This morning we had class with Dr. Cruise. We met at the Annex and walked to our lecture spot. It was a park that overlooked the city outside of the medieval wall. It was stunning. We reflected on our first day and the first day of the camp. We then continued our walk to a cemetery. Dr. Cruise asked us to take 15 minutes and walk around and make a few notes. The cemetery was very peaceful and had numerous sections. There was a tower specifically for people who were in the military. Something that I noticed was that each grave had a light with a glass casing that looked like a flame. This was supposed to symbolize eternity and the everlasting flame of life. Most of the graves were small squares with one or more names on them. With the importance of the family being prominent in Italian culture, some families were buried together. On the lower level, there were more traditional graves with headstones. It was a very humble experience. It made me think of my family back home and how I haven’t visited my loved ones who have died in a very long time. After the cemetery, we went and grabbed lunch at Pia Dina.
After lunch we went back to the Rooney Family Center to work at the camp. We played games with them outside and learned more about the kids. For free time, we went inside and spent some time in the Great Room. I played some popular songs on the piano for them to sing. There was one kid who could play the guitar so well. We sat around him and sang until it was time to leave for the park. I could tell that the kids were a lot more comfortable around us today. We then went to the park to play capture the flag. Italy vs USA. After that, the kids were picked up by their parents.
That afternoon we learned how to make pasta from our new friend Lucio. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. My friend Patrick was having some difficulty with the pasta, but eventually he got the hang of it. All of this still feels like a dream. I hope it stays that way.
Italy Blog 2019 