Sunday, November 20, 2011 0 comments

Roman History

I know I missed the Roman History seminar. Of course, with my luck, I would make a mistake like that. Luckily, I feel I know enough history to say I am somewhat knowledgeable of the Roman History. I know the basics, emperors, rulers, buildings, art, etc. One blog could not describe the entire Roman history, I am sure all of the facts the girls learned at the seminar could not be put in one blog either. I feel I am going in this kind of blind in the dark. The other two know alot more than me, which means I need to get to google and look up more Roman history and catch up.
Out of the things I know about the Roman history, the most interesting part to me is the Art. I feel that is a very important aspect of Rome overall. All the different types of art there is, no matter which kind it is, they are all indescribable. For example, Baroque. Baroque style of art is something much more than just art. It is a type of art that is much more clear and in depth. You can see the clear details of every part of the painting. The main artist at the time baroque was at it's high rise was Michelangelo. Now Michelangelo stands out to me the most. He was famous for multiple art pieces. The piece that is most important in my opinion is in the Sistine Chapel. Walking into the Sistine Chapel you will look left and right, admiring the entire place. But will you look up? Say you do. There it is. The ceiling is covered in painting that was put together in 1508. I'm sure it is something like you have never seen before, as you stand there in shock, you start wondering what else are you missing out on? What other art work am I missing out on? Go to the Palazzo della Signoria. David. A sculpture also put together by Michelangelo. This was sculpted in 1501 and made fully out of marble. Michelangelo had a huge impact on the high renaissance art.
Other than the art, how about the architecture. There are so many places you can see and be in shock just how you were with the art. A few great buildings that were built were the Colosseum, the Pantheon and so much more. When you look at the Roman architecture you then realize they really did take the ideas of the ancient Greek. Each building has a unique style to it, all the way down from the roof to the pillar. They design it in a form to show that it is part of Rome.
I am sure I would know so much more if I were to have gone to the seminar. I now know that I need to spend this Thanksgiving break on the laptop, typing "Roman History" over and over again to get really in depth with the information. Don't worry you will FOR SURE see me next time.
Selena.
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Guys in White Robes, Slaves and Mr. Theodosius




There’s no way one can be taught about Rome’s history in one day. Sitting in the seminar with Mr. Sullivan once again was very interesting. Now I do admit that I was a little rusty on some parts, but after a little more explanation I got it down.

I know that when you blog you generally want to focus on one thing, but that’s just impossible with all the history behind Rome. Don’t worry though, I’m not going to sit here and type everything that I learned today because I’m sure you and I have a life. However, I am going to tell you about my top three.

The first interesting thing that I learned today is the true way Julius Caesar was assassinated. The real mind blowing part was when I found out who did it and how. In ancient Roman times the SENATORS wore long white robes to show others two things: they were rich and didn’t do labor. However, that wasn’t the smartest thing they did. Wearing a white robe while killing someone is ridiculous, did they not know that blood stains? Although I do have to give them credit; instead of hiring someone to do it they completed the task on their own and each one of them took turns stabbing Caesar. I guess there was no way one person could tell who killed him. They actually performed team work.

Nowadays if someone were to say slave I would think of a couple things: African Americans and no rights. What I learned today in the seminar was that there was a variety of slaves some were people who owed debt, others were captured in war, but the odd ones were the ones who sold themselves into slavery. There is one group that I was really surprised about being slaves. That group is GLADIATORS.

Who would ever guess that gladiators were slaves, their names seems powerful and they remind people of soldiers and war heroes. I was wrong because gladiators were slaves; they spent countless of hours training around the Colosseum. When their turn came they went out and put on a free show for the public while people bet on them. They were the ancient UFC fighters.

Last, but not least one person that caught my really short attention span was a man named THEODOSIUS. For those of you, who are like me and don’t really know much of history, don’t feel bad because I had the same confused face you have right now.
Theodosius was the actual emperor who made Christianity the official religion in 380AD. Now I know some of you are wondering that Constantine did that, well that’s not true he just tolerated the religion and converted. I guess what goes around really does come back around because the Christians started persecuting the pagans.

Love always, Sharqueya Drake
Saturday, November 19, 2011 0 comments

The Sistine Chapel blew my mind !


Today I was lucky to sit in on a seminar on the history of Rome, taught by the intelligent Mr. Sullivan (the walking encyclopedia). Most of the information he went over I already knew from doing my Timeline Project. Although I recognized the information I still learned so much. He went into depth about every monument and statue, as well as detailed stories about the origins of the culture.

When I first heard about the trip I was more interested in visiting Europe than going to Rome. I have to say after today I made a promise to myself that I must visit Rome whether I get this trip or not. I have to see all the history and great culture. I need to walk through the Vatican.

All the talk before about the Sistine Chapel really impressed me ,but I did not become overwhelmed until I saw the photos on Google Maps and the footage from Mr. Sullivan's camera ! When I found out I could be walking on African purple marble and gold , I lost my mind. The extravagance of gold on ceilings, walls, floors and everywhere in sight. The simple fact that the purple marble only existed in Northern Africa and no longer exist is so rare to me. The thought of being able to admire the marble that does not exist anywhere else in the world completely blows my mind.

I thank Mr.Sullivan for his detailed seminar and inspiring me to visit Rome. The addition of exploring Rome through Google Maps really helped. Also I have two more hot spots I have to visit in Rome; Piazza di Campo de Fiori and Via Condotti, 77 00187 Rome, Italy(the Armani store). I really could spend all two weeks exploring the Vatican.
~Akeallah Blair
Friday, November 18, 2011 0 comments

Victory is Her's


My name is Sharqueya Drake and this is my second time running for Context Travel.
My sister once told me that there is no way I would win the fellowship this year because I lost last year. However, I’m going to prove her wrong. I want to win the trip for three reasons: I’ve never been out of California so I would love to experience the Roman culture. Also I want to prove everyone wrong who has doubted me. Last, but not least I want to do something positive for my people.
While I was sitting in the seminar and Mrs. Wanket started to speak about Greek Mythology I began to wonder something.
Why is it that when Americans learn about Gods and Goddesses we only talk about the “great ones” such as: Athena, Aphrodite, and Zeus?
In reality they aren’t the great ones. What’s the point of teaching students about a Goddess who stands for peace? But yet were constantly at WAR or BULLYING another nation. What’s the point of teaching about another Goddess who stands for SEX? Yet teenagers are constantly being told not to have sex until were married or “ready.” Finally, what’s the point of learning about a man who shape shifts and cheats on his wife by RAPING others?
One Goddess we should really focus on is NIKE.
Nike is the Goddess who we acquire our motivation from. The whole idea of failure isn’t an option and instead of complaining about something we should JUST DO IT was all derived from her. Nike is the reason why everyone likes to be VICTORIOUS. If it wasn’t for Nike then no one would care about failing, but as Americans that’s our worst nightmare. Nike is the reason why everyone holds high expectations for themselves and others. Nike is the reason why almost every teen fights to get accepted into a great college, so they can be successful. Therefore, Nike should be considered a major goddess and we should give her a lot more credit; besides one of our biggest companies is named after her, so victory really does belong to her.
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Selena Enriquez



“My name is Selena Enriquez and I just got back from Rome!” Words I hope I can live to say without describing a dream. People that have been there describe it as simply "beautiful". Why just say “beautiful” to something that I’m sure is much more beyond that? Other peoples’ opinions are just not enough to describe the genuine beauty through the walls and streets of Rome. This is my chance to prove I am capable of fulfilling this dream that I have had since before Context was introduced to me. I applied for the fellowship for many reasons, but in a nutshell, I WANT TO GO TO ROME!

It is difficult to say why I am applying. I think the real question is why wouldn't I? 3:30 PM. At this moment I walked away from the laptop, I just can't come up with a list of reasons on why I want to go. 6:45 PM. I'm still stumped on this question. I feel the main reason why I want to go is because a chance like this will never get thrown at me. There is no guarantee that I am going to have this chance ever again in my lifetime. This is the time to take full advantage of it. In my neighborhood, there is rarely someone who gets to visit Rome, or even another country or state. For those who are part of my neighborhood, and know that I went to Rome will look at me with amazement. Just being given the chance for this makes them already look at me. I want to be that person that they see down the street and give me the title as "The Girl That Went To Rome" . Nobody else will have that title but me. Other than that, I want to go to Rome because Google pictures are not enough for me to really see what it is like. The shutter of the cameras unfortunately don't capture what is really in Rome. As they say, each picture is worth one thousand words, but I am sure actually being there leaves you speechless.

If I do get the Context Fellowship,I wouldn't know where to begin on what I would look forward to. There would be so much. The art, the food, the museums, the food, the architecture, the food, the history, the food. For some reason, I think the food would be interesting to try out, definitely something completely different, but i'm up for that challenge. On a serious note, the most important thing I will be looking forward to is the art. I am currently being educated with the different types of styles of art. In my class we are being shown copies of the works of Bernini, Carvaggio, Michelangelo and many more artists, but I want to see the real thing. The art seems like it would be the most interesting part, particularly the Sistine Chapel, because I would be up front and center observing every detail of every piece. That, to me, is what is very important. Other than the art, the architecture seems to be a very important aspect of Rome, I would sit there contemplate as I stand before the Colosseum, pantheon, the Trevi fountain and others.

Walking into my first seminar, I expected to learn about the Greek Mythology, but instead we were taught more about the art and architecture. The little we discussed about it was the simple fact that Romans took the Greek mythology and made it their own. The mythology we learned the basics, for example, Zeus being in charge of all the Gods, Poseidon being in charge of the oceans and so on. But the main information that was given to us was the art and architecture. We were taught that the Greek made bronze statues and the Romans made them of marble. The Greeks made statues of men, predominantly men with chiseled bodies representing strength and youth. The Romans also made their statues of men representing the same thing. I mainly captured what was said to have came from the Greek civilization. A few things such as, trial by jury, Olympics, theater, and myths, were all from the Greek civilization. I was surprised to find out the vast contributions the Greeks made to the world.

To conclude my first blog,mind you the first blog i have EVER written, I feel confident about this, I know the best thing I can do is put in 110%, and that is exactly what I will try to do.
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Akeallah Blair

GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Greetings to all readers, I am Akeallah Blair a student of Sac High. I enjoy old school films(1930s) , playing soccer and history is my favorite subject. My favorite dessert is Gelato! But enough about me, let's get into Rome.
I am applying for this chance to go to Rome because I am intrigued by the history and one of the most powerful cities in the world. The story of Rome includes almost every continent. Through the schisms, wars and depressions Rome is still on top. The Romans are claimed to be the leaders in art, fashion and other contemporary subjects so I cannot wait to find out what's next. The current film world of Rome is taking a turn right now and I can't wait to witness that.
I am looking forward to tasting the great foods that spurred from the secret Roman gardens, saying hello to Baroque and Neoclassicism all in one day and wearing the latest European fashions. The greatest part of this trip I want to experience will be the narrated walking tours. This will be great because being able to have a knowledgeable professional always at your reach will be a dream come true.
Today I learned that most of our modern day thoughts came from Rome. For example, from Greece we have;myths, themes,tragedy and comedy, the Olympics,theater and trial by jury.I also learned that Roman art was modeled by Greek art, but Greek art is much better because they used bronze instead of weak marble.
As far as Greek mythology we covered the basics. Pretty much there is always a hero who saves the day. There are always monsters who are placed in humans way only as a temporary obstacle. Greeks and Romans believe that Gods used to have children with humans and create sort of 'supernatural beings'. The common themes in Greek myths are the same that are found in our stories today.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 0 comments

Welcome

Welcome to the student applicant blog for the Context Travel Fellowship to Rome.
Here you will find blogs written by the 2011-12 applicants. Feel free to comment on their posts.
 
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