AUR

Three weeks into class, I can definitely say that they have defied all of my expectations. I go to a small school. Faces are getting familiar. My professors know my name and I most certainly can't sit passively and listen to a boring professor without getting noticed by said professor for not being actively engaged in class.

I've been in some classes at UGA that have been small, but this is different somehow, and I like it!

In my "Mediterranean World" class on Thursday, we sat on the 6th floor terrace and overlooked Rome while talking about Mediterranean politics. Pinch me.

In my Feature Writing Class, we've read & discussed articles about Istanbul, Callista Gingrich, and Muslim leaders in Brooklyn.

In my Film Genres class, we have watched some INCREDIBLE movies that I may have otherwise never seen. I'll start with the shock.. I'd never seen The Matrix. Cue the Gasp. I don't know why, it just never happened but we watched it to analyze the western & action-adventure genre.

We've also watched Touch of Evil, a film noir by Orson Welles. I usually don't choose to watch black and white movies, but I enjoyed this SO much! I will definitely be watching more Orson Welles films when I get back to the States.

Today was the best. We began our unit on musicals and watched Top Hat, a film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Beautiful clothes, beautiful dancing. I had heard about the duo's talents as a part of American Culture, and now I understand how they were so iconic. In the picture below, Rogers is wearing this lovely ostrich feather dress that made the dancing look even more graceful.

Look how beautiful!!

Later in the Semester, we'll watch Moulin Rouge, 42nd St and a bunch of horror films. I could go without the horror, but maybe if I learn the iconology behind them, I won't be so scared. All of this at 9 AM on Mondays. Rage.

We're spending the weekend in Rome and I'm very excited to see the city with few other responsibilities or things to get done.

Hope you have a great weekend!!