Super Sunday!

Ciaowdy!

As the majority of our students slumbered serenely, getting their much-needed beauty sleep, church bells clanged cantankerously for 7am mass. For those of us who did not decide to go running at sunrise, this was an unwelcome alarm clock...

Breakfast was on our own, with everyone finding their own cozy corner in the beautiful town of Castiglione Fiorentino (Hermes Cafe for us). Later, a group of us went to the nearby church for 11am Mass. Even though we were not all Catholic (and definitely did not speak Italian), it was a very moving service. We were surrounded by beautiful architecture and breathtaking art--like most of Italy.

Lunch was also on our own. I (Andrew) went back to Hermes mainly because the gregarious owner requested that we come by for lunch. Craving some authentic Italian pizza, I eagerly ordered a "Pepperoni Pizza" (complete with accent and hand gesture). Somewhat surprised, the owner dubiously recorded my order. When the food arrived, I was rather shocked to discover that "Pepperoni" does not quite translate into Italian...

I had instead ordered a pizza with 'peppers' on it! Quite the cross-cultural communication failure for me...

I (Rahul), on the other hand, went up up to this place called "Roggi" and ordered a Pizza Margarita--with parmesan cheese. Mama mia! The view from the patio was charming, though its steep slope nearly caused our food to slide off the table.

After lunch, the students from Texas A&M at Qatar gave a cultural presentation that they had prepared for those of us from America. Each of them shared about their homeland culture--with representatives from Egypt, India, Bangladesh, and Qatar. Due to technical difficulties, the session was more interactive than video-based. This turned out to be quite the success, with the curious American students posing numerous questions to their A&M brethren.

Following a half-hour break, we met in the courtyard for an academic meeting led by Ryan and Jonathan, where we learned more about Aggie traditions, the Honors program, and other academic and leadership opportunities at A&M.

Dinner was delightfully delicious--pasta with mushrooms and ham followed by chicken with tomato-based curry and spinach. For the Muslim students from Qatar, there was also fish and quiche.

After dinner came the daily highlight-of-the-day: Gelato!! At first we were all heartbroken to discover that we had to switch from ordering mediums to smalls to conserve our budget...But then we found out that the servers at the gelatoria give you about the same for a small or a medium!

Then we wandered down to the town square, where we stumbled upon a cultural festival featuring a travelling troupe of Mongolian performers. They did a number of dances--accompanied by their own musicians--and showcased their elaborate costumes. An awesome finish to an awesome day.

-Andrew Evans and Rahul Ramesh