A Little More Obsessive, A Little Less Redundant -- Featuring Ben

When I last left you guys, I was in Barcelona--and loving it.  Almost two-and-a-half weeks later, I'm back in L.A. and back to the grind.  After about 11 days, Residential Advisor (RA) Training ended just last Friday and this is the first time I've had a break since.  Needless to say, I'm exhausted, but excited to start my Senior Year!  

As exhausting as these past few weeks have been, I got some new lasting friendships out of it.  The new staffmembers are incredibly motivated and have unique personalities, which makes it easy to get along with everyone.  In addition, I've made stronger friendships with the people I knew from last year--which is always a positive outcome!  Throughout RA Training we explored diversity, personal growth, programming requirements and emergency preperation.  We've been constantly engaged through ice-breakers and hands-on activities.  Finally, we had the RA Training Banquet on Friday, which was a blast!  Here are some of the pictures from these past weeks.

 

 

Alright, well, I need to go shopping for some Door Decorations for my residents.  Move-In Day is on Wednesday!  Ahhhh!  

Until Next Time, 

Ben

Since I've left Italy, I've used the past two weeks to do some traveling around Europe.  I feel so disoriented and I've lost all concept of time, so this may seem confusing.

After leaving Italy, a small group of us flew to Athens, Greece to stay for about four days.  One of the first things we did was head to the beach.  It was pretty rocky, but overall we had a blast.  The next day we went to see the Acropolis and Parthenon--and I have to admit, I was pretty impressed.  First of all, those structures are old (obviously), but the scenary that surrounds their locations is beautiful.  In fact, it reminded me a little bit of Los Angeles (minus the smog).  The following day we took a bus inland to a city called Delphi which is where the remnants of the Temple of Apollo and Temple of Athena still stand today.  Here, people would travel from all over the world to deliver presents to the gods and ask for guidance--so we did a lot of hiking.  Our last day, my 21st birthday, we spent on a paid beach (as per my request), went to dinner, and had drinks atop the Hilton's Galaxy Bar in Athens.  If you had asked me two years ago if I thought I'd be spending my 21st birthday with the Acropolis in sight, I would have said that you were crazy--but it definitely happened.  Here are some pictures I took while in Greece.  

After Greece, a classmate and I have been traveling to Paris and parts of Spain (San Sebastian and Barcelona).  We spent about four days in Paris and tried to fit everything in.  The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the list goes on.  Here are some of the pictures I took while I was there.  

Pretty Amazing, right?  Well, it doesn't stop there.  After Paris, we jumped on a train and headed to San Sebastian, Spain.  We spent two days in a town that is basically meant for surfing and relaxation--which was definitely a nice change of pace.  The location was incredible, the water was great and I now have a newfound love for tapas.  Here are some pictures I snagged while I was there.  

Well, we just got into Barcelona last night and will be here before we have to head back to Rome to catch our flight out--back to the States.  Like, I said, it's been absolutely crazy!  I'll try to send an update of Barcelona before I leave, but who knows how the internet connections are here.  

Until Next Time,

Ben 

...Or "Hello to all of you!" in English, was the first useful phrase that I learned here in Roma-the Eternal City. It's hard to believe that seven weeks ago, I stepped foot on foreign soil for the first time in my life. What's even more striking is that seven weeks ago, I could not have imagined seeing the Colosseum, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican, and the Forum in person. It is funny how things change, right? I feel like this trip, along with new friendships and great pictures, has given me so much more of the intangible benefits of travelling abroad. Just through observation, I've gained the global perspective needed in order to develop into a professional engineer. Whether it is with rooftop gardens, wood-fired pizza ovens, or delicious gelato, Rome helped me to realize that there is more than one way to optimize technology. Most people would agree that when travelling abroad, it is inevitable to return without noticing your change in attitude. I feel as though the Viterbi Overseas Program helped me take a step forward into being a more profound engineer and also a more profound person. With culturing experiences like "Carmen" at Teatro del Opera or trips to the Basilica at St. Peter's, I feel more like a well-rounded individual. I can safely say that these past seven weeks have brought forth a change in me, both personally and professionally, that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Those are just some of the thoughts I've been pondering--afterall, today is my last day in Rome.  After this, I'm headed to Athens, Greece for a week.  Hopefully I'll have internet long enough to keep everyone posted on my mini-adventures.  I wish everyone safe travels.

Until next time, 

Ben

So, first of all, let me send a shout out to America--it was her birthday on Friday and I just wanted to officially give my birthday wishes:  H.B. 2008!

 It's so hard to believe that this is my last week in Rome.  We were warned that these 7 weeks would go by fast, but it doesn't even feel like it's been that long.  Maybe it was all the school work?  Maybe it was all the travelling?  Maybe it was all those late nights playing Euchre and eating Pronto Pizza?  Whatever it was, it went by fast.

Last Friday, I spent my 4th of July in Rome.  One of the Viterbi Admission Representatives, Kate, took those of us who didn't travel out to lunch.  We went to the most American place we could think of:  Hard Rock Cafe.  It was so good to have free water, refillable cokes, and REAL burgers!  Don't get me wrong, I love Rome, Italy, and Europe, but America will always be my home.  Saturday, I went with some of my friends to do some hardcore gift shopping.  We've spent 6 weeks doing what we wanted and realized that we hadn't shopped for any souvenirs for all you guys back in the States!  I still ended up purchasing some stuff for myself, but I got a lot done.  Later int he afternoon we went to the top of St. Peter's and that night, some of the USC students studying Spanish in Madrid were visiting, so we went out by the Tiber River for the remainder of the evening.  Sunday, some of us visited what I think is called the Bone Church and then saw the St. Theresa in Ecstasy.  Both lived up to their incredible reputations.  Here are some pictures I took:

 

 

Well, since it's the last week, it's definitely crunch time.  We have our WRIT-340 Final Project Presentations tomorrow, Portfolios due on Thursday, and ISE-460 Homework and quizzes this week.  No problem, right?  Hahaha, I better get to work. 

 Until next time, 

 Ben

This past weekend, we took a group trip to Firenze, Italia (a city we know as Florence).  We left Friday morning and left Saturday afternoon.  Although Firenze is relatively far from Rome, our travel time was only 1.5 hours each way.  This was just enough time to get in some much-needed card playing.  Recently, I was taught the game Euchre, which is essentially Spades with 5 cards and differing trumps.  Like Spades, it is a trick-taking card game, where two pairs of partners attempt to take the majority of the tricks.  We usually spend it with several pizzas and a large bottle of Coke (very international, right?).  But in all honesty, I have made some of the best memories in Rome while playing this game.  It's low key and although we "keep score" it's really not that competitive (my teammate Brennan and I are currently leading...).  

Firenze was a great experience.  The Duomo was beautiful and we got to get some sick shots of the city when we climbed the to the top of the tower.  Here are some of the pictures I took to give you an idea:

Well, I had better get started on my Engineering Economy Homework.  

Until next time, 

Ben