Besides friends and family, the thing expats like myself miss the most about our home countries is the food. Prior to returning, I made a huge list of foods I missed that I hope to showcase as I systematically eat my way through America. Some are homemade Mexican meals, some are from my favorite chain restaurants, and hopefully, I’ll have an In-N-Out burger or some very greasy American Chinese food along the way. Enjoy!
#1 – Menudo
Menudo is a very well known dish among Mexicans, but it’s usually reserved for special occasions such as a birthday party or a holiday. For this reason, it is probably not something you are very familiar with unless you have Mexican friends. Restaurants might have it on weekends, since you really need to make big pot to make it worthwhile. Read more →
Rome, like any great city, has its historic beginnings shrouded in myth and legend. According to the stories of ancient Romans, the city was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus (no, not the capitals of the Romulan Star Empire). The two brothers were nursed by a she-wolf and due to a dispute, Romulus eventually kills Remus. According to later additions to the myth by the Roman poet Virgil, it is said that following the fall of the Trojans, Aeneas of Troy survived and fulfilled his destiny by fathering the founder brothers, and starting a lineage claimed by the likes of Julius Caesar and Augustus themselves.
Rome already had a lot of history going for it and I was very excited to explore the ancient ruins of the Colosseum. What I didn’t expect was how much had actually survived in the Roman Forum. The Roman Imperial Forum was the center of the ancient city. I initially hesitated because whenever something is described as “site of,” it’s usually a nice way of saying “nothing really remains, but we’re pretty sure it was here.” Many of the great columns are still standing with original Roman inscribed stones. A relatively recent discovery has also unearthed the site of the gladiator living quarters, connected directly to the Colosseum.
One of the buildings I was most excited to see was the Pantheon. I shamefully admit that my excitement was from confusion with the greek Parthenon, but it was nonetheless, magnificent. The Pantheon was built in 127 AD, but is probably the best preserved ancient building in the world. It was built for the gods, but since changed allegiances to Roman Catholicism.
Ancient history aside, the city is just gorgeous. My favorite thing about Rome were the plazas. Dozens of plazas are scattered throughout the entire city, with a beautiful fountain or statue in the middle and surrounded by coffee shops or restaurants. Rome is one of those cities you really can just walk around, get lost, and have a fantastic experience.
Evaluation:
1) Completeness and Originality (13/15): Very difficult to judge, but it is extremely well preserved given how old it is. The Colosseum lives up to expectation as does the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon.
2) Extensiveness of the Site (15/15): After four days in Rome, there was still a lot more to see such as the Castle of St. Angelo and the National Museum of Rome. Like the saying goes though, some travel is better than no travel :).
The expansion of Rome.
3) Cultural Significance (25/25): If this doesn’t deserve a perfect score, what does? Rome was the capital of possibly the most influential empire in earth’s history for a thousand years. Furthermore, close to 1 billion native speakers of latin-derived languages exist today.
4) Personal Impact (10.5/15): Rome was the highlight city in my trip across Italy. Its ancient ruins and history are difficult to match anywhere on earth. I do however, have to criticise the overall general treatment of foreigners by native Italians. I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say that when you ask me what I loved most about the country, I’m NOT going to say “the people.”
This monument, walking distance from the Colosseum, is dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II, one of the founders of modern Italy.
5) Logistics (6/10): Getting there is incredibly easy, even if you speak no Italian at all. Roma Termini Station is in the heart of the city and the Colosseum literally casts a shadow on the entrance of the Metro station. However, I found the entire city to be incredibly overpriced. The Colosseum is 12 Euro (15 USD) and 20 euro for the full tour, the Vatican museums 16 Euro (20 USD), the Galleria Borghese 16 Euro (20 USD). I know they are world known places, but these prices are outrageous. By contrast, most palaces in Korea are 1-3 USD, the Great Wall in China is 7 USD (at most), and Chichen Itza is 5 USD. In addition, hotels are also expensive compared to other capitals, including “pricey cites” like Tokyo.
6) Uniqueness (14/20): “Historic Center of” is probably the most common UNESCO world heritage title. However, I will say that Rome is no ordinary city. I can’t think of any other city that commands so much history, culture, and contains more monuments than the ancient Roman capital. I would say it is on par with Mexico City in this category.
Combined Score: 83.5/100
Is this a good score? Find out how it compares in our rankings.
I write this on a plane from Seoul to Los Angeles, ending a long, but extremely rewarding 4-year career as an English teacher in Korea, so this post is kind of reflecting on that.
After serving my third consecutive year and making around 100k (post taxes/bills), I have come to an inescapable truth” Money buys happiness, but not for the reason you might think. Consider this: If you could do anything in the world, and money wasn’t an issue, what would you do? If you have made wise decisions, it is my hope that your career fits into that equation. In all likelihood though, you might have hobbies you wish you had more time for, people you wish you could see more often, places you wish you could visit (for those of us who love traveling), and of course, people you wish you could help.
Don’t brush away that last one. How many times have you seen a natural disaster, or even had a friend in a jam, and it killed you knowing that if only you had more money, you could make a huge difference? Read more →
I finished a deep cleaning of my bathroom yesterday night and took out the kitchen today…
More than a week away from going back home for the first time in three years, but from the looks of this place, you’d think I’d be gone by tomorrow.
“Your mind must already be checked out” is something I have gotten about a dozen times this week, and quite frankly, they have every right to assume so given the evidence.
The only problem? I am hardly homesick at all!
Living abroad for the last four years has given me some perspective into what really matters to me (more on this soon). While I miss my friends and family as much as anyone else in my position, I am trying to understand the psyche of people who would give up their entire lives for the chance to live in the so called “land of the free.” No, I don’t miss ‘freedom’ or the ‘right to speak my mind.’ Contrary to popular belief, you have both of these in plenty of countries. Here is, however, a short list of things that I do miss about America, and more importantly, Southern California:
5) The Weather
I seriously just Googled “five day forecast Los Angeles” and this is what I got.
If you moved to Korea from…oh, say… Maine, Read more →
The 3776 meter high Mt. Fuji has captured the imaginations and sparked creativity in the Japanese people since the beginning of settled life all the way through present times. It is thought to be sacred and its monstrous eruptions over the centuries (most recently in 1707-8) have definitely helped in maintaining this idea. Many famous Japanese paintings depict the mountain, which is visible as far away as Tokyo, in the background.
