So on Thursday night I got to stay in Florence! I didn't have to, I got to! I went with some friends from my pensione (which is where we live. I don't know what it means, it's just what we call it) to dinner. It turned out to be a really nice evening, so it was nice getting to walk around the part of Florence that wasn't my typical route to school. We crossed the bridge across the river (beautiful, of course) and made our way to a nice, quiet plaza where we enjoyed dinner and talked mainly about our childhood. It was not only a new memory created, but nostalgia at the same time. Afterwards we got some gelato and strolled back home for a quiet weekend.
Oh yeah, random thought that included this week: On Tuesdays people in our program always go out because their classes are later (I don't usually because my first class is at 9 and I like sleep), but this past Tuesday I went out to a place that had a Beatles cover band. They were actually pretty good!
Back to my weekend...
On Friday I went with a group from my school on a pilgrimage to Assisi, where St. Francis came from. Although we did a bit of walking, the trip didn't feel chaotic because it was a journey for peace and reflection. I talked a lot with my friends, but the entire trip itself felt very quiet and calm. This was such a nice change from the crazy "go go go mode" that I'm always on during the weekends. I think what I loved most about Assisi was how green the grass was and just how beautiful and serene the city felt.
We had a couple questions on the bus ride there to reflect about. What I thought about most were two things: not letting jealousy or anger get in the way and to treat my body right. Two very different things, but both having to do with making myself a better person.
The first thought has to do with considering other people's successes as my own failures. These do not and should not correlate, yet many people do. We grow up constantly comparing ourselves to others, and some of our parents may do the same. "Well, I bet ___ has a job. Why don't you?" It's the lingering thoughts that other people are succeeding that nag at our feelings of failure. Although this may motivate some people, it may feel like defeat to others. Sometimes it's best to take a step back, take a deep breath, and do your absolute best to focus on the best version of yourself that you would like to be.
This goes onto the other point that I was reflecting on. First, mind and soul, now body. We only have one of them, so why the hell do we treat them so poorly? As a possible addict of the internet (admitting is the first step haha), a sedentary lifestyle comes with that, and that is not good. Exercise, as strenuous and tiring as it may feel, is good for us. When we treat our bodies the way they should be treated, we feel a lot better. I know people who were on a "paelo" diet, which is essentially eating meats, fruit, vegetables, and non-processed food. As a result from this, she said that she physically felt a lot better. It's just something we need to all think about.
On Saturday, I slept in because I haven't done that in AGES, and it was nice! I didn't really do anything that day, but for dinner I went out with a group of us from my pensione and that was a lot of fun, because it was kind of a group that I may not have hung out with had we not been living together, which is awesome! That's what I love about this program, is the fact that I have gotten to meet so many people that I may not have met otherwise. At dinner we had the idea of using the unicef app at dinner so we wouldn't be on our phones and we would be helping people in need! If you don't know what the app is, basically you go to a website where as long as you don't touch your phone, every 10 minutes donates a day of water to a person in need from a sponsor. It was really great because we all had our phones down and we all really engaged in conversation!
Sunday was more or less a study day, but this weekend overall was so beneficial and I'm glad I stayed and I looked forward to next weekend.
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