Strange Happenings in Rome

I've gotten in a habit of waking up around 8 AM, regardless of what time I got to bed. It's not so bad after a while, and it's helped me be more productive actually. This morning was no different...I woke up at 8 (even though class was scheduled for 10), got myself all ready for the day, sent a few emails, worked a bit more on readings, etc., and headed to class...

...only to find it got canceled.

Turns out, our wonderful program director, Manka, had a bit of a medical emergency in the morning and had to head to the hospital. We weren't too sure on all the details, so we were all concerned and hopeful that it wasn't anything serious.

A couple hours later, an email from Manka brought a nice sigh of relief. All was well; just some weird symptoms the doctors couldn't explain either. She was supposed to rest, so rather than having class today, we had yet another four-day weekend.

Which I spent working. Again.

I managed to finish pretty much all my readings for this class, revised a bit more of my HIA paper, and sent out some more emails. I think things are coming together nicely. Once I finish a few more things, I think I'll be able to at least enjoy Rome more. I still have plans to see the Baths of Caracalla, the Catacombs, and the statue of St. Theresa in Ecstasy (another Bernini classic). Perhaps one of those tomorrow?

Anyway, I ate pasta again today.

BUT I added mushrooms to my sauce and had freshly grated cheese.

PLUS fresh bread and salad too.

I even ate a white peach for dessert (cut into pieces, of course).

Who says I don't eat healthy? =P

On a less exciting note, Dick Cheney was in Rome today. (I will keep things PG here and save the rest for my personal journal.) Brukab noticed a ridiculous motorcade by Campo di Fiori this morning. It wasn't until I read something in the New York Times that we realized he was here.

Anyway, my evening was fairly quiet as I stayed home to finish some work. Brukab, though, headed out with Jamie, Lia, and Trina to Piazza Navona and just walked around. Well, of course, who do they run into by the Pantheon with an absurd entourage of Secret Service agents and slick black cars?

Yup, you guessed it.

Worse yet, Brukab just had to take a video of the spectacle, though he says he felt conflicted. Unbelievable. Watching the video, even for a few seconds, made me feel nauseous (or was it the mushrooms in my pasta sauce?).

Ok, I'll stop now. I've been watching a lot of Obama/Biden campaign trail speeches online today. Hey, most people here love 'em. In fact, Brukab said people started chanting, "Obama! Obama!" when the entourage arrived...until the Italian police told them to hush up. Interesting...

Tomorrow's plan: visit to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center to volunteer with political refugees, most of whom do not speak English or Italian. We'll be there again on Wednesday, so our entire visit overall should be extremely eye-opening. We're also meeting with the former director of the intercultural program in Italy from the last government. That will be a fascinating discussion; I'm looking forward to it.

Alright, time for bed.