Hello everyone! My name is Lieke and I am the Marketing & Communications Coordinator at United Planet. Last week, I joined a group of Art Therapy students and faculty members from Mercyhurst University during their quest in Italy. During the quest, the students got to explore the rich Italian culture and history, participate in faculty-related activities, and volunteer in multiple different projects. In this blog post, I reflect on the journey and everything that took place in the few days I spent with them.
May 17th – The journey begins.
On Wednesday, I woke up early in the morning (4:00AM) to travel to Italy and join the group of still-unknown (to me) Mercyhurst students and faculty members. I did not join the pre-departure training, so I would be meeting everyone for the first time.
Thankfully my journey to Italy went well and before I knew it I was already searching for the rest of the group, who would be waiting for me at Piazza Venezia. It was very easy to spot the group of nineteen people huddled together in a crowd of mostly locals. Once we got acquainted, we set off on our tour of Old Rome, provided by Silvia from “A Friend in Rome”.
First group photo!
During the tour, we learned all about the ancient city and how much of it is still undiscovered. Throughout the tour, my eyescontinuously landed on the beautiful ancient Roman architecture all around us. The continuous theme of big arches in all the buildings was characteristic of Roman architecture. And the use of arches is also very methodical, they’re not just placed for the sake of using arches, they are placed with a specific symmetry.
At the end of the tour, we got to see inside the famous Colosseum. While we were mesmerized by the building itself, our tour guide Silvia shared some interesting insights about the Colosseum. Did you know that the holes on the outside of the building are there because people decided to steal materials from the structure when the Colosseum was not being used anymore?
After the tour, we had our welcome dinner at a restaurant outside the Colosseum, where we enjoyed our first plates of true Italian pasta.
May 18th – An artful day.
On our second day, we took a short walk from the B&B and visited the Farnesina Villa, a classic Renaissance building that contained wonderful pieces of art.
Once we finished our walk-through, we moved to our next location: the National Museum of Rome. On our way there, we stopped at numerous pretty buildings and churches. Almost every building in Rome catches your eye. And not just the buildings, but also the cars.
After a walk through the city, we finally arrived at the National Museum of Rome. We split up into smaller groups and were free to explore the vast collection of art. I was joined by volunteer Hannah and our mission was to find a statue of Aphrodite. After a long search and with time running out, we finally found her in an almost inconspicuous room.
After our successful discovery, we decided to join the rest of the group and left to get some delicious gelato. I mean, when in Rome…
May 19th – Perugia
I was very excited for today. This was the first time we’d be leaving Rome and heading for a different town. Big cities always give me the impression that they do not give the full picture of a country. If you want to experience the true nature and culture of a country, go to a small town.
After a 2.5-hour train ride, we arrived in the town of Perugia, where we met up with a local expert. We first went into the town center, where we got an hour to explore on our own and find lunch. A group of students and I decided to enjoy the beautiful views that the town had to offer.
Once our spare time was over, we raced toward the bus stop and headed for our next stop: Centro Atlas, an art
therapy center that uses AI technology to treat people with different conditions. This time, we participated in a workshop where we were introduced to their approach to Art Therapy and the different ways in which AI can be used. We tried different Art Therapy techniques and were taught how each method can help others. One of the techniques they introduced to us, was the translation of movement into color. A couple of students moved to the front of the camera, which was connected to a TV screen. The students were instructed to move to music and look at their reflections on the TV. To their joy, colors started appearing whenever they were using their arms. Aside from the translation of movement into color, sounds could also be translated into letters.
May 20th – Volunteering at the local food bank
Today was an exciting day because we got to volunteer for the first time during this trip! This first day of volunteering would take place at Nonna Roma, where they prepare food packages and give them away to those who need them.
The volunteers helped out between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, with a pizza lunch break in between. It was wonderful to see the volunteers interact with the locals in Italian and to connect with the other volunteers who work there. “Without the volunteers, we would not be able to do what we do every day.” Marco Picozza, a volunteer at Nonna Roma said.
The volunteers themselves also reflected positively on the experience, stating that they were a bit nervous at first, but that the experience itself turned out to be very special. This is really something we strive for at United Planet, allowing people to get outside of their comfort zone and connect with people from all over the world. This really allows our volunteers to fully immerse themselves in the culture and to learn from it. It made me so happy to hear that the students enjoyed connecting with people from a different culture and overcoming those language barriers.
Later that night, I joined four others for yet another delicious Italian dinner. We talked for hours and enjoyed my last night there before I inevitably had to leave the next day to return back home.
May 21st – My last day
Despite the volunteers staying until the 27th, I had to leave on Sunday to get back to work the next day. During the rest of their stay, the volunteers had more exciting things planned, such as visiting Vatican City, volunteering at two other projects (the Roma community and Afghan women refugees), and participating in more cultural activities around Rome. But before I left, I wanted to see one more place: the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. And I was in luck because just when we entered the building, service was about to start. It felt very special to be in a beautiful basilica in Rome on a Sunday during service.
Sadly, I soon had to leave and return home. I will forever be grateful that I was able to join the volunteers on their (possibly life-changing) Quest to Rome. Being able to genuinely connect to the volunteers and be present with them during this Quest was a truly special experience.
Some of my key takeaways from this experience is to always go into new and unfamiliar situations with an open mind, especially if it’s in a culture that’s different from your own. Seeing the volunteers work with the locals and overcome their own barriers inspires me to always be mindful of others and to be less hesitant when it comes to taking action on my own. There are so many people out there who can use that extra support, and I realized that I can truly make a difference in people’s lives, just by being there for them.
Do you also want to volunteer with United Planet and make a positive impact? Check out all the programs we offer on our website!
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
