Instances of Euphoria: Italy
As humans, we choose to expose and unbury exquisite happenings and moments of frozen beauty in time. We choose to call to mind certain memories from our spans of life, from our instances of euphoria and jubilation in order to confront the distressing and harrowing truth about the pains of life. The moments of complete and utter happiness that take place of the past and hopefully the future are what relieve a little pain from the inevitable confrontation. We have a choice to bring about the instances of ecstasy and bliss rather than the agony and suffering, for it is those moments of complete and utter elation that provide us with a breath of air in our stressing conditions. For rather I live a life with such instances than drowning in such horrors. Italy being nothing but that. A blissful odyssey that has and will enable the worst of us to behold beauty and all it may offer. Whether it was the frozen time of Pompeii or the glistening waters of Capri, all are unarguably forever cherished behind lock and key in the mystery that is our mind. However, I am certain that when we all breathe our last breath and life is all but flashes of memories in our eyes, Italy is a happening we will most definitely behold in a flash.
In my 14 years of life never have I come across a place so psychologically peaceful. As odd as it may seem to praise a country for its psychological tranquility, I found simply walking through any narrow isolated street calming. Clearing my mind and unburdening my thoughts. I found Italy and the radiated nature and composure psychologically peaceful. For the iridescent trees and naturally architected mountains painted across Italy’s canvas would provide any soul with an infinite supply of inner harmony. The beauty of Italy’s ancient soul is its unspoken wisdom, for along a road’s gravel and a street’s walls; history is etched in it all. Time frozen in the narrow alleyways and cobblestone paths. No pebble and no stone left unhistorical. Never have I been so vulnerable to such a peace enduring landscape, a place where beauty was emanated at every turn your path took. No amount of words in any dictionary of the languages of the world could suffice in depicting the illustrated picture of profound tranquility in the nature of Italy.
Capri. The word simply captures the incredible heaven that lays surrounded by sapphire stones of water. The naturally architected isle isolated from the mainland for good reason, for such profound allure is to be kept unconnected, only evinced to those who dare expose themselves to the beauty of an earthly heaven. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Though it is island carved and chiseled by nature, each imperfect flaw was sought out as perfect imperfection. For even the most beautiful of entities acquire blemishes. Never before had I experienced such a spectacle. Levitating above clouds and simply stunned at the spontaneous beauty that existed in your world. The outburst of favorable emotion clouds your judgment, for the canvas portrayed has left you questioning your definitions of beauty. The sapphire jewels that met the azure heavens at the horizon that ceased to exist due to the lack of any evident differentiation. The tints and shades of green cracked open the sky with branches that slashed through without harm or mischief simply pulchritude and grace.
A city immune to transcending through time; paralyzed from a tragic year that has induced no pain or grief, for all were lost to oblivion and no one soul was left to mourn. The infamous tragedy that is Pompeii has witnessed its time and age perish before its eyes. Ashes drift and glide desperately awaiting to be put to rest and deprived from their prolonged purgatory, their undying torment. There is a certain beauty and horror to the tragedy. Never have I undergone both life and death; for humans tend to keep them distant. However, that is ground where the two aspects of our life cycles are balanced. Pompeii manifests the qualities that fabricate Life in Death. Such a fatal detonation left an entire city buried in time and unburied in spirit. As this city turned to black and white, the whole world was in screaming color.
Life has presented itself with many instances of haunting pain and aching torment. And many of us see life as nothing but that, endless misery. However, as cynical as I may be towards life and all its beauties and flaws, during the stages of desolation and distress, life provides us with a shot of ecstasy and elation injecting an end to pain. As humans, our lives are compiled by our choices. Our life is our choice. We have a choice to unbury bliss rather than agony. We have a choice to create flashes of happiness and jubilation for when we drown into oblivion. The inevitable confrontation that allows our hearts to fail and our death to rise is every bit more bearable when you finally fathom that mystery that is your mind and unlock your cherished instances. Complete and utter gratitude consumes me as I gaze back at my life and what I’ve made of it. Though I’ve condemned myself for quite some time about not truly living the miracle that is life, but it is these moments of frozen beauty in time that I cherish behind lock and key until all is fathomed. This odyssey, this excursion, this voyage, now serves as the epitome of my definition of an exquisite happening. It’s these moments of imperfect bliss that forge perfect memories. To Italy, my instance of euphoria.

Italia!!!! Can I handle another school trip with students?

Yes of course I can, although I am at times about to lose my mind, it is always an adventure as there is so many possibilities of what can happen….

However as I have grown tired of writing about my time with students on school trips, I decided to let selected students write about the Pros and Cons of their experiences on this trip to Italy……

PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK BELOW ON THESE STUDENTS WRITING:

Click here to see Reflections of Various Students from THEIR POINT OF VIEW

I thought this trip has beat out all other trips I have taken, not just from a sites point of view, but how well the students were able to move through 5 cities in 7 days with ease and how much they matured from an individualistic point of view during this time.  This defines a real trip in my opinion and will always be etched in my mind for years to come….. For the record it is not easy to monitor 50 students in hotels and on sites, even with other chaperones!!!!

Here are some pics of the trip:

The week when I ate enough pasta to last me a lifetime

This might just be the hardest assignment we’ve been given because I honestly cannot find the words to describe how absolutely wonderful this trip was. I had the time of my life. I made new friends and became closer with others. I had breathtaking experiences. I saw the most beautiful things and places. In a way, I even conquered my fear of heights. I made unbelievable memories. The whole trip was just so surreal.

I cannot conjure up one moment that I didn’t love. I can honestly say that it was the best week of my life. The only thing I didn’t love too much was the pasta. Don’t get me wrong; I love pasta as much as the next girl, but two times a day for 8 days is a bit much. The memories I made in Italy are ones I will never forget solely because they were defining moments for me. In all the books and shows, the characters have defining moments in their lives that make or break them. I had a few of those life-changing moments on this trip. I’ll never forget that day in Capri when we went up on the telepherique. I am proud to say that I conquered my severe fear of heights because I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I hadn’t sat down on that chair.

Rome truly was a magical city in my opinion. I’ve always waned to travel there and I still cannot believe that I actually did. I had very expectations for this trip and I can say that reality definitely beat the fantasy. I’m just extremely thankful that I had the chance to go on this trip because it was a gigantic if for a while there. Also, I feel very blessed because there are many people who live their whole life never leaving their country.

My favorite monument was the Colosseum . It was the only one that actually intrigued me. Honestly I didn’t pay attention on any of the tour guides except for that one. I don’t know why I found it so interesting, but I just couldn’t tear my attention from the newfound information. I also really enjoyed the bus rides. I know that’s a pretty weird thing to remember, but it wasn’t about the bus ride itself. It was about the time spent with the people on that bus. The friendships built that I hope will last twice as long as the memories. To me, those are the real things to remember about this trip.

My mother was quite reluctant to let me go on this trip, and God knows the odds weren’t exactly in my favor, but by some miracle I got on that plane. I went to Italy, and I fell in love with the beauty and the history. I hope I wont ever forget a single detail of this trip or the feelings flowing through me every step of the way, but sadly I know that cannot be true. You know what, though? Maybe Italy was worth all that pasta.

Reflective time in Italy

During the Italy trip, I really liked the tours and the hotels and it is my second favorite school trip. The tour was sometimes hot because of the weather and how the museums were packed with people making it more hotter, other then that it was amazing because I got to feel what Italy was like long time ago and I learned things that I didn’t know because from the books I have read doesn’t say. The negatives of the trip was the food. The food was mostly the same pasta and chicken. The food was mostly the same and that gave everyone stomach problems. The food wasn’t healthy enough. Other than the food problems, everything was fun and memorable. During the entire trip, we had some good times and some bad times. The good times were when us students tried hard to keep our manners because our school has a bad reputation in Italy thanks to the current 9th graders and we also didn’t want to disrespect the Italian culture and not let Mr. Yenshaw and Mr. Roy down because it’s Mr. Yenshaw’s last year with us and it’s our last trip with him, and we didn’t want let Mr. Roy down because he has been on so many bad school trips where students were like animals and last we wanted Mr. Roy and Mr. Yenshaw to have fun because it’s their last year seeing each other and it’s our last year seeing Mr. Yenshaw and last year of Mr. Roy teaching us. The other good times were when we got to see Mr. Neeno sleep with a huge smile on his face, walking around town and feeling the architecture that was built during the Renaissance, and we found out how each student behave differently inside and outside of school, learning new things, and last being with our teachers. The hotels that we stayed at in Florence was decent but I liked the view a lot because right outside the balcony were nature. The hotel in Rome was the best hotel I have ever been to in my 14 years of life because the room was very clean, there were no problems with the bathroom, and it felt like home. The last hotel in Naples was the Holiday Inn, in that hotel, the paintings always scared the Jesus out of me because right above the bed were two paintings of cupid looking in a weird angle and the painting was also dark. The Holiday Inn was OK. I really had fun in Pisa, Rome, and in Capri because that’s where I took lots of photos and Adam R’s jokes that cracked me up. I really miss the sarcastic tour guide in Pisa, Ricardo because he tried so hard to keep us awake and not fall asleep during the tour. In Capri, there are four events I will always remember till I die. The first one is when Bakary said ciao to random strangers, the second is Bakary and the playful waiter Franco becoming friends and how Franco made Bakary pay for everyone’s food, third Mr. Yenshaw smiling like a kid when looking at the beautiful view of Capri, and four, Franco accusing Adam ELW and Selina are boyfriend and girlfriend and shouts out to the entire people of Capri that they are dating. During the trip there some things that I didn’t really like, and those were the food which I already explained why and not being able to see more of the historic sites we have been to because I really wanted to see more, and not visiting Venice. And that’s my reflection about Italy. I wish I could revisit Italy with my family, Mr. Roy, Mr. Yenshaw, Adam T and Adam W, Ali M, Selina, Bakary, Farida AB, and AbuKhare.

 And Mr. Yenshaw this is you as a character when you smile:

Sorry Mr. Yenshaw I had to take these photos:

 Scuzi, Italy Coming through

From my point of view, the Italy trip was without a doubt the best trip I had ever been on. It wasn’t just one of those trips that you’ll forget but rather something that will really stay with you. Not only did we visit some of the most beautiful sights in the world, we experienced them in the funniest way possible; with friends and teachers. Florence and its gorgeous landscape, Sorrento and its breathtaking view, and of course Ana Capri with its feeling of being above the clouds are some of the many things that made the trip so special. When we were in Rome, I really enjoyed going to the Pantheon. The open ceiling lights cascaded down the walls brightening up the room and pouring light. It was hands down one of the most inventive monuments I had ever seen. We were able to do 5 cities in 7 days, Florence, Rome, Vatican City, Sorrento, Naples, and Pompeii. I really enjoyed driving by Sorrento because the scenery and the natural beauty put me in such ease. For a few minutes I was in peace with myself and all the stress slipped away from my body. That should probably be a world record.

Something I really enjoyed was getting closer to some people and seeing the true sides of my teachers. I think we all developed some sort of bond towards one another, which caused an enjoyable and lasting memory. On the 7th day, we took a ferry and went on an island called Capri. There was a place we could swim there, so we decided to go and check it out. It turned out that the water was freezing but we all decided to go in and enjoy it since the trip was nearly over. Later on we took this thing all a chair lift that was a 12-minute ride to Anna Capri. Anna Capri was extremely beautiful and even cooler because of its height. It was past cloud level and the view looking down put me in awe. We also learned some Italian, and by that I mean 1 or 2 words. The most used words we said were “Scuzi and Grazzi, ” which some of us didn’t even pronounce correctly. The teachers all played a special role in the trip. Mr. Roy on the bus rides making fun of Mr. Yenshaw, Ms. Brandt with her funny looking hair when she came knocking on our doors, Mr. Neeno and his creepy smile while sleeping, Ms. Debra always being the one we complained to about things, and Mr. Yenshaw being his same old self, taking pictures or being stressed out about stuff. I think one of the most memorable moments was when we finally saw the School of Athens. Everyone got so excited because we had finally seen something we understood and we didn’t feel completely stupid. Obviously the thing we complained about the most was always having freaking pasta day and night, but that was a big part of the trip as well. Thanks to Italy, pasta is now considered “Haram”(fordibbed) in both Christianity and Islam for the people who went. I’m pretty sure everyone hated those Walkie Talkies we had to put in our ears to listen to the tour guides. I would’ve liked to stay a little more because as soon as we came back everyone was completely out of it and depressed, but I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing.

Compared to last years trip in Greece, I would have to say that nothing can come close to beating this Italy trip. This trip had much less drama, there was so much more to see, and we had such an unforgettable time. Besides the fact that we should enjoy the time we have with each other as much as we possibly can, my experience in Italy taught me how to be more independent and responsible. It also brought out a very peaceful side of me and it taught me how to live in the moment such as swimming in very cold waters and conquering my fear of heights.

 The Trip to Paradise

In my opinion this was currently the best trip I have ever attended. Even though with the ups and downs,Italy left smiles in our faces for us to Remember for the rest of our lives. In this essay, I’ll name the negatives and positives we had in this trip. To me, the three negatives had to be the food and our first hotel, and how some chaperones treated others Better. While on the other hand, the positives was our freedom, getting to know others, and of course to be rated my favorite island, Capri.
Even though everything was great In Italy, the only thing that just made problems was the food. For the Muslim students in our grade, it mostly gave them problems. For it limited the different types of food we could eat since they were mostly pork. I know that this is none of the teachers fault, because this country is basically covered with Christianity. We might have ate a lot of pasta, chicken, and potatoes but at the end we had to get used to their culture.
The second negative thing in This trip, had to be our first hotel, delta Florence hotel. This hotel wasn’t that bad, but it created some problems before we even go there. As there was electricity problems in most of the rooms, Mr. Yenshaw had to go find for us all new rooms. this day was truly tiring l, as everyone wished they could lay down on their bed.
Last but not least, was how others chaperones treated students differently. Though This trip was perfectly planned, that was a big annoyance for many of us. For example, our friend received the blame for anything and everything that happened during the trip. It wasn’t really their fault because our teachers never had the chance to understand, or never took time to fully understand what was happening in the first place. If our teachers ever gave us a chance to understand the problem, the sneaky people wouldn’t be easily getting away.
Finished with negatives, everything else was great. Now here, the first positive was more free time. This trip was absolutely amazing, for the amount of Free time our teachers gave us. As the teachers gave us about 5 hours free time alone on an island. Now this shows how much our teachers trust us. Also due to our behavior,r we were give more free time for us to enjoy.
Another positive point that really made us enjoy This trip, was how others got close to each other. Before we even traveled to Italy, basically there were several of people who I never talked to.
Finally, for the last positive was the island of Capri. Capri was the best day in this trip as everyone enjoyed it the most. As I said before, we got a lot of free time for us to enjoy for us to enjoy the best day in Italy. It also is the best day, since we got to swim while the waves were crawling gently to the shore.Also the teleferico was unbelievable as I thought I was climbing the mountain to heaven.

In my opinion, never will I remember the negatives, because I still know this was the best trip ever. Even though our teachers worked hard for this trip we should start giving them a round of applause. The Italy trip was supposed to be the best trip ever now it’s the greatest. I hope Mr. Yenshaw and the remaining AISE staff that chaperoned us will feel the same since it might be their last year in the school.

Florence’s Gypsies

long skirts and wandering eyes
chasing after it prey likes flies
a cup In hand
and a planned procedure
Kisses in exchange for money
funny how far they’d go for a euro or two
you got no clue
whether it’s all an act of greed
or a need to feed their families
your pocket is their target
among them is an argot
secret communication through the eyes
a different disguise
every single day
and they might act friendly
but you’re wallet is their only interest
never trust their words
for it’s all a trap
they go and leave like birds
from one place to another
both with different faces
and unstable traces

5 Cities, 7 Days

That feeling in the pit of you’re stomach when you’re up among those clouds is something I will never get used to. The butterflies swimming and the constant flow of adrenaline in you’re body is what I crave, and that’s exactly what I got while in Italy.

The flight experience can have me talking for days, for it had me staring out the window. Gazing at the clouds that I was among and grinning like a kid on a Christmas morning. it was a sleepless flight, full of mocking those who are sleeping with their jaws hanging missing out on this captivating experience. The only downfall of the flight was the menacing and unsightly flight attendants, along with their false cheeriness.

Even the enduring 3 hour long bus rides have managed to be memorable. Full of unharmonized singing and sleeping among the bus. It was bizarre how enjoyable a 3 hour bus ride has been, for it felt like taking a tour across Italy. Usually the bus rides have managed to feel much shorter than 3 hours, I also am filled with gratitude towards those extended bus rides, for they have been full of catching up on the dissipated sleep. One day I will write a book about how to handle being In a room with the same person for 7 days, The room was drowned with imbecile arguments and scattered clothes. I am still surprised as to how my roommate and I have managed to forget only 4 pieces of clothes. Being two unorganized people in a room, has left a hefty load of cleaning to do on the last days. I have never been introduced to such thing as a human alarm until this trip, and it surely has me filled with gratitude towards my roommate. She had to endure responding to the wake-up calls and to turning into an alarm. I can only imagine the exhaustion of waking up a heavy sleeper at 7 in the morning.

I think I can say that I have experienced a famous part of every day life of moving from one place to another, and lengthy bus rides. We have been moving from one place to another like birds, picking up our bags, hoping on a bus. and leaving to our next destination. We’ve been to the enchanting city of Florence, full of those who would chase after you for money and the delectable frozen yogurts. We’ve also visited the educative city of Rome which holds one of the most historical and educative sights in the world, and it was also full of countless shopping bags. My most favored day was when we went to the mind-blowing and lively island of Capri. Walking around the island, and the floating carelessness and happiness in the air has been the most captivating part of the day. We have also managed to pass the difficulty of swimming in freezing water, for it has gotten to the point where our numbed bodies has felt warmth. Puzzling right?

Through the many unnecessary arguments and the appearance of the many grumpy people to the shared laughter and jokes. I wouldn’t thing about changing a thing about this indelible trip. We’ve had those who have gotten sick and homesick, to those who were in tears while going back home. There were times were the air could have been slashed with a knife from how thick the tension was to the times were it was full of smiles and carefree. We’ve been able to get to know our teachers as people and not just regarding the subject they teach and for that I am more than thankful. I’ve also been grateful to see the pleasant-looking Italian men. I returned to Egypt with a feeling of emptiness and a vigorous hate towards pasta.

Fun Times and Beautiful Scenery-Capri
How would you feel flying across one of the most beautiful islands in the world? Day 7, which was the day we visited Capri was the day I most enjoyed. The island is split into two parts Capri and Anacapri. Ana means “above” and Anacapri is above Capri, that’s how it got its name. It was first colonized by the Greeks, but now it is a part of Naples. The breathtaking view was something worth seeing, and one the most beautiful sights I have seen. The island wasn’t massive, but it is something definitely not worth missing. We toured the island and got to experience both Capri and Anacapri, than we had about 4 hours on our own to do as we choose.

We rode a ferry off the coast of Naples, and the ride was an hour long. As the island was closer in sight, everyone’s eyes were beaming of excitement because this was the Island of Capri that we have heard about, and we have been eager since we heard that we would get an opportunity to visit. It isn’t just a typical island, even contains legends from ancient Greek writings. It is the perfect destination for any type of trip. The Island was not bowdlerized in any shape or form; it was as if it was the type of view was that only heard of in fairy tales.
When we were in Anacapri, we took a tour and got to endure a chair lift ride to reach the top. From the top of Anacapri, you can see the entire island and get a panoramic view; it was the ideal place for pictures. The ride up to Anacapri was about 12 minutes long, and it was filled with peace and beauty. When ascending though the clouds, I could see myself getting further and further away from the water and low land, yet getting closer and closer to the greenery. I could hear the birds chirping, feel the sea breeze, and smell the fresh intoxicating air and really sense and get a feel and see nature at its finest. Joyfulness and peace flushed through my skin. It was as if all worries were taken away because the beauty was all I had left to see, I could appreciate what is around.

After the tour of Anacapri, a choice was given to either stay at Anacapri or going down to Capri, but everyone chose to go to Capri. In Capri, we could swim at the beach, take a tour with a boat of the grottoes, or walk around, and I decided to swim at the beach. It was a very gorgeous. Seas were emerging from deep below and the water was crystal clear. The vast landscape sparkled in the sun.
On the contrary, even though the time we had was greatly appreciated and well spent, spending more time there would have been preferred because than we could have a chance to ride the boat too see the grottos, take a swim, and see more allowing us to get a full experience of the Island since it is such a wonderful opportunity to get a chance to visit one of the most magnificent Islands. Therefore, spending more time there would give you a chance to get to fully see it because for many people this is a once in a life time opportunity that should be taken full advantage of.

 Eight Days’ Bliss

In my few but arguably experience-rich years, there are scarce times I have been as excited as I was on December 25^th, 2014. My teachers and classmates had been planning the annual 8^th grade school trip to Italy for months and my parents, much to my despair, had informed me that I wouldn’t be able to travel due to financial issues. Of course I was miserably despondent, but I was well aware of the severity of the problem (or so I thought) so I didn’t argue much. As it turns out and as I found out on Christmas day last year, my parents had been secretly planning to send me all along! I was beyond myself with exhilaration. After what seemed like a million conversations with my friends about how much fun they were going to have, who they were going to room with, and how excited they were, I could finally, finally join in their happiness. In what felt like days but was actually five months, I was packing my bags and kissing my aunt goodbye.

I’m very lucky to be blessed with amazing friends who shared my excitement with me. I was auspiciously sat next to two of them on the airplane ride to Rome. I could barely sit still as we eagerly anticipated the trip’s events. After the plane touched down the first thing I did was inhale the fresh, crisp air. I love Egypt and all, but I read once that living in its capital as we do is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Frankly, I don’t find it hard to believe. You could just feel the difference between Cairo Int. Airport and Fiumicino Airport. Not just in the cleanliness of the air, but in the vitality. Something that my mother has influenced me in is the belief in spiritual energy. As much as I love my home country, the dynamism there becomes really exhausting after a while. In Italy it was as if there’s an aura of elegance, grace, and the abundant buzz of excitement, which probably came from my classmates. We eventually got on a bus to Florence and sat through the next few hours looking forward to the next week’s happenings. We got to sightseeing right away and stopped by a marvelous marble statue that overlooks what seems to be the entire city. It was absolutely gorgeous, to say the least. As I paused for ice cream with my friends and looked out over the mossy green of endearing Italian streets and various churches and monuments, I could tell in that moment that this was going to be one of the best trips of my life.

Over the next few days we saw numerous testimonials to Italy’s timeless beauty and charm. We were hardly in the same city for more than a day or two, so it was like we were constantly on the move to a new, exciting place. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Vatican City, and Sorrento. Personally I think traveling is one of, if not the best, life’s greatest gifts to offer, so I didn’t mind being to so many places in a short period of time. I’ve been to quite a few places with my family before but I’d never been to Italy. My first time there exceeded my expectations by miles, and I knew I had high standards. We saw breathtaking places like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, and of course Vatican City and its museums and the Sistine Chapel. The Isle of Capri was probably my favorite place just because the view was so gorgeous. We swam and laughed a lot that day, and I couldn’t have imagined it working out better. I’m not much of a tourist per say (I enjoy people-watching and appreciating the modern culture more than visiting historical monuments) but I thoroughly enjoyed literally every single place we had the pleasure of visiting.

As most people notice right away, I am a very quiet person. I genuinely don’t like that word; I prefer the term observant. Quiet implies that I have nothing to say. Au contraire, I have many things to say about the things I feel passionate about, one of which is listening. As ironic as it sounds, I could write an essay about how much I love to listen to people. Especially when I’m in a foreign place, one of my favorite pastimes is sitting somewhere full of people, opening my journal to a blank page, and just listening. I’m not much of an artist but I like to doodle when I hear people speak, so I allow my thoughts to lead my hand and draw whatever comes to mind. Strangely, on this trip my sketches were a bit different than usual. I happen to be a dark character: usually my drawings are found gruesome to my mother and disturbingly negative to my sisters. However in Italy I found myself drawing things that genuinely made me feel happy. Flowers, dogs, cups of coffee, families, and books are some of the things I discovered I had drawn. I think this means that I was more content and satisfied with my week in Italy than I am most of the time at home, which is kind of sad but at the same time opened my eyes to new opportunities and possibilities. That’s exactly what I love about traveling; it expands your horizon to things you weren’t aware you could even do. I do very much enjoy being alone but as far as the people I traveled with, they were all great. There was some drama (much less than the previous years, thankfully) but for the most part everyone got along and had an amazing time. I truthfully couldn’t have asked for better companions on this journey.

Overall, this trip has been one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life. I know this is not simply one of those things that you appreciate in the moment then forget about later; I know this trip to Italy will stick with me until I grow old. On this trip we’ve laughed, we’ve learned, we’ve cried, and we’ve matured. I think that was the most important thing for us in the long run. We’ve all learned much not just from the tour guides and our chaperones, but also from each other and from ourselves. It’s been a journey of self-exploration and development, of laughter and song, of love and hate. I’m rarely at a loss for words when I write, but this trip simply cannot be summed up in a few paragraphs. Luckily we took photos that are still nowhere near capturing the essence of Italy’s gifts to us, but are close enough that we can try to remember later on when we look back at this trip. Already I have a Polaroid of my friends and I in Capri placed in my wallet so I can keep it in my memory forever. It’s been less than a week and my friends and I are already nostalgic, which I think really shows how much of an impact this trip has had on us. We’ve definitely changed for the better, and I am beyond grateful for being able to travel on this trip. I know I will always hold this memory dear to my heart because it has changed me as a person. As Miriam Beard once said, “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

 50 Students. 5 teachers, 7 days, 5 cities, WE DID IT!

Our Greece trip was great. The teachers treated us in a really good way, since we respected them (most of the time). The hotel was great, the sites we visited were great, and everything together was just great. I myself said it was going to be the best trip, and there was never going to be a better trip. I was wrong.

From the day we arrived to the Cairo International Airport from the Greece trip and I was so excited to go on another trip with Mr. Yenshaw. I had my hopes really high for him to stay with us for another year, since did I not only learn so much in his class, I learned so many things in life. The trip was great, mostly since he was there controlling everything. I always wanted to be in his chaperone group since I realized he was treating all his students in a way that would make us automatically respect him more than we already do.

The day of our 8^th grade trip came and we were ready to departure to Rome’s Airport. With my high hopes, I ended in Mr. Yenshaw’s chaperone group. Throughout this year we learned so much in History Class and I was really enthusiastic about seeing what we studied live. From the minute we met at the airport, I knew this trip was going to be one of the best trips I’ll every go on. Almost every student was there on time and that already gave us a great start.

Day 1 should’ve been one of the hardest days, since we had to deal with two really crowded airports. We were able to go through Cairo and Rome’s airports perfectly fine without any problems happening. Once we reached Rome’s airport we passed through passport control perfectly with no problems occurring which is weird, then we took a bus to Florence. Usually anyone would expect all students to flunk out and get crazy on the bus since we were supposed to be tired of the airport and the 3 hour us ride. We went to a small tour of Florence, and then headed to the hotel. In my opinion this day ran perfectly and smooth. This day’s credits should be given equally to all 3 parts. The chaperones, the students, and our magnificent tour guides, Mohamed and Sameh. I didn’t see anything wrong with this day since everyone was on time with everything and it was just the first day of the trip with everyone being really excited.

Throughout Day 2 and Day 3 we were able to wake up on time and do all we needed to do perfectly. Yes, we had some problems at night with the curfew and loud voices, but it was the first night. For some students it was the first school trip, you can’t expect anything other than all the students are really excited. Although the hotel wasn’t the best, especially compared to the two other hotels we stayed at, there were not so many obvious complaints or students nagging, which I guess helped the teachers stay happy.

On day 3 we rode our bus back again to Rome, having a 3 hour ride. It was surprising that with most of the bus rides, we didn’t make so much noise, which helped the bus driver and also helped teachers sleep. All students were amazed and surprised from how good the hotel in Rome was. The hotel was just perfect, internet ( the main thing all students wanted) , the way the cleaned our rooms, the room itself, the food and it was just perfect over all. While we were in Rome, we went to the Colosseum and we went shopping too. We all “loved” our teachers since they gave us 3 hours of shopping in a mall and 3 hours the day before it. Other than all the fun at the Euroma 2 mall, I also had so much fun at the Colosseum since I always wanted to see it from inside. What helped it become a really good day was that we had a really good tour guide that was able to explain a lot inside the Colosseum and I was able to learn all that I wanted to learn. Whenever anyone asked a question, he would know the answer right away. The only bad thing we had this day was the only thing we cant control, and it was the sun. The sun this day was just extremely hot and that made many of us dehydrated. After being at the mall, we went back to the hotel for a small study hall and for a surprise party for Sara. The teachers were really kind, that they let us watch the great football game everyone was waiting for, Real Madrid vs. Juventus.

On days 6 and 7 we were at Naples, the coast of Italy.. The two days in Naples were more of fun days then educational days. On day 6 we were heading to Naples. IT was around a 3 hour drive, with a stop at Pompeii in the middle. We stopped for a very small tour at Pompeii then rushing on the road to go to Naples. At the stop in Pompeii, we were able to buy some small souvenirs and walk around the beautiful city. After reaching Naples, we looked at the city and then went back to the Hotel. Today wasn’t a very tiring day since we didn’t do a lot, but we all needed rest for the exciting day tomorrow. Day 7 was going to be the last actual day, and it definitely is going to be the funniest of all. Today, there weren’t really any negatives since it wasn’t really hot and there was not so much walking.

Day 7.. Today was the last actual day, and the day everyone was waiting for. Today was the day where we rode the ferry from Naples to Capri to enjoy our day at the island. Today was a day where all students ere able to have fun with there teachers and not try to distance them since it was a day at the beach and at the mountains. Today we had a very small tour then had the choice of going up the mountain with a telepherique to see the whole island. It took us 12 minutes to go up and 12 minutes to go down, which shows that we’re at a really high spot in the mountain. All students who went up can explain how much of an experience it was. Being parallel with some of the clouds is something really weird to understand, especially not being on a plane. After going down the telepherique, we had 3 hours of free time where we could ride a boat around the island or swim at the beach, go eat, just enjoy the country. Every teacher and student had so much fun on this day since it was just BEAUTIFUL.

Overall, I would rate this trip a 9.9/10 since I loved every single part of it, except for a couple of days, the weather wasn’t the best, but it’s nothing we can control. The teachers were very nice and I would say all students respected the teachers. Our behavior was really good compared to the 8^th graders last year. We barely had any problems and that put all teachers in a good mood. I would say this was the best trip I ever went on. I love it.

Authenticity of Italy:  5 Cities in 8 Days

Ever since the trip to Greece, also planned by Mr. Yenshaw, ended last year, the Italy trip has been the main topic of almost everyone’s conversations. The excitement and desire to embark on the week-long trip that goes from the northern, popular areas of Italy down to the rural south has been palpable amongst those going since the end of last year. The Greece trip last year was almost exemplary, leaving everyone to doubt what the Italy one would be like. Even though we all had high expectations, many people thought it would be tedious and over-packed. Now, two days after the trip I can honestly say that the people were right; it was tiring, and also crammed. Over only eight days, we were able to start in Florence, walk freely around the sights there, make our way to Rome, marvel at the capital of Italy, drive to Pompeii, see the beauty that lies in Sorrento, experience the mafia-like qualities of Naples, and end the trip flawlessly on the majestic island of Capri. The condensed itinerary enabled us to encounter all the key historical sites, which was an incredible and unforgettable learning experience. I can confidently say that the memories accumulated during this trip will stay with me for a lifetime.

I left Egypt on May 1^st, having studied extensively about the ancient Romans and their vast civilization. Modern day Italy was a mystery to me though, and I had no idea what to expect. The curious tourist inside of me Googled images of Italy, especially the places we were going to. The pictures I found whetted my appetite, but they ended up in no way preparing me for the stunning scenery and sites we visited. We saw the prominent Tower of Pisa, which I discovered was just as leaning as everyone says it is. I luxuriated in being able to explore the ancient Coliseum, home of many savage gladiator games.

Everything we saw, whether it was as simple as a small statue or as illustrious as the St Peter’s Basilica, had an intricate history and a story to be told. We were thankful enough to have been blessed with guides, who, at times, were hard to hear, but taught us about the elaborate features of what we were seeing. If I really had to choose, I would say my favorite area in Italy is the gorgeous island of Capri. I was truly awed by the vibrant colors – the rich blues and the majestic greens. Riding the chairlift to Ana Capri, the highest point of the Island, was a once in a lifetime experience that I will be able to recall vividly for the rest of my life.

When thinking about Italy, the first thing that comes to mind is pizza and pasta. After returning from the trip, I never, ever, in my entire life want to see pasta again. I have no idea how the Italians can eat so much pasta every single day and not get sick of it; their digestive systems must have adapted over time or something. Anyway, every dish of pasta served to us was really nice and tasted lovely, however, the problem was that it was simply too repetitive. Towards the last few days, I couldn’t even bring myself to eat it. I guess pasta is just part of the Italian culture. My absolute favorite meal was in Naples when we went to walk around on our own. It was then that I bought a small, authentic Italian pizza, which was unlike anything I had ever had before, from a small pizzeria hidden between two large stores.

The best parts of the trip for me were when we were allowed to roam around freely and explore the authentic streets and piazzas. I loved being unconfined and free to experience the Italian culture and way of life. I learnt many things about Italy and its native habitants whilst on the trip, including how laid-back and relaxed most Italians are. Throughout the entire eight days, I highly doubt that there was even one person who did not smile welcomingly at us. All the shop clerks we encountered, and believe me, we encountered many, were all very gratifying and pleasant, not causing any problems or becoming angry at anything. This made the trip more enjoyable, and kept everyone in a good and pleasant mood.

One thing that we did a lot in Italy was walk. Since the streets in many of the places to which we went are extremely narrow, the bus wasn’t able to drive on them, thus mandating that we walk to many of the sights. I honestly thought that all of the walking would be tiring and cause difficulties, but I was wrong. It was refreshing walking through the streets, and it gave us the opportunity to personally and closely become acquainted with the beautiful styles of architecture and Italian society in general.

This was an outstanding trip that I will recommend highly to all the 8^th graders next year. I am truly thankful to all of the chaperones and the traveling agency for providing us with the opportunity to travel to a country so celebrated and stunning; It was a marvelous experience with hardly any faults that will lucidly remain in my heart for a long time.

 When in Rome…and other Italian cities…

The AISE 8^th grade students took an 8 day trip to Italy from May 1^st to 8^th. It was AMAZING! I really liked this trip a lot. It was fun and I got to see a lot of neat monuments as well as the Vatican Museum and the famous School of Athens painting, which we learned about in class. That (surprisingly) made it even cooler to see. Here’s a basic idea of how we were all over the place: The first day we traveled to Rome on a 3-hour plane trip, then went 3 more hours by bus to Florence. On the third day, we took another 3-hour bus ride back to Rome. After that, on the sixth day, we took yet another one hundred and eighty minutes trip to Naples, where we traveled further to the scenic island of Capri.

Early on the last day, we took another ten thousand eight hundred seconds to get back to Rome, on a plane, and by sunset we were back home. I’ll also talk all about the hotels, food, monuments, and any other noteworthy experiences I shared with my peers. Of course, this is a brief description of our travels. Now for all the interesting details!

The first night we arrived at our hotel in Florence, and because of maintenance issues, we were forced to room in groups of three instead of two. I didn’t have to, as my new roommate and I were the odd ones out. About this hotel in Florence…I hated it! It was awful on its own with no AC, dusty wooden floors, itchy bed covers, white tile floors outside the room, slow elevators, cramped rooms, not free WI-Fi, and more, but in comparison to the other hotels? It was an abandoned hospital! I have decided not to include the name, but choose to nickname it for now as ‘Felta Dlorence’. In this hotel, the food was halfway decent, but little did we know of what was to come! We had pasta, chicken, and potatoes, and it would not be the last time we’d see it! On night three, we went to our hotel in Rome. Put simply, it was the best hotel I have ever stayed at. EVER! The rooms were huge, the beds were big and soft, the elevators came quick and were efficient, the breakfast and dinner room was spacious, there was free WI-Fi, and so much more that was wonderful. If anything, Capannelle would be the reason I’d come back to Italy! The last hotel we stayed at…wasn’t the best. We stayed at the ‘Ioliday Hinn’ In Naples. There was Wi-Fi and the beds were nice. There was even a very comfortable AC and nice, clean bathrooms. I’d have to say that the biggest problem was the elevators. Say you were on floor five. You call the elevator from -2. The elevator goes up – passes five – up to ten. You call it again. It comes down – passes five again – and goes to three. It was like the elevator hated you or something! It was absolutely ridiculous! The ‘Ioliday Hinn’ was the last hotel we stayed at. My rankings: #1 – Capannelle, #2 – Ioliday Hinn, #3 – Felta Dlorence. I leave you with that.

The next thing I would like to reflect upon was the food, and honestly there isn’t much I can work with! For the majority of the nights, we had pasta for an appetizer, then chicken and some form of potatoes as a main course, and it we made it far enough to dessert, we had Tiramisu or fruit salad. I didn’t mind the pasta or fruits so much, but the constant chicken and potatoes, chicken and French fries, chicken and potato wedges! Ugggh! It was (eventually) disgusting! How do the Italians stay so thin with so many carbs in their diets? No vegetables either! *Sigh* I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that’s not all they eat. Which might actually be true! One night, the teachers took us out for bowling and we had this foreign food, which our mouths hadn’t had the pleasure of tasting for days: pizza. It was a wonderful change from the usual routine…I’m so sick of it I’m not even going to name the three food types…chicken, potatoes, pasta K DARN IT! I said them. Anyway, I want to talk about what we had for dinner on one of the nights in Naples. Turkey meatballs – they were really good! They were probably the best type of protein I had the pleasure of tasting the whole trip! They were like really big beef meatballs, but with more saucy flavor. The final nice dinner I want to talk about was the last dinner we had in Italy. Apparently, it was suppose to be pork chops. Yes, pork chops! Thank you, Italians, for attempting to serve us one of the only proteins we aren’t allowed to eat! Before the pork got to the students, the teachers sent it back and the chefs prepared a whole new meal for us: salmon. I love seafood – Especially salmon. It was a wonderful change of diet! On that night, a miracle happened – they brought us a small salad! That was probably one of the best meals I had on the whole trip!

Now, for something more people can relate to: Italy’s monuments! There was a lot to see in Italy, like the Vatican, the Tower of Pisa, and the Amphitheatre! One of the things we saw was the Spanish Steps, and I must say: Are there enough flowers there? I think you might be able to fit some more…nowhere. This was the biggest collection of bright flowers that weren’t in a garden I’ve ever seen! But, after a long day, walking up them is not something I’d recommend. Believe me, I know – I’ve been forced to do it to get to the bus, which by the way, we had to wait at least ten minutes for. We also saw the St. Peters Basilica. It was really pretty. There was a big skylight or something that let sparkling sunlight flood the room. I didn’t mind that it was a little dusty in there because it just made the sunlight coming through the roof even prettier! JJJ! The Vatican was another thing we visited. It was really hot with no ACs! We as a group elbowed our way through large groups of tourists in order to see the different art pieces in each room. Like I said before, we even got to go to see the School of Athens! It was so lifelike! How could someone have the skill to pain it? And there was so much meaning behind it (trust me on this), it was just really neat to see in real life. We went to the Sistine Chapel after that, where there was the most annoying loudspeaker message EVER: ‘Shhhhhhhhhhh! (louder than everyone in the supposed-to-be-silent Chapel) Silencio! Please remain silent! No photos!’ It played every five minutes! That place was cooler for some reason – maybe because everyone wasn’t talking and blasting a combo of hot air and bad breath into the room. Ew. Anyway, we went to the huge Amphitheater, too. In it were many gladiator battles and people vs animal fights for entertainment. Not now, mind you, hundreds of years ago. Currently, a huge chunk of it is destroyed, leaving it looking like a broken football stadium. I learned that day that it was built with no cement whatsoever! Isn’t that cool? I left my favorite monument for last: The Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s leaning because it was built on uneven ground. Naturally, everyone took optical illusion pictures of holding up the leaning tower. I put up my hand to make it look like it was lying in the palm of my hand. It’s such a neat thing to see! You can’t help but wonder how it hasn’t fallen over yet – but I’m pretty sure it will…given time.

I loved seeing all the monuments and stuff, but I really loved shopping! Don’t judge I just did. I wasn’t the only one either. I loved buying souvenirs, like mini Towers of Pisa, Capri magnets, umbrellas with all the famous cities, fans with the same theme and a whole lot more! Other than that, I’d have to say my favorite place in all of Italy to visit was Capri! It was beautiful. Four students, including me, took an hour long boat tour around the island where we saw statues, birds, mountains, houses, goats, etc.

I even found a cat-themed shop! And a cat! Both very adorable and admired by a cat-person like myself. You could literally take a picture anywhere and it would come out amazing. I couldn’t see a downside to this place…other than the fact that I got bored after a few hours…

Overall, this trip was amazing, and if I could recommend it to a friend, I would (but bring your own vegetables!). Out of 10, I give it an 8.5, for purposes you may see above. I really liked this trip, and other than the things I mentioned before, the one thing I didn’t really like was that I was away from home for too long. Other than that, it was perfect! I want to go to Italy again, for sure! But next time, with my family. That would be the perfect trip J!

Reflective Time in Italy-The Good and the Bad!!!!!  By Students

To protect the students identities, I have only put their first name

Nabil- 50 Students. 5 teachers, 7 days, 5 cities, WE DID IT!

Rita- Bravissimo

Magy- The week when I ate enough pasta to last me a lifetime

Serag- Good and Bad times at Italian Hotels

Sara-School Trip In A Nutshell: Italy edition

Hana B-Fun Times and Beautiful Scenery-Capri

Heidi-When in Rome…and other Italian cities

Malak-5 cities, 7 Days and **POEM-Florence Gypsies**

Nada-Instances of Euphoria:  Italy 

Hana EM-Eight Days’ Bliss

Amina-Authenticity of Italy:  5 Cities in 8 Days

Catherine-Scuzi, Italy Coming through

Karim- The Trip of a Lifetime

Mo El F-The Trip to Paradise

DK- Reflective Time in Italy

School Trip In A Nutshell: Italy edition

This year, our chosen school trip was to Italy. It was a chance for all the students to see a lot of the things that we have been learning in class throughout the year. The trip was 8 days total including both of out travel days.

As far as hotels go, our plan was to stay at three different hotels. Our first hotel was in Florence, which we would be staying in for two nights. Our second hotel would be in Rome. We stayed in Rome for three nights. And finally, our last two nights were to be spent at a hotel in Naples.

The transition between hotels was something I found to be a little bit difficult for me and so did other students because most of us are used to staying at one hotel for the duration of our trips, but it was different this time. This time we were constantly on the move so you had to work a little harder to keep everything packed and ready to just grab and go. I think in the end everything ran smoothly with the occasional switching rooms here and forgotten items there, but other than that I don’t think we had any problems with the hotels. The rooms were all decent. The last two hotels had pretty big rooms and the service wasn’t bad either considering that they had so many of us bothering them about problems with the wifi and our key cards.

Our first day was a travelling day and possibly the most tiring day throughout the whole trip. Our plan was to meet at the airport at 6:30 in the morning where we would be heading to Rome. We spent a few hours in the airport making sure everyone was checked in and all ready to go then we boarded our plane that would take us to Rome. After we arrived in Rome, we spent a little while collecting our luggage and making sure we have everything then we got on our bus that would be taking us to Florence. On the bus they gave us two sandwiches for our lunch. We arrived in Florence in the evening and we made a short stop before heading to our hotel. We arrived there, had dinner then went up to our rooms.

On the second day, we took a short tour in Florence first then we headed to Pisa to see the leaning tower as well as the church. I enjoyed being at Pisa a lot because it wasn’t rushed. We took a tour with our guide first so that she could tell us all the historical facts about Pisa then we had free time to explore on our own and take pictures by the leaning tower. We spent the night again in Florence that day.

For the next 3 nights, we stayed in Rome. On the third day, we had breakfast then checked out from our hotel in Florence and took a bus to Rome where we would be taking a city tour to see all the important piazzas of Rome. After our tour with the guide we went to see Fontana di Trevi or the Trevi Fountain, which unfortunately was under construction so we didn’t get to see much of it, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The next day, day 4 was spent in Vatican City. Vatican City was absolutely beautiful. We got to see all the paintings and the hand painted artwork on the ceilings and the walls. We also got to see the School of Athens painting as well as the Virgin Mary holding Jesus. After we were done at the Vatican City, we went and had lunch at a restaurant where Mr. Mohammed played a beautiful piece on the piano. We finished up at the restaurant, then we went back on the bus to go for bowling and pizza in the arcade. Our last day in Rome was spent in the Colosseum. We visited the amphitheater and saw where the people used to go to watch gladiators fight to the death and also to watch animal games. The theater was huge and it was in an oval shape where the seats went all around and the stage was in the middle. After our guide was done giving us a tour of the Colosseum, we hit the shopping mall. The shopping mall we went to was called Europa 2. It was a huge mall and most of us spent a lot of money in it. After we finished shopping, we went back to the hotel and had a study hall to catch up on our work then we went to have dinner. At dinner, everyone sang me Happy Birthday and everyone gave me a ton of gifts, but the highlight of my night – the highlight of my entire trio for that matter- was when my dad surprised me with a cake. That was truly a birthday I would never forget. We spent the night in Rome, then we headed to Naples in the morning.

These last 2 days were spent in Pompeii and the beautiful Capri. Both were amazing and we got to go to the beach on ride a boat in Capri, which was a beautiful sight. I went on a lift as well to see the whole island of Capri from the top and that was probably my favorite sight on the entire trip.

The next morning was a sad morning because we would be leaving Italy and going back to Cairo. We went to the airport and headed back to Cairo.

Overall, I thought this trip was a huge success. I found it to be very well organized and planned out. We saw everything we learned about in class and it was education but not boring which is something that I found was never balanced in any of the other trips. All the trips I’ve been on have been either too boring or not educational enough. The students enjoyed this trip beyond measures. I think that we had maybe one too many shopping days, but I’m not complaining. It was a very relaxed trip as well, none of the students felt rushed about anything, so I would definitely go back there to repeat this trip again.

Good and Bad times at Italian Hotels

Since the beginning of the second term in November, so many of the AIS students were looking forward to the Italy trip since the Greece trip before it was a major success. For quite some time, there were some worries about getting the fees in on time and problems with visas, all of which were reflected on Mr. Yenshaw’s face during those gruesome months. Once all of the fees were paid and all the visas were returned (all were accepted) the atmosphere in the school was much jollier, and the days went by faster. I can still remember the night before the trip when I got home at 9:30 and was so overwhelmed with packing, yet I was so overjoyed at how fast things went by and that we were about 12 hours from leaving Egypt.

This trip, however, was much more effort-taking than any other trip I’ve ever been on. The fact that we would stay at three different hotels in three different cities, meant that we would have to be on extra guard to not forget anything. The fact that we would land in Rome and immediately take a bus to Florence meant that we would have had to had a strong lunch to keep us awake for roughly seven hours of transportation from Cairo to Florence. The fact that we all woke up around 5:30 that day, slept at around 11:00 and would have to wake up the next day at     6: 30, definitely meant that we’d have to be tougher than we’re used to in order not to drive Mr. Yenshaw crazy with complaints.

By the time we were on our way to Florence, Mr. Yenshaw received news that there had been an electrical problem at the hotel, and that we would have to stay in rooms of triples. None of us minded, in fact, it was actually more fun to be in triples than in doubles. The first hotel we stayed in was probably the worst one of the three, but arguably the most enjoyable one. The breakfast and dinner were less than pleasing to most students, but that just made the experience more memorable. The hotel was very strange and confusing on the inside. I think that everyone was on the same floor, but there were so many different corridors and halls, it was much more of a maze than of a hotel. The only noticeably bad things about that hotel were the cheap beds and barely edible food.

Two nights and several broken beds later, we moved onto Rome. The hotel in Rome was way more like a hotel and less like a youth hostel. The rooms were nicer and there was a safe in the room, unlike the one before it. We more spread out across different floors and rooms, but that didn’t stop us from causing chaos throughout the hotel. Our chaos was very minimal, but we still had lots of fun. After dinner, about half the people would go out for a walk, while the other half would stay. I was part of the second half, and had a very enjoyable time playing cards and other games. This hotel was better than the one before it in many ways. First of all, the food was noticeably better. Additionally, there was space in the lobby that proved very important for us. On the third day, there was a football game: Real Madrid versus Juventus. We set up one laptop and streamed the game while about fifteen of us were practically sitting on each other just to watch the game. What an experience that was.

The third and final hotel was a Holiday Inn and in terms of hotel, was the best hotel we stayed at. However, since it is a very big place with many, many guests, we were so stretched apart. We occupied floors: three, four, five, seven, eight, and ten – maybe even six – so that made it very hard for us to stay up late with each other. The last hotel was much like the second hotel, only fancier. Breakfast and dinner were the same. Pasta, chicken, and potatoes are what we had for almost the entire time were in Italy. There was also another football game while we stayed there: Bayern Munich versus Barcelona. Unfortunately, Bayern were hammered three goals to nothing. The experience of watching the game there wasn’t as fun or as memorable as watching the other game in Rome. The final full day we spent before leaving Italy was rather quite. No one wanted to leave. Although there were some things and people we missed in Egypt, no one wanted to leave Italy, especially the Earthly paradise that was Capri.

On the last day, we set out for Rome to catch our flight at 2:00. The bus was still very lively because many of us were playing cards. The airport that we were going was the victim of a fire the day before, so we were lucky it hadn’t shut down or cancelled our flight. After reaching hot, humid Cairo, we started reminiscing about all the stuff we loved about Italy and how we’d all love to go back. After I got home, I realized that I fell vulnerable to the one thing I was afraid of; I had forgotten at least one item in every single hotel we stayed in. Oh well.

The Trip of a Lifetime

The trip was very entertaining and informative. I learned a lot of thing in this trip and went to a lot places I have dreamt to go to. We went to a lot of beautiful places that was worth going, but we also went to places that were pretty much boring for a group of teens. There were a lot of good thing and also there were bad things that happened while we took eight days break from school. I personally had a lot of fun in all of the cities we went to while our stay in Italy. My favorite places were Capri and the Coliseum. They were also the most interesting for me. After these two places was the Vatican City as I was amazed by the arts people created hundreds of years ago without any technology and without a lot of help.

The food in Italy was mostly terrible. We ate Pasta almost everyday for lunch and dinner. We could’ve eaten more pizza and tried new foods we never could try in Egypt. We didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary over there nor did we eat anything other than pasta and Pizza. We only ate pizza twice in the trip. I would’ve liked it if we would’ve take a break from pasta and Pizza and tried anything new. Some of the chaperons treated some students better than others and it wasn’t really fair as some people were shouted at for a small mistake and others didn’t face any consequence for a big mistake. I think some of the chaperones should’ve treated some people better. Mostly the boys because the boys were mistreated in the trip. Some chaperons should’ve treated the boys a bit better. Some of the places we went weren’t really fun for a group of teens, instead they were a bit boring and being bored makes it hard for us to concentrate on what the guide is saying.

Some places we went were great choices from Mr.Yenshaw, because all of us had a lot of fun in and got introduced to a lot of new information about historical places in Italy. The Coliseum and the island of Capri were the best two places for me, because they were interesting and they were picturesque. We had the chance to go to places I always dreamt to go there. The group I was in was amazing It had a lot of nice people and they were all entertaining non of them were boring. The bus rides were also very nice, because we had a chance to sit and relax, and talk with our friends in the bus.

The trip was mostly magnificent there wasn’t a lot of bad things in the trip. I personally had a lot of fun and it was the second best trip I ever went to in my life. Italy is an amazing country and it has amazing sites and historical places and we went to most of them. I felt that some places we went to were a bit boring for a group of teens, but other places were pretty cool to go too and see them. I think it was worth it going to Italy with my friends as we had a lot of fun there. Some of the chaperons mistreated the boys, but it didn’t really matter because we still had fun. I would hope that I would have the opportunity to go there again and do a city tour. When we graduate I hope we have a reunion in Italy.

  BRAVISSIMO!!!!!!!

 Italia

A dictionary definition of Italy:

 Italy |ˈitl-ē|

Italy is a country in southern Europe with a population of 58,126,200 (est. 2009). Capital, Rome; Official language, Italian. Italian name: Italia.

 A human’s definition of Italy:

 Italy is a country in Southern Europe where pasta and pizza were born.

 My definition of Italy:

 Italy, home of grand monuments and stunning islands with the unimaginable beauty and grace. Italy: a homey country with citizens of multiple cultures and beliefs. It’s a beautiful area filled with nature and great history. It’s my divine paradise.

             Our destination trip to Italy was extraordinarily hectic, yet entertaining and educational. According to plan, we visited just about all the historical sites and monuments our little hearts desired. Despite our large number of students and the slight chance of us losing someone, our visits ran along smoothly the entire trip, we were on task most of the time, and we were responsible enough to arrive on time for our reservations. It still surprises me, though, how we managed to cram our entire itinerary into our limited time of 7 days. But, I should’ve expected it; after all, we did have Mr. Yenshaw as our trip coordinator. I’m attempting to convince him to alter his name to Daniel Travel Yenshaw because he is extremely invested in the world of travel. Thanks to him, our trip flew by without any obstacles obstructing or troubling us. This Italy trip was the perfect getaway from school this past week, a stress reliever.

I enjoyed various aspects of this trip this past week; I must admit that this trip was very well thought through. Every little detail, including dinnertime and how long a stroll around the hotel would take, was planned as we progressed further into the trip. Not one point was left until last minute and our entire program for the day was taken into consideration at least 24 hours beforehand. I enjoyed the fact that we weren’t stalled for a long period of time because we forgot to include an important factor. And, even when there were obstacles, such as the fire in Terminal 3 and transition to Terminal 5, we overcame them in due time.

Another factor of the trip I enjoyed was our Florence and Rome city tours. Despite walking on my aching feet for hours on end and sweating my butt off, I appreciated learning about the Italian culture and how different it is when compared to ours. I had the benefit of visiting great geometric and architectural perfections, such as the Florence Duomo. The city tours allowed me to marvel at Italy’s natural beauty and stunning views of churches and towers. We could’ve skipped the city tours and jumped to other famous areas, but we held our ground and continued on with the two-hour tours around the city, leaving us stunned at such amazing beauty.

Another spectacular section of the trip was our visit to the Vatican City, its marvelous artwork and history overwhelming you completely. The School of Athens and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel artwork cannot be passed up. The murals, like the Final Judgment, depict grand history and impossible beauty. And, plus, who wouldn’t want to go stare at the ceiling that fell on Michelangelo’s head while he was painting? I learned so many great facts pertaining to the Vatican. Did you know that the School of Athens holds a hidden gem, Raphael’s self-portrait?

A great advantage to the trip was our extension of two days. We were supposed to leave on the sixth, I presume, but we expanded our stay for two nights just to see Naples and Capri. Thank you, Mr. Yenshaw; may Capri bless your soul. It was, honestly, a fantastic experience, riding on a ferry towards Capri, taking a chairlift to the highest mountaintop on the entirety of the island, and snapping pictures of a gorgeous view of white houses with their orange-bricked rooftops. The experience was a once-in-a-lifetime one, and surely left me breathless. You’d be crazy not to try it. Capri’s view was spectacular; snapping pictures should be the least of your worries. I especially adored the little kiosks and charming shops along Capri’s cobblestone streets; they sold the prettiest souvenirs for the cheapest prices, and the people were extremely friendly. Capri definitely is a sight for sore eyes.

Unfortunately or fortunately-however way you’d like to perceive it as- nothing is perfect. There can be multiple flaws pertaining to one subject, and this trip is no different. First, let’s start with the food; pasta, pasta, and, you got it, even more pasta. I believe I may have found the origin of ‘100 Ways to Cook Pasta’; I’m pretty sure everyone grew sick and tired of the pasta, as delicious as it might be. Perhaps, instead of a set menu, students could order what they want or we could’ve had a set menu with various types of foods, other than pasta. Our major problem, though, were our ‘Whisper’ devices. It’s pretty ironic, really, that they are called Whispers when our tour guide’s boomed through it, making it seem as if she was yelling at us. I’m never touching those unpractical death traps again! They have one earphone, for Pete’s sake; it is as if they are attempting to deafen you. The humorous part, though, is that no matter how many times we told our tour guides to move the microphones away from their mouths and stop breathing so heavily, they’d do it again. Whether or not they noticed what they were doing, I don’t know. Other than those minor obstacles, our trip was perfectly planned, down to every last factor.

I can imagine Mr. Yenshaw tapping his temple, smirking at me, and saying that he has everything planned and under control. And, in all honesty, I know he does. He did plan this amazing trip, after all.