ohmygosh I'm studying abroad

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Today I experienced an "ohmygosh I'm studying abroad" moment. Having now lived in Siena for over a month, (that realization is an 'ohmygosh' moment in itself...) I've grow accustomed to the stunning buildings and breathtaking views. Don't get me wrong; the fact that I am living in Tuscany for a semester is still a very surreal idea that I probably won't fully grasp until I'm back on the dirty streets of the Bronx. But every time I leave my apartment, I'm just a little less taken aback by the cobblestone streets and Gothic architecture that I now see every morning.

But today my Presence of the Past field study class took a trip to the famous Palazzo Pubblico to see Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Affreschi del Buon Governo; a room of frescoes that I first saw on a slide in my Early Modern Art class sophomore year. I walked through the beautifully painted halls and into the most famous room of the Palazzo and, for the first time, understood the unique experience of viewing an original piece of art. The fresco was massive, covering three gigantic walls, and it momentarily stopped my breath. The allegory, so perfectly thought out and brilliantly executed, is a powerful promotion of a republican form of government and it is easy to understand how such a room inspired those officials who once governed there.

As I stood looking up at the 'effects' of a good government, it suddenly hit me that I am studying abroad where I have the opportunity to see and experience art, architecture, culture, and language that I have spent years studying in textbooks and viewing on slides. And that is an "ohmygosh" moment.