Highlights Of The Trip
May 27, 2004
En route home from a 12-day trip to Italy and Greece in May, the UNC women's basketball team looked back on the experience and each player picked out a highlight. Here's what they'll remember most:
Leah Metcalf: Visiting Rome was the highlight of my trip. Even though the whole city was packed into one day, the tour was amazing. I was in awe at the size of the buildings, some of which were built in the B.C. time era, without the technology we have today. The Sistine Chapel stood out. I don't know how Michelangelo painted all of that - it's beautiful! The visit to the biggest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica, was fascinating, not only because we got to see the Pope, but because of the huge sculptures inside and just the size of it. The Coliseum is what I most looked forward to seeing, ever since the movie Gladiator. I wish there was more left of it and of some of the other places, but I wasn't at all disappointed.
Tiffany Tucker: Aside from the shopping, this trip has been very spiritual, from learning about Greek mythology to Catholicism. Viewing the places where Jesus himself once walked and walking down the hallways leading to the sacred Sistine Chapel felt like an exploration in a book. If I had to choose just one highlight that I will never forget, that would be seeing the Pope. Though I am not Catholic, I looked around at the abundance of other people who would die for him. I saw the tears in their eyes and the way they wanted him to bless their babies. People were begging just to be recognized by his friendly smile and wave. I thought abut how I would feel if that was Jesus. I would have acted just like those people did. To wrap it all up, this opportunity has been a pure blessing. I encourage everyone to travel and explore the unknown. It's one thing to look at things on TV or read about them in books, but to see all of it for yourself is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
La'Tangela Atkinson: My most memorable experience was on May 17 when I saw the Pope. I was lucky to see him, but the thing about it was that I was close enough that I could have reached out and touched him. He was riding on the red carpet in front of St. Peter's Square and would be turning 84 years old the following day. Seeing the Pope made my whole trip, because he isn't a person you could just go visit. Seeing him was unbelievable.
Camille Little: My highlight of the trip was when we traveled to Pisa. Even though Pisa was great, my highlight wasn't the Tower. When we were exiting the shuttle upon our arrival, a few of our travelers were attacked by pickpockets. Three people realized they were missing things from their pockets. After we found out what had happened, we ran after the perpetrators and demanded the things back. After they insisted they were innocent, we demanded with more aggression and soon got back all the missing items. My other highlights were the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Sistine Chapel.
Jessica Sell: My favorite part of the trip would have to be the day we spent in Rome. Although the day started late, as our bus was an hour late, it still made for an awesome experience. First of all, had the bus not been late, we may not have gotten to see the Pope from about two feet away! When we were outside of St. Peter's, the Pope was just about to leave, so we caught him on his way out. It was so neat. That is probably the biggest highlight of the trip, not to mention all of the other awesome pieces of history we saw.
Ivory Latta: I enjoyed seeing all of those beautiful places and meeting wonderful people, but there is one particular event that just made the trip worthwhile. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing the Pope. It was the coolest thing ever! All of the other places we visited were great, but that was my highlight.
Kenya McBee: The very first highlight of the trip was when we got to Pisa, Italy. As soon as we got off the bus, people rushed in at us asking for money. They were teenagers, begging for money and grabbing you and kissing you, and while this was happening they were stealing your wallets. Three people from our group were robbed. Some of the girls and I ran after them for a couple of blocks and got back everything that was stolen. They called us heroes, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I think they were just scared of us. I mean, come on, you imagine seeing 6-5 Tiffany Tucker towering over a 5-5 Italian guy! Well, my next highlight was Florence, Italy, where we spent all of one day shopping. The most exciting highlight of the trip for me would have to be Rome, where we visited the Sistine Chapel and saw the Pope. It was amazing - how many people can say they've seen the Pope in person? He was just an arm's length away from us. Overall, the whole trip was great, but these were my favorite highlights.
Jennifer Nelms: My favorite part of the trip was our stay in Rome. I thoroughly enjoyed our visits to the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum and the Coliseum, among other places we visited. We got to see the prison where the apostles Peter and Paul were held before their executions and that was extremely special to me. My favorite free-time moment was our day in the streets of Florence. It was a lot of fun watching my teammates negotiate with the market vendors. Kenya was impressive!
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