This experience in all was far more rewarding than I had expected. I knew a significant amount about the immigration and refugee troubles the European nations were having however to the extent of input and output of those services could have been fully comprehended had I not taken this journey through AGI Rome. I would say that meeting with Anthony was highly rewarding but that was not the only rewarding moment. I personally enjoyed meeting with United Nations and learning about how especially proud the country was about Mari Nostrum and highly enjoyed learning about the renovation plans the EU was planning as a whole. It is often represented in the media that the nations are at odds, which they may be on some matters, however there are positive efforts in the works and I very much enjoyed learning about those. All in all learning about the positive that is being done to make this world a better place was the most rewarding experience for myself. As cliché as that may seem. We are constantly learning about how the world is crumbling around us but is not often that we learn the good. I appreciate the good and the positive that we learned in this experience.
I decided to stay in Italy a week after the trip to explore Italy a bit more and visit some family along the way. I decided to travel to Milan and then to Venice before heading back to Rome. Along the way I was able to learn a little more about the opinions everyone has formulated about refugees. It was interesting to see that many we're welcoming towards the idea of helping those fleeing from other countries and especially in the cases of unaccompanied minors. However, many often stated that the EU as a whole was not doing enough to relieve Italy and Greece from their new found burdens. Moreover, I found that many were afraid to be the next Greece. They said that conditions in Greece from what they have seen and heard are much worse. There isn't resentment towards the refugees in particular but towards what is being done about the services. I believe that if they knew what we knew about the renovation projects and how much work is being done to implement those things they would not be so quick to state those things. However, it is honestly hard to make each and everyone, that formulates that quick opinion, to understand how hard many agencies are working to do the amount they have done.
Moreover, it was rewarding to visit my family members and explain to them the individuals and the agencies we were able to meet with. It was interesting to see us all sit down and discuss a topic that would not generally be up for grabs. It was rewarding to see my uncles talk about their experiences and how they immigrated to this country along with my aunt. They were extremely proud of the work we had put in and the amount I had learned in the week that I was in Rome. I likewise, was just as proud. I am happy to have taken this trip and stepped out of my comfort zone. Italy was rewarding to say the least! Ciao!
