Not only did classes resume, but all the other services began today as well. It was only this morning that I realized how many people were on holidays. The cleaning crews were back; the library staff returned in full force; the kitchen staff was back to his full complement; the secretarial staff, which had only worked part time, were back in full. It was obvious at the start of the day, and at coffee times, and in the moments of transition.
Of course, 12 days of Christmas mean also 12 days of things to catch up on, beginning with the cleaning crew. How they can possibly clean all the environments (classrooms, computer labs, library, hallways, lecture and assembly areas, chapels) at the same time as all the students are involved is, well… no small feat!
Breakfast conversation was stimulating as usually, with professors commenting on the economy. Everyone of the Italian professors noted how tourism is down in their home towns during the holidays. I commented that the US dollar is still low against the euro, which makes it hard for the “americani” to arrive in streams as they have in previous years. This comment led to a comment on the next encyclical, projected to be published soon. It would seem to be on justice in the economy: a development in the social justice doctrine. I can’t wait to see it.
In the meantime, I need to stimulate the academic economy of the UPS by finishing to prepare all my classes and getting the exams ready. Will this be possible? Or will I be too nostalgic for the holidays?
Today’s class in youth spirituality went well, despite the fact that some genius had turned off all the electricity in the smart classroom and it took three students and I 10 minutes to get everything in working order again. Turns out the projector remote was not functioning, so instead of reporting this to the university secretariat that deals with facilities, professor genius went to the power board and switched off the entire room. Brilliant! Well, I reported the breakage to the segretario, and he sent a crew in during the afternoon.
You see, professor genius? It is really easy when you speak up.
Okay, enough venting on this silly blog.
It rained today… lots of rumbling of thunder and a steady wind that sounded like the soundtrack of a horror movie. Still, it turned out to be a pleasant first day back to school. This was the first day that the students were able to book their examination dates (exams go for three weeks following the end of first semester classes on 20 January). From what I can see, most of the graduate students are pretty confident and ready to roll. Beyond all this, as I said, the class I had in youth spirituality was one of the best this term, and the participation rate was very high, notwithstanding the power being cut, the wind howling, the thunder cracking, the rain pouring. 2009 is officially underway.Chinese student-priests Giovanni Liu and Paolo Liu sign up for exams
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