How did your morning class impact what you saw in the afternoon?

On the first class day of Rome: Stories and Traditions, the class was prompted to introduce the place where we grew up and what our community was like. We were supposed to pretend that we were to write a book that contained only the thesis, middle statement, and conclusion, what would our community say to a stranger who knew nothing about where we came from? Some of my classmates' thesis statements were that they came from a city that had much more to offer than what most outsiders would expect, for example: close relationships with other inside their community, and many other amenities other than farms and fields, or as Rabbi Spitzer would refer to as, "hick town." This proved to me that I should not be so narrow-minded when it comes to other communities without knowing what truly goes on within them. from the first exercise, I was able to go into Rome having an open mind and not only look at the building not just for their, but the history behind them.


When I arrived at the first sight; The Coliseum, the first thought that I had was, "This is absolutely amazing." I had never seen a structure that beautiful and that large in my entire life! The fact that the Romans built the arena by hand was shocking to me because today technology is so advanced and with the help of computers, it's almost as if anything is possible. The tour guide, Laura, helped me to reach a greater understanding of what the Coliseum was actually about and it what it was used for, other than the beautiful architecture. The history behind the arena like the amount of animals and gladiators that entered everyday and fought for their lives amazes me. It also shocks me that people got satisfaction out of watching that many people and animals die every day. The fact that surprised me the most was when the women and children were forced to sit on wood planks at the fifth level of the Coliseum, which happened to be the highest and most dangerous. Even though today people probably wouldn't enjoy watching animals and people get killed, back then it was a way for everyone to gather together in Rome and it was a source of entertainment for the community as a whole. Before knowing this information, I just viewed the arena as aesthetically pleasing and didn't know the significance behind it.


The second sight that we visited as a group was the Roman Forum. Before visiting this sight I can honestly say, that I knew nothing about it, which disappointed me because it has so much important history behind it. It's amazing to me how the Forum is still standing after all of those years. Thousands of years ago there was civilization there and every building played an important in the Romans daily lives, but yet it is still one of the most amazing wonders of the world and millions of people still visit the ruins every day! Even though most of the Roman Forum is ruins, some buildings are still being renovated and the old marble from the buildings are recycled and taken to churches all around Italy.

From the moment that I arrived in Rome, words could not describe how appreciative I felt in order to be able to have this experience. thus far, Rome, has opened my eyes to a new way of life and culture. From the food to the wonderful people and architecture, Italy is such an amazing place to be! The first day of class shaped the way I look at different cultures and communities, and I look forward of what's to come!