A King and a Girl: a Journey

A few weeks ago, firmly scolding myself for getting my hopes up and barely daring to mention to anyone my intentions, I applied to spend a semester in Rome. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I can introduce myself to the world as one of the ten winners! Five of the others are from my honors class, and of the remaining four I know two, so it will be a sociable and friendly experience, as well as all the rest of the attributes related to study abroad. Needless to say, I am ecstatic.

In light of the exciting news and the fact that this blog will naturally start revolving around Rome in the fall, I decided to post an excerpt from my application essay. I hope it tides you over until I finish polishing my reflections on hate-crime, feminism (in honor of women's history month) and animal "rights."

...What do I do when I am confused? I go back to the basics. The basics are: 1) Have Faith, because without God, there is nothing; 2) Work, because even if you are not sure, as long as you are trying God will give you hints; and 3) Cultivate Beauty and Logic, because they are the way that God reveals Himself. Providentially, as soon as I had plotted this master plan out with my humble brain, the opportunity to spend a semester in Rome dropped out of the sky.

I am already determined to travel. I want to see, experience and learn everything; not only subjects, but perspectives, lives, culture and life. The little travel I have done, and the little exposure I have had to other cultures, has convinced me that seeing the world through other’s eyes drastically increases the chance of finding the truth, just as seeing an object from more than one angle gives a much clearer picture of its three dimensional shape. Not only does travel enlighten broad subjects such as life, politics and humanity, but provides opportunities to learn skills that may be a specialty of a certain region. I hope to travel all over the world, but Rome is by far my most cherished goal. At this point in time, it even holds the answers for all my questions.

 Rome! Rome is… the center of the world! All roads lead to Rome because all people need Rome- the center of truth, beauty, history and faith - in their hearts. God’s Vicar, with the keys to the secrets of individual happiness, world peace, and true Beauty lives there like any other elderly man doing his work. Cathedrals, the greatest collections of art and architecture, turn these arts to their true end: the connection of ordinary people across time to heaven. Aqueducts, the Coliseum, roads and old buildings that make the history of thousands of years suddenly as real as the local supermarket stand like any other arrangement of building materials, real enough to touch and sketch. If the source and summit of Faith and Beauty, and the true end of Work, are not here, then I don’t know where they would be.

On the other hand, Rome is like any other city. It would take a little effort to see the magic in a busy modern street; but the quest only gives the treasure more value, and the physics give the theory its truth. I could walk in the street. I could speak to people. I could see things. I could learn. I could write. I could think. I could sleep. I could grow. Maybe I could rediscover my art. Maybe I could rediscover my faith. Maybe I could rediscover the meaning of life there, in the center of it all, and by finding it in Rome, learn to find it everywhere else.

I plan on rereading the essay every now and then while I am in Rome just to remind myself of my lofty intentions. A man's word is his honor! I do not intend on making myself a liar!
 
~Maria
 
PS. Want to provide some moral support and encouragement? Comment by clicking the little blue"comments" word below!

art, truth, crime and titles

Why "art, truth, crime and me"?

Art: My own hardly lives up to my wishes- while perfectionism does have its benefits, comfort with one's own work is not one of them- but I persevere and really love looking at others' work. Beauty will be one of the staples of this blog, whether it is mine, other's or found.

Truth: "The unexamined life is not worth living," or so saith Socrates. Life is always worth living, but I must say that truth is the only thing worth fighting for, and life is a fight. The truth is always more exciting, anyway.

Crime: Real crime is exhausting. It is hard, unglamorous work for our civil servants, the leak that drains the economy, the rubber band that slowly cuts off the circulation of morals throughout society. I am a criminal justice major, not because I am chasing the false glamour of TV crime shows, but because of the way crime shows the heart of humanity.

Me: Never, ever forget to take into account your source. You get twice as much information that way.

I hope that was informative! I kept my little explainations brief, but found that I have a lot to say about each of these subjects, so more will come. Enjoy Life!

Salutations!

Well, I suppose this is my cue to step confidently into the spotlight and make a low, sweeping bow. Welcome! Thankyou very much for making your way towards my humble stage. The lights are so bright that I can't see any of you, but I assure you that I am painfully aware of my own visibility, and the fact that I am now in plain view of the untold masses of beings with internet connections. I am rather nervous, actually. I have wanted to begin a blog for some time now, to share my musings, display my artwork, make some friends, and encourage myself to write frequently, but there always seemed to be some excuse not to.

There will always be excuses. For everything in life. Especially if it is worth doing. If I can't get myself to start a blog, how am I supposed to earn a car, learn to hang-glide, travel the world or get a dog, not to mention get a life? So here I am, and pleased to be here, too.

I hope that you are amused by the writing, find something thought-provoking, enjoy the art, or simply find the thoughts of a young person worth some of your time. I promise to spend time and effort on the writing here, however brief, and make it worth your while. Thankyou!