work and play

Well, it's still quite hot here, and we have apparently only just started the REAL work. Now that we have converted our area from a grassy field to a desolate moonscape, it is time to start really digging, which means pickaxing to a depth of 30 centimeters or so. I am getting really good at the pickaxe, I have to say, and I'm quite proud of that.

However I will now have a slight break from it, because Taco and I have been moved from our area to one of the deeper areas where we will be working with the Italians, learning to use the technical equipment and make drawings and elevations, etc., which will be a nice change. I will have to do something else to keep in shape this week, though, so I won't lose all of the physical progress I have made these past 7 days or so.

An interesting change on the dig site today...it actually rained, so we were moved to a lab across town to clean pottery and bones with toothbrushes. It is really really boring drudge work, but after lunch I decided to take the plunge and move from our American table over to the Italian table. I was the only person from our group there, and at first it was weird, but then the Italians warmed up to me and started taking turns practicing their English on me, as most of them have at least a little. Also my new friend Max (one of the ones who took us out last Wednesday) has been showing me around this weekend and teaching me some Italian, which I think I have been picking up faster than I imagined, so I stammered my way through some Italian and it was really quite fun. When Enrico our director saw that our table was having WAY more fun than the other table he made us move the two tables together and mixed the Americans and Italians down the length of the table, and things were better after that and much more interesting. My favorite part of the conversation was about food, and the confusion that ensued when trying to explain a turducken to people in another language I am not completely familiar with. (for those of you out of the weird Cajun loop, that's a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, roasted for Thanksgiving)

In other news, our group is down by one now. Ivana, our youngest at 20, took ill Friday afternoon, spent all day Saturday in the hospital, and was shipped off on Monday morning. Heat exhaustion they think. Seems believable to me. We were sorry to see her go, but I think she was really ready to be home, as she had come to Rome directly from a 7 week stint in a program in Turkey and Greece. In fact, I think she may have been more homesick than anything else.

Socially things are great here. Some of the Italians in our group are very friendly, including Max and Enrico, and Enrico helped us find a place to cookout on a beach yesterday for the fourth, and Max to Jen and I to buy fireworks, so we had a real Fourth of July party. Many of the Italians showed up and brought gifts of food and drink (sounds more like Thanksgiving, huh?), and Enrico added a nice touch by pulling his car up to the beach and surprising us with a CD compilation of American rock music like Born in the USA, and so forth. We felt really really welcome, and one of the highlights of the trip for me this far was singing the Star Spangled Banner on the beach by the light of a firework fountain, surrounded by our Italian friends. Definitely a picture I will have to post when I get home so everyone can share it. (Note: For all those times we hear in the news, etc. that people in Europe don't like Americans, every single Italian I have had that conversation with says it is not true, and the fact that they came out to celebrate our Independence Day with us shows that as well, I think.)

OK, enough "politics." Other news, other news...I saw Ravenna on Saturday and Sunday, and took in all the MEdieval mosaics I have been eager to see: Sant'Apollinare in Classe (out close to our dig outside of town), Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the House of the Stone Carpets (two 2nd century Roman houses joined in the 4th century, excavated beneath a modern building whose basement you can visit to see them), the tomb of Dante, and several other major sites. Enrico did his PhD dissertation on the early Medieval monuments of the city, and he met me in town and gave me a tour of several of the sites, which was great not only because of his expertise, but also because as a University of Bologna at Ravenna professor he was able to get us in at no cost, which at this point in the trip is a big deal for my budget.

The city is BEAUTIFUL. I could even imagine myself living here, especially since the people have been so nice and friendly.

The churches and mosaics are incredible as well. One of the other girls on the trip, Rachel, actually cried when she went into San Vitale, it's that overwhelming. Really something special to see, and well worth a trip if you are in the North of Italy, even if you have to go out of your way.

We have also had many evening activities. Enrico took us to see a (very bad) band on Saturday, then some of us went dancing on the beach again, which is really nice. Max also took me to tour his hometown, which is about 30 minutes away (Milano Marritimo). It is a harbor with waterways that were designed by Leonardo da Vinci, and the city has docked antique boats all along the length of it. It is very charming, especially at night. What Rome should be, without the hordes of tourists (and may be in the off-season, or so I hear).

I have tried to include a lot in this post, but there is also a lot I don't have time to squeeze in. I just want everyone to know that I am having a fantastic time here and feel like I am really seeing Italy and her people finally. Or maybe I am just delirious from the heat, I can't really tell. Either way I am enjoying it!