"Collegium Brynmawrensis: Optimae Mentes in eadem fossa ex anno 1885."
I think it's true. Myself, Irenea, and Annula all had absolutely sordid minds!
~Emily
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Rusticatio, Part 4 of 4
On Sunday, we woke up knowing that, at the end of the day, we would be somewhere that was not Claymont. The Rusticatio would be over. And that was sad. But we were still cheerful as we Hyaenae prepared Breakfast, trying to use up all that was left over. In the Dining Room, Aloisia had set up her computer running a slideshow of various pictures that she had taken over the week. Realizing that some of those pictures were from the first day, which now felt like yesterday, was very strange for me.
As breakfast progressed, we talked about what we had learned from the workshop (at least at my table!), and then Annula explained to us that various chores had to be done before we could leave. I was assigned to vacuum the second floor, while Irenea chose to empty the wastebaskets. We packed up our bags, and lugged luggage out to the cars. It was then that Richardus pointed out to Irenea and me that the baby birds, that had been in the nest on the front porch all week, had flown away. What an omen! We each collected lists of the vocabulary we had learned all week. Yes, Rivula and Aurora were awesome and made these for us!
Once we were all packed up, Aurora came to collect us. We walked, single file, out the front door, and around the mansion. It was gorgeous. Pretty day, warm, sunny. As we walked, we sang “Pomp and Circumstance.” I can't sing that without crying. Irenea, Glis, and myself were all quite teary. Annula gave us a speech, telling us how amazing we were, and how awesome this week had been. Then, Andreas read our names, one by one, and we headed up to collect our diplomas. We each climbed the stairs up to Annula, where she knighted us with the rubber chicken that she used so many times in her Exercitationes, and handed us our diploma. On the way down the stairs, all the Repetitores were lined up, so that we could shake their hands and/or hug them. It was so amazing, magical, and surreal. All the way through the graduation, we kept singing “Pomp and Circumstance,” and by the end, I really thought I was going to lose it.
Then, we could speak in English. Annula thanked us all, and we thanked her and the Repetitores. And then, we were invited up on to the porch to eat cake. Cake+Sparkling Cider? Amazing.
I will DEFINITELY be going back next year, for the advanced Rusticatio. Irenea, I know you're going to try to come. Who else is coming? Vivit Lingua Latina!!
I never expected to learn so much in such a short time. I liked every single person I met. I was amazed at how easy it was to communicate in Latin by the end. I loved thinking about life in a language that wasn't English. It was fascinating. It was incredibly interesting, trying to think of ways to describe something in a language that wasn't English. We all talked about everything, from education, to flying, to music, to sports, in Latin. We put on a play in TWO DAYS in Latin. (Hell, that's hard in English!)
I was just so amazed with all of the people. Everyone was so awesome, and interesting. We all learned so much. It was incredibly fun.
I gained a bunch of confidence while I was there, in myself, and in my language. I gained friends. I gained a better understanding of the language that I love and that I teach.
Vivit Lingua Latina! Semper sit in flore!
The amazing people:
Feminae
Hyaenae
Amata
Aurelia (me)
Glis
Irenea
Pumae
Dido
Ioanna
Marianna
Vulpes
Carola
Iulianna
Rahel
Viri
Ursi
Iosue
Iustus
Regulus
Tobias
Leopardi
Brennus
Christophorus
Scotus
Aquilae
Daniel
Michael
Patricius
Richardus
Repetitores
Annula—Leader
Aloisia –Hyaenae
Guenevera—Vulpes
Iohannes—Leopardi
Patricius—Aquilae
Rivula—Pumae
Robertus—Ursi
Cooperatores
Andreas—Head Chef
Aurora—Amazing Doer of All Things Necessary
Paulus—Assistant Chef, and awesome kitchen organizer and shopper
As breakfast progressed, we talked about what we had learned from the workshop (at least at my table!), and then Annula explained to us that various chores had to be done before we could leave. I was assigned to vacuum the second floor, while Irenea chose to empty the wastebaskets. We packed up our bags, and lugged luggage out to the cars. It was then that Richardus pointed out to Irenea and me that the baby birds, that had been in the nest on the front porch all week, had flown away. What an omen! We each collected lists of the vocabulary we had learned all week. Yes, Rivula and Aurora were awesome and made these for us!
Once we were all packed up, Aurora came to collect us. We walked, single file, out the front door, and around the mansion. It was gorgeous. Pretty day, warm, sunny. As we walked, we sang “Pomp and Circumstance.” I can't sing that without crying. Irenea, Glis, and myself were all quite teary. Annula gave us a speech, telling us how amazing we were, and how awesome this week had been. Then, Andreas read our names, one by one, and we headed up to collect our diplomas. We each climbed the stairs up to Annula, where she knighted us with the rubber chicken that she used so many times in her Exercitationes, and handed us our diploma. On the way down the stairs, all the Repetitores were lined up, so that we could shake their hands and/or hug them. It was so amazing, magical, and surreal. All the way through the graduation, we kept singing “Pomp and Circumstance,” and by the end, I really thought I was going to lose it.
Then, we could speak in English. Annula thanked us all, and we thanked her and the Repetitores. And then, we were invited up on to the porch to eat cake. Cake+Sparkling Cider? Amazing.
I will DEFINITELY be going back next year, for the advanced Rusticatio. Irenea, I know you're going to try to come. Who else is coming? Vivit Lingua Latina!!
I never expected to learn so much in such a short time. I liked every single person I met. I was amazed at how easy it was to communicate in Latin by the end. I loved thinking about life in a language that wasn't English. It was fascinating. It was incredibly interesting, trying to think of ways to describe something in a language that wasn't English. We all talked about everything, from education, to flying, to music, to sports, in Latin. We put on a play in TWO DAYS in Latin. (Hell, that's hard in English!)
I was just so amazed with all of the people. Everyone was so awesome, and interesting. We all learned so much. It was incredibly fun.
I gained a bunch of confidence while I was there, in myself, and in my language. I gained friends. I gained a better understanding of the language that I love and that I teach.
Vivit Lingua Latina! Semper sit in flore!
The amazing people:
Feminae
Hyaenae
Amata
Aurelia (me)
Glis
Irenea
Pumae
Dido
Ioanna
Marianna
Vulpes
Carola
Iulianna
Rahel
Viri
Ursi
Iosue
Iustus
Regulus
Tobias
Leopardi
Brennus
Christophorus
Scotus
Aquilae
Daniel
Michael
Patricius
Richardus
Repetitores
Annula—Leader
Aloisia –Hyaenae
Guenevera—Vulpes
Iohannes—Leopardi
Patricius—Aquilae
Rivula—Pumae
Robertus—Ursi
Cooperatores
Andreas—Head Chef
Aurora—Amazing Doer of All Things Necessary
Paulus—Assistant Chef, and awesome kitchen organizer and shopper
Rusticatio, Part 3 of 4
The fourth for July, Friday began like every other day. Breakfast was optime, thanks to the Ursi, this time. Once again, three teas were needed for me! (Yup, that's how much brain energy this takes! You don't realize how hard you are working until a few days in....)
In Friday's Congressus Omnium, we learned how to talk about the various sports we played. Exempli gratia-- “Ludus Americanus” is Baseball. (mihi susque deque de ludus Americanus=I don't care about Baseball.” It was actually quite interesting to hear about what sports people played. :-).
Post Congressu, the Hyaenae once again headed out with Aloisia. This time, I ended up explaining to the rest of my group how Ultimate Frisbee was played. (This is VERY HARD in Latin!) Then, we read some more, venturing deeper into the list of rude things to do at the dinner table. Communication, by this point, had become easier than I ever thought speaking in Latin would become for me.
One point I realized I forgot to mention in the last entry: On Thursday night, Irenea and I translated Bryn Mawr's “Good Night” round into Latin with the explicit plan to teach it to all and sing it to Annula after dinner on Saturday.
And then off went the Hyaenae and Leopardi to the kitchen, to learn about grilling...in Latin. As it WAS the fourth of July, we had a big barbecue to celebrate. There were sausages, and hamburgers, and veggie burgers, and ribs, and hot dogs...etc...Lunch was fantastic. We all enjoyed each other's company outside, sitting under the trees on the gorgeous grounds of Claymont. Cleaning it up was, even, relatively pleasant!
There were supposed to be games after lunch, to celebrate the Fourth, but, right when we got everything set up, it began raining. Boooo Hissssss! It rained like hell. So we got a chance to really work on our plays. Once again, we split up into our two groups and rehearsed, deciding on costuming, blocking, trying to remember our lines...and trying to think of creative ways to have our lines written down so that we could look at them during the actual play if we needed to do so. Fearing that I would need it, I made a mirror out of cardboard and wrote my lines on that. Many characters wrote their lines on index cards taped to wine bottles. Some taped their lines to their hands. Ioanna, playing Pseudolus, wrote her lines on index cards and put them inside my copy of The Latin Sexual Vocabulary. Score. Amata is a fantastic directrix. Actually, everyone had lots of good, creative ideas. It was truly a collaborative effort. We rehearsed for much of the afternoon, and then had a nice, simple dinner thanks to the Vulpes.
After dinner was filled with more rehearsing, more line memorization, and more costuming work. Amata rehearsed my lines with me until we were both sure I had them down cold. Amata, thank you SO MUCH for all of your help and encouragement. :-)
Nervous for the plays on Saturday, we all headed to bed a bit earlier than usual.
Saturday came around, as had every other day. Optime breakfast, thanks to the Leopardi, three mugs of tea, and the Congressus Omnium. However, this time, after the Congressus, we applauded Annula and the Repetitores for all of their amazing hard work. Irenea and I Anassed her, and, though the others in the room did not understand it, the three Bryn Mawrters teared up quite a bit.
The Hyaenae and Leopardi gathered for one final round of Exercitationes cum Annula, which were amazing. Annula ran us through our paces, making us recall everything from the first day and after. The sheer energy in that room was enough to charge us all up for the rest of the day!
After a great lunch, thanks to the Ursi, we put together final plans for the plays. Finally, at 3:00, the plays were ready to begin. My group went first. Irena took huge amounts of pictures with my camera, which you can see at the link in the previous post. Our cast was fantastic. It went off pretty much without a hitch, and we all got through our lines! (I, for my part, was amazed at how well I remembered my lines!) And I got cat-called my Annula. Guess I'm better at being seductive than I thought.
Irenea's cast went next. Directed by Daniel, their version of the play was a bit darker than ours. I was impressed with Iuliana's portrayal of Pugnax, and also with the fact that Irenea knew her own lines cold, as well as everyone else's. Whereas Iustus (our cast) made a funny Ballio (pimp), Brennus (other cast), while amazing and funny, made a much more threatening Ballio. Once again, pictures can be seen at the previous link. (Also, the pictures are good for putting faces to names!)
Both plays were fantastic! Congratulations all! As a reward for all of our hard work, we were allowed to choose a poster of vocabulary from one of our sessions with Annula. Iustus had the brilliant idea of asking Annula to sign his, and soon, we all followed suit. It was then that Irenea and I started tearing up for real.
After a fantastic dinner, we all signed a card for the owners of Claymont and presented it to them. We sang “For he's a jolly good fellow” in Latin! And then we headed outside. There, the Ursi + Brennus set about setting up the fireworks that we were supposed to have had on the Fourth, but had delayed, since it was raining. While they set them up, Amata, Dido, Daniel, myself, and Rahel threw around this gigantic, ultra-light frisbee-type disc. When I mentioned to Daniel that I had a real frisbee in my bag, he excitedly said, “Go get it!” So I did. Taking charge, Daniel organized a game of Ultimate Frisbee right then and there. It was awesome. Although Daniel, Tobias, Iustus, Paulus (the other chef), and I were the ones that had clearly played before, EVERYONE who played was fantastic. Amata, Dido, and Rahel were standouts, and Irenea, though she was not the best catcher, proved very skilled at keeping others from getting the frisbee! Unfortunately, she fell, ending the game. Irenea, you scared the Hell out of all of us! I am SO GLAD you were OK!
The fireworks were AMAZING! We all watched with awe as they flew into the air, full of beautiful color and awesome patterns. Once they ended, we headed into the dining room for a full group meeting. It was dark now, gorgeous. As we all sat there, Irenea and I taught the Good Night Song to everyone and serenaded Annula. From our vantage point, we watched as many people got teary. The song, frankly, is too gorgeous NOT to cry. Then, Amata presented the card that she had made for Annula and the Repetitores to Annula. We had all signed it, and we sang “For he's a jolly good fellow,” modified for the Annula and the Repetitores. By this point, we were all crying.
But we did cheer up a bit when Brennus took us into Aula Scholastica and taught us to Salsa. (I think!) Whateverso, we learned to dance! It was awesome! I have never “Ballroom Danced” before, but I have danced Ballet, Modern, Irish, and Mayuri. I guess it served me well, as Brennus whisked me around Aula Scholastica. Then, we danced to YMCA (in LATIN!) as well as “Quis Ponet Bomp” (Who put the bop in the bop-shu-bop-shu-bop!) also in Latin. We sang the “Horace Nagila” (Yes, Horace can actually be sung to Hava Nagila!) and we danced the actually dance as well! After this, Irenea and I took showers, and she headed to sleep, while I headed back downstairs to sing for a bit with some of the more nocturnal people.
It was the final night, but it could not have been more magical or fun!
Next: Sunday and final reflections!
In Friday's Congressus Omnium, we learned how to talk about the various sports we played. Exempli gratia-- “Ludus Americanus” is Baseball. (mihi susque deque de ludus Americanus=I don't care about Baseball.” It was actually quite interesting to hear about what sports people played. :-).
Post Congressu, the Hyaenae once again headed out with Aloisia. This time, I ended up explaining to the rest of my group how Ultimate Frisbee was played. (This is VERY HARD in Latin!) Then, we read some more, venturing deeper into the list of rude things to do at the dinner table. Communication, by this point, had become easier than I ever thought speaking in Latin would become for me.
One point I realized I forgot to mention in the last entry: On Thursday night, Irenea and I translated Bryn Mawr's “Good Night” round into Latin with the explicit plan to teach it to all and sing it to Annula after dinner on Saturday.
And then off went the Hyaenae and Leopardi to the kitchen, to learn about grilling...in Latin. As it WAS the fourth of July, we had a big barbecue to celebrate. There were sausages, and hamburgers, and veggie burgers, and ribs, and hot dogs...etc...Lunch was fantastic. We all enjoyed each other's company outside, sitting under the trees on the gorgeous grounds of Claymont. Cleaning it up was, even, relatively pleasant!
There were supposed to be games after lunch, to celebrate the Fourth, but, right when we got everything set up, it began raining. Boooo Hissssss! It rained like hell. So we got a chance to really work on our plays. Once again, we split up into our two groups and rehearsed, deciding on costuming, blocking, trying to remember our lines...and trying to think of creative ways to have our lines written down so that we could look at them during the actual play if we needed to do so. Fearing that I would need it, I made a mirror out of cardboard and wrote my lines on that. Many characters wrote their lines on index cards taped to wine bottles. Some taped their lines to their hands. Ioanna, playing Pseudolus, wrote her lines on index cards and put them inside my copy of The Latin Sexual Vocabulary. Score. Amata is a fantastic directrix. Actually, everyone had lots of good, creative ideas. It was truly a collaborative effort. We rehearsed for much of the afternoon, and then had a nice, simple dinner thanks to the Vulpes.
After dinner was filled with more rehearsing, more line memorization, and more costuming work. Amata rehearsed my lines with me until we were both sure I had them down cold. Amata, thank you SO MUCH for all of your help and encouragement. :-)
Nervous for the plays on Saturday, we all headed to bed a bit earlier than usual.
Saturday came around, as had every other day. Optime breakfast, thanks to the Leopardi, three mugs of tea, and the Congressus Omnium. However, this time, after the Congressus, we applauded Annula and the Repetitores for all of their amazing hard work. Irenea and I Anassed her, and, though the others in the room did not understand it, the three Bryn Mawrters teared up quite a bit.
The Hyaenae and Leopardi gathered for one final round of Exercitationes cum Annula, which were amazing. Annula ran us through our paces, making us recall everything from the first day and after. The sheer energy in that room was enough to charge us all up for the rest of the day!
After a great lunch, thanks to the Ursi, we put together final plans for the plays. Finally, at 3:00, the plays were ready to begin. My group went first. Irena took huge amounts of pictures with my camera, which you can see at the link in the previous post. Our cast was fantastic. It went off pretty much without a hitch, and we all got through our lines! (I, for my part, was amazed at how well I remembered my lines!) And I got cat-called my Annula. Guess I'm better at being seductive than I thought.
Irenea's cast went next. Directed by Daniel, their version of the play was a bit darker than ours. I was impressed with Iuliana's portrayal of Pugnax, and also with the fact that Irenea knew her own lines cold, as well as everyone else's. Whereas Iustus (our cast) made a funny Ballio (pimp), Brennus (other cast), while amazing and funny, made a much more threatening Ballio. Once again, pictures can be seen at the previous link. (Also, the pictures are good for putting faces to names!)
Both plays were fantastic! Congratulations all! As a reward for all of our hard work, we were allowed to choose a poster of vocabulary from one of our sessions with Annula. Iustus had the brilliant idea of asking Annula to sign his, and soon, we all followed suit. It was then that Irenea and I started tearing up for real.
After a fantastic dinner, we all signed a card for the owners of Claymont and presented it to them. We sang “For he's a jolly good fellow” in Latin! And then we headed outside. There, the Ursi + Brennus set about setting up the fireworks that we were supposed to have had on the Fourth, but had delayed, since it was raining. While they set them up, Amata, Dido, Daniel, myself, and Rahel threw around this gigantic, ultra-light frisbee-type disc. When I mentioned to Daniel that I had a real frisbee in my bag, he excitedly said, “Go get it!” So I did. Taking charge, Daniel organized a game of Ultimate Frisbee right then and there. It was awesome. Although Daniel, Tobias, Iustus, Paulus (the other chef), and I were the ones that had clearly played before, EVERYONE who played was fantastic. Amata, Dido, and Rahel were standouts, and Irenea, though she was not the best catcher, proved very skilled at keeping others from getting the frisbee! Unfortunately, she fell, ending the game. Irenea, you scared the Hell out of all of us! I am SO GLAD you were OK!
The fireworks were AMAZING! We all watched with awe as they flew into the air, full of beautiful color and awesome patterns. Once they ended, we headed into the dining room for a full group meeting. It was dark now, gorgeous. As we all sat there, Irenea and I taught the Good Night Song to everyone and serenaded Annula. From our vantage point, we watched as many people got teary. The song, frankly, is too gorgeous NOT to cry. Then, Amata presented the card that she had made for Annula and the Repetitores to Annula. We had all signed it, and we sang “For he's a jolly good fellow,” modified for the Annula and the Repetitores. By this point, we were all crying.
But we did cheer up a bit when Brennus took us into Aula Scholastica and taught us to Salsa. (I think!) Whateverso, we learned to dance! It was awesome! I have never “Ballroom Danced” before, but I have danced Ballet, Modern, Irish, and Mayuri. I guess it served me well, as Brennus whisked me around Aula Scholastica. Then, we danced to YMCA (in LATIN!) as well as “Quis Ponet Bomp” (Who put the bop in the bop-shu-bop-shu-bop!) also in Latin. We sang the “Horace Nagila” (Yes, Horace can actually be sung to Hava Nagila!) and we danced the actually dance as well! After this, Irenea and I took showers, and she headed to sleep, while I headed back downstairs to sing for a bit with some of the more nocturnal people.
It was the final night, but it could not have been more magical or fun!
Next: Sunday and final reflections!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Rusticatio Virginiana, Part 2 of 4
On Wednesday, we woke up as usual. Breakfast was once again optime , thanks to the Leopardi this time. Once again, we headed for Aula Scholastica for a Congressus Omnium. I wish I could remember exactly what we learned at this one, but it really all is a blur! I THINK we learned the countries of the world and the languages associated with them. I speak Anglice (obviously), Lingua Latina (yes...), Lingua Francogalica, and Lingua Graeca Antiqua.
Once again, there was the fifteen minute break, and then the Hyaenae (Myself, Irenea, Amata, and Glis) headed off with Aloisia, our Repetitrix, for some more poetry reading. Since I haven't mentioned her yet, Aloisia is one of the sweetest, most accommodating, warmest women I have ever met. She made it clear to me from the beginning that she would watch out for me and my allergies and health issues and she did the same for Irenea. What a wonderful help she was! Anyway, we read another fun poem, but Irenea and I both realized that discussing it was difficult because we were experiencing what Annula calls “Linguistic Interference” and thinking in French! Ah, well. We managed!
After Exercitationes cum Repetitores and another 15 minute pausa, the Hyaenae and the Ursi headed down to the kitchen for exercises with Andreas before the Hyaenae had to prepare Lunch and the Ursi had to clean it up. So the group was: Amata, Glis, Irenea, Myself, Iustus, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue. Out of that group, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue are relatively quiet. This time, we all walked around the kitchen, familiarizing ourselves with the various cooking instruments in this particular kitchen. We learned about all of the spices and condiments, and what each meat was called. Then, the Ursi left, and the Hyaenae set about preparing Lunch. Glis and I both have...sailor mouths in the kitchen, but I hope we were drowned out by Irenea humming Heather Dale's “Flowers of Bermuda!”
At lunch this time, Irenea and I told Iustus and Rahel about Heather Dale and her supreme awesomeness (in Latin, no less! Go us!). We found that many of the people at the Rusticatio enjoyed Celtic Music and were really musically talented at that. After lunch, during the hour-long pausa, Irenea and I, while chatting with Rahel, found out that she is a D&D player, as well as a “nerd” just like us. Score!
Up next, the day's second Congressus Omnium. Once again, we played a game. This time, three people were picked to go sit up in the front. The rest of us had little white boards. From behind the three players, Annula would hold up a word, or the name of a country, or the name of a person. We had to write down the first word that came to mind and then, on Annula's cue, hold up our boards. The three in front then had to guess what word Annula was holding up. When I was up there, we had countries or “lands of the world.” If I had had more faith in my response, we would have gotten the “land of the world” right. Boo, America Meridiana! Oh well, next time.
Once more, a fifteen minute break and then the Hyaenae and Leopardi joined together for Exercitationes cum Annula. So, all of the Hyaenae plus Brennus, Christophorus, and Scottus. I cannot, for the life of me, remember what we learned in this specific session, but I do remember thinking, “I really like these sessions. It's awesome to see everyone’s personalities!”
Dinner was once again fantastic. After dinner, there was a surprise meeting. We were handed scripts for “Auricula Meritricula” (Auricula, the little prostitute!) and were sent off in two groups to read through it for the first time. Although these groups were not going to stick, we were supposed to start thinking about what part we wanted to play when we performed the play at the end. I quickly decided that Auricula had too many lines. Dolia, the clever slave girl, however, looked nice. Perhaps I could play that part. I guess I would find that out tomorrow, when we split into our true groups. The thing I remember most from that night? Brennus, reading the lines of Laurina, the Madam. He was fantastic.
Once again, Irenea, Rahel, and I talked about life, the universe and everything after showers and before bed. I really appreciated both of their optimistic, cheerful attitudes.
On Thursday, we woke up as usual. Breakfast was once again optime , thanks to the Pumae this time. Tea, however, was very, very necessary today. I think I drank three mugs. Two at Breakfast, and then one after the first Congressus. The Hyaenae also had to clean up breakfast today. Ah, well. Sic est vita. Once again, we headed for Aula Scholastica for the Congressus Omnium. I wish I could remember exactly what we learned at this one...
Once again, there was the fifteen minute break, and then the Hyaenae (Myself, Irenea, Amata, and Glis) headed off with Andreas, because Aloisia was occupied helping Aurora (our AMAZING coordinator) with something or other, for some more poetry reading. We read another fun poem, this time about Epicurus, and making fun of his desire for more and more food.
After Exercitationes cum Repetitores and another 15 minute pausa, the Hyaenae and the Ursi headed down to Aula Scholastica for exercises with Annula. So the group, once again, was: Amata, Glis, Irenea, Myself, Iustus, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue. We learned more about how to talk about what we did and didn't like, along with more associative learning. God, I love Annula. Without her, I never would have been so into learning and practicing so much Latin! (I mean, I would have done it, but not with the fervor that I did!)
At lunch this time, Irenea and I chatted about education and PhDs with Richardus, and then talked about educational theories, books, and methods of teaching Latin with Iohannes the Repetitor, Iuliana, Richardus, Rahel, and Amata. I got some Really Good Ideas! Thanks, all!
Up next, the day's second Congressus Omnium. We played a game, much like Wednesday's game. Once again, three people were picked to go sit up in the front. The rest of us had the little white boards. From behind the three players, Annula would hold up the name of a person in the room. We had to write down the first word that came to mind and then, on Annula's cue, hold up our boards. The three in front then had to guess what person Annula had written down. The words that people thought up were awesome, and very descriptive. Alas, I was not one of the guessers or the people who had to be guessed. Then, we played a bingo game, using the questionnaires that we had to fill out on the first night. Aurora had gone through them, picked out some really interesting ones, translated them into Latin, and made a bingo board out of them. I appeared on the board twice, as did Irenea. Crazy stuff! We had to go find people who had done these things. Michael won, awesomely.
Once more, a fifteen minute break and then the Hyaenae headed off for Exercitationes cum Repetitores. This time, we started reading a poem in Latin about how to behave at the dinner table. It was written in the Renaissance for young boys, giving them a list of rules. It was...quite interesting, but fun to discuss and explain in Latin. And Glis is talented at burping on cue....
Dinner was once again fantastic. After dinner, we were assigned our true groups for Auricula Meritricula” and were sent off in our two groups to read through it and decide firmly on parts. Alas! Irenea was in the other group, but my group rocked anyway! We had:
Iustus as Ballio (the evil pimp)
Rahel as Auricula (the little prostitute)
Scotus as Marcus (the poor poet that the prostitute loves, and who loves the prostitute, but they cannot be together. Eheu!)
Ioanna as Pseudolus (Marcus' clever slave)
Myself as Dolia (Pseudolus' love, and the one who lures Pugnax away from Auricula)
Michael as Pugnax (the soldier who wants Auricula)
Patricius as Edax (the parasite who follows Pugnax around and flatters, in hopes that he will get fed well by Pugnax)
Amata as Silex (Marcus' father) as well as our master directrex
Dido as Laurina (the Madam)
Glis as Malacus (the horny old man who turns out to be Auricula's father, thus making her a free woman!)
We read the play through, knowing full well that we had to have the lines mostly memorized by the next time we met. When we all got back to the room, before showers, I learned that Irenea was her group's Auricula. She showed me all that she had to memorize, and I promised to help her. Terrified that I would suck at my part, I ended up crying a bit to Irenea and Rahel after the read throughs were completed. However, both of them assured me I would be fine. Hey guys? You were so right.
Next: Friday and Saturday
Valete!
~Aurelia
Once again, there was the fifteen minute break, and then the Hyaenae (Myself, Irenea, Amata, and Glis) headed off with Aloisia, our Repetitrix, for some more poetry reading. Since I haven't mentioned her yet, Aloisia is one of the sweetest, most accommodating, warmest women I have ever met. She made it clear to me from the beginning that she would watch out for me and my allergies and health issues and she did the same for Irenea. What a wonderful help she was! Anyway, we read another fun poem, but Irenea and I both realized that discussing it was difficult because we were experiencing what Annula calls “Linguistic Interference” and thinking in French! Ah, well. We managed!
After Exercitationes cum Repetitores and another 15 minute pausa, the Hyaenae and the Ursi headed down to the kitchen for exercises with Andreas before the Hyaenae had to prepare Lunch and the Ursi had to clean it up. So the group was: Amata, Glis, Irenea, Myself, Iustus, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue. Out of that group, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue are relatively quiet. This time, we all walked around the kitchen, familiarizing ourselves with the various cooking instruments in this particular kitchen. We learned about all of the spices and condiments, and what each meat was called. Then, the Ursi left, and the Hyaenae set about preparing Lunch. Glis and I both have...sailor mouths in the kitchen, but I hope we were drowned out by Irenea humming Heather Dale's “Flowers of Bermuda!”
At lunch this time, Irenea and I told Iustus and Rahel about Heather Dale and her supreme awesomeness (in Latin, no less! Go us!). We found that many of the people at the Rusticatio enjoyed Celtic Music and were really musically talented at that. After lunch, during the hour-long pausa, Irenea and I, while chatting with Rahel, found out that she is a D&D player, as well as a “nerd” just like us. Score!
Up next, the day's second Congressus Omnium. Once again, we played a game. This time, three people were picked to go sit up in the front. The rest of us had little white boards. From behind the three players, Annula would hold up a word, or the name of a country, or the name of a person. We had to write down the first word that came to mind and then, on Annula's cue, hold up our boards. The three in front then had to guess what word Annula was holding up. When I was up there, we had countries or “lands of the world.” If I had had more faith in my response, we would have gotten the “land of the world” right. Boo, America Meridiana! Oh well, next time.
Once more, a fifteen minute break and then the Hyaenae and Leopardi joined together for Exercitationes cum Annula. So, all of the Hyaenae plus Brennus, Christophorus, and Scottus. I cannot, for the life of me, remember what we learned in this specific session, but I do remember thinking, “I really like these sessions. It's awesome to see everyone’s personalities!”
Dinner was once again fantastic. After dinner, there was a surprise meeting. We were handed scripts for “Auricula Meritricula” (Auricula, the little prostitute!) and were sent off in two groups to read through it for the first time. Although these groups were not going to stick, we were supposed to start thinking about what part we wanted to play when we performed the play at the end. I quickly decided that Auricula had too many lines. Dolia, the clever slave girl, however, looked nice. Perhaps I could play that part. I guess I would find that out tomorrow, when we split into our true groups. The thing I remember most from that night? Brennus, reading the lines of Laurina, the Madam. He was fantastic.
Once again, Irenea, Rahel, and I talked about life, the universe and everything after showers and before bed. I really appreciated both of their optimistic, cheerful attitudes.
On Thursday, we woke up as usual. Breakfast was once again optime , thanks to the Pumae this time. Tea, however, was very, very necessary today. I think I drank three mugs. Two at Breakfast, and then one after the first Congressus. The Hyaenae also had to clean up breakfast today. Ah, well. Sic est vita. Once again, we headed for Aula Scholastica for the Congressus Omnium. I wish I could remember exactly what we learned at this one...
Once again, there was the fifteen minute break, and then the Hyaenae (Myself, Irenea, Amata, and Glis) headed off with Andreas, because Aloisia was occupied helping Aurora (our AMAZING coordinator) with something or other, for some more poetry reading. We read another fun poem, this time about Epicurus, and making fun of his desire for more and more food.
After Exercitationes cum Repetitores and another 15 minute pausa, the Hyaenae and the Ursi headed down to Aula Scholastica for exercises with Annula. So the group, once again, was: Amata, Glis, Irenea, Myself, Iustus, Tobias, Regulus, and Iosue. We learned more about how to talk about what we did and didn't like, along with more associative learning. God, I love Annula. Without her, I never would have been so into learning and practicing so much Latin! (I mean, I would have done it, but not with the fervor that I did!)
At lunch this time, Irenea and I chatted about education and PhDs with Richardus, and then talked about educational theories, books, and methods of teaching Latin with Iohannes the Repetitor, Iuliana, Richardus, Rahel, and Amata. I got some Really Good Ideas! Thanks, all!
Up next, the day's second Congressus Omnium. We played a game, much like Wednesday's game. Once again, three people were picked to go sit up in the front. The rest of us had the little white boards. From behind the three players, Annula would hold up the name of a person in the room. We had to write down the first word that came to mind and then, on Annula's cue, hold up our boards. The three in front then had to guess what person Annula had written down. The words that people thought up were awesome, and very descriptive. Alas, I was not one of the guessers or the people who had to be guessed. Then, we played a bingo game, using the questionnaires that we had to fill out on the first night. Aurora had gone through them, picked out some really interesting ones, translated them into Latin, and made a bingo board out of them. I appeared on the board twice, as did Irenea. Crazy stuff! We had to go find people who had done these things. Michael won, awesomely.
Once more, a fifteen minute break and then the Hyaenae headed off for Exercitationes cum Repetitores. This time, we started reading a poem in Latin about how to behave at the dinner table. It was written in the Renaissance for young boys, giving them a list of rules. It was...quite interesting, but fun to discuss and explain in Latin. And Glis is talented at burping on cue....
Dinner was once again fantastic. After dinner, we were assigned our true groups for Auricula Meritricula” and were sent off in our two groups to read through it and decide firmly on parts. Alas! Irenea was in the other group, but my group rocked anyway! We had:
Iustus as Ballio (the evil pimp)
Rahel as Auricula (the little prostitute)
Scotus as Marcus (the poor poet that the prostitute loves, and who loves the prostitute, but they cannot be together. Eheu!)
Ioanna as Pseudolus (Marcus' clever slave)
Myself as Dolia (Pseudolus' love, and the one who lures Pugnax away from Auricula)
Michael as Pugnax (the soldier who wants Auricula)
Patricius as Edax (the parasite who follows Pugnax around and flatters, in hopes that he will get fed well by Pugnax)
Amata as Silex (Marcus' father) as well as our master directrex
Dido as Laurina (the Madam)
Glis as Malacus (the horny old man who turns out to be Auricula's father, thus making her a free woman!)
We read the play through, knowing full well that we had to have the lines mostly memorized by the next time we met. When we all got back to the room, before showers, I learned that Irenea was her group's Auricula. She showed me all that she had to memorize, and I promised to help her. Terrified that I would suck at my part, I ended up crying a bit to Irenea and Rahel after the read throughs were completed. However, both of them assured me I would be fine. Hey guys? You were so right.
Next: Friday and Saturday
Valete!
~Aurelia
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Rusticatio Virginiana, Part 1 of 4
This is somewhat stream of consciousness and it is LONG. My apologies!
First of, my sincerest thanks to Irenea for helping me get to the Rusticatio, both in terms of organization and transportation. Thank you to she, her husband, and her housemate who opened their home to me for the night before we left and for getting me at the airport. Sei, without you I never would have known about this. You are amazing and an incredibly good mentor and friend. Thank you.
On Tuesday, I awoke to the word "Stercus!" just before my alarm went off. Glis had dropped her hairbrush in the bathroom. 'Stercus' means "shit." It was really, really hard to remember to speak Latin at first. Irenea, however, was very good at keeping me on task. Marianna, an older woman, was also very good at keeping us all talking. "Good morning" became "Bonum diem!" "Hello" became "Salve." I feared I would be dead silent at meals. However, this was not the case. Irenea, Rahel, and I joined a bunch of people at the Breakfast table, and instantly, we were all talking Latin. How did we sleep? Were we excited for the day? Wasn't breakfast awesome? Which group made it anyway? After breakfast (and downing my tea!) we headed into "Aula Scholastica" (the school room) for our first meeting of the entire group with Annula. Every day, there are two meetings with Annula, where we all learn various words, such as how to say what year something was done in, what sports we play, what languages we speak, what countries we have visited, or what the various foods we eat are. Today, Annula took us on a tour of the house, showing us where everything was, and teaching us its Latin name. I have never seen anyone with Annula's energy. She is goofy, crazy, incredibly intelligent, and I swear to Athena she had the same mannerisms as Eddie Izzard. We were all so engrossed in what she was telling us, that I think our eyes were all wider than they had ever been.
After this "Congressus Omnium" (Meeting of all) there was a 15 minute break, where you could get more tea/coffee, run to the bathroom, or grab a granola bar before heading off to your next activity. Remember, we're still speaking Latin here! This time, The Leopardi and the Vulpes got to stay with Annula for more "exercitiationes", while the Aquillae, Hyaenae, Pumae, and Ursi got to go off with their Repetitores for other exercises. With our Repetitores, we would read poems that we had (hopefully) never read before in Latin and discuss them in Latin. We had to explain what they were about, line by line. It was hard as hell, but damn it was worth it, and even fun! We read funny, sometimes even raunchy poems, different ones each day. The Hyaenae gathering spot was outside on the porch in the beautiful sun, looking out on the lawn. It was the perfect "locus amoenus."
Another break after these exercises, and then we headed in for our exercises with Annula. When we were with Annula, we always had another group with us. This time, it was the Pumae. So, in the room, the "students" were: Myself, Irenea, Amata, Glis, Dido, Ioanna, and Marianna. We learned to say, "give me the _______, please" and rehearsed all that we had learned earlier, in the full session. Annula gave us various animals and had us ask each other for them. I ended up with the chicken and the pig at the end. ("Commoda mihi vinum tuum, quaeso."= "Give me your wine, please.")
After this, we had a break while the Leopardi prepared Lunch, so I grabbed the frisbee that I had packed and played frisbee with Iustus. It is REALLY hard to speak Latin while trying to play frisbee! Nevertheless, it was awesome, and he's really good at frisbee! Lunch was quite good, and there were once again, friends, fun, and good Latin conversation. After lunch, the Aquillae got to clean up, while we all had a break until 3:00, when there was another "Congressus Omnium". This time, we played a game, using associative memory. I was the crazy patient. Annula would say a would. Everyone would write down the first thing that came to their mind, and then Annula would ask me what my word was. She would write it down. If most of the words matched mine, I was cured. Sadly, I was never cured. Guess I'm still crazy! (Then again, I argue that we are ALL CRAZY. After all, we do all study Latin.)
Post Congressu, there was another 15 minute break, and then the Hyaenae and Vulpes headed for the kitchen to work with Andreas, the master chef, before the Hyaenae had to prepare dinner, and the Vulpes had to clean it up. The group was: Glis, Amata, Myself, Irenea, Rahel, Iuliana, and Carola. We went through the various names for pieces of kitchen equipment and learned where everything in the kichen was kept. (Yes, this did take 45 minutes!) Then, the Vulpes left, and the Hyaenae set about preparing dinner. It's hard for me to do this, as I have a zillion allergies. So I ended up being the person who got stuff out of the fridge, or found pieces of equipment, or carried trays up and down stairs. Whatever was needed of me, that didn't require me to cut veggies. I ended up stuffing five chickens with spices. Stuffing a raw chicken? Sucks. Slimy as fuck. Ew.
Anyway, Dinner was a huge hit. Everyone enjoyed it. "Cena est Optima!" (Dinner is Awesome!) Iustus (Ursi) and Brennus (Leopardi) both told me. After this, we were free for the rest of the night. I took a shower, and then Irenea and I joined a group of people who were singing in Latin in "Aula Musica" (the music room). We sang through a renaissance piece and then through one of many Ave Maria-s. The voices that people had! Irenea, I already knew could sing. But Glis' voice was amazing. Marianna, Scotus, Iustus, Iohannes (Repetitor). Brennus has a spectacular voice, and can sing, possibly, higher than I can. I really enjoyed singing with everyone!!
As we wound down for the night, Irenea and I retired to the room we shared with Marianna, Ioanna, and Rahel. We talked about how awesome it is to hear Latin around you. It's a really pretty language, though you would never know this since we do not speak it much anymore!
Vivit Lingua Latina!
Eheu! That was long!
Next: Wednesday and Thursday.
First of, my sincerest thanks to Irenea for helping me get to the Rusticatio, both in terms of organization and transportation. Thank you to she, her husband, and her housemate who opened their home to me for the night before we left and for getting me at the airport. Sei, without you I never would have known about this. You are amazing and an incredibly good mentor and friend. Thank you.
And now, the Rusticatio!
It was bound to be fantastic from the beginning. After a fun ride up on Monday with Irenea and Dido (who we picked up at the airport), we arrived at the Claymont Mansion, checked in, got our nametags (with our Latin names! I was, of course, Aurelia.), chose our beds and unpacked. Each person was given a questionaire to fill out, with questions like, "the most dangerous thing I have ever done was_______" and "I love to _________" that we had to fill out and return before Dinner. We stayed in rooms of five women each, but it was the nicest dorm style accomodations I have ever seen! We found that we were divided up into groups by gender. There were the Ursi (Bears), the Aquilae (Eagles), the Leopardi (Leopards), the Vulpes (Foxes), the Pumae (Pumas), and the Hyaenae (Hyenas). Irenea and I were Hyaenae, along with Amata and Glis.
I was nervous going in, but the first night, when we could still speak English, meeting the Repititores (group leaders) and Annula (the woman who runs it) calmed me down a lot. Although I knew Irenea going in to the Rusticatio, I knew no one else, but quickly felt at home among my 20 fellow Latin Learners. As we relaxed before dinner the first night, I met Glis, who traveled all the way from Australia to come to the workshop; I talked to Amata about JCL (Junior Classical League) and how to get involved with it again; I discussed teaching middle school with Rahel; I chatted with Brennus about how he was moving to Boston to take a job at a school here; and I met Richardus, who informed me that Annula was a Bryn Mawr alum. Wait, WHAT? Irenea and I bounced around and jumped for joy. After telling Annula we, too, had both attended Bryn Mawr, we Annassed Latin. (Anass=Bryn Mawr School Cheer) Suddenly, I was among friends.
Dinner was fantastic. We met by group, so that each group could meet their Repititor/Repititrix, and so that we could meet the members of our group. After dinner, Annula talked to us about how the week was going to work. She explained that our Repetitores would be taking notes for us, so that we didn't have to worry about writing everything down and could focus on learning and listening. She promised us that we would all be alright, no matter how nervous we were. Smart people, she explained, are not used to being unable to communicate. To allay our fears, she did an exercise to show us that communication is not just verbal, but corporeal. Then, to assure us that we would not be put on the spot, she demonstrated her teaching method for us. "That looks like so much FUN!" Irenea commented to me. I agreed.
Then, Andreas (the master chef!) explained to us how the kitchen chores would work. Yup, that's right. We did everything, including cooking. And we did it all in Latin. This, too, sounded like fun.
After much chatter, we headed to bed, all ready to get up the next morning, speaking only Latin for the rest of the week.
It was bound to be fantastic from the beginning. After a fun ride up on Monday with Irenea and Dido (who we picked up at the airport), we arrived at the Claymont Mansion, checked in, got our nametags (with our Latin names! I was, of course, Aurelia.), chose our beds and unpacked. Each person was given a questionaire to fill out, with questions like, "the most dangerous thing I have ever done was_______" and "I love to _________" that we had to fill out and return before Dinner. We stayed in rooms of five women each, but it was the nicest dorm style accomodations I have ever seen! We found that we were divided up into groups by gender. There were the Ursi (Bears), the Aquilae (Eagles), the Leopardi (Leopards), the Vulpes (Foxes), the Pumae (Pumas), and the Hyaenae (Hyenas). Irenea and I were Hyaenae, along with Amata and Glis.
I was nervous going in, but the first night, when we could still speak English, meeting the Repititores (group leaders) and Annula (the woman who runs it) calmed me down a lot. Although I knew Irenea going in to the Rusticatio, I knew no one else, but quickly felt at home among my 20 fellow Latin Learners. As we relaxed before dinner the first night, I met Glis, who traveled all the way from Australia to come to the workshop; I talked to Amata about JCL (Junior Classical League) and how to get involved with it again; I discussed teaching middle school with Rahel; I chatted with Brennus about how he was moving to Boston to take a job at a school here; and I met Richardus, who informed me that Annula was a Bryn Mawr alum. Wait, WHAT? Irenea and I bounced around and jumped for joy. After telling Annula we, too, had both attended Bryn Mawr, we Annassed Latin. (Anass=Bryn Mawr School Cheer) Suddenly, I was among friends.
Dinner was fantastic. We met by group, so that each group could meet their Repititor/Repititrix, and so that we could meet the members of our group. After dinner, Annula talked to us about how the week was going to work. She explained that our Repetitores would be taking notes for us, so that we didn't have to worry about writing everything down and could focus on learning and listening. She promised us that we would all be alright, no matter how nervous we were. Smart people, she explained, are not used to being unable to communicate. To allay our fears, she did an exercise to show us that communication is not just verbal, but corporeal. Then, to assure us that we would not be put on the spot, she demonstrated her teaching method for us. "That looks like so much FUN!" Irenea commented to me. I agreed.
Then, Andreas (the master chef!) explained to us how the kitchen chores would work. Yup, that's right. We did everything, including cooking. And we did it all in Latin. This, too, sounded like fun.
After much chatter, we headed to bed, all ready to get up the next morning, speaking only Latin for the rest of the week.
On Tuesday, I awoke to the word "Stercus!" just before my alarm went off. Glis had dropped her hairbrush in the bathroom. 'Stercus' means "shit." It was really, really hard to remember to speak Latin at first. Irenea, however, was very good at keeping me on task. Marianna, an older woman, was also very good at keeping us all talking. "Good morning" became "Bonum diem!" "Hello" became "Salve." I feared I would be dead silent at meals. However, this was not the case. Irenea, Rahel, and I joined a bunch of people at the Breakfast table, and instantly, we were all talking Latin. How did we sleep? Were we excited for the day? Wasn't breakfast awesome? Which group made it anyway? After breakfast (and downing my tea!) we headed into "Aula Scholastica" (the school room) for our first meeting of the entire group with Annula. Every day, there are two meetings with Annula, where we all learn various words, such as how to say what year something was done in, what sports we play, what languages we speak, what countries we have visited, or what the various foods we eat are. Today, Annula took us on a tour of the house, showing us where everything was, and teaching us its Latin name. I have never seen anyone with Annula's energy. She is goofy, crazy, incredibly intelligent, and I swear to Athena she had the same mannerisms as Eddie Izzard. We were all so engrossed in what she was telling us, that I think our eyes were all wider than they had ever been.
After this "Congressus Omnium" (Meeting of all) there was a 15 minute break, where you could get more tea/coffee, run to the bathroom, or grab a granola bar before heading off to your next activity. Remember, we're still speaking Latin here! This time, The Leopardi and the Vulpes got to stay with Annula for more "exercitiationes", while the Aquillae, Hyaenae, Pumae, and Ursi got to go off with their Repetitores for other exercises. With our Repetitores, we would read poems that we had (hopefully) never read before in Latin and discuss them in Latin. We had to explain what they were about, line by line. It was hard as hell, but damn it was worth it, and even fun! We read funny, sometimes even raunchy poems, different ones each day. The Hyaenae gathering spot was outside on the porch in the beautiful sun, looking out on the lawn. It was the perfect "locus amoenus."
Another break after these exercises, and then we headed in for our exercises with Annula. When we were with Annula, we always had another group with us. This time, it was the Pumae. So, in the room, the "students" were: Myself, Irenea, Amata, Glis, Dido, Ioanna, and Marianna. We learned to say, "give me the _______, please" and rehearsed all that we had learned earlier, in the full session. Annula gave us various animals and had us ask each other for them. I ended up with the chicken and the pig at the end. ("Commoda mihi vinum tuum, quaeso."= "Give me your wine, please.")
After this, we had a break while the Leopardi prepared Lunch, so I grabbed the frisbee that I had packed and played frisbee with Iustus. It is REALLY hard to speak Latin while trying to play frisbee! Nevertheless, it was awesome, and he's really good at frisbee! Lunch was quite good, and there were once again, friends, fun, and good Latin conversation. After lunch, the Aquillae got to clean up, while we all had a break until 3:00, when there was another "Congressus Omnium". This time, we played a game, using associative memory. I was the crazy patient. Annula would say a would. Everyone would write down the first thing that came to their mind, and then Annula would ask me what my word was. She would write it down. If most of the words matched mine, I was cured. Sadly, I was never cured. Guess I'm still crazy! (Then again, I argue that we are ALL CRAZY. After all, we do all study Latin.)
Post Congressu, there was another 15 minute break, and then the Hyaenae and Vulpes headed for the kitchen to work with Andreas, the master chef, before the Hyaenae had to prepare dinner, and the Vulpes had to clean it up. The group was: Glis, Amata, Myself, Irenea, Rahel, Iuliana, and Carola. We went through the various names for pieces of kitchen equipment and learned where everything in the kichen was kept. (Yes, this did take 45 minutes!) Then, the Vulpes left, and the Hyaenae set about preparing dinner. It's hard for me to do this, as I have a zillion allergies. So I ended up being the person who got stuff out of the fridge, or found pieces of equipment, or carried trays up and down stairs. Whatever was needed of me, that didn't require me to cut veggies. I ended up stuffing five chickens with spices. Stuffing a raw chicken? Sucks. Slimy as fuck. Ew.
Anyway, Dinner was a huge hit. Everyone enjoyed it. "Cena est Optima!" (Dinner is Awesome!) Iustus (Ursi) and Brennus (Leopardi) both told me. After this, we were free for the rest of the night. I took a shower, and then Irenea and I joined a group of people who were singing in Latin in "Aula Musica" (the music room). We sang through a renaissance piece and then through one of many Ave Maria-s. The voices that people had! Irenea, I already knew could sing. But Glis' voice was amazing. Marianna, Scotus, Iustus, Iohannes (Repetitor). Brennus has a spectacular voice, and can sing, possibly, higher than I can. I really enjoyed singing with everyone!!
As we wound down for the night, Irenea and I retired to the room we shared with Marianna, Ioanna, and Rahel. We talked about how awesome it is to hear Latin around you. It's a really pretty language, though you would never know this since we do not speak it much anymore!
Vivit Lingua Latina!
Eheu! That was long!
Next: Wednesday and Thursday.
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