Traipsing About Italy

       I spoke with my good friend Emily in Denver today and she asked me whether I would be recording my travels in Italy in an online format. My direct answer was "I love to blog for the first three days... and then usually forget to keep writing."

      This blog is my wholehearted attempt to document my experiences in Italy this summer! I do admit that I will need your encouragement and feedback in order to post on a continuous basis! To set expectations for the frequency of post, my program is hosted in the city of Bologna during the week. I will be attending daily classes that will vastly range in subject matter, presented by prominent speakers visiting the Symposium for a couple days. My weekends will be totally free-- meaning that I will be doing exactly what my blog title suggests: traipsing about!

     For those who don't know the reason why I am going to Italy for four weeks, I was accepted (as one of 60 worldwide participants) to the International Peace & Security Institute's Bologna Symposium on International Conflict Prevention, Reconciliation & Resolution.



Here is a blurb about the program's mission:
"In cooperation with The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the 2013 Bologna Symposium will bring together the globe’s brightest minds from top graduate institutions, NGOs, international organizations, grassroots peace movements, and the armed services. Over a four-week period, participants undergo intensive training by the field’s premier political leaders, academic experts, practitioners, and advocates in the practical skills necessary to foster peace and security in their communities and the world."

The Symposium is structurally broken down by week-- the first week is geared toward teaching us the fundamental academics perspectives in conflict resolution. In later weeks, simulations of current conflict in the international arena will build practical skills and critical thinking into that foundational approach. The last week holds a multilateral simulation that will last multiple days and will be focused on the current situation surrounding Syria.



One of the aspects about the Symposium that I am most excited for is the faculty teaching us, as well as their personal histories and life projects. Here are just a few of my mentors for the summer:

 

I hope you all enjoy my stories and ramblings during the next month and thank you for pushing me to write about my experiences traipsing about Italy! Arrivederci til next time!