3.10.06

Rassegna finale

Ladies and gentleman, I present... The Final Review. The way these projects were presented was actually quite exciting. Instead of a bunch of straight crits in the same area, we put together a "museum exhibit". With proper timing, location and arrangment, the students were able to act as art directors for their projects. The experience was unique and quite stressful at times. Most of the projects turned out very well. A great number actually took me by surprise. Others actually took a really surprising turn for the worst. Overall, everyone did well (so why are the students so concerned about their grades).

After the presentations, Maria (our guest) gave her lecture to an audience of exhaus
ted students. Of all things, I think this was the least well planned part of the day. The students struggled to stay awake during the the presentation, but I think Maria understood for the most part (in her own way). That evening, the students scattered throughout the building to wind down. Tomorrow, they will be in store for quite a city in Assisi.

The trip to Assisi was one of the easier of all of our trips. It consisted of a breif, yet in-depth tour of the St. Francis Cathedral, a brief look at some doors and off to lunch. Well, it was easy for some. Others, had to do an immediate "follow-up" for the presentations of the previous day. I felt an obligation to remain as Melissa re-performed the research part of her project on herself before Maria. After it was over, she said she better understood the crit she recieved and was more than happy to send the newly acquired data in a few days. I guess even the harshest situation can allow us to walk away with a lesson in life.

The remainder of Assisi was nice. I ran into Iris (from Calpoly) and we walked around the Cathedral of Santa Chiara for awhile. She shares the same interest in hoodies as I. We spent time trying to find some nice ones, but only ended up using up energy. I don't think it was a complete loss because she seems like a really nice person. We didn't exactly talk much, but I could see us becoming pretty good friends.

I suppose the excitment began when it was time to go. Each school gathered at seperate locations to walk their respective students to the bus. Upon leaving the location, everyone in each group was accounted for. Once we made it to the buses, no one could account for the wearabouts of Teresa. "She was right beside me". I stayed behind for the later bus to ensure that she was found and made it safely to the center. When she first told me what happened, I honestly thought she was trying to cover up what really happened. However, the more she told it to other (in the same way) I believed it. Basically, she said she got lost in thought and when she came back to reality, the group was gone. I know what everyone is thinking... it still boggles my mind.

No comments: