Week one of classes

This whole excursion is about studying abroad which makes classes a #1 priority in some cases and I respect that coming form the perspective of a student. For me, classes are very important but I would never droll on about classes for too long. The first day of classes was exhausting and extremely overwhelming. Mondays and Wednesdays we have Italian and Renaissance Art. My first italian class I had a placement exam and was placed into intermediate italian. This class has to be the most mind-blowing thing ever. There is never any english spoken and there is not a chance to be distracted or else you will have no idea what is going on in the class which is the reason why I said this day was so exhausting. I think eventually this class will get better once all of my italian will come back to me.
Renaissance Art is a very interesting class. Luckily, we have only had one lecture so far and our other classes took place at the Colloseo and S. Clemente's Basilica. The day we went to the Colloseo was very rushed and not as enjoyable as I hoped it would be. Even though it was rushed, it was still the Colloseo. The second you get off at the metro stop you walk outside and there it is. It was a jaw-dropping sight to see and was absolutely massive! We were able to go inside and walk around and I could only imagine the history that took place there. It left me speechless. After the Colloseo we walked to the Palentino Hill which is one of the many hills in rome and we basically jogged through that. The trip was brief and in no way could compare to the Colloseo. We went to S. Clemente's Basilica yesterday and that was a really interesting trip because there is the church that is there now, the 4th century church ruins underneath it, and parts of Clemente's house that the 4th century church was built on top of. You could go underneath the church and it was incredible. However, you couldn't take pictures which was really upsetting. The church that is there now. St. Catherine's Cathedral is beautiful and has gorgeous paintings throughout the church. In Italy, people are very strict on what you wear to church. There was a sign outside the church that said you could not wear tangtops. They are very strict on covering up, even in 80 degree weather like yesterday.
For my classes on Tuesday and Thursday those are a little bit more of a drag. We have a 9am class downstairs in our building, an 11am class also in our building and then a 3:15pm class in our building. On days like today this is miserable because we never leave the room! However, last week our Ethics professor took us to the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome and at first I was interested in going but once I got there I was so excited because I found out that John Keats is buried there. After taking a Romanticism class he was definitely a favorite of mine. Nearby the cemetery there was a cat sanctuary and we probably saw 10 cats wandering about the cemetery. I'm not quite sure how I felt about that.
My theology class Catholicism Today might be my least-favorite class... we haven't left the lecture room for class yet and the hour and 45 minute class just drags on forever. I have learned very little so far and I am really hoping it becomes more interesting.
My favorite class might be my literature class, which is a good thing because I'm an english major. Our literature class is focused entirely on Boccacio's Decameron and so far I absolutely love this book. It is a tale about 7 women and 3 men who come together during the plague and find sanctuary in one of their homes. During the day they decide to each tell a story for entertainment. The book consists of 10 days, 100 stories. I am only on Day 1 but there is so much to learn from this book. This weekend we will be going to see Boccacio's home and it is even more important because we are celebrating 700 years of Boccacio. The book takes place in Florence, which is where we will be visiting this weekend.
So far, thats all I have to say about classes. Very educational but still somewhat enjoyable of course! I'm never going to want to go back to taking classes in a lecture hall in worcester...

Keat's Grave

Colloseo