Ottavo Giorno

Today came with a change of pace. Instead of meeting in the court yard and dashing off to the excursion of the day we reversed the itinerary and had a morning class, which was pleasant. Our summation of the past week's visits and their ties to the New Testament helped me a lot. Not only did it become clearer what exactly I should look for in each location, I also refreshed my memory of the Old Testament when we discussed Yahweh, Asherah, the Elohim and Dr. Gnuse. I'm a huge fan of that man. (Above you will find a reproduction of Dr. Bednarz's Jesus. I thought her version looked much better because it reminded me of The Lion King and Doug Funnie at the same time. Now I'll always remember that prophets looked unkept because chaos wards off evil and that Jesus' image was inspired by Helios)

After Christian Origins I decided to join Rebecca, MiRau, Jeff, Chris, Jacob, Lauren and Michelle B. on a trip to the Forum. I thought against it because of the weather, but I'm in Rome. Why pass up on an opportunity? Plus staying in the Collegio for too long would have given me cabin fever.

I was tempted to tap dance when we hopped on the Metro. The Red Line is much cleaner and distinctively new in comparison to the Blue Line, but I like the Blue Line more because of the graffiti on the cars. It's authentic. We have graffiti on the subway cars at home in the tri-state area, but the MTA is slowly transitioning to newer cars, so you don't see as much as you used to. These pieces are so vivid and intricate. The colors jump off the metal. It was love at first sight.

A funny thing happened on the way to The Forum [insert rim shot]: we found Kristen! I swear this girl is a modern day Carmen Sandiego. I don't think I would have found The Forum on my own as easily as she did. She's a human compass. But, I digress.

The Forum is gorgeous. I've become obsessed with the flowers in Rome during this trip. They contrast the rustic look to the ruins and somehow they compliment each other. But I think more than anything I appreciate the historical significance of The Forum as the center of Roman life. Michelle B. gave us some insight on the temples that once existed at The Forum, like the Temple of Saturn. I was instantly reminded of the Temples of Venus and Rome that were built adjacent to the Colosseum. Antonello told me yesterday that those temples were created as a means of protection and were meant to attract good luck and fortune - which must have paid off since slaves in Antiquity would go to those temples for food (CONNECTION!)

After The Forum we returned to campus for Sebastian's class and continued our discussion on Jacapone. What a brilliant writer. His letters to Pope Boniface were hilarious. Reading prose that expresses so much emotion is refreshing. As a communications major, in my area of study I'm taught to remove all emotion from my writing and report the hard, cold facts. I understand that it's essential in news reporting, but I've missed reading material that harbored passion. As a starving college kid, I usually sell my books back to the book store at the end of the semester. But I tend to keep a select few to re-read. I think Jacapone da Todi may join the ranks of The Keepers.

After class I had a delicious dinner followed by a fun night in Piazza del Popolo. It was fun to spend time with so many people. As a group we're always together on excursions and during classes, but I always enjoy when we're able to get to know each other outside of academics. I came to Rome with a group of highly intelligent people, but I know for a fact they all have tons more to offer. I'm definitely looking forward to the next three weeks.