What a new experience! I have never been out of the country so traveling across seas and doing the whole 9 hours in a plane, then taking trains, customs, buses, etc. was completely new for me. Thank God that I was able to travel with three other people that even though nobody was for certain what was going on it still was a nice feeling to know that if you get lost at least it’s a group of you!
So my first impressions of Vicenza…. Whirlwind, we had been traveling for almost 24 hours straight, hungry, tired, and not used to the 9 hour time difference can really take a toll on the body and mind. So initially I was just done, I want a shower, a big Mac, and lounge time…well my wish wasn’t granted, which was ok. We arrived at Residenza San Silvestro through our bags in the rooms and rushed to meet with our group to get a quick 101 on getting food. This was important because everything is closed including places to buy food. I also found out that Sunday is not the only time that things are closed, lets see everyday for siesta time (1-3pm) and Wednesday afternoons. So we went to the store which was interesting just because of the lack of packaged food options then proceeded to get lost for a good hr walking around the maze of a town carrying a bottled water, random fruit, and a case of coke which wasn’t good planning considering the long walk and having to carry everything. Very different from just throwing it and the car and going…OK, got back to where we are staying pretty late and decided I needed to get my internet up and running…well I am used to just opening my laptop and my wireless card to pick up signal and I’m golden. NOT the case in Vicenza…it took three days to get my Internet figured out which was very hard for me. I use my computer everyday back home and like to be on top of email, accounts, instant messaging, shopping etc. and especially being away from and not being able to buy a phone card because everything was closed was very hard, all I wanted was to communicate to my family back home and I was so overwhelmed with everything new and different that the first night was a struggle. I wasn’t able to fall asleep till 5am and was just feeling really uneasy about why did I travel 24hrs to come to place that I have no internet or Stoffers Mac and cheese? By the next morning these feelings started to diminish things started to work out I was meeting new people, I got a decent meal, my phone card, a tour of the city which is breath taking and whipped a boy in the middle of town square. The whipping is not what it sounds like, here in Italy when a student graduates from college it is tradition that their friends celebrate their accomplishment by publicly humiliating them, in a loving good-natured way. So in this case they took this guy into Town Square dressed him up in crazy clothes made him wear signs and whomever passing by who wanted to whip him could…so I did! It wasn’t an actual whip it was more of plastic strings so it was harmless. Later that night a group of us went to the Sagra and had a blast. I was all the way across town but well worth the 45 min walk each way. You arrive and there are tons of people everywhere. You buy a meal and sit at these huge tables that are filled with Italian people having a good time. After eating is the show this was a dance show type of thing were they had professional dancers show their moves as well as anyone who wanted to dance along. It was a lot of fun because people of all ages participated and enjoyed from little kids, to the elderly anyone and everyone could jump in and just have fun. I have to say I have never seen a Monk do the YMCA or dance to Grease Lightening so it was quite the experience. Everyday something different and something new but very exciting and very worth it!
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