First Week of School!

So....
 this first week flew by! I can't believe I have been here two weeks already! So much happens every day, so sitting feels like a luxury. Let's start with my class schedule:
Monday- Italian Class from 2-3pm
Tuesday- Advanced Photography from 8:30am-1pm, Italian 2-3, Art History 3-4:30
Wednesday- Italian 2-3
Thursday- Photo 1 8:30-1, Italian 2-3, Art History 3-6
No classes Friday!

Here I go.....
Italian is great. It is the only class I have every day, and I need the practice! Daniela is an amazing teacher, and we play games, sing songs, and do various activities to keep it interesting. I am a slow learner when it comes to language, so even with a great teacher I get nervous in class and never feel up to par. But Daniela always encourages me, and my friends help me practice outside of class. I just feel like there is so much to learn in such a short amount of time.
My photography professor (for both classes) is Lucy Clink. I am totally in love with her! She is a bit older, with beautiful graying hair that she pulls back, wears red lipstick, and dresses pretty much like me- with long skirts, nice tops, and beautiful jewelry every day. I want to be her and age that well! She is already someone I can go to with a question about anything- super friendly, asks about our interests and our lives, very relaxed- everything I was hoping she would be. Advanced photo and photo 1 are both darkroom classes, so together I must shoot and develop at least 4 rolls of film a week (good thing I brought tons of film), so I will be spending plenty of time in the basement. Both classes have a very loose syllabus, so I have the freedom to take my photography where I want this semester, which I am really excited about. I also realize that most of my work will be in film, which is both a good thing and bad thing. I love the timeless feel of black and white film photography, and I know it will go well with the feeling I aim to create with my work, however the speed that digital brings is always nice when it comes to sharing my work via the internet, so that may be frustrating. I will do my best, but there are never enough hours in a day!
For photo 1, since I am an advanced student, I act as an assistant/ TA to the teacher. I love this, because I love every aspect of photography, and sharing skills, giving advice, answering questions, etc. is something I LOVE to do. I may even earn a position as a monitor for the Photo department, we will see what is approved by the Dean. My enthusiasm is only enhanced by sharing my knowledge with others.
As far as Art History is concerned, I have had some changes to my schedule. I came in under a basic GenEd class called "History of Rome", but very quickly switched into a special topics art history class called "Inside Italian Design". I am MUCH happier, the professor is engaging and interesting, AND we have a class trip to Milan in the first weekend of October! It really covers everything, from product marketing, to architecture, material design, graphics, etc., starting from the Italian Unification in 1861, onward. The Tuesday section is a lecture, and the Thursday section is an "on site" section, where we visit studios, towns, museums, etc. to reinforce the weeks topics visually. I already enjoy it very much, and it allows me to see even more of Rome, with my own personal tour guide!
I am lucky to have such a flexible schedule this semester, and I am very excited for the semester ahead. I know I will stay busy as usual, so I will do my best to update this blog in between. Speaking of which....

I AM GOING TO VENICE NEXT WEEKEND!!!

I was super excited to book my first big trip with my friends Leann, Sara, Pasquele and Nathaniel. We will leave next Thursday night at 7:30pm and return Sunday night around the same time. We still have alot to plan between now and then, but I know we will have a great time. 

My weekend: Friday we took the Temple Rome tour of Sapienza, the University of Rome. Gianni was a wonderful tourguide once again, and we learned all about the school system in Rome, and what an Italian student goes through to graduate with a degree here. It is very different from America, but interesting to learn about. We also saw San Lorenzo, where many young people live, right outside the University (no dorms, just very small apartments). After another long day out Pasquele, Clarisse, Alexis, Alison, Nathaniel, Abe, Andrew, and I all went out to try a popular Italian dinner: Apperitiv. Many bar type places have a special buffet of appetizer foods for 8-10 euro, running from 7pm-9pm. It was a fun experience and a cheap and unique way to eat out. Then we visited the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain, both totally breathtaking. I am so glad that I saw them for the first time at night, because Rome at night is the most romantic place in the world for me right now. The view from the top of the Spanish steps was gorgeous and the Trevi fountain was totally breathtaking- I was floored by how emotional I felt being there. It is huge! Photographs of these places can never compare to their presence. I am so lucky to live so close to so many beautiful and memorable places.

Saturday 10 of my friends and I hit the beach! (Leann, Allison, Clarisse, Abe, Andrew, Sam, Pasquele, Amanda, Adam, and Nathaniel) We left at 10am and stopped halfway in Ostia Antica, a large archeological site, where remains of an ancient town are maintained for both study and for view. It felt like we stepped back in time for an hour, and Abe, our resident Art History major, was like a kid in a candy store. We finally made it to the beach around 2pm (it was a good 2 hours from Rome), and finally relaxed in the sun until around 5:30. It was a gorgeous day, the water was perfect, and life was good. Even better- I only spent 3 euro all day! I love inexpensive adventures! (Don't worry, I'll make up for it next weekend!)

And here I am, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, reflecting on my first week of school, already looking forward to this upcoming week. Temple organized a wall walk around Rome (13 miles!), but I woke up feeling under the weather today and decided to give my body its much needed rest and actually sit down and relax for the first time since I got here. And so I finally found time to update my blog! There is always more to tell. 

Once again, thanks for reading!