The Dog Days of Roma

All across the city, the electricity of a fresh Roman morning filled the air, invigorating everyone for the new day and creating a potentially dangerous situation if it rained. People awoke to begin their days just as any other: fruit stand owners sold their fresh fruit, Carabinieri began their naps on the hood of their 'macchinas', and in Campo di Fiori, UW Honors students convened for another session of Immigration and Markets. Upon entering class, everyone got a sharp blow from the pleasant stick as we learned that Kathy was not only back from her trip to Sarejevo, but that she would be heading class to tell us about it. Her talk proved to be both interesting and informative. She passed around postcards, and told us of the destruction she saw on her journies. She also gave us pointers for our own field interviews which we will have to conduct for our final projects.

Next up on the agenda was a quick jaunt through the Jewish Ghetto, masterfully led by Shannon. Despite the afternoon heat, Shannon's breezy delivery made the blazing Roman sun feel pleasant. The historic area is still home to the Jewish community, and houses several bakeries in which one could find many delicious foods. Along the way, we learned several interesting facts. For instance, due to its proximity to the Tiber, the Ghetto used to badly flood every year. Markers still exist to commemorate the water's height during various floods throughout history.


After our trip to the Ghetto, everyone headed to the Capatoline Hill, were Aston regailed us with a rousing description and history of this important Roman landmark. With several magnificent statues, including those of Pollux and Castor, as well as of Marcus Aurelius, and glorious views from high atop Rome, this presentation proved to be a crowd pleaser. At least until we learned that we would be forced to see the Capitoline Museums on our own. That sucked.

After a full day of class and presentations, everyone was pooped, and decided to split up to work on their immigration projects, take naps, or perhaps enjoy a mountainous cone of sweet, cold gelato.

Love,
Ashish