Yargh

I left the blog on a sour note, but I would just like to take this moment to sit down and say a few nice things about the program before I continue my onslaught of disparagement.
I said it once and I’ll say it again. This home stay program is UNbelievable. I’ve heard one complaint about host families but that was from a psychotic, racist whore in my women’s studies class so her opinion doesn’t matter. The man in charge of student housing, Jim, is a wonderful fellow who is always willing to chat about anything. He loves me. He personally knows all the host families and even though the host families make fun of him about his poor Italian skills, they all like him a lot. My host Mama is amazing. She is the most genuinely kind, good-natured woman, who is full of love. When she gets excited, she uses all sorts of delightful hand gestures that I’ve never seen, but I unabashedly and unsuccessfully try to replicate later. She has been living alone for quite some time, yet she still does yard work and cleans the house with a little bit of help. Her cooking and her speaking with me has made this experience so much stronger. My speaking would be non-existent without this home stay with her.
Enough with the puppies and sunshine. After having spoken with two of my four professors about the afore-mentioned issues with classes, I’ve come to the conclusion that the problem lies more with the stupid, apathetic students than with the scatter-brained professors. These bambini are monsters. Little, slutty shit-for-brains monsters. In literally every class of the last two days, I’ve fought off the urge to get up and leave the classroom because I can’t handle the crap that goes down. Today, there was a girl giving a presentation in women’s studies. Her assignment was to read part of a book about Ganymede (young Trojan boy abducted and raped by Zeus who takes the form of an eagle) and present her findings to the class using a powerpoint presentation. I kept the lecture notes because I couldn’t believe it myself. She, of course, read straight from her lecture notes without ever looking up. The lecture notes are as follows:
Ganymedge portrayed [in art] in four ways;
1) the rapture of the pure human soul or intellect in the presence of divinity
2) The uplifting power of chaste earthly love
3) Delight of homosexuality
4) Disproval of homosexuality

So I can get on board with the last two, but the first two didn’t make any sense out of context like this. So my friend asked her what she meant by the uplifting power of chaste earthly love, she said “I don’t really know [stupid laugh]. That’s what it said in the book.” So I asked what # 1 meant to which she said basically the same thing.
Now where I come from, that is unacceptable. This is grounds for flunking at least the presentation, if not the entire class. It is plagiarism and it is F-ing stupid. She probably spent 2 hours on the presentation and I spent upwards of 20-25 hours. My presentation, albeit on a less interesting topic, (depictions of birth trays and wedding chests in mid 15th century Italy), required outside research and actually came to a conclusion. I was so close to screaming at her. How can you think it is acceptable to bring something like this in front of a class? She is from University of Colorado, Boulder. Enough said? There was another girl who was supposed to present on something today, but our professor forgot and she didn’t say anything, so I’m thinking she is just never going to present. I hate her so much. She is the afore-mentioned “psychotic, racist whore.” Today, we were joking around about giving a Benvenuto Cellini autobiography to our parents for a Christmas or Chanukah present. We all laughed because that would be kind of a lousy present. As the laughter was dying down, I did my best to prolong having to learn some more, so I threw out, “Or Kwanza” implying that this present would be an equally lovely gift for Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanza. This is the following dialogue. She will be referred to as PRW.

PRW: Kwanza isn’t a holiday.
Adam: I’m sorry?
PRW: Kwanza isn’t a holiday, they made it up in the 70s.
Adam: How can you say that? Are you kidding me? Just because it was created in the 70s doesn’t make it any less of a holiday
PRW: It’s a festival not a holiday
Adam: Chanukah is also a festival, does that make it any less of a holiday.

At this point, our professor cut us off so that I wouldn’t have to leap across the room and strangle her with my belt or any other piece of strangleable material (that’s a word, don’t worry). These are just a few examples of daily school life.
I’m going to Sicily this weekend. It’s going to be awesome. When I’m with my friends and not in class, life here is actually enjoyable. It is when I can distance myself from the crap of the world of the “academic side” of SUF.

All I’ve got is four more days of classes. Thank the lord! I can see the light. Then my mommy and daddy come! E fritello.

-AJC