scenery, school and shopping, by request
the island we’re living on is incredibly gorgeous, though it really is a peninsula and been called an island for thousands of years. we are surrounded by open sea on two sides and a bay on one where the marina is and lots of pretty boats. just down the street from our school is the edge of the island and the sea, which is incredibly salty by the way. the buildings in the town are quite interesting because of the mix of architectural influences that have come through this island over the years. each floor of the buildings is a different style and each building next to each other is too. we’ve been spending a lot of time at the scogli, a small outcropping of rocks leading into the sea with flat areas for taking the sun and jumping off into the water. the water is deep and still very cold but not as much as it would be in california. all in all the scenery is beautiful and one of the most undeniably great parts about being here.
ortigia from the air, the island we’re living on
lungomare, the edge of the island right by the school
the rocks
the school is an old palace turned into a small place with a handful of classrooms, a small library, a courtyard and an office. my language class is pretty challenging since the subject matter is way beyond what i had previously learned but im holding my own. literature class can be a bit dry; the first book we read wasnt really my cup of tea but i quite enjoyed the second. both give great descriptions of a sicily of the past. there are five of us in literature and everyone else is in art and architecture. i think i made the right choice of the elective, their class seems pretty hard. the culture class seems to be taking up the most of my time with reading and assignments. the class is taught by our professor from UCD and all 18 of us are required to take it. she can be disorganized sometimes and i respond well to structure from my professors, so the class can get a bit wearying. for the most part the classes are pretty laid back but they still do expect a lot from us. its hard to remember sometimes that we’re on a regular quarter rather than a vacation, probably because of the scenery. then i realize that i have a ton of reading and two presentations in the next three weeks before we leave plus finals, thats when it feels normal again.
and the shopping? well, like i said, we pretty much live in a swanky downtown type area where there is plenty of shopping but not so much the affordable kind. the stores are pretty to look at and walk by every day but probably too expensive to actually shop in. there is more shopping on the mainland and i have been a few times, but every time i go i think i have so much more time to find something i like. there just hasnt been anything too tempting yet. i have yet to purchase any clothes or shoes but accessories are always fun. the most fun has actually been had at small indian non-touristy shops with jewelry and scarves and beads. most of peoples souvenirs are probably going to come from there too. i dont want to get anyone anything too hokey, unless they like that kind of thing.
that was fun, anyone else have suggestions for me to write things on? leave it in the comments!
ortigia from the air, the island we’re living on
lungomare, the edge of the island right by the school
the rocks
the school is an old palace turned into a small place with a handful of classrooms, a small library, a courtyard and an office. my language class is pretty challenging since the subject matter is way beyond what i had previously learned but im holding my own. literature class can be a bit dry; the first book we read wasnt really my cup of tea but i quite enjoyed the second. both give great descriptions of a sicily of the past. there are five of us in literature and everyone else is in art and architecture. i think i made the right choice of the elective, their class seems pretty hard. the culture class seems to be taking up the most of my time with reading and assignments. the class is taught by our professor from UCD and all 18 of us are required to take it. she can be disorganized sometimes and i respond well to structure from my professors, so the class can get a bit wearying. for the most part the classes are pretty laid back but they still do expect a lot from us. its hard to remember sometimes that we’re on a regular quarter rather than a vacation, probably because of the scenery. then i realize that i have a ton of reading and two presentations in the next three weeks before we leave plus finals, thats when it feels normal again.
and the shopping? well, like i said, we pretty much live in a swanky downtown type area where there is plenty of shopping but not so much the affordable kind. the stores are pretty to look at and walk by every day but probably too expensive to actually shop in. there is more shopping on the mainland and i have been a few times, but every time i go i think i have so much more time to find something i like. there just hasnt been anything too tempting yet. i have yet to purchase any clothes or shoes but accessories are always fun. the most fun has actually been had at small indian non-touristy shops with jewelry and scarves and beads. most of peoples souvenirs are probably going to come from there too. i dont want to get anyone anything too hokey, unless they like that kind of thing.
that was fun, anyone else have suggestions for me to write things on? leave it in the comments!