Finally! I have arrived in beautiful Siena, Italy and I am living out my dreams of studying abroad in beautiful Tuscany, attempting to live my life to the fullest without hesitation or regret. Since I have gotten here, I have become extremely close with all of the other boys in the program. Our house sits just outside the city walls of Siena that over looks all of Tuscany. I hate to brag, but we DEFINITELY have the best view of any other students within the program, and living in this house is definitely worth the “hike” into the city.
Since we have been in Siena, we have been getting spoiled with sienese hospitality and of course, its traditional cuisine. The question I find myself asking myself before every meal is not what I am going to eat, but what form of carbs am I going to intake? Whether it is pizza, a panini or now my personal favorite Pappardelle Di Cinghiale, which is pappardelle noodles with wild boar. Yes, you read that correctly, wild boar. This rich, tender, melt in your mouth savory meat is a delicacy in Siena and is now a favorite amongst the six men living in the house.
Food aside, the best part of the trip for me thus far has been the art I have seen and visiting the t
own of Assisi where the tomb of St. Francis lies. Assisi is also the site in which I had my first conversation with an American Franciscan friar who gave up everything to live a life dedicated to simplicity and poverty. However, this friar is truly happy and at peace with himself. I can honestly say that this man was the happiest man I have ever spoken with in terms of his demeanor, his enthusiasm, his chronic smile upon his face and the way he spoke about his call to become a friar. He told me the happiest years of his life were the years in which he lived in poverty. I couldn’t help but think of the quote from the book “Into the wild” where Chris McCandless states “my days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal.” This once in a lifetime interpersonal experience I had with this man proved to myself that money truly doesn’t buy you happiness. Did I mention that after our conversation he told me that he would add my name to his prayer list? No biggie. I am not super stoked about it or anything like that…
As I finish my first blog entry I leave you with another quote with what I am trying to accomplish while being abroad and hope to inspire what ever little audience reading this blog to take to heart. The quote is from a film I previously watched and I am sure some of you may recognize it. The quote states “the greatest journeys in life answer the questions you would never thought to ask.” Take a minute and think about that folks, and I will be back in a few weeks to talk about the amazing art I have been seeing that will make all of you jealous and wish you were here.
Until next time,
Riley Roderick