My crush on Bernini

Freshman year of college I remember taking a humanities class. Our teacher would show us a lot of different photos. I remember when he showed us the picture of Bernini's David. I said out loud to the girls sitting next to me..." wow... that statue is hot!" My friends laughed and my teacher overheard. He then told me that Bernini had made this statue as a self portrait. That is when my crush on Bernini started.

Every once and I while I get in an artistic mood and crave pencil and paper. I was in this mood a lot the semester I took my humanities class. So I decided to draw Bernini's David. Ever since then I always paid attention when some one mentioned Bernini and his art. When the book and movie Angels and Demons came out I loved it because Bernini was mentioned a ton.
My family and I just went to Italy and had an amazing time. While we were in Rome I was amazed at how Bernini's work was EVERYWHERE. He truly was the most amazing sculptor. When we took the tour of Vatican city

I was pleasantly surprised to see Bernini was everywhere. He lived the majority of his life in Rome and left Vatican City covered in his art and architecture.

Before we left I made a sure that I could see the David statue in person. We went to the Borghese museum and I had an experience that was more than I had hoped for. They had many of his sculptures there and my feelings went from crush to love. I mean look at some of these statues. Aren't they AMAZING?




This is the Statue Apollo and Daphne. She is turning into a tree. It is beautiful in person.




The Rape of Proserpina amazed me... these pictures explain why.

Here are some of my other favorites



we saw this in St. Peter's Basilica



So yes he is a man of genius and yes I am in love... too bad we were born several centuries apart. Oh well... at least now I know what my answer will be when people ask "if you could spend time with anyone from history, who would it be?"


A: Bernini.
Of course I spent the most of my time in the Borghese museum in the room with David ;)

Culture shock

As I have mentioned before, I have lived in Latin America for about 5 years of my life. I always tell people that is where my heart is. I have gone back and forth between my life in white suburbia and Latin America more than 7 times.
When I went to live in Guatemala for the first time I remember how much it changed me. I was 14 and I had no idea what real poverty was. But then I found myself walking the streets of Zone 1 with some sister missionaries among the humble people of Guatemala. It was hard for me at first. I didn't know how to accept that dirty glass of juice that was made with water I knew I shouldn't be drinking. However, I always kept myself going by thinking about how I had a nice carpeted apartment with warm yellow light waiting for me. The cold cracked cement floors and florescent light was foreign to me and it made me uncomfortable. I hated myself for feeling that discomfort and so I pushed myself to get over it. I sought out opportunities to feel uncomfortable.
Little by little I was able to glide between both worlds and easily feel at home in each. When I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina it was easy for me to live in that tiny apartment and take bucket showers.

I was able to eat what people offered me without being completely grossed out. But my family and home were still in my mind and I knew that I would be able to return to that comfort.






My trip to Bolivia has affected me in a deeper way than I thought. For the first time I was able to completely throw myself into Latin American life. This time, I didn't bring America with me. I was on my own. But I wasn't on my own.

The dear Barrigola family took me in under their wings and gave me some of the most genuine and pure love that I have ever had. I have been home for a month and I still miss them SO MUCH. I keep on thinking about them and their lives. How Eli had to work 15 hours a day and that her husband was hardly ever able to be home because of work. I think about how they had to send their son to live on his own in the city at age 12 so he could get a better high school education. Then I look at my blessed life and I feel guilt and sadness. Why me? Why not them? You'd think by now I would have learned how to deal with these emotions, but it is quite the opposite. Now I feel the tables have turned... now I feel uncomfortable in my privileged life and I keep on telling myself that I have a home in Latin America waiting for me.