Florence, the Art of the Renaissance and Today.

“Are you an artist?” I struggle to decipher first from Italian then an attempt at English. I’m sketching the Ponte Vecchio as an assignment for my ceramics class in order to create a piece out of clay slabs inspired by architecture. I’m trying to get the most basic shape of the bridge with the quaint houses hanging off of it, and people keep peering over my shoulder, possibly hoping to see one of the many young talented artists that flock to the Renaissance city. Usually they walk away quickly after a glimpse of my poor sketches. Sometimes though, I strike up some wonderful conversations with local artists.

This man was middle-aged and had come to Florence to study art. I certainly admired his bravery for choosing that path so late in life. We struggled to have a conversation because he spoke Italian, Spanish, and French and I only speak English and a little German, but I was able to learn he was a sculptor and a painter. He tried to talk to me of art and Florence, it’s beauty and how he was inspired by it, but I am sad to say I struggled to keep up with much of the conversation. He didn’t seem to mind my lack of understanding, and I could tell from his inflection he was just happy to be speaking of his passion to anyone who would listen.

I didn’t comprehend when I came here just how much I would be surrounded by artists, art, and its admirers. Within a mile’s walk I have access to scores of museums and historical sights, most of which feature art or the Medici family who were such patrons of the arts that there is little distinction between the two. Every day I am here, I feel my appreciation grow a little more, my creativity enliven with every new project I undertake in class. It has been difficult to break the logical, orderly bonds coming from four and a half years of mechanical engineering courses, but little by little I am opening up to the wonders of this beautiful city, finding a personal balance between art and science just as those in the Renaissance did hundreds of years ago.

It is strange to be present in a city whose rich history is still so prevalent. Daily, I walk by the Duomo, the 15th century octagonal domed cathedral in the center of Florence, and venture out to places hundreds of years older than any city at home in the United States. My Italian teacher, a staunch Italian woman who reminds me of my mother, had once in a digression from reciting Italian pronouns barked, “Everyone in the world has such an appreciation for Florence’s Renaissance history, so nothing has changed since then.” Florence, and even the few other parts of Italy I have seen, are struggling with this. On a field trip to the little Tuscan town of Vinci, we were driving on the narrow winding roads, and the scenery was picturesque… except for that huge electric tower and wires spanning the valley, marring the view of the vineyard below. I found myself annoyed with the scene until I realize that the Tuscan people need electricity too. They do not want to live back in the 1500s; only the tourists want to see a world untouched by modern technology. In Siena, that notion prevails; there, no roof is allowed to have solar panels in order to preserve the idyllic view of terra cotta throughout the city.

Florence and Tuscanny seem to be carefully emerging out of this Renaissance world. It is a beautiful one, one that people flock to to study art or simply to behold with their own eyes, but it is a struggle to find a place for technology alongside nostalgia. This is a question that quite possibly has no right answer: exult the beauty and glory of the past, or lose the romance to modernization? And it is a sensation I can relate to when my precise mechanical engineering brain grates at my lopsided sketch of the Ponte Vecchio, and I reply, “I hope so.”

Florence, finally

Here I am. In Florence, Italy. For four months. Taking art classes. In the city of the Renaissance.

That actually started to sink in just today. I’ve been here just over a week, and this has been different from any traveling I have ever done before. Usually, I get somewhere, throw my bag in the hostel or hotel or tent, and go out and start to sightsee as fast as possible. I take in all the sights while striving to not look like a tourist. Here it was the opposite. After almost a solid day of traveling (and a short foray to the outskirts of London on my 8 hour layover at Heathrow) I arrived in Florence. I had to search for my keys at a hotel since my flight landed after my school, SACI, closed. Luckily my apartment was right across the street from there. I got in and the first thing I did was unpack four months of clothes and toiletries and everything all within a few short hours. And then I went to bed because it was dark out, so I wasn’t going to go wander, and my roommates weren’t home.

Over the next few days when I normally would have been soaking in every sight, I was doing essential tasks like buying food, finding a hairdryer, and looking for scotch tape. At home, I could do all this at a well-stocked CVS, but that doesn’t exist here. You buy food at a market where pig legs are hanging from a ceiling, tape is sold almost exclusively at paper stores and dollar stores, and hairdryers are sold at electronics stores that also sell coffee pots, cell phones, and electric mixers. It was frustrating trying to accomplish mundane things. I didn’t have time or energy to go out and be a tourist.

Once classes started, I began to settle in. I’ve been able to take a little time each day and walk around the city. I’m starting to know my way around, and I know where to get most essentials. As I walk to a new place every day I get more and more excited to be here. Today was by far the best. I walked around to pretty much all the big plazas and down to the to river and back to the apartment all without getting lost. I was going around to make sketches of architecture for my ceramics class. It’s really funny because as I walk around with my sketch book, people stop and look over my shoulder thinking I must be some great artist because I’m drawing something, and I’m in Florence, so I must have all this extraordinary talent. When they actually see it… they walk away pretty fast. Being at an art school, I’m learning pretty quickly that I have next to no talent when it comes to drawing. However put a ball of clay in my hands and I’ve found out I have a little skill there! Check out this giraffe:

I love ceramics. It’s so soothing. I’ve made two pinch bowls and one giraffe head. It’s all still drying, but I can’t wait to fire it and glaze and paint it and maybe fire it again… I’m still not sure how the whole process goes. My other classes are good too. Jewelry is a little tedious right now becuase we’re just filing and sanding little metal sheet cutouts, but I think it will get more interesting soon. We have to design our next project using a rivet, so look for really exciting things to come. My Italian class is great. I love my teacher. She’s all “no-nonsense straight-talking Italian woman” who is really helpful and has us participate a lot in class. I’m already picking up a little Italian, and I’m beginning to recognize more words in conversations I hear on the street or in the market.

Since I haven’t been to many sight-seeing or touristy places yet, I don’t have much to say, but I’ll be sure to write all about it and post pictures as soon as I do. For now I’ll leave you with this picture of Florence from across the river at piazza Michealangelo. Also I went to some Medici villas and Vinci this past Sunday, so look for that soon!

Florence, the Duomo

Copan- Mayan Ruins in Honduas

Once we were done saving the world, we actually had an extra day to visit Copan in the western part of Honduras, almost on the border of Guatemala. The ancient Mayan ruins were fantastic.

Copan Ruins

The site is beautifully conserved and there are all sorts of amazing things. It is hard to believe that thousands of years ago, people were able to build these massive stepped pyramids. These structures started out  small. A king would build a platform or building and then the next king (or a few down the line) would build OVER it. So there are layers of ancient ruins under the ones you can see today. This actually preserved a lot of history. Archaeologists are working non-stop to find and document everything there, but it will be an ongoing effort for many many years.

The wildlife at Copan was fantastic as well. They have twenty-something macaws that live on site. They are free to fly around, but they have their nests in some huts the park built. They are beautiful birds.

Macaws!

We were able to get so close to them! Also, some of the trees at the park were amazing. One has all these thorns on its trunk that bloom into beautiful flowers once every four years. One of the trees was on top of a hill and it was the most gigantic tree I have ever seen (though I’ve never seen a California redwood). Its roots stretched down the whole hill and were as thick as trees themselves, each root bending the surrounding ruins to its will. Its swooping limbs were growing natural orchid gardens.

Copan was actuall a really nice town. There was a cute park by the Hotel Marina, which was gorgeous itself. In stark contrast to where we had just come from, I forgot sometimes that I was actually in Honduras. Copan is like any touristy place. Apparently it is going to be packed mid-December when the world is supposed to end according to the Mayan calendar. Hotels are already taking reservations!

Honduras

I’ve written what feels like a lot in this blog. I’ve travelled across the country and across the ocean to central Europe. I’ve seen a lot for someone my age.

Traveling to Honduras is something different. It’s less about seeing and more about the expereince. In Honduras working with EWB, I got to do things you can’t pay to do anywhere.

For those of you who haven’t heard me dominate a conversation with EWB, let me tell you what it is. Engineers Without Borders is n international non-profit that brings engineering solutions to developing world problems. Our EWB-NEU student chapter works on clean water projects in Honduras and Uganda. We’ve brought clean water to three villages in Honduras. I was part of the most recently completed project in El Chaguite in April 2010. We built a 6500 gallon water storage tank. It was an amazing experience then, but going back this December meant so much to me.

A boy in Carrizalito fills his jerrycan to carry back up the mountain to his home.

I went down to Honduras a month ago with a group of 5 other fantastic people to work on our two new projects in the same region- El Carrizalito and Los Oreros. El Carrizalito is a village that has been on our radar for literally years. They are a village above thier water source, so the gravity-fed water systems we have installed in other villages would not work there. We had all but given up hope for solving the problem in Carrizalito when we met someone from the Honduran national electric company, ENEE, and got a quote to extend electricity to the village. On this trip we looked at other options besides extending electrical poles to make sure we were not missing any easier or less expensive solutions. We did a really thorough assessment and were able to have some great conversations with the leaders in the village.

All these children live in this house with their parents.

In Los Oreros, we worked to extend the existing system to 7 new houses without running water. The living conditions in Los Oreros were some of the worst we have ever seen in the region, and we hope that by bringing clean water directly to each home, we will be able to improve the quality of life for everyone. The homes in Los Oreros are striking. They are little one room huts with exposure to the outside. Sometimes families of at least 6 people live in one structure. Once they have water redily availible, it might be easier to make bricks for houses and it would certainly give them more time to grow and prepare food.

The villagers in Los Oreros worked so hard while we were there. They dug 30″ deep trenches non-stop for four days.

Working hard to dig trenches for pipe

We taught them how to make PVC joints to construct their system and where to lay everything to finish the system. Our woman PVC team was the best. One woman, Maria, put on the primer, and a younger woman put on the glue. They were really efficient and seemed proud to contribute.

On Christmas day, we turned on water to the three highest houses in the village. It was one of the most memorable Christmases I will ever have. As this was the last day in the village, we had to make sure they had everything they needed before we left. We gathered everyone and told them what they still needed to work on to finish the system. In front of me was a large white trashbag filled with a packet of parts for each house to finish their tap and finally receive water. I felt like Santa Claus reaching down into my bag and pulling out this precious gift for each family. As I handed it over to the head of each household, I was just so amazed at the feeling of gratitude that I felt for being there.

Building a water system!

 

As most of you know, I’m in Florence, Italy now, so I will be posting about that soon! Additionally, in Honduras we went to Copan, a Mayan Ruins site. I’ll be sure to write about that soon as well.