FIRST DAY OF CLASS & COMMUNAL DINNER

The first day of class was today. We basically did introductions and answered the question: "Why Virgil," meaning why did Dante choose Virgil as his guide through the Inferno and Purgatorio. Many people in the class seem very well-versed in the philosophy and history of the time period, even if they have never read the Inferno or Dante's other works before. It seems like a good blend of personalities, and Bill and Ron made us feel comfortable instantly-they are both great!

We also had our first communal dinner tonight on the balcony. Everyone brings a little something, one pair or trip cooks and everyone else eats. The cook never washes dishes, and everyone brings their own wine! It is a good arrangement. Tonight, Cora and Amelia did pasta and sauce with a salad. I think this will be a theme for future dinners!

The best part of the dinner is the time after eating when we sit out on the balcony and decompress from the day's events. Sometimes the conversation lasts over two hours, with all of us laughing and joking around about tense moments during the day, personalities, observations, etc. We are fully exercising "bene commune" a concept that has been driven into our mindsets since the day we arrived here. We function best as a community when we all individually work for the best of the community (no red flags here though, but there are many "pace" flags indicating support for world peace).