Thursday, December 5, 2013

Student life: "Put the books down, relax and have some fun"

People often ask why SAIS Europe is located in Bologna, Italy. Doubtless Prof. C. Grove Haines did not have football foremost in mind when he chose Bologna as SAIS's foothold in Europe. But for some Bologna Center students, soccer is part and parcel of the experience, as current student Samuel Semwangu confirms below.

One of the great things about studying at SAIS Europe is our close relationship with the University of Bologna, which is just across the street.

As SAIS students, we can take advantage of the many opportunities and activities the university offers. One such opportunity is the University of Bologna’s 7vs7 footbal (aka soccer) league that plays once a week for four months.
The SAIS Europe team
Samuel Semwangu is back row, 2nd from left
This fall SAIS students put together a team and used their beginner’s Italian to register for the league. Now entering the fifth week of the season, the SAIS team is marching up the standings in the face of very good competition -- not surprising for Italy, where the average technical skill and soccer IQ are quite high.

Yesterday during an especially cold evening the SAIS team rallied from last week’s loss to win 6-2, with Matt Melino (kneeling, far right in the photo) providing a hat-trick. The win and friendly post-game banter with the opposing team marked a fitting end to a busy day. Slightly sore today but with a win in the pocket, the guys are excited for next week.

Playing in the league has enabled SAISers to get to know both the Bologna community and one another better. It has also been a great excuse to put the books down, relax and have some fun.

Samuel Semwangu (BC14/DC15)

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