I had a very good night’s sleep in the best bed I’ve had yet in Rome, and we set out for The Constantin Campus on Via Dei Ceraseti after breakfast.
On the way, we stopped by Arpinum, Cicero’s birth place. We read some of Vergil’s Georgics (IV, 559-566) and some anecdotes from Donatus’ “Life of Vergil.” After the on-site reading, we sent shopping in the small town nearby and had 4 Formaggio pizza (four cheese). The cook didn’t know English, so we had a hard time ordering. My group of 8 wanted 4 Formaggio pizza, but only 2 ended up eating some- that was how bad it got. After lunch, I had my first Crema di Caffe and bought some coconut gelato on a cone. There was not much to do there besides eating, anyway.
On the bus ride back to campus, I was informed that my room key had not been turned back in. I checked my pockets; sure enough, the keys were there. With head down, I handed my keys to Dr. Travillian, who grabbed them without saying a word. Fortunately, though, the bus driver, Alessandro, lives in the town that we had just stayed in last night. I really got lucky this time!
When we got back to campus, I never suspected that I would have such a warm and at-home feeling there. I was relieved to be in my room again, even after just 5 days. I played some ping-pong and practiced piano for 2 hours. I forgot to prepare for the translation tutorial tonight, and it did not go pleasantly, especially since we were translating the Georgics, which had 4 obscure vocabulary words out of 6 words in every line.
At night, I jazzed with Aman, Dakota, and Claire, playing “My Funny Valentine” and “Cantaloupe Island.” Now that I have such a strong attachment to campus, making it literally my home, I know it’s gonna be hard to leave in 6 days...
Right: Game room
Day 16- July 30
Today we stayed on campus. We had a “quasi” exam on Pliny’s Epistle VI, 16, and two tutorials on Vergil’s Georgics. I went to a grammar session on conditionals and also translated without looking at a written translation before me, signifying my improvement in sight reading! Hopefully, I won’t have too hard a time in AP Vergil next year. Today I also started missing home a lot- both the food and lifestyle. From here on, my time will be spent mostly studying and prepping for the final.
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