Words of Wisdom

01 Jun Words of Wisdom

Few places remain truly pure and good in the modern world. Poppi manages to salvage that kindness, making it feel truly like home. My first account with kindness took place in a convent, a place I would call home for two days. 

The last place I imagined living in Italy was a convent. When our group walked in, we were greeted by two sisters, only one could speak almost the basics of english. Even though we could not communicate verbally, the warmness of their hearts radiated off their holy bodies, burning each of us directly in the face.

These women didn’t know my religious beliefs, but they didn’t care. They opened their arms to all of us, and let us live in their home. They were the only people on the trip who were not judgmental, and truly kind. It was incredibly refreshing to experience their love. 

During my stay in the sister’s convent, my tolerance of others (slightly) increased. All of my anxieties that filled my mind immediately disappeared. A giant wave of serenity drowned my body into the depths of peace…until I realized that I didn’t have wifi. The anxiety reclaimed my body, and sent me on an epic journey to find it. I did find wifi, but it wasn’t worth it. My time in the convent, away from technology and people was the most serene and life changing experience of the trip. It allowed me to digest everything I’ve seen in Rome, Florence, and Venice. It was time that I needed to catch up with my work and self. The Sisters of Poppi provided that for us, and allowed us to live in their beautiful city. 

The most disheartening moment of this experience was seeing some of my group not recognize the kindness of these sisters and the city. The worst thing a traveller can do is adopt the mentality that everyone is there to serve and cater to you. That is not the case. As a traveller, you are there to learn and experience Poppi’s culture and way of life. It is beyond disrespectful to leave your breakfast mess on the table for the sisters to clean it up. Another instance would be your level of obnoxiousness. Screaming in a covent—a place where people go to meditate and pray—is also unacceptable. It may seem like common courtesy to some, but to others it didn’t seem cross their mind. All of these things occurred during the trip to Poppi, and it was incredibly embarrassing, and annoying. As an adult in college, I was disgusted that who I was was clouded by a few of these students. For future students attending this trip, please read and reread the articles on not being an “Ugly American.” It will help you immensely when you visit Italy. The more respectful and kind you are, the better you will be treated. It will make your experience better and you will learn about Italian culture instead of what we experienced–tourist culture.