A Visit with U.S. Ambassador to Italy John Phillips
Just a little bit ago, SYA got the news that Ambassador John Phillips was interested in meeting a bunch of us and form a relationship with our school. For those of you who don't know who he is, here is a little background on Ambassador Phillips and an introduction video is below:
We left school early and parted via train to wind up at the US Embassy in Italy. It was stunning! Right by Piazza Barberini and not far from Villa Borghese are the grounds of the Embassy. I was so impressed by the efficient proceedings and the comforting amount of security.
Once escorted to our conference room, Ambassador Phillips entered as the photographer snapped away. Our director handed him a Viterbese - style ceramic of our school's symbol and shook his hand, and our information session began.
Ambassador Phillips has lived a very interesting life and has done some very impressive work. I strongly encourage reading up on him! Where we sat and where we took some pictures just so happens to be where President Obama was only a few weeks prior, if you were wondering what I meant by an "interesting life". I was curious about his policies and he was very kind as to tell us about his job, but we got on a more personal level during our meeting as well. He asked a few questions about us, our school, and how we found ourselves in Italy. We talked about things from his history to what it means to be a citizen of the world, and I enjoyed every minute.
Despite a few rough patches in our day (a student forgetting her passport and not being permitted in and some mispronunciations of student names just to name a few), it was an amazing experience. Perhaps the most unexpected part for me was when we were able to talk to some Foreign Service Officers at the end. They told us about their lives as representatives of our nation and where they had been. From Turkey to Nicaragua, these people have seen it all. It was amazing to hear thier stories of history unfolding around them and the passion they had for thier work. I was really inspired by them, and as you can probably imagine I was already feeling stimulated from the meeting we just wrapped up. Man, what a day!
Of course, there is no leaving Rome without a delicious treat for making it through the day. My friends and I stopped at Pompi for some AMAZING tiramisú alla fragola, and let me tell you it was the most perfect way to end our trip. A delicious treat being eaten on the Spanish Steps with great friends in a pensive and nostalgic mood....I couldn't have asked for a better spring Monday.
Photos courtesy of the US Embassy:
We left school early and parted via train to wind up at the US Embassy in Italy. It was stunning! Right by Piazza Barberini and not far from Villa Borghese are the grounds of the Embassy. I was so impressed by the efficient proceedings and the comforting amount of security.
Once escorted to our conference room, Ambassador Phillips entered as the photographer snapped away. Our director handed him a Viterbese - style ceramic of our school's symbol and shook his hand, and our information session began.
Ambassador Phillips has lived a very interesting life and has done some very impressive work. I strongly encourage reading up on him! Where we sat and where we took some pictures just so happens to be where President Obama was only a few weeks prior, if you were wondering what I meant by an "interesting life". I was curious about his policies and he was very kind as to tell us about his job, but we got on a more personal level during our meeting as well. He asked a few questions about us, our school, and how we found ourselves in Italy. We talked about things from his history to what it means to be a citizen of the world, and I enjoyed every minute.
Despite a few rough patches in our day (a student forgetting her passport and not being permitted in and some mispronunciations of student names just to name a few), it was an amazing experience. Perhaps the most unexpected part for me was when we were able to talk to some Foreign Service Officers at the end. They told us about their lives as representatives of our nation and where they had been. From Turkey to Nicaragua, these people have seen it all. It was amazing to hear thier stories of history unfolding around them and the passion they had for thier work. I was really inspired by them, and as you can probably imagine I was already feeling stimulated from the meeting we just wrapped up. Man, what a day!
Of course, there is no leaving Rome without a delicious treat for making it through the day. My friends and I stopped at Pompi for some AMAZING tiramisú alla fragola, and let me tell you it was the most perfect way to end our trip. A delicious treat being eaten on the Spanish Steps with great friends in a pensive and nostalgic mood....I couldn't have asked for a better spring Monday.
Photos courtesy of the US Embassy:
And our reward...
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