Dear mom, they call Rome the eternal city...

So far we have been given two basic tours of Rome but I think I am only starting to understand why they call it the eternal city. Not only am I living in a building that was built in the year 800, but the foundation for this building was built on the ruins of an ancient Roman circus. Walking around the city is just so cool. Everywhere you turn there is an artifact that represents another part of history. Living in New York I don't walk around everyday finding connections to the people who lived there before me, because their traces have been erased. In Rome I find connections to the Etruscan people, the ancient Romans, the people who lived under fascism, and the modern Romans just by walking through the city.
I had two of my classes for the first time today and so far they seem like they will be wonderful. The Political Science class only has four people in it which is a little surprising, but also fun. The professor seems nice and quite passionate about what she does. We spent the first day talking about the course and reviewing the government that existed in Italy before the country was unified. It was fascinating and made me want to take an Italian history course. Our professor wanted us to have a background in the history of politics in Italy so that we could understand why things are the way they are today, especially because the system here is so different from that of the United States. She has also planned a visit to the Italian Senate and a major Italian political party, which is very exciting. The other course that I had today was the art history course about Rome. This class seems like it will be fabulous. Every Monday we have a lecture class and every Wednesday we go to museums. The list of required museums and sites combined with the suggested list must include something like 50 museums and sites. On top of that this course takes us to Pompeii and Florence for weekend trips which I am thrilled about.
Now that we have our classes we are thinking about starting to plan various trips that we want to take. Danya and I have come up with a ton of ideas but nothing is set in stone yet. It is exciting that everything is just starting but I am also looking forward to being a little further into the trip and feeling more comfortable with my surroundings.