Yesterday 9/3 was a jam packed day full of hot, smelly bus rides but wonderful meetings and events. First we went to the International Migration Organization and we will meet senior reseachers Ugo Melchionda and Rosella Celmi. I was really inspired by Rosella. She is the only person in her department which concerns education and identity in Italian schools. She showed us a video of one of her projects which really emphasized this idea of looking/listening/and sharing one's identity and experiences between schools, teachers, the children and parents.

Our next stop was the Di Donato School in the very multi ethnic neighborhood of Piazza Vittorio. There we met with the school's parent association. The association started informally with parents trying to create networks among each other and grew into this major resource for the school. The parent association provides all sorts of activities for the children, trying to get them to interact more outside of the school environment. The association also provides language classes in the afternoon, a study hall, and sports. The parents of children are also invited to come out to the classes. It was amazing to think that the decorated room we were sitting in was painted and put together by one of the students father. We saw pictures of the abandoned building before it was turned into a school --- it was in terrible condition. However, with the help of the parents, it was transformed into a place for learning.

Later in the evening we watched a documentary of the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio and had the honor of meeting the director right after. I was SO inspired by the film. The documentary really showed that it often takes a lot of time for any "success" or progress to be seen or felt. While there may not seem like a lot of progress is being made, the efforts from people (like Rosella Celmi for example) and small organizations (like the parent association at the elementary school) are making a difference. The documentary showed how important perseverance and persistence is. In the process of accomplishing anything there will be times when you'll be let down and times when you will really, really struggle. Things may seem impossible but this orchestra (an orchestra made up of immigrants from all over the world) now makes music for all to hear.

It was a really wonderful day! I of course ended it with some delicious gelato! The perfect ending to a day in Rome, Italy!

-Megan Valencia