Who would have thought that life without the English language, Internet, television, and Blackberry’s would be so liberating? Before arriving in Europe, I did not understand how much of a clutch each of these things were, and how heavily people relied on them. Granted, they are integral parts of life but as Americans, we need them as much as we need air or water.
I arrived in Italy about one week before the rest of the group with my mother, and used this time to familiarize myself with the city of Rome. Finding the best places to eat, different routes to take to each of the major tourist attractions we were bound to visit over and over again, and of course, the best places to buy wine were the only things on my Italian To-Do list. These seemingly rudimentary tasks were done through first-hand experience, instead of with the aid of a GPS; walking the streets, asking the locals, and making myself into my own tour guide. Without the help of Google Maps and Zagat, the triumph of a great meal or finding my way to the Coliseum took on a whole new meaning, and I began to realize the essence behind trial-and-error. There is no greater feeling then finding that small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, run by an old Italian man and his three sons, that feeds you the best pizza pie you have ever had, with the help of only your wandering feet (and a mother’s pickiness).
Fast-forwarding a bit, we arrived in Siena and were greeted by the University of Siena Chemistry faculty with a poster session organized by a few of the PhD students. With topics ranging from “Phenols and Metals in Selected High Quality Chianti Wines” to an analysis at the chemical level of the mechanisms of immune system suppression by anthrax, each poster offered a unique look into the world of chemistry but an applicable level; something that we could relate to everyday life (more so than, say, the Friedel-Crafts Reactions). However, the poster I took the strongest interest in was that of Sonia Mugnaini’s study on “Mineralogical-Petrographic Methods for Archaeometry and Cultural Heritage Conservation.” The title of this topic was incredibly intimidating, yet after looking at the pictures on the poster, I realized that she was describing ways in which different works of art were preserved. For example, when art restorers decide how much a marble sculpture is to be cleaned, they must first take a thin cross-section of the work, and determine the layers of the piece; how much of the work is covered in dirt, and when does the dirt turn into actual marble. Though communication between Sonia and myself was limited due to the language barrier and short amount of time, I look forward to exploring this topic more and finding out more details about her work