The Eternal City of Rome

Hello, world!

Just a few weeks back, I made the once-in-a-lifetime trip: to see the eternal city of Rome and tour the trove of art in Vatican City. Rome, founded back in 753 BC has a history of millennia: including places such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Annually, the Giuseppe Sciacca Award Foundation invites those who have exemplified excellence to Vatican City and Rome to celebrate their achievements. This year, I was invited to receive this amazing award.

My mother and I departed from the PDX airport; I had been to the domestic flight areas many times before, however, this was one of the first times that we walked all the way to the end of the airport -- the international gates. The travel to Rome had a total flight time of around fourteen hours! It was a long journey but I was far too excited, and the time passed relatively quickly.

Our flight had a connection in Amsterdam, which was very beautiful from the skies! I observed lots of waterways and canals and it seemed very tranquil. When finally landing in Rome, and exiting the airplane, the first thing I noticed was the humidity. Although it was a cool temperature, and a bright day, I had already begun perspiring terribly; everything felt sticky!

In our drive to the hotel, though, the windows were open and I saw the wonderful palm trees, chirping birds, and beautiful buildings. The air ‘tasted’ different, a combination of wonderful things. It was amazing and I was really looking forward to the next four days. The time zone difference was harsh, but we tried to get as much sleep as possible.

Out of my four days in Rome, the main highlight was when I received ‘Premio Assoluto’ from the Giuseppe Sciacca Award Foundation.

I was honored by the foundation for my research on pancreatic cancer and artificial intelligence. One day, I want to cure pancreatic cancer. This recognition personally motivates me to work harder, and achieve my goals. 

Upon arriving at Pontifical Urbaniana University, I was amazed at the sight of it all, especially the people. There were Italian military officials, bishops and priests, journalists, and the awardees. At this point, I was interviewed by Greek and Italian press about my thoughts on receiving the prize.

I do have to say, the people had thick Italian accent and I was quite surprised to hear that almost all of them were trilingual!

The award ceremony itself was primarily held in Italian. I had been taking Spanish classes for the last two years now and I found that I was able to understand a few words here and there, such as “Su Eminencia”, translating to “His Eminence”. When it was time for my award, I was very nervous, yet excited at the same time. It was an amazing experience and inspiring to meet His Eminence, Ramyond Leo Cardinal Burke. 

Besides this main event, exploring Rome was amazing. I got to visit a variety of places on a bus tour, and it was fascinating to see the things I had studied and learned about. My three favorite places were Saint Angelo’s Castle, the Colosseum, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. I’ll briefly tell you about my experiences in these places, and what I found most interesting.

Saint Angelo’s Castle, or better known as Castel Sant’Angelo, was a large mausoleum that dates back to 135 AD. It was designed as a final resting place for Hadrian (an emperor of Rome) and his family. The castle is positioned on the Tiber River and was once the tallest building in Rome.

Personally, the reason why I enjoyed this structure was the fact that it hadn’t yet been restored. The old walls and details were very interesting to me.

We spent almost half a day in Vatican City. There were a lot of things to see and observe, and some really awesome places to check out. One of these was Saint Peter’s Basilica: considered the most beautiful church in the world. This massive church is known for its Renaissance style as it was originally made by architects like Michelangelo and Raphael. 

Next, was the Colosseum. The Colosseum has a far more interesting history, which has also contributed to making it one of Rome’s most iconic landmarks. It dates back to almost 70 CE, when Roman gladiators fought for the entertainment of the people. This landmark had by far, the most people. The line to enter the Colosseum spanned almost three times around the structure itself! It was a bright, yet cold day in Rome, and it was perfect for pictures. We took many.

Finally, Saint Peter’s Basilica, the most grand and beautiful place I have ever seen. Saint Peter’s Basilica is just like any other church, except for the fact that it has literally 163,200 square feet of interior space. Walls are built with gold and have been preserved for the many visitors that come every day.

The arches and pillars were humongous, and paintings of the Christian faith made sure that you had something to look at… for every single inch of the place! It made me look photogenic, and this is a place that I feel like I would never get bored of.

In addition to the structures honoring Christ, there were many busts of former Popes and Catholic Emperors. It is very surreal to see these preserved and restored almost perfectly!

My mother and I decided to go on the bus tour once more, except it was now dark. We got to see the amazing lighting that all of these attractions featured.

This sums up my trip to Rome. I do wish that I get to visit Italy again, and experience more of Rome, perhaps for a longer period. As they say, it truly is eternal -- and you will never forget it. This trip has made me very fond of travel in general, and I do hope I get to travel some more, and experience new cultures soon.

Until next time,

Rishab Jain

The Historic Freedom Trail ~ My Experiences in Boston

The freedom trail is a route in downtown Boston where many tourists around the world come to tour. I recently went on the freedom trail, and today, I'm going to tell you some information on the freedom trail and some of the destinations and the historical values of some of the landmarks and buildings. Some of these include the sites of the Boston Massacre and the Granary Burying Ground of where Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the parents of Benjamin Franklin were buried.


The freedom trail has many historical values such as some of the meeting places and landmarks of where the revolutionary war began and how the United States gained its freedom. The freedom trail also contains some parks and other locations like cemeteries that date back to the 17th and 18th century. One of the first destinations on the freedom trail is Boston Common. The Boston Common is a 50-acre large park that dates back from 1634 being the first public park in the United States. It was made for the purpose of feeding, and growing cattle. Today, Boston Common has many food trucks and water fountains making it a large tourist destination. The park is lovely and walking along the paved paths with the dark green grass in the sunlight is nice and is a perfect place to relax. I had a small picnic with my family.

After that, following the Freedom Trail from Boston Common leads to the Old Statehouse on Beacon Street. The Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Boston from the front balcony of the Old State House on July 18th, 1776. At the old state house, there was a play that was being performed. Just like many of the other buildings on the freedom trail, it is open for touring and has been historically preserved On Tremont Street across from Boston Common is the Granary Burying grounds. The burying grounds include figures from the late 16th century including Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the parents of Benjamin Franklin. There is a sign that challenges the viewer to identify 4 of the figures, and it was cool putting some of the facts I learned in school to the actual sites of some of these people. Along the freedom trail to the next major destination, there are some small spots like King's Chapel with the first Latin school, the Benjamin Franklin statues and the Old Corner Bookstore.

Next, across State Street and Congress Street is the site of the Boston Massacre, and there is a visual representation map showing the general areas of the five dead bodies and how State Street used to be known as Main Street. At the site of the Boston Massacre, I looked around and found that the development of just a few small brick buildings to an intersection of streets with many modern businesses was fantastic. The trail comes Faneuil Hall, a large complex hosting many marketplaces, statues and events. When I arrived at Faneuil Hall, there were multiple street shows with large crowds watching. Some of these were pretty cool to see the talents that just ordinary people living in the state had. The history of Faneuil Hall is vast figuratively and literally. In 1742 Peter Faneuil, Boston's wealthiest merchant built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city. The Hall was a home to the merchant's fishers and sellers that lived in the city. Faneuil Hall was a place that established some of the country's most famous orators. It was also a place for the colonists who first protested the Sugar Acts in 1764 and established the rules of no taxation without representation. Faneuil Hall has served as a place where George Washington toasted to the United States' first birthday and has hosted many speakers. Later, the hall expanded to include Quincy Market. At the parts of Quincy market, there were lots of people who were buying food and other accessories. Seeing such a large building made out of red bricks was fascinating and different than the other modern buildings. Today, Faneuil Hall lives up to its nickname the cradle of liberty by being a major tourist destination, a business hub with three markets and serves as a meeting place for 18 million visitors annually.

Lastly, on the Freedom Trail, three primary destinations come up; The Paul Revere House and two destinations across the river in Charles Town- The U.S.S Constitution and the Bunker Hill memorial. The Paul Revere house was the colonial home for a patriot, Paul Revere during the American Revolution. It was built in 1860 and is the only house on the freedom trail. Across the river is the Bunker Hill Monument. The Bunker Hill monument commemorates the battle of Bunker Hill. The bunker hill monument was a nice place to take pictures because of having the 229 step tall monument behind. Inside the Bunker Hill museum, in addition to seeing the statues of the recognized figures from the revolutionary war, I also got a good explanation from one of the rangers there. The day I went, it was too hot so the monument wasn't open but I still had a good time. The battle of Bunker Hill was one of the first major battles between the British and Colonial Forces on June 17, 1775. The U.S.S Constitution is in the Charlestown Navy yard and was first made in Boston. I first heard about the U.S.S Constitution in school, but it was cool getting to see the ship in real life! There were people there who acted out the role of being a sailor and were dressed up in sailing uniforms. It is known for capturing the British ship, the Guerriere. Its nickname is Old Ironsides because of how the ship has thick, wooden sides which were impenetrable by the gun shots and ammunition of forces. Today, the ship is in the yard where tourists are allowed to go on. There is also a museum and shop for learning more about the U.S.S Constitution. The museum was cool with a short movie teaching about the ship. The museum also had some games and other activities.

Overall, the freedom trail is an excellent place to tour. My favorite locations were the Faneuil Hall and u.s.s constitution. I liked the liveliness of Faneuil hall with so many people and activities and enjoyed the U.S.S Constitution Museum and viewing the ship itself. It was fascinating to see in person the things I had only heard about. I hope to go there again, and I recommend tourists to go and see the Freedom Trail.