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!