An Old Friend

I woke up early this morning, had a quick cereal breakfast, then went down to the Campo an hour before class...

to meet my good friend Emily! She's visiting Rome with family, and our schedules managed to just overlap. We walked to the Ponte Sisto and S. Maria Trastevere in the morning, then attended Prof. Kasaba's class. Today's lecture was about Turkish history, and a crash course on what to expect during our stay there. We'll be staying in university dorms, and taking bus tours each day. We're going to be very busy!

Also, random fact: Istanbul has a population of 14 MILLION... crazy.

After class, Emily and I went to visit the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish steps. It's kind of funny that I can find most of these places without a map now. We also got gelato at Giolitti. I've decided that pistacchio is officially my favorite flavor (and one that I'd actually buy, despite my disinterest in sweets). Afterward, I had to get back to work on classwork, but, as Emily said, it was really great to walk the streets of Rome with an old friend.

We had our second round of presentations for Migration class today. We heard from the groups who volunteered at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. Their experiences were quite diverse, and their presentations were insightful views on the lives of refugees in Italy. I've been impressed by the human meaning in all of the class's presentations.

Following the presentations, I went to get a haircut. It was the first time I recall ever going to a barber.

The barber was a nice man who spoke English, and he quickly understood my request for a two-length buzzcut. He works very quickly, trimming, leveling, and shaving with ease. I was happy with the result, though I doubt I'll get into a habit of paying €18 for my bi-weekly haircuts. Mom cuts my hair just fine!

One final grocery run, and I was done for the day. I just had some leftovers and bread for dinner, then set to work on our project for Islam and Italian Cities class.

Just a couple of pictures today. I've got lots and lots of video from all the presentations, though. I think I just passed 100 GB of footage...!