Bananalee

Like a lot of people this days, I have kind of a mixed up family background with a lot of “steps” (step dads, step grandmas, step grandpas…” so even though I may be very close with one side of my family, they don’t necessarily have the same heritage as I do. Most of my family is Norwegian and they are very proud of it. I am a bit, just like I’m a bit of a lot of things but I am mostly Irish and Indian. The American Indian comes from a certain side of my family I don’t speak to so I have never been very interested in that. However, I am extremely interested and proud of my Irish heritage. My grandfather died before I ever really got the chance to ask where we were from but I know that my family’s Irish name is Crowley.

I feel a connection with Ireland even though I’ve never been there yet and feel drawn to the photography and the music and culture. I really think I’m meant to visit Ireland at least once in my life and hopefully I will learn more about my heritage and ancestors before I go.

I went to Greece for the last half of my student tour of Italy and Greece. We took an overnight ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Patras, Greece. Once there, we took a bus to Delphi, then spent the remainder of our trip in Athens. I prefer Italy to Greece, but I really didn’t get to see what I wanted to in Greece. I would have loved to tour the Greek Islands and I never got a chance too. The Greek people were very friendly, even when we kept trying to speak to them in Italian out of habit! (most of them speak English)

I really feel like I missed out on Greece, but I still cherish the memories from my trip.

I’ve only ever been to Italy and Greece, and I can hardly imagine wanting to go anywhere else other than back to Italy.

The age alone of everything will open your mind and make you realize how far back this Earth goes. Of course, we all know how old the it’s estimated to be, but when you’re standing in front of a building that is centuries old, it really hits you.

If you’re the sort to consider the beauty and appreciate it, rather than thinking “Oh that’s pretty…I think I’ll take a picture”, visiting Italy can absolutely change your life. It can make you more artistic, more appreciative, and just overall more at peace, knowing that in contrast to all the horrible things in the world, beauty prevails.