadelphia Eagles, because when one comes in contact with the Philadelphia Eagles, his/her question of identity fades quickly. Thus, leading to rational decision making and a better atmosphere for all.

Study Abroad or Talmudic Academy

One of the things I look forward to most while over here in Florence is, suprisingly, the lectures that are held monday through thursday from 10-12. It's an honor to be taught by a professor who is so well researched in his field. Ok, now that the ass kissing is over I'll start into the main theme of this blog. The notion of studying abroad is not something new. There are records dated all the way back to the end of the 15th century that show students traveling abroad to learn. One of these records show a proposal written to establish a Talmudic Academy in Southern Italy. After reading over this proposal in class, a correlation was established between the study abroad we are enrolled in and the Talmudic Academy propsal of the 15th century. I thought it was an interesting topic so I figure a blog can be a good way to express my interest. Anyways, on to the correlations.

Before signing up for this study abroad program I read a pamphlet about it pretty much stating that they are looking for students who are interested in studying abroad and also interested in being educated in Jewish Studies. Now here's an excerpt from the Draft Proposal to Establish a Talmudic Academy. "I request any of you to send your sons to me so that I may instruct each according to his intellectual ability." Granite that the Talmudic proposal is targeted at the parents instead of the student, (shown in the Jewish Studies pamphlet) the comparison is quite clear that both programs were looking for students who were willing to live away from home and learn. It's really interesting to see that the same thing that is going on today, happened in the 15th century. Another correlation that I made between the two is the preparation. Before coming to Italy we were told that we should read a certain book because it will be discussed in class. This was no different back in the 15th century. "Whoever wishes to come must be [sufficiently] prepared to be able to read the Talmud or at least R. Isaac [Alfasi's edited version of the Talmud on his own]. Wow! Look at that! Even in the 15th century the professors required reading before even entering the classroom. I guess some things never will change.

Venice

During our three week course we were given one week that was intentionally left open so the students could have a chance to venture off into Europe wherever they choose. Adam, Joseph, and I choose Venice for the weekend. I do not doubt my decision in the least bit. Venice was above and beyond the most unique and tourist friendly city that I've been to in Italy. The architecture and strucutre of the city was magnificent. Not only are there no cars present in the city, but to walk around and take everything in was, up to this point, the most memorable part of this trip. I can't begin to explain the feeling of being in a city like this. Being that I was taken away by the scenery, I will be posting several pictures of the city on my blog. However, I'd like to share my 2 day and one night adventure into Venice starting from the beginning.

After boarding a train from Florence, we took a three hour train ride into the outskirts of Venice. Soon after hopping out of the train and onto the Venice streets we knew this voyage would be like nothing we've ever seen before. I say this because i've never been to a city where the main use of transportation was bridges. I'd say that we crossed nearly 20 to 30 different bridges due to all of the canals running through the city. The more and more I think about it as I sit in my chair and type my blog, the more and more i'm blown away that a city was built on top of water. I said it for the leaning tower of Pisa and I'll say it for this experience as well. There is a HUGE difference from seeing Venice in pictures than there is when you actually experience it first hand. Anyways, back to the trip. Seeing that we were all famished from the 3 hour train ride, we mosied into a quaint little restaurant right on the edge of one of the canals. The food was good, but the scenery was spectacular. I'm really harping on the structure and architecture of the city because it was that magnificent. After lunch we walked around the city for at least three hours until booking a three star hotel named "Hotel Bruno." I was exhausted from the trip and opted to stay in before dinner while Bell and Joe went shopping. While in the hotel room I watched CNN. Not because I wanted up to date news information, but because it was the only channel in English. This whole language barrier is not only killin my TV time, but interacting with Italian girls is extremely difficult. Once they returned back from shopping we all took showers and headed out for the night. We found a nice place in the heart of Venice that had a three course deal for about 14 Euros. It was decent, but I can say from what I've experienced in both cities, I think the food in Florence is better than the food in Venice. After dinner we walked around more and then set up shop at a pub. I'm always into trying new beers so I had a couple Leffe's. Leffe originates in belgium and is a very strong beer with a dark color and strong bite. I enjoyed. After one or two Leffe's we headed back to the hotel and called it a night. The next day we woke up, grabbed something to eat, and took a scenic route back to the train station. Once arriving at the train station we had a couple hours to kill until our train so we all bought a book about Venice and read up on all of the rich history that Venice has to offer. That was a joke. However, the trip to Venice proved to be very beautiful and educational at the same time. While my trip to Venice was more from a Tourist perspective, rather than a student's, I feel I was able to grasp the main notion of the city. That notion being you will not be able to find this architecute and structure anywhere else in the world, so why not pay a couple extra euro's for a pizza while your here. I'm partly kidding, but all humor aside Venice takes the cake for the best experience since I've been in Italy.

It Leans!!!!

After returning back to Pisa about an hour ago the one thing that I've really grapsed from the whole trip is that it leans!!!! It really leans!! Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa on postcards and the internet cannot compare to actually being there and seeing thousands of tourists do the cliche "hold the Pisa up" picture, while others simply stare in awe at the structre. There have been several skeptics that one day this huge monument will lean so much that it's demise will follow soon after. This will not only be devistating for the monument's well being, but seeing that Pisa's number one money maker is tourism, I doubt many will come to see the fallen tower of Pisa. Other places that I visited while in Pisa was the synagogue and the Jewish cemetary. Professor Cooperman lectured in the synogogue walls and elaborated on Portuguese and Italian Jews. Basically, one didn't like the other and thier co-existence was not a smooth road. Upon arrival into the Jewish cemetery, we met up with a female tour guide in her mid twenties who was very well-educated on this particular cemetery. However, I could not tell you a word she said. Let's just say I was in a bad neighborhood. Those mosquitoes creeping around in that cemetery doubled anything outside of the cemetery walls, and they was hungry. I don't get it. Do they love me or do they hate me? Either way i've gotten over 50 bug bites and I think im gonna scratch myself silly. However, one thing I did pick-up on about what the tour guide was saying while getting feasted on was how the Jews went about preserving the body. In the middle of the cemetery there was a huge structure where they cleaned the bodies before burial. In the Jewish religion, burial comes nearly immediately after death. One the activities we did while in the cemetery was to put paper over the writings on a tombstone and use charcoal to outline the words. I think the meaning behind this activity was to get a closer look into how much time and effort went into making the tombstones. After the tour of the cemetery was done, we all parted ways for the weekend. Bell, Joseph, and I grabbed lunch at a nice restaurant near the Pisa. While in the restaurant a young girl no older than 9 came into the restaurant playing the according and begging for money. It was tough to sit there and enjoy a meal while seeing how unfortunate some others are. Seeing such a sight really puts it into perspective for me how fortunate ive been throughout life to have a loving family who can provide for me and look after my well-being. After lunch we walked around for a little and boarded the train back to Florence. Now I sit in my room with the decision as to read the book assigned for this class or take a nap. Well, when in Rome... and since people over here take ciestas (naps during the day) during the day I might as well indulge in the culture.

Food for thought...

I never thought I'd say this, but I miss fast food. Yet, the more and more I think about it, it's not the fast food that I miss, but rather the diversity of places one can grab a meal. It seems that everywhere I go around here the same things are being offered. Don't get me wrong, I think the food over here is spectacular, but the variety of different foods is definetly very limited. There's only so many times I can go to a place and order pizza or spaghetti. So last night, in an effort to get some food variety in my life, I ordered mussles. The mussles were excellent and the changeup in my food life was satisfying as well. Since only being over here for three weeks I decided that I wouldn't buy groceriers but instead indulge in all the different restaurants. I think it was a good idea, but I don't know how good of an idea my parents will think it was when they get the credit card bill (sorry ma, i'll work overtime). Anyways, to wrap things up I thought I'd throw a picture up showing what the typical restaurant in Florence looks like. Also, something else i've realized over here that varies from the states is that when you exchance money, instead of putting it in eachother's hands like one does in the state's, there is a little plate where the money is placed. Just thought that'd be a cool little "did you know" that I throw out there. Oh yea, another thing I forgot to mention that I wanted to point out, water is not free over here. You pay by the bottle and they usually run you 2.50 euro per bottle.