Well the “Cimbanzees” split up this weekend, half of us went to Rimini Beach and the other half went to Rome, Italy. We definitely missed the other half of the group, but Magen and I are doing Rome early on in our trip so I didn’t want to double dip on the expenses. Rimini was an interesting beach town, with several different ethnic groups representing their various parts of the coast. After getting kicked out of sun bathing chairs with a genius adjustable face guard, and fighting off junk jewelry peddlers, we kicked it in the sand for a while. My fair skin finally got some good Italian sunshine, borderline too much maybe. With the European beach came the tsunami of Speedos, a few, how shall I say this, “European style” women (not as many as I expected though), and shame wasn’t part of their vocabulary. You have to respect their confidence in saggy/leathery skin, hairy chests, and prominent bellies. The water was a little chilly and a little dirty but refreshing. Really, Rimini wasn’t anything special, but a nice relaxing trip away from school and a bit cheaper. We went into old town on Saturday and saw some really neat landmarks: an old archway, a cathedral, a less than impressive castle, the four horse fountain, and an ancient bridge (favorite).
We loved our Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel that seems to have been designed by an American, the atmosphere and amenities were all there, kind of wish they had a chain so I could stay with them again! Met some Aussies, Germans, Brits, and Swedes, loved each of their accents. Makes me want to learn another language SO bad, and also view the American educational system as a bit mis-guided. Everyone I meet over here knows at least two languages and if you need an English speaking aid just find the younger Italians. Along the trip we ran into CIMBA undergrads that study in a different city, but I must say their immaturities quickly became annoying. Before arrival we’re all told to try our best to not act so American, and when this group boarded the train the meaning of that line became perfectly clear. I just hope I never acted so entitled. I can now see why many foreigners are automatically rude when they discover your American background, I don’t blame them. It’s funny how being over here allows you to notice some of the arrogant ways we live by every day. I now see why some store vendors also like to charge you a more expensive rate if they know you’re American, despite what the menus say.
We loved our Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel that seems to have been designed by an American, the atmosphere and amenities were all there, kind of wish they had a chain so I could stay with them again! Met some Aussies, Germans, Brits, and Swedes, loved each of their accents. Makes me want to learn another language SO bad, and also view the American educational system as a bit mis-guided. Everyone I meet over here knows at least two languages and if you need an English speaking aid just find the younger Italians. Along the trip we ran into CIMBA undergrads that study in a different city, but I must say their immaturities quickly became annoying. Before arrival we’re all told to try our best to not act so American, and when this group boarded the train the meaning of that line became perfectly clear. I just hope I never acted so entitled. I can now see why many foreigners are automatically rude when they discover your American background, I don’t blame them. It’s funny how being over here allows you to notice some of the arrogant ways we live by every day. I now see why some store vendors also like to charge you a more expensive rate if they know you’re American, despite what the menus say.
On the train ride over I noticed Italians are very renewable energy friendly and environmentally conscious. There were several random fields of solar panels, and mini windmills. Even on campus recycling is a strict policy. The toilets seem to be very efficient with just enough standing water to get the job done and then a quick and powerful flush through that seems much more efficient than the American ones. I also noticed lots of nets over trees and various plants, sometimes over entire fields. Not sure if that’s supporting the organic lifestyle or catching the fruit or what. Cold drinks are not really what I would consider cold over here, their refrigeration machines aren’t near as powerful as ours and I’m really starting to miss the concept of ice. I haven’t seen any ice machines and very few drinks with ice in them, kind of strange when we’re used to just pulling it out of the automatic freezer. Again maybe it’s just their awareness of energy usage, I don’t know.
Although I love being over here I’m definitely starting to miss some of my American loves: Dr. Pepper, Whataburger, Taco Villa, Chicken Strips and French Fries, Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Chips, McDonald’s iced coffee, and PEANUT BUTTER. The food array throughout all the places I’ve been is extremely limited from what I’ve seen. It’s like everyone just likes the same thing and options aren’t a must. In America we have a whole aisle designated to different kinds of chips, here you’re lucky to even find two shelves with plain potato chips on them. The only peanut butter is Nutella, which I’m not a fan of, nothing is fried, lots of pizza and pasta, and that’s about it. Choices aren’t near as accessible as they are in America. I haven’t seen any Walmarts, but maybe that’s because they wouldn’t survive with their extremity of options, that would be a challenge to the general societal structure that I’m not sure would be accepted.
Another issue we’ve noticed is the lack of visual controls that allow foreigners to practice the “self help” principle. Visual cues are definitely lacking here which makes it difficult to get around and discover things on your own. In America everything is usually labeled well enough, like the bus route and a map of where it stops, that you don’t need to ask for help, but here that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s funny, they’ll have scrolling digital marquees but they don’t even update passengers for the upcoming stop. In America I guess so much of this idea is just automatic and expected. Just a different way of doing things I guess.
Without A/C a popular amenity in apartment buildings are these shutter things that are like mini garage doors, placed over windows or balcony doors that block out light, heat, and sounds. The sun seems to rise really early over here probably between 5:30 and 6 is the first peak of sunlight, so these shutters came in handy for sure this past weekend. Overall it was a nice weekend with lots of gelato, café lattes, cappuccinos, and lessons learned. This next week of school should be a busy one, with a technology paper to write, a lean process to design, an outline to write, another plant tour, a trip to Bassano, a wine appreciation tour, formal etiquette training, and a formal dinner I think I will be ready to get away to Cinque Terre! As always gracie for reading, and caio for now. Now go grab a Taco Villa #1 with salsa (not hot sauce) and think of me!
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