Stradun is blinding today. The marble main street and gleaming castle walls intensify the sunshine, making sunglasses a staple of every old town walk. I’m perched on the ground outside of Sponza Palace, lounging against one of the pillars and watching locals and tourists pass by. Julia and I grabbed lunch from the bakery a little ways down the street and are munching our way through prosciutto & cheese baguettes. There’s still a chill in the air, especially within the city walls, so our spot in the sun couldn’t be a more perfect place to spend the lunch hour between classes.
entrance to the monastery/university
Our university, Libertas Dubrovnik International University, is located just around the corner from Stradun, the main street, in an old Dominican monastery (which we still share with the monks who live there today). Classes themselves take place in the third floor of the monastery, where diplomats to the Republic of Dubrovnik (otherwise known as Ragusa) used to stay when conducting official state business. Not a bad place to be studying diplomacy and international relations. Oh, and did I mention the gorgeous courtyard that our school shares with the monks, visible from our classroom windows and the best spot for quiet study on a sunny day? There’s even an old well, perfect for making wishes before tough midterms and final exams.
our shared courtyard (and well)
monastery bell tower
Classes at Libertas run in slightly haphazard schedules, often on the whim/demanding schedule of the professors, most of whom travel from abroad for a few weeks at a time to lead us through the material. Right now, for example, I’m about to finish the second week of my International Peace & Security course, taught by a professor from Zagreb. We’ll take a midterm early next week, then have two weeks off until a different professor, with slightly different expertise, comes to finish the Peace and Security curriculum. In the meantime, I’m taking the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia, and the Art of Diplomacy, both with an amazing teacher who, rumor has it, was a diplomat for Montenegro a few years ago. Later in the semester, Negotiations & Conflict Resolution and Current Issues in International Affairs will begin, one of which is taught by a former Scottish prime minister.
en route to class
Speaking of classes, I should get back to studying the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations for my quiz tomorrow.
love from dubrovnik,
shonabell
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