Week 2

Picture this with lots of wind and rain

Ahh Sicily - the land of the Sun. Wait, sun?! What sun? It has been storming all this past week, which has not been great for pictures, drying laundry, or leaving dry buildings in general. But though this week was not the best for beautiful Mediterranean panoramas, we still were pretty active!

(Some of these pictures are from my friends at MCAS)

Dark and Stormy

But first, some highlights of the previous week. I spent much of the first week here settling in and getting used to things, figuring out where everything is, sorting out the apartment, apartment keys, and internet, and attending life abroad seminars.

The food is still excellent! I have been living off of fresh bread and cheese supplemented with the occasional pasta dish or slice of pizza. And, of course, gelato (no pictures of that, sorry!). Balsamic vinegar and lemon juice add a bit of pizazz to each meal, and I am very surprised that I am not bleeding blood orange juice on account of how much of it I am consuming.

Fresh fruit at the open air market

A very large lemon!

Sweets!

The Duomo

The highlights of Ortigia (all within 10 minutes of me) include: the Duomo (cathedral) which was originally a Greek temple - you can still see the columns along the side, the fountain of Arethusa, and the temple of Apollo. Ortigia is like a small town though at the same time part of a larger city so I am starting to recognize some of the local people. I have made friends with a stall owner, a bus driver whom I met in an Arabic restaurant for lunch, and a German lady who married an Italian and has lived in Italy ever since.

The spring

Temple of Apollo

I also saw a belly dancer who danced during one of our first dinners in Italy. A few of us also had a chance to play cards with some old Sicilian men and other people from MCAS during another Syracuse tour.

One of the first activities we participated in was the procession for St. Sebastian. They carried his statue and relic container on a great litter throughout the streets of Ortigia following a marching band. Afterward they auctioned special bread and shot off fireworks. We also attended a free concert on the steps of the Duomo for the celebration of the founding of Syracuse. It was very chilly! I was also very surprised to hear Hans Zimmer's theme from Gladiator played among a collection of classical songs.

Today was the end of my second week of classes, and… field trip day! We went to the Orsi Museum instead of touring the Neopolis because the weather was still not great as far as touring outdoor monuments go. One thing I learned from this tour - I must go back to this museum! It was the most amazing thing I have seen yet. However, Maniace Castle, the castle I stumbled upon Sunday looking for an internet cafe was pretty impressive as well - I had almost the whole place to myself to explore!

Classes here so far are not quite what I expected, for the teaching styles are pretty different and there is a totally different philosophy on homework. However, the hands-on aspect in almost every course and opportunities to tie course material to the field trips makes for a spectacular learning experience. My volcanology class is particularly interesting and I am really enjoying my archaeology class - the professor keeps hinting at more hands-on experiences to come!

This weekend we are staying overnight in Catania and will be there for the festivities of St. Agatha. They should be spectacular.

Hello from MCAS!