My Roman (and Cumaean) Summer's almost here!

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Still cooling my heels in the good ol' USA. I'm gradually packing up my classroom, handing out awards to my students, and getting together everything I'll need for a summer spent in the heart of everything I've loved since I was 14 years old. (It's so hard to pack light, but that's my goal--- airlines and their baggage fees....)

I think I must have been an Ancient Roman in a past life, because I can't seem to get enough of the history, art, culture, language etc. This summer will tell the tale-- either I'll finally be satisfied, or it'll make me hungry for more. Hopefully the experience will convince me that I have to get that PhD in Roman History I've been talking about for 10 years now. I get to spend my 30th birthday in the Eternal City-- It can't get much better than that!

The plan is to spend 6 weeks in Rome studying at the Academy and then 2 weeks down south studying at the Villa V. I got so lucky-- I applied for a Fulbright Scholarship last October, prayed hard, and the miracle happened. I got it and another scholarship, which took care of the travel expenses and the tuition for the programs. I'm still going to be about 5 grand in the hole, but this trip is worth anything to me. Every time something gets me riled up at school or in my life, I've been saying to myself, "In another _______ days, you'll be eating gelato in Piazza Navona, or strolling past the 'Wedding Cake,' or standing barefoot on the Roman paving stones leading down into the Forum!" I know you know what I'm feeling if you've ever been to Italy before.

I've taken students with me to Italy now twice, and there really is nothing like sharing what you love directly with your kids! It changes them in so many ways-- I think it's the greatest gift to be able to share it with them. I'm forever trying to find new ways to make Ancient Rome live and breathe for my students, and when I bring them to Italy, many of them get infected with the same sweet lunacy that still drives me to devour anything and everything Ancient Rome has to offer. (No calories=no guilt.... wish gelato worked the same way as history!)

I came to Italy for the first time in 1995 on one of those group high school "let's hit the high points" tours. My Latin teacher was brilliant, insane, and utterly consumed by love for the Romans (not unlike me... haha). Back at home, in a windowless classroom that was reminiscent of a prison block (due to 50's and 60's school building initiatives), she had told us stories that could make you feel the itchy woolen caress of a toga in the Forum or hear the low growl of a hungry lion about to pounce on a helpless victim in the Colosseum. By the time we actually set foot in Rome, we realized we'd been living there all along through her stories.

I can't tell you exactly when I decided to be a Latin teacher. Maybe it was when conjugated "amo" for the first time. Maybe it was when I became a "column-hugger" at Paestum (back before the fences were put up). Maybe it's when I stood on the Campidoglio and looked down into the Forum Romanum bathed in that particular precious shade of Roman-amber light. Or perhaps it was when my teacher and I got lost in Pompeii together and skipped like silly schoolchildren into the archaeological digs and other places where mere mortals aren't supposed to go. That was when we became the Goddesses of Latin. I've been in love with the Romans ever since.

Now I'm going to Italy to soak up all the history, language, and culture I can, but I'm also looking for something else. It's a pilgrimage of sorts, but not just from a spiritual perspective. (I'm not Catholic, but I certainly appreciate the inclination....) It's a pilgrimage of grace. I'm looking for grace and beauty, joy and love, spiritual and intellectual enlightenment, and the chance to commune with my inner geek as much as possible.

I've never had the chance to see Rome as an adult Classics geek without having to herd cats (you know I love you guys like you're my own!) or deal with lost passports, middle school drama, and homesickness. I leave on Thursday for the home of my heart, with no strings attached. I can't wait.

😊 G

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Comments

[David]

Have fun!

[Megan]

Live it up!
I am sooo excited for you and I know you will cherish every minute. You are so deserving. Anyone who knows you, knows your passion for ALL THINGS ROMAN! Live it up!! I can't wait to hear ALL ABOUT IT upon your return. Keep in touch! Stay safe and for YOUR sake, don't hurry back! :o)