Living in Sicily

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When the Travel Bug Bites

So here it is, my first official blog. I can think of no better place to start my travel blogging experience than to write about my first adventure outside of the United States. Even though I only lived there for one month, the experience truly did completely change me. I came back with a thirst for foreign language, culture and food. To this day, I truly believe that the only real way for us to learn about ourselves is to see the world, and to experience everything it has to offer; even if it is "foreign" to us.

Living in Taormina, Sicily was truly an experience that I will never forget, if it was for one month, 5 years ago. For one month, I shared a hotel room with 5 college students like myself who were interested in spending the summer learning the Italian language as well as the art, history, and culture of Sicily. For some it was a reason to party, and to drink, considering at the time that none of us were 21; but for me it was a chance to learn about my heritage. There is a picture of my great grandmother pregnant with my grandfather when they came through Ellis Island in New York in 1914. They immigrated from Palermo, Sicily, but I also had relatives from Siracusa, Sicily, which wasn't too far from where we were in Taormina. Supposedly, my one of my great grandfathers is buried there.

The Hotel experience was quite a unique one. Now I remember the name of the hotel and I give it great reviews, but how great can it be when you share a room with 5 people for a month. Also, the fact that there was a pool right outside of our door didn't make the sleeping experience that much more memorable either. For some reason, people were outside swimming at 7AM, while some of us were just getting back to sleep. One particular night, yours truly stayed awake for the sun to come up over the mainland. It truly is one my favorite pictures.

Throughout my time there I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. Some of whom I still speak to today. The best part about it was the variety of languages spoken at social events. It was so interesting how you could go across a table of 10 people, and here 7 languages being spoken. Every night was a chance to learn more about the people I shared class with.

Siracusa, Sicily

During my time on the island, I had the opportunity to travel to other cities. Siracusa, being the city where my great grand-father was born, was a very special experience for me. Some parts of the city were absolutely beautiful while other parts reminded me of an old Italian Mafia movie. I kind of liked the grittyness of the city. It made me realize what kind of conditions most people in the world have to deal with, and how lucky we are as Americans to have access to so many luxuries.

While in Siracusa I had the opportunity to speak to an old man at a drink stand. Now I dont remember the word in Sicilian, but I do remember that it was like a sort of Italian water-ice that you drink through a straw. This picture was taken outside of the Opera House. After I bought the water-ice, I asked If I could take a picture of the man, and he obliged.

While in Siracusa, we had the opportunity to Greek Opera house. It was truly an amazing structure and I highly recommend screaming inside at the top of your lungs!

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