Spring '19 Part I

I have been quiet for a while, but it has been a spring for the ages and writing has been low on the priority list until now. This spring has been so eventful, in fact, that I cannot even fit the excitement into one post. I will just have to leave this one with a tease for more to come.

The first excitement of the spring was something I am very privileged to do every two years for my job: travel to Italy with students! This year was my fourth trip to Italy since I have been teaching, and my colleagues and I have worked hard to create a trip that is memorable and meaningful for our students. The result is a great trip, and our students consistently come back raving about the experience. For us teachers, the trip is essentially the same every time, which I just take as a challenge to search for new experiences. This trip was no exception.

One of our first and most important stops is the ancient city of Pompeii. Two-thirds of our first year Latin curriculum is set in Pompeii, so it is a must visit. This year I made a short trek outside the city walls to a brand new place, the Villa of the Mysteries. This site is famous because of the fresco painting on the right. The painting likely depicts some of the rites associated with the Eleusinian Mystery cult, but it is also stunning to view. The figures are life size and incredibly detailed, and the colors are very vibrant. It was a worthwhile walk and a great way to start the trip.

The past couple of trips we have done a boat ride around the island of Capri. The first time the weather was terrible, and I thought the boat was going to capsize, the second time I battled a bit of seasickness because of choppy water, but this time I decided to make a bold move and go to the top of the boat. The weather was fantastic, the view was glorious, and the experience was totally worth taking a little risk.

One way to make something familiar new is to experience it in different light conditions. I have seen Trajan's Column several times, but because of our hotel's central location we took a walk past the column at night with full lighting effects. I was excited to catch something familiar in a fresh way.

Speaking of our hotel's location, all of us teachers were thrilled to have a hotel located right in the heart of Rome for the first time. We were only a few blocks from the Piazza Venezia and the Roman Forum, and to top it off, our hotel had a beautiful balcony with a panoramic view of the city. The picture below does not do the full experience justice, but it was a highlight and a wonderful new experience.

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What better way to try new experiences than with food! I have spent my whole life with a distaste for mushrooms, despite many attempts to try them. One of the dinners during our trip was a series of classic Italian pizzas, including a mushroom pizza. I was peer pressured by my colleagues to try the pizza, and I actually liked it. I, of course, had to send this picture to my wife to prove that I actually tried mushrooms and enjoyed them. I am now venturing into trying mushrooms in other contexts as well. Once again, a little risk paid off!

It can sometimes feel easy to take this trip and great opportunity for granted or complain about having to visit the same places every time, but I have learned to be very intentional about looking for two things: 1) all the new experiences I listed above and many more 2) the joy and wonder of the students experiencing all of these sites for the first time. I have so many pictures with students that tell the story of their own wonderful journeys, full of smiles, awe, and wonder. The students make the experience new every time!