Italia 2012

I really enjoyed Italy, can't believe I already went.  If all went well with the Trevi Fountain, I shall be back.  It was great seeing Mel, Julie, Jason, meeting Xavier, and others along the way all over Italy. Recap time!


Bergamo
Mel lives in Bergamo at the moment with a great family.  Most of my time was spent here.  Thanks to Misha and Monica for never having me worry about a meal, a booking, and overall preparedness.  Bergamo is a beautiful city, about an hour away from Milan, in northern Italy. It is very quaint, has good city qualities, and the beauty of a traditional Italian town.

From the wall of Cita Alta in Bergamo

Mel and I acting tough/thug on a Bergamo bus

Bell Tower in Cita Alta

Milan
When I first came to Italy, I first flew into Milan.  Because I was on a mission to get to Bergamo safely, I didn't really get to enjoy it.  So we went back and made a day out of Milan, the fashion capital of the world.

Me right in front of the Duomo Cathedral, the heart of Milan

Having a little too much fun in at this fountain, right outside of a castle

Lunch in the middle of the street in Milan

Enjoying my new pair of Milan sunglasses on the ride back to Bergamo

Rome
We were in Rome for two days with a hostel/travel-mate Jaimee.  We saw EVERYTHING Rome had to offer. Mel was right, let Rome come to you.

Best Artesian gelato? Lemon basil!

Pantheon

Colosseum

Lunch at the hostel

Throwing my coin into the Trevi Fountain, hope it worked

At St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City

Piazza Venezia

Vicenza
I was SUPER EXCITED to be in Vicenza for Eater.  I went to visit Julie, Jason, and their baby, Xavier. Granted, we all spent last Easter together in Korea, so it was great to see that this Easter was spent in Italy.  Felt very full circle :-)

From 평택 to Italy

Easter Dinner is served!

Welcome to Vicenza :-)

Venice

Once the Easter festivities concluded, we headed over to Venice, the water city, the next day. 
 It was beautiful to see left and right and only view water.  
Even taking the "bus" which is really a boat was a lot of fun.  I really enjoyed this city.

Hope you can view the water street behind me :-)

The water-ness of it all still amazes me

On the water bus, check out the gondella

Piazza San Marco

Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe Venice

Recap of the Recap

Overall, Italy was amazing.  It's crazy walking on the streets and seeing structures,
columns, and statues that have been there since Ancient Roman times and seeing it juxtaposed with modern life. 
And the food! The cheese, wine, pizza, pasta, bread, and gelato!!! 
It was a mix of Italian deliciousness.  Here go some of my favorite shots:

 Train pic, lol.  Okay so keep this in mind for the next shot.
This picture is supposed to be like this so that people don't stand in a train door's way.

A mutilated stop sign, transformed in the name of HILARITY!

Simpson beer is sold all over Rome!

Statue Garden in Rome

Mi Abuelo

These past few weeks have had their highs and their lows. A couple of days ago, I came back from a trip to Italy, a place I have wanted to visit for a long time. I’ll talk more about that in another post. The entire trip was a high; I really enjoyed it.

It was when I came back that the lows hit. So I flew back in Thursday night from Italy, and my parents went to LAX to pick me up. Mom was telling me that she almost trailed to Guatemala because her father, my grandfather, had fallen ill. She said that she decided not to go because he was doing a lot better. That put my mind at ease. My grandfather has had a rough year health wise, but I was glad to hear he was okay.

Friday came and so did a series of events that made it a very long day for many in my family. My mom had gotten a call Friday afternoon that my grandfather had fallen extremely ill and that he was only given about 48 hours to live. My mom, understandably, was an emotional mess. I was at Long Beach at the time and dropped what I was doing to be with her. I knew I had to be Rational Oscar because emotions were high and maybe some rationality would smooth things out at the house. When I saw my mom, I consoled her, as did everyone else in the family. I then booked her flight so she could be in Guatemala, a flight set for midnight that very night. So then she packed her luggage, got her documents in order, and made sure people knew she was coming to Guatemala. We had spoken to my aunt who agreed to pick my mom up at the Guatemala City airport and drive her to her hometown about three hours away. My mom called me when she got to Houston, where she had a slight layover. The next morning I get a call from my dad that initiated many calls thereafter.

As it turned out, my mom and my aunt missed each other at the airport and my mom, who grew impatient, hitched a ride with a family that was headed to a city near my mom’s hometown. It was intense because for three hours we did not know where my mother was. Insert hundreds of calls here. So finally my dad hears from my uncle and tells him my mother made it there safely. Not shortly after that, I get a call that my grandfather had passed away at the hospital. This meant, my mom was not able to see him before he passed, which was very disheartening. My mom and my uncle get to the hospital get there to find out he is still alive; his mouth was still moving. There must’ve been some type of clerical error somewhere. My mom was able to say goodbye to him and he died shortly after.

I like to think my grandfather was holding out to say goodbye to his little girl, his only daughter and youngest child. It was comforting to know that she was able to do this, because it is not something many get to do for their loved ones who have left. Needless to say, that I was a mess on Saturday. I reflected all day and my emotions were high. The outside world shut down in my eyes. Sunday was better, had coffee, lunch and dinner with family and friends, which kept my mind busy.

Monday it was back to work and back to business. Working, especially with students, keeps one’s mind busy. I hear my mom is doing better too, which helps.

On that note, I hope my grandfather is resting in peace away from pain and suffering.

Goodbye to Fernando Miró, my abuelo. He was someone I really did admire.