So I got my midterm grades back. I did alright on Italian, I got a B overall, which was amazing since I walked out of that exam very upset thinking there was no way I had passed it. I misread a 25pt question on my ECPO exam, which made me lose all the possible credit for that question. It asked about the political layer if the European Commission, and I answered it with the Eurocracy layer. Just a misunderstanding but it severely lowered my grade on the midterm. And in my IR Theories and Cases Class I passed, but I still have a lot of room for improvement.
On the plus side, I got a 92!!! on the ECPO quiz we had on Wed. and we're starting presentations in IR Theories and Cases, so those should help bring my grades up.
On to the Assisi trip! (Date of trip March 27th)
I had to meet the rest of the students who were going on the trip at the arches by my school at 7am. Luckily, the buses start as early as 5:30am here, and are usually on schedule when it's still early in the morning.
Once we got on the buses it was about a two and half hour drive to Assisi. I kept dozing off, but the view out the window was very pretty. Italian countryside is so much different in Vermont. Out of nowhere a mountain range will pop up in Italy, but the trees are all wrong, there aren't really oak and pine trees here, and definitely no maple trees. But the mountains were still really beautiful.
We arrived in Assisi around 10am, and got ready to go on our tours. Our group was large enough that they split us in two, and the group I was in was led by an older gentleman. We went into Basilica di Santa Chiara first, which is the church that holds the San Damiano Cross, which spoke to St. Francis of Assisi, to tell him to rebuild his church, as it was in shambles. This cross was one of the first pieces that Prof. Scott showed us, so getting to see it in person was so amazing. Whether you believe the story or not, upon seeing this cross you can totally understand how it would appear to speak to you.
In Assisi, no pictures inside the churches are allowed, as they damage the paintings and crosses, so I don't have many pictures from my trip. I will post the ones I did take later, either updating this post or creating a separate one.
Next was a walk up the main street to Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. Inside this church is Giotto and Cimabue's paintings, which are so amazing and beautiful and I can't believe I got to see them in person.
Afterwords, we had a few hours of free time. I split off from the group and did some souvenir shopping, because Assisi is filled with all sorts of little shops, and is in the Umbria region, which is known for it's pottery, among other things. I was able to get gifts for almost everyone on my list, I just have a few people left now!
Because there isn't a lot to do in Assisi, I just walked around and saw everything before I had to meet back up with the AUR students when it was time to leave.
Until next time!
I had to meet the rest of the students who were going on the trip at the arches by my school at 7am. Luckily, the buses start as early as 5:30am here, and are usually on schedule when it's still early in the morning.
Once we got on the buses it was about a two and half hour drive to Assisi. I kept dozing off, but the view out the window was very pretty. Italian countryside is so much different in Vermont. Out of nowhere a mountain range will pop up in Italy, but the trees are all wrong, there aren't really oak and pine trees here, and definitely no maple trees. But the mountains were still really beautiful.
We arrived in Assisi around 10am, and got ready to go on our tours. Our group was large enough that they split us in two, and the group I was in was led by an older gentleman. We went into Basilica di Santa Chiara first, which is the church that holds the San Damiano Cross, which spoke to St. Francis of Assisi, to tell him to rebuild his church, as it was in shambles. This cross was one of the first pieces that Prof. Scott showed us, so getting to see it in person was so amazing. Whether you believe the story or not, upon seeing this cross you can totally understand how it would appear to speak to you.
In Assisi, no pictures inside the churches are allowed, as they damage the paintings and crosses, so I don't have many pictures from my trip. I will post the ones I did take later, either updating this post or creating a separate one.
Next was a walk up the main street to Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. Inside this church is Giotto and Cimabue's paintings, which are so amazing and beautiful and I can't believe I got to see them in person.
Afterwords, we had a few hours of free time. I split off from the group and did some souvenir shopping, because Assisi is filled with all sorts of little shops, and is in the Umbria region, which is known for it's pottery, among other things. I was able to get gifts for almost everyone on my list, I just have a few people left now!
Because there isn't a lot to do in Assisi, I just walked around and saw everything before I had to meet back up with the AUR students when it was time to leave.
Until next time!
Too bad about the EPCO exam but it sounds like you're getting along just fine. I'll be interested in hearing more of your take on the differences between Italian and U.S. colleges/universities when you get back.
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