week four GL350

 I would have to say that this week might have been one of the first weeks I felt a little home sick. Steinbach’s statement, “I remained a stranger, wandering through the city as indifferent to me as I was to it” really explains how I felt this last week. It’s not that I don’t love Rome but I feel detached from it. The city is magnificent and there is so much history; sometimes it is hard to comprehend the extravagance of it all. 

In Steinbach Without Reservations she quotes “The unexpectedness of life, waiting around every corner, catches even wise women unawares”. This is a perfect quote for explaining Roma and all its wonders and Steinbach goes on to explain that if you avoid corners, you refuse to live. Going back to my homesickness, after reading this and talking to my friend I realized there is no point in feeling down. 

I am in Roma, a city with over 2,000 years of history and I am so lucky to be here. My friend made a good point , he said, “everyone and everything will be here when you get back”. Who knows if I will ever make it back to Roma, so it makes no sense not to make the best of every moment here.  Our trip to Florence this weekend was one of my favorites. 

When we went to the Uffizi Gallery and then the Academy where many of Michelangelo’s works are, I found myself in complete amazement. Spark quotes, ““speak to me” Michelangelo is said to have challenged his Roman statue of Moses; and indeed, the sculptures of Rome do speak”. I found myself this weekend really trying to understand all the paintings and the statutes that I encountered. I found myself contemplating in my head what each piece of art meant to me and what it may have meant to others.