Monday
Woke up on time. Relieved that hangover from Saturday night appears to have vanished at long last. Can’t keep up with nights out the way I used to. Feeling old.
Ascended Cotham Brow, wishing I was rich enough to live in Clifton. Listened to hilarious Italian rap music on the way up as a motivational tool. Arrived in class feeling ready for anything, until presented with an incomprehensible Sicilian poem from the 13th century which doesn’t appear to have been written in anything even vaguely resembling Italian. Sheepishly asked the teacher for a modern Italian translation. Teacher breezily replies that none exist. Returned home feeling disheartened. Rest of the evening spent on JStor and Google Books frantically looking for secondary sources. Found two, only one of which is behind a paywall. Feeling successful.
DIARY OF A FOURTH YEAR
BY Rowena Ball
Tuesday
Overslept. Ascended The Brow at an uncomfortably fast pace, arriving just in time and covered in sweat. No one looks keen to sit with me. Far too tired and out-of-breath to discuss the state’s role in maintaining cultural points of interest. Everyone else sounds fluent. Am I supposed to be fluent? Silently resolve to start Skyping Italian year abroad friends every night from now on.
Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon watching two different Italian films with other coursemates. Lots of characters die but hopefully can turn that into a good essay about Italian society. Still better than reading.
trials and tribulations of a final year at Bristol
IL DIPARTIMENTO
Illustration: Julia Webster