Day 2 of core classes...

Oh man, my first 9:30 class...doesn't sound too bad unless you've been set on 3:00 classes for three weeks. I was sad to realize that the dynamism that strangely worked so well in my intensive Italian class seems to be lacking from my new extensive class. Oh well, we can always recreate the fun through our travels together. Speaking of which, Valerie mentioned to me a Greece trip at the end of our study-abroad program which I think sounds spectacular. Let's see how well my funds hold up. My two other art history classes, "Age of Michelangelo" and "Age of Baroque" appear very interesting and I heard positive notes from Hayley about him. I think it's nice knowing that I get to explore subjects that maybe weren't appropriate to my major back at UCLA. At the same time, these art history and history classes have reinvigorated my interest for learning again despite the mountains of work that entails.

Paolo Alei, our teacher, looks like Ray Liotta with an accent. It seems that I'll be doing a lot of site visits this semester. How amazing it is that I get to read about art and learn firsthand about it--totally, a neat experience. This is what education and stimulating the mind is all about!

I also met the owner of the Panetteria near our residence. He was really nice, spoke a little English, and his name was Maurizio. Catia remarked how I always got chicken sandwiches at the caffe today as well. I bought some pizza al formaggio...not bad, including the pecorino cheese.