Originally posted on my Tumblr travel blog, A Roman Spring with IES, in 2008.
I apologize for the lack of posts recently, it has been a busy week. Last Monday, IES students started our first day of official classes. These run Mondays through Thursdays, and Fridays are open for day trips reserved for classes. I think it is a great setup, because if you are not attending the day trip, you can leave for a weekend trip early without having to skip class.
Although it sounds like a nice setup, the days get extremely long. Two out of the four days I am in class for six or more hours. Mondays I leave the house at 8:15 and don’t get back until 18:30 (or 6:30pm for us Americans).
All in all I can’t complain. I am really enjoying my classes and I think that they are going to be extremely interesting. I am taking a classes on the Italian Economy within the European Union, the Jewish Community within Rome, Roman Archeology, and the Conservation and Restoration of Art (and there is a lot of that happening in Italy!).
So far my most interesting has been the course on Roman Archeology. On Thursday, we visited the Roman Forum. Our professor did an excellent job of describing the ruins and what they used to be used for. For instance, he pointed out a circular brick structure that didn’t look very important, but said that it was the “Navel of Rome”. It was used to plot all new roads leading from Rome and into the Roman Empire. We were all stunned. His response was “You never knew that Rome had a belly button, did you?”
Outside of school, I started to play soccer (or “calcio” as the natives call it) with a small group of people from IES. It’s really nice to play again. I forgot how much I miss it, and where better to play than Italy! We may even be paired up against a native team to test our skills….yikes!
This weekend, I am headed to Firenze (Florence) to see all the beautiful sites the city has to offer. Be sure to check back for my story when I return!
Until next time, Ciao!
Stephen