Heading Home

Friday morning we flew back to Rome, and spent the last day of the trip in Rome. Some of us spent the afternoon just walking around and doing some window shopping. We met up with the rest of the group at the Spanish steps and went and bought some bread and cheese for a snack. Later we met up with our coordinator at the Pantheon. We were told that if a group holds hands around a column at the Pantheon they will be friends forever, so we did that, and then went and got some coffee. We headed to Trestevre for the night, which is possibly my favorite neighborhood. We went to a bar for some drinks and gave our coordinator her gift. We had all signed an "I <3 Rome" shirt for her (it was an inside joke because she had gotten our professor an "I <3 Malta" shirt.) 

Afterwards we went to dinner - I had a spinach ravioli and it was delicious - and then out for the night. We did both the famous chocolate shots (pic 1) and Harry Potter shots (pic 2). I had the Sveltina and Dumbledore. Then we spent most of the night at a really cool bar called 8 millimeter (pic 3).

Of course on our way back to the hotel we ended the night with some gelato. Then after 3 hours of sleep I woke up to embark on my 21 hour journey back home. 

The entire trip was a lot of fun and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to go. I absolutely love Rome and cannot wait to go back someday. I also made some great friends and learned a lot about an important issue that I hadn't even known existed before the trip. I also met some amazing people while visiting centers in Rome and Malta. I will never forget all of the new experiences I had and this trip was the perfect way to kick off my final semester of college. 

Finally, I owe a huge thanks to my parents for supporting me and allowing me to have this experience. I am so grateful for everything you have done to not only just let me go, but also to make sure I had a fantastic time while I was there. I love you! 

Valetta and Marsa

Yesterday we spent most of the day in Valetta, the capital city of Malta. It was once a fortress surrounded by a giant wall and a moat. The city was absolutely beautiful. After meeting with the Malta Emigrant Commission we spent most of the morning and early afternoon walking around the city.

In the afternoon we met with the Arab Maltese Community. It was a very interesting experience, and after thinking about it we are all pretty sure we were meeting with the mafia... Regardless, they were very nice, hospitable people and it gave us a chance to talk to migrants who are not part of the refugee crisis in Malta, but still facing struggles as non-Maltese citizens. In the evening we had a lecture and then dinner.

Today we spent all day at Marsa, one of the open centers for men. The center was very big, but not great living conditions. It was also in a rough neighborhood in Malta. We met with two of the employees and were given a tour. We also got to speak with two refugees living in the center. Our conversations with them were very painful to hear, but also very interesting. It is such an amazing experience to be able to meet with the refugees and hear their stories, even though it is so hard to put myself in their situation. Both men I talked to were very intelligent, young men who had already faced so many horrifying difficulties in their lives. It is hard to imagine that there are thousands of other people who are dealing with the same issues.

Tonight we are having dinner, and then going to the local town to shop and sight-see. Tomorrow is already our last day in Malta. We are going to another open center, which I was told has some of the worst living conditions in the country. It will be really difficult to see, but interesting to see how a church run center compares to a government run center.

JRS Malta

This morning we visited the JRS Malta offices. We got to listen to presentations from a director at the JRS, as well as the High Commissioner of RefCom and the Superintendent of the police force. It was an interesting morning because we got to hear from people on multiple sides of the migration issue that Malta is facing. The High Commissioner is the person who looks through every asylum claim in Malta and decides whether or not they are granted or denied protection from the government. Before becoming commissioner he was a Jesuit priest, and seemed to be very fair in his decisions. Over 75% of applicants in Malta are granted some sort of asylum. The commissioner also explained the process and possible outcomes that these refugees go through in trying to access asylum. The superintendent is in charge of keeping Malta's borders secure, and deporting anybody entering illegally. The migration issue that Malta faces makes his job very difficult, but he also seemed very fair, and believed that the system of addressing migrants in Malta needs to be changed. We were originally under the impression the all of the police were racist and treated the migrants badly, and while he admitted that there were some issues, the superintendent told us everybody from the immigration sector is very understanding of the issues the migrants face. The whole morning was very informative and helpful in understanding the political and legal aspects of the migration issue.

During the afternoon we visited the largest open center in Malta. An open center is a large governmental housing project that refugees are sent to after they are given asylum. We got a tour of the center and were able to meet with many of the residents. We were told that this particular center was one of the most optimal conditions for refugees, but it was still fairly dirty and rundown. The residents were all very friendly. There were lots of little kids around that we were able to play with, and three of the younger guys came with us on our tour to answer more questions we had. They all seemed pretty optimistic about their futures and were fairly happy with life in the center. They also said that, while some people are very ignorant, the racism in the community has dropped dramatically and they are finding it easier to integrate into the local society. Before today I was beginning to feel pretty upset about human rights and the issues these refugees face, but after meeting with the people at this center I have a much more positive outlook on the issue. Although Malta's (and EU's) system has a lot of flaws, there are still many success stories coming from the migrants.

In the evening we had a lecture by Katrine, the director of JRS, who basically just answered any questions we had and described the process of the refugees from getting on a boat to being granted asylum. We asked her what she would change about the system if she had power and she had a great suggestion of having a guide to help support each refugee at every step of the process to help explain their options and rights. One of the biggest issues is communication - the migrants do not understand what should do, and the resources available to them to begin their lives in Malta.

Tomorrow we are going to be visiting more organizations and also touring the capital city of Valetta, which I am very excited about.

Malta

Today is my second day in Malta and it is a beautiful country. The architecture here fascinates me; there is a mix of British and Arabic influence. Unfortunately I cannot post pictures while in Malta because I do not have wifi on my phone.

After we arrived yesterday we explored the area and accidentally ended up at a historic palace called the San Anton Palace and Gardens. Once we went back to the hotel we had a lecture and watched a very interesting video on Italy's 2010 push-back policy, and then had dinner with 2 JRS (Jesuit Refugee Services) employees, one of which was a refugee from Eritrea. We ate at an Ethiopian restaurant, and it was actually really good, especially the coffee!

Today we went to Sunday mass with a group of Nigerian refugees. The mass was very upbeat and communal. Afterwards was hospitality, which was a lot of fun. They had all of the new visitors stand up and everyone sang a welcoming song while walking around to shake our hands and personally welcome us. Then they "interrogated" us with an ice-breaker where they asked us questions. Everybody was very friendly and it was really amusing. My favorite part was getting to hold the cutest little baby named Emma. She was 6 months old and had super chubby cheeks.

Afterwards we headed back to the university for lunch and free time, which all of us spent by taking a nap. Then we had another lecture before heading to the city of Mdina. Mdina was a fortress built on a hill, and is very pretty. The buildings are very old and view from the hill is incredible. We ate dinner at a restaurant nearby and then headed back to the university. Tomorrow we will start more intensively focusing on the academic aspect of our trip and be doing a lot of site visits relating to refugee services in Malta.

JRS

This morning we went to Centro Astalli, the Roman branch of Jesuit Refugee Services. We had a long talk about the organization, the documentation process for refugees, and Italian/European politics surrounding the issue. We then visited both a soup kitchen and a men's shelter. While we were unable to meet any refugees, it was interesting to see how the organization operated, and the services they provide to the refugee community. We had lunch at Pastarito; I ordered the pumpkin risotto, which was delicious. Then we headed back to our apts for a lecture on social justice.

Before dinner a group of us went to the Spanish Steps, and then shopping along via del corso. Unfortunely due to time we could only go into a couple stores but I still managed to buy a few things! Then we went to dinner with the rest of the group. The gnocchi was great. 

After dinner some of us decided to walk back to the apts (we were going to get gelato but both shops we wanted to go to were closed for holiday). We walked off our dinner and were able to see Vatican all lit up at night, as well as some more Swiss guards :) 

Interesting fact: whenever the pope is at the Vatican they typically leave a light on in the papal apartments as a signal. Since Pope Francis doesn't stay in the papal apartments (he stays in some smaller apartments on the Vatican grounds) they do not leave a light on, even though he is technically still there. 

New Years Day

After only 3 hours of sleep, I went to the papal mass at the Basilica of St. Peters in the Vatican. The church is absolutely beautiful! Mass was cold and long but definetly a once in a lifetime experience. Here is a picture of the pope, as well as the crowd outside of the Basilica. 

The crowd was even crazier than NYE at the colosseum! Afterwards we went to lunch, and then explored the city. We went to a lookout near piazza del popollo where we could see over the entire city of  Rome! Then we went to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon. We also saw the church that Saint Ignatius of Loyola is buried at. After a long afternoon of walking we got some gelato then headed back to our apartments. It's amazing to think I have only been in Rome for 3 days, it feels much longer!