Getting to attend an in person University for the first time in years was amazing. I had such a good weekend between the hybrid sessions and got to take some great classes. I signed up for a full day of Saturday classes, knowing I probably wouldn’t make it to all of them but it was still worth it. I think if I’ve done the math right, I’ll have fulfilled the requirements for my University Masters degree this round! My virtual University projects were finishing the hemming on my Battle on the Bay Viking and finally finishing my green paternoster (minus the tassel).

Jews and Judaism in Period Europe: this was a fun class. The instructor is a very new SCAdian and I was hugely impressed with their enthusiasm and bravery for teaching at their second event. I love hearing about Judaism from other perspectives.

Dance for Absolute, Complete Beginners: Dancing in the SCA is something I have really wanted to do and try for quite some time. I’ve taken one dance class before and retained absolutely none of it because it was years ago and then the pandemic happened. This class made things accessible and exciting and helped allay some of my fears about trying dance in person again. I had quite a lot of fun.

Fair Flowers of Spanish Chivalry: This was one of Bea’s to help educate folks about the theme of the upcoming reign of Abran and Anya, who chose 14th Century Spain as their theme. I love getting a chance to hear Bea teach, and this was a topic I’d never really considered being interesting before. The ties to nationalism and national identity in Spain are particularly fascinating to me.

The Oak Redux: I have a small announcement to make regarding this in my monthly update, but this was a discussion session on the new A&S focused newsletter. The history of the publication was covered, as was the immediate future plans, and a lively discussion on structure, submissions, and more was had.

Beginner 15th Century Italian Dance: I specifically wanted to look at Italian dances because of the ties between Spain and Italy. I feel like this might be the best way for me to incorporate dances that might actually be relevant to my persona. There was a little overlap with the class I took in person on Saturday and the review was nice! We also went through a very fun one that involves gestures to do story telling.

Cotton in Persia: This was probably my favorite class that I took this session. It was amazingly detailed and covered one of my favorite topics- how agriculture and anthropology interact and affect each other. I want to incorporate more cotton into my wardrobe for comfort reasons and this was very exciting to explore.

Heraldic Display in Different Mediums: I always love a good heraldry class. I’ve been mulling ideas for a badge for some time, but I do need to sit down with a herald to get that actually passed. This one gave me a great idea for simplifying what I had in mind and I am hopeful that this might actually go somewhere once I find time to chat with a herald.

I finally taught my Exploring Late Iberian Court Cuisine class in person. I was really nervous for how that was going to go if I’m being honest. There is a lot of information in that class and pacing was a concern. I divided it into a few sections.

1. Who was Nola and why is his cookbook important?

2. What makes Spanish food unique and special?

3. My recipes and important features in interpreting Nola with modern considerations

Between each section, I took a quick question break and took the first opportunity to serve the snacks. The University team was kind enough to put me in the Home Ec room so everything was warm, which was lovely. However, it did mean that I didn’t have the right space for my presentation. Which honestly was fine, I don’t think it would have improved the class. There were a few great observations and questions asked about how things would have been ground, Nola’s focus on day-to-day meals vs party food, and commentary on the medicinal recipes included in the book. I was really thrilled with how it went all in all, even if my brain felt like Swiss cheese after. The samples got a rousing response and helped me sort out how I’m feeling about my empanadillas for Pentathlon.