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Romantic Solo Trip to Venice, Italy

Romantic Solo Trip to Venice, Italy

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So, there I was, sitting in Rinaldo’s in my usual seat on the couch in the corner listening to my peers discuss travel plans for the upcoming weekend. I couldn’t join in because I had no plans so I decided I needed to go somewhere. I pulled out my computer and my credit card, searched “Rome to Venice” and booked a train ticket and a hostel for the weekend. Spontaneous and maybe even a little impulsive, I made the decision and didn’t need to discuss it with anyone. After I realized what I did, I thought, Oh my God I’m going to Venice, ALONE!! And there began the brewing of excitement tinted with unease in the pit of my stomach.

Here’s my “excited-to-travel-alone” selfie.

After a late night of cheering on the Men’s basketball team and celebrating their victory into the Sweet Sixteen, I woke up (a little hungover), packed, and made my way to the train station. I’m not an anxious person, but when it comes to traveling with a deadline, I’m always on the edge of panic but everything went smoothly and I made it on the fast train headed to Venice. With a grin on my face, I admired the hills and fields passing me by as I sped over 150 mph towards the City of Water. Four hours later, tired and hungry (the default state of being for a college student studying abroad), I arrived in Venice, immediately dropped my backpack off at my hostel, and went off to explore the narrow streets and winding canals.

Venice is a maze. Google Maps would tell me to walk down what appeared to be a dark, deserted alleyway but, when I would turn the corner, the street would be bustling with life. I thought I was walking in circles because I would pass Murano glass shops, mask shops, and pizzarias then I’d walk over a bridge and pass more glass, masks, and pizza. I happened upon Piazza San Marco, the only piazza in Venice, crowded with one half tourists and the other half pigeons. Children were chasing the pigeons, couples were dancing to live music emanating from the caffès lining the piazza, men were feeding the pigeons and trying to get tourists to pay to take pictures with the birds, and tourists were walking around with their selfie sticks, always looking up with their mouths agape. When you travel a lot, you start to notice the typical tourist giveaways.

At the East end of Piazza San Marco lies Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco, Saint Mark’s Basilica. Unfortunately, I was unable to go inside but I did admire the facade, which was highlighted with gold mosaics and sparkled in the golden hour sunlight. The sun was approaching the horizon and I realized that now was my opportunity to see a Venetian sunset so I frantically walked around trying to find that perfect view that I’ve seen in photos but, unfortunately, I could not beat the sun. I started back towards my hostel, meanwhile glancing at all the menus posted along the way. A woman, whose job consisted of getting people into her ristorante, advised me about the perfect Venetian dishes to try for a seafood beginner (I’m not a fan of seafood but I wanted to be adventurous). I ate spaghetti alle vongole which was spaghetti with teeny, tiny clams in their shell and tomatoes with garlic sauce. Delizioso! Oh, can’t forget the glass of white house wine, one must drink wine in Italy.

I began my second day in Venice with a cappuccino and a trip to Murano, an island about a thirty-five-minute waterbus ride from my hostel. Murano is famous for its glass production which began in the 7th century. I went to the Glass Museum and saw some ancient glass and learned the history surrounding the main product of Venice. The glassblowing process is so fascinating, I wish I could’ve seen it in person! After leaving the museum, I walked along the canals and browsed through the shops lining the water. It took lots of deliberation but I found some beautiful souvenirs to bring back home for my friends and family.

Let’s talk about transportation in Venice. There are no roads, only canals, so you can either walk or travel by water. Waiting for the bus consisted of standing on a swaying platform next to a dock and hopping on a boat when it arrived. Venice did not feel like a real place because it is so different than any city I’ve ever seen. Florence has mopeds, Amsterdam has bikes, London has the Tube, Paris has the Metro, and Venice has waterbuses and gondolas.

Gondolas have set rates in Venice so one gondola for forty minutes is €80 and you can have a maximum of six people splitting that cost. As we know, I was traveling by myself and I could not afford an €80 private gondola ride on my romantic solo trip but I couldn’t go to Venice and not ride a gondola! I scoured the internet until I came across a deal on Viator.com for a walking tour plus thirty-five-minute gondola ride for $51. US DOLLARS! Lifelong dreams were coming true that day. It was time to meet up for the walking tour of Venice and my tour guide was a Venetian with a sarcastic, dark sense of humor and I enjoyed it. We toured an area with less tourists and saw a few of the one hundred and twenty-five churches of Venice. Venice sinks about 12 cm a century so now is a great time to invest in the housing market (credit for that joke goes to my tour guide, Marco). 

It was finally time for my gondola ride! I was put onto the boat with two couples and another solo rider and we embarked on our thirty-five-minute expedition around the winding Venetian canals. My gondolier did not sing or wear a fun hat like I saw other gondoliers wearing but he peacefully propelled us along. The best way to experience Venice is by water and I am so glad I was able to go on a gondola ride. It was peaceful and beautiful but over all too quickly.

After disembarking from the gondola, I wondered around a bit and happened upon Piazza San Marco, again. There are wooden walkways for when the city floods stacked all over the piazza so I went off towards the Doge’s Palace to sit on the walkways with the other tourists. I had a salami sandwich in my purse leftover from my sack lunch and I was starving so I thought it would be a good time to relax for a minute and eat. Plus, I was saving money because I did not need to buy another meal. I pulled out my sandwich, unwrapped the tinfoil around it, and took a bite but within thirty seconds of that first bite, a seagull swooped down and grabbed the sandwich from my hand. The seagull landed about fifteen feet in front of me and eight other seagulls were fighting that thief for my sandwich. I was completely shocked. Did a seagull really just take my sandwich? The other tourists around me also looked shocked and I started to laugh hysterically. I could not believe that just happened and I thought it was hilarious because it was such a stupid mistake to try and eat in a piazza FILLED with birds. If you go to Venice, please do not eat in the Piazza San Marco, learn from my mistake!

There I was in the piazza, hysterically laughing, alone, and without food so I wondered around until I found a take away pizza place. I had walked past it a couple of times during my earlier adventuring and there was a spinach and ricotta pizza that I had been eyeing. Of course, I got the pizza because it was only €3.50 and the slice was huge! I think my sandwich was meant to be taken from me so that I could enjoy that delicious pizza. It was waaaaay better than any pizza that I’ve eaten in Rome so far.

The sun was setting on my second day in Venice and I found myself at a dead-end with a perfect view of the sunset. It finally hit me that I was in Venice. Traveling is hectic and everything moves so fast that it’s possible to forget to take a breath and really appreciate the place you’re in. I felt the cool breeze on my face and I knew that if I touched the water, it would be cold. I’m not sure for how long I watched that scene but I did not walk away until the sun made its full decent beyond the horizon.

Venice is gorgeous, unique, and a little bit ridiculous and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to visit before it sinks. I’m kidding, that’s not going to happen for a while. Traveling to Venice felt unreal because it is so different than any city that I have ever seen. This small town will forever hold a place in my heart, even if it feels like just a dream.

 
Halfway done??? What???

Halfway done??? What???

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This weekend I took my first solo trip. I spent the weekend in a hostel in Granada where I explored the city and built relationships with the others in my hostel. As I wrote this, I was on the bus home from Granada; I went first to Madrid and then I had a shorter ride back to Salamanca. I am exhausted from this weekend, but it was so wonderful and will absolutely be a trip I remember for a long time.

I began traveling at about 8:30 on Thursday evening, and I arrived in Granada at 6:30 AM on Friday. Overnight but travel wasn’t necessarily the most comfortable way to do this weekend, but I was able to spend the full day on Friday exploring Granada because of it. My hostel was about a 35 minute walk away from the bus station, so after a cup of cafe con leche I hauled myself and my backpack towards my home for the weekend. Throughout the semester I have been collecting photos of graffiti that has caught my eye, and the graffiti in Granada did not disappoint.

It was pretty early and I technically wasn’t supposed to check in to my hostel yet, so on my way I just wandered, took my time, and took in the sights of the city. I lived in the neighborhood Albaicín, which is located above the city center which means that it has some of the most amazing views you can find in Granada. I stumbled upon a beautiful view on the way to my hostel and decided to sit and journal for a little bit. I wanted to spend a weekend by myself in part because I wanted to relax and recharge, but also to reflect on the semester as it has gone thus far.

In the past few years I have realized how introverted I am, so even though I am very social and love spending time around others, it drains me of energy. I anticipated a weekend where I didn’t really talk to other people and would just be spending time with myself, but what I did not anticipate was how wonderful my hostel would be. I spent the weekend in Makuto’s backpackers hostel, which is unlike any other hostel I have stayed in. Immediately upon arrival, I felt like I was being welcomed into a home. It still wasn’t technically time to check in, but one of the employees got me set up with a shower and breakfast. In all other hostels I have stayed in the people living there keep to themselves, but at Makuto there were multiple rooms designed just for people to hang out and be in community with one another.

After I got showered and changed, I went back out into the city to explore. I walked around the city center, ate some lunch, stumbled upon a beautiful garden, and wandered. The beautiful thing about traveling alone is that I was able to wander without a destination without having to be mindful of what others are wanting to do. I just walked without any intentions, and experienced the sights of the city. After checking in later, I took a siesta (because I am now adjusting to the relaxed Spanish lifestyle and get a little cranky if I don’t get my daily nap oops), and began to talk to some of the people in my hostel. I ended up going for tapas with a group of 5 people– it felt like a group of friends though, rather than people I had just met. We went to a few different tapas bars, and spent the night enjoying each others company.

The next day, rather than going out by myself, I went on a journey to the Alhambra with a few new friends from the hostel. We didn’t have tickets, but there are a lot of places you can visit for free! We spent a few hours there, but we could have spent the entire day because it is so huge. Afterwords, we got chocolate con churros and pizza for lunch which was exactliy what I needed at that moment. We then relaxed at the hostel for a bit, before it was time for the guided walking tour!! Every night at about 6, the hostel provides a free walking tour of the neighborhood, which takes you to all the beautiful viewpoints. The last viewpoint was on a MOUNTAIN!! We climed a mountain for one of the most beautiful views I have ever experienced. We came home, and it was time for dinner. The hostel has a family dinner every night, and last night we had paella. We didn’t do much for the rest of the night, besides spend time with each other, and it was so wonderful.

I miss my mom. A lot. I miss my friends and family, I miss Chicago, I miss the kids I work with, I miss my apartment, I miss my dog– I miss home. A few days ago, I talked to my mom over facetime and I told her how much I missed her and how hard it is to be thousands of miles away from her. She asked me, “do you regret going to Spain?” because she said it worries her, how much I miss home. I was actually talking about this with a friend a few days before my mom and I talked, but I didn’t come to Spain to have an easy time, I came here to learn and grow. I’m not in Spain to feel comfortable, because if everything were comfortable I wouldn’t be growing. I have been in Spain for two months now, and these months have been incredible but they have also been so difficult. Despite the hardships, though, I have grown so much in both my Spanish but also as a person. I just spent the weekend in Granada by myself without having second thoughts. Two months ago, I would not have been able to just up and go to a city I didn’t know for the weekend without another person, but here I am.

This upcoming week marks the beginning of Semana Santa, Holy Week, but it also marks the beginning of me walking the Camino de Santiago. For about ten days I will be walking a section of the ancient pilgrimage trail by myself. I won’t be fully alone because there are going to be many other pilgrims walking the trail, especially since it will be semana santa. I have gotten all my gear, bus tickets, know where I will be sleeping each night, and now it just needs to be time. This is something that I never would have been able to do prior to being here.

I may miss my family endlessly, and I may want nothing more than to be in my apartment surrounded by my best friends, but if I were to have spent this semester in Chicago I would have had a regular semester and wouldn’t have gone so far out of my comfort zone and wouldn’t have grown as much as I have. I miss the comfort of my life in Chicago, I miss the monotony of every day life: walking to class, taking the train to work, being at the IC all night; however, I am so thankful for the experiences I have had, because without them I would be stagnant rather than growing. 
Husqvarna AB

Husqvarna AB

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1600s, 1700s = Rifles, pistols, shotguns

1800s = sewing machines, ovens, stoves, cast-iron products

1900s = bicycles, motorcycles, lawn mowers, chainsaws, power cutters

Old models of bikes

2000s = robotic lawn mowers, demolition robots

The company Husqvarna AB has come a long way since making rifles for the Swedish Army. Husqvarna AB is the company and is in Huskvarna. Husqvarna AB changed its name once it became independent of the Swedish state. Obviously, not the first time they diversified.

Yesterday, I went to Huskvarna for two reasons. First, to visit the industrial museum connected to Husqvarna AB. Second, to visit Huskvarna library (biblioteket). The sun was up and I was ready to move and shake. A bus lets out right in front of the museum, but I wanted the long way so I took the train. I “lost” 20 minutes, slowly walking to the museum. I came across a beautiful view of the valley, with the church in the middle.

Huskvarna Church

I took a winding path down a hill and near the outdoor sports hall. Eventually, at the end of the path memories started coming back to me (I came to Huskvarna a month ago. Our fika lasted 3 hours and we missed the museum). I reached the museum, branching off the factory, which has motes on both sides. A 125 meter waterfall flows into the mote near the entrance.

Inside, a group of about 30 people were learning about the history of the company before starting their tour. They were an older crowd, and I can’t imagine the nostalgia they must have felt. Huge changes occurred during the 1900s, and if they are from Huskvarna, then they saw the impact this company had on the town. Once I started, I read, and read, and read because I am a history buff. The business-side in me was particularly interested in the people who ran the company. Each exhibit had at least one section describing the directors, and managers associated with dramatic changes. One man obviously stood out amongst everyone mentioned. His name was Wilhelm Tham.

He spearheaded what seemed like the largest change for Husqvarna AB. He became Executive Director in 1876. Remained until 1911 (35 years). He slowed gun production because there was no fighting. Instead, he focused engineers towards improved hunting rifles. At the same time, he enhanced production of cast-iron products, fireplaces, stoves, ovens, and most importantly sewing machines. He was a true entrepreneur. He noticed needs before they became needs.

Husqvarna’s guns over the years

Oh wait, he did more. He noticed that workers were commuting from the far countryside. He ordered 30 houses to be built for his workers. On average, each house had 6 families. He lived right next to them. In 1887, he joined the government of Jönköping County. He was the representative for Sweden’s occupational health and safety. Remember that church I mentioned? On Tham’s birthday, in 1901, he received a large sum of money from Husqvarna AB. He donated that money to build Huskvarna Church. Remember that sports hall I mentioned? Years later, he received more money as a present. He donated that money to build the sports hall. A bust of his head is near the site. He also expanded the street, Kungsgatan (King’s Street), to make Huskvarna a more complete whole.

 

Name one reason why Amazon keeps growing?

 

Did CEO retention come to mind? The CEO, Jeff Bezos, has been part of Amazon since he founded it in 1994 (2018 – 1994 = 24 years CEO). He eat, sleeps, breaths growth. That is why he and Amazon are still relevant. Growth can be simply explained by the person running the show. Bezos and Tham deserved to be CEO for so long. They knew how to constantly innovate and renovate. Tham also knew how to treat his employees and the community well. It was absolutely inspiring to read about a person who had such an impact on so many different things.

Husqvarna AB is now the leading provider of outdoor power products. Also, they just released bicycles again after many years of ceased production. AND THESE ARE E-BIKES. There are four models: mountain cross, light cross, tourer, and city. Also, look out for their sewing machine assisted by a pre-installed tablet. Husqvarna AB is an innovation machine.

Hejda,

Jello

 

Link to Husqvarna Bicycles:

https://www.husqvarna-bicycles.com/en-INT

 

 
How I feel after finishing my 2nd book ever

How I feel after finishing my 2nd book ever

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By finishing, I mean reading every chapter.

Yep, any book assignment ever given to me I have never read the entire book. I tried every way to get around having to read. I would use the beautiful sparknotes or cliffnotes. I would ask my friends for summaries. Last, I would just not do the work and bs my answer in some philosophical manner. I just couldn’t get myself to sit down and read. I used to be a very hyperactive child. I never knew how to sit down. My poor parents. Also, my mind never slowed down. I am a product of the generation of “over-thinkers.” So, reading a book never computed in head. (DOES NOT COMUPTE, DOES NOT COMPUTE! HE’S DEAD JIM).

As I matured (although I will cling to my youth forever) I noticed how my peers, role-models in particular, read a lot. The people I admired, the ones who inspired me, were people that avidly read. I was jealous and tried to replicate their habits. My most fond attempts at reading was Magic Tree House series and the Artemis Foul series. I was reading below my level forsure, but magical-related topics were my jam at the time.

After realizing my immature “why can’t I do that” state, I ask my peers more questions about what they were reading. The overwhelming answers were “something that interested me.” That was the kicker. Before, I was reading books below my level, and I wasn’t challenged but interested. In school, I hated the idea that I was forced to read, thus I had no enthusiasm. Furthermore, I tried to read the books my friends recommended, but I was forcing myself to read something that I was not genuinely interested in. I needed to know and understand that sweet spot.

So now I am at a point of actualization. I am mature enough to read most books, I am not often forced to read, and I have a better idea of what I truly enjoy. Now that I think about it, I read a lot. I spend a lot of my time reading articles of wide-ranging topics, books, and news.

What does this have to do with studying abroad? Studying abroad provided me with the opportunity to understand myself better. I believe finding out more about yourself is the most crucial part of being abroad. Having a strong grasp on who you are will make everything else in your life so much easier. You will notice what does and does not compute, in your eyes. Studying abroad gave me time to slow down and think. Gee willikers have I thought a lot. My life is not necessarily any less hectic, but there is a lot less baggage. The beauty of this is that when I go home, the baggage that held me back previously will be gone. Or I will make it be gone.

I know, 2 books is nothing. However, I have a better idea of what topics I can spend hours pondering. I am positive that number will go up. 1 book a month sounds like a good starting plan (subject to change).

Hehe I never said what my two books were. You will understand why I wrote this post after you know what books I read. Both were by the amazing author Malcolm Gladwell. His books, on a broad level, are about social psychology.

BLINK:

It is about understanding your impulses or gut reactions. He helps you understand your ability to think without thinking. Thin-slicing is the method that he explains will improve your decision-making. Maybe I could say, holistically, it is about narrowing down what matters.

OUTLIERS:

Geniuses are not what you think they are. That is what Gladwell tries to get across. Who we perceive as geniuses are people that had a tremendous amount of help along the way. Instead of being a genius based on academic ability, a genius can be defined as someone that seized the moment and took advantage of the opportunities provided.

 

Thanks for reading,

Jello

“The eyes perceive, the ears perceive, the mouth decides” – Angelo DeMarco
North-Central and Nearing Goodbyes

North-Central and Nearing Goodbyes

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Have I ever mentioned how much I love Vietnam? Some people and loved ones that read my blog posts probably think I’ve spent much of my semester miserable because I almost always find a way to squeeze into my blogs about being homesick. Yes, I’m homesick, but I also really don’t want to leave. I want to bring all my loved ones to Vietnam, so I can stay here without missing my people back home. This past week we went on our last excursion of the semester to the Northern and Central regions of Vietnam. The regions of Vietnam all have distinct characteristics about them which I heavily learned on this trip, but I will get into that in little bit.

Our first stop was the Central region. We spent just about 24 hours in a central city called Hue exploring some of the more historical parts of our trip. Some highlights were the Imperial Palace, Thien Mu Pagoda, and the Tomb of Emperor Minh Mang. It was a day heavy with information, but information I had no idea about from out ~Eurocentric education~. Afterwards we took a bus ride to a city called Hội An. I’m not going to lie, this was my favorite city on our excursion. Before we got there, we passed through the Hai Van Pass stopping at a colonial military post. It was cooler in temperature and looked like what I thought would be “tropical Colorado”. Hội An itself was definitely a tourist area, but not in a negative light. It kind of felt great to be a tourist. We walked along the river and visited the markets and bargain for souvenirs (no spoilers for my friends and family) and relaxed. Something called Earth Hour was occurring one night we were there where the entire city turned out the lights for, you guessed it, a whole hour. I was in the streets at that time and walked around and it felt like I was in another dimension. People were selling glow sticks, eating dinner lit by candle lights, and lighting candle lanterns to float on the river. The real question is why doesn’t America institute this??? I hope to return to Vietnam one day with my loved ones and Hội An is definitely a stop I want to take again.


Our last stop was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. I know majority of the people reading this don’t know what Saigon looks like, but Hanoi is Saigon with less sidewalk, more condensed streets, and more foreigners. In Saigon I feel like we are the only foreigners living in district ten which is great for immersing us into the culture and not just living along side other travelers in districts like one and two. We stayed in the Old Quarter where a lot of tourists congregate so it was bizarre to hear English all around us and to have conversations with Australian and British people in English rather than my sad attempts at Vietnamese with local people. We had a lot of free time in Hanoi, but we visited a few historical sites as well. First, we waited in a really, really, reallllly long line to see the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Colloquially known as Uncle Ho, he is the single most important historical figure in Vietnam. His body is preserved and kept in a mausoleum that is open to the public, so we waited in the longest line I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to Space Mountain at Disney, so this was the real deal). It was very interesting as we waited for a very long time to walk through the actual mausoleum in about 30 seconds. It was interesting to see just how devoted Vietnamese people are to Uncle Ho and to get to be a part of that experience. We also got to see a water puppet show which is something very common usually in northern Vietnam. They have roots going back many decades and it was amazing to look at although I had no idea what was going on (curse the language barrier). We finally hit Ha Long Bay as our last trip before the airport. We took a boat out to the bay and got to kayak and visit a cave before we came back to Saigon.

   
Coming back to the differences in the regions in Vietnam, there are quite a few. Norther accents are wild. The tones of the Vietnamese language are completely different, and I had quite the adventure ordering coffee and learned there is a completely different word for coffee with ice and milk instead of what I know and have memorized from the south. The food is also spicier. No lemon, which is by the way a small green lemon that looks like a lime but is a lemon, with my pho so I had some trouble in that area too (I cried while eating super spicy curry in Thailand). It was also quite cooler and dare I say I was chilly in 70 Fahrenheit degree weather.
I am now back in Saigon preparing for the amount of school work that is about to slam into me and locking myself away in coffee shops to work. I went out to dinner with my roommate and a few Vietnamese friends as the rest of our group is still up North as we did not optionally extend our trip for an individual trip and came back to Saigon. It is going to be hard to say goodbye as we have less than a month left, and it is going to be quite bittersweet.

  
Coasting Through to Spring

Coasting Through to Spring

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     On Thursday, March 29, I hopped on a bus and headed down to the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy. I went on the trip alone using tour company Bus2Alps. The company provides all types of trips for students studying abroad. They boast that they are “Europe’s #1 Student tour operator” and their most popular trips are to the Swiss Alps and Amalfi. Back in January I took the ten hour drive with them to Switzerland and had a great time taking in the beauty of the alps and glacial lakes there. Since then I had explored a number of cold destinations like Poland and Florence and I was looking forward to laying out on a beach under the sun. Back in January, the thought of a trip to the picturesque coast at the end of March sounded like a distant dream. The semester has come and gone so fast, and now Easter weekend is behind me too. The trip to Amalfi was certainly one to remember, though the chilly weather wasn’t ideal for the swimming and tanning I spent the last few months fantasizing about.

     We arrived late Thursday night, with only enough time to get our room keys and go to bed. For my last Bus2Alps trip, I was with my friend Kate. This time, I was on my own. Of course, traveling with a group of 200 other American college kids is not exactly a brave, lonely venture, but the experience of traveling alone is different than traveling with friends. My roommates were all friends studying in Barcelona for the semester. They were halfway through their weekend of drinking and having fun together on their trip. Wherever you travel, odds are there will be times when you want to relax, or take a moment to breathe and take inventory. Sometimes this can be difficult when you don’t know anyone besides the tour guide who emailed you the itinerary weeks ago. If you’re planning to travel alone, even with a tour group, be prepared for some time to yourself, and maybe some situations that are less than ideal. For example, because I had 7 strangers for roommates, I had to take the only bunk bed in the room. Of course, the bottom of said bunk bed was occupied by one of the frat guys – and his girlfriend – both nights. Like I said, less than ideal.

     Moving on, I wasn’t going to let minor discomforts ruin my trip, and neither should you when you travel! Friday morning we left the hostel early and took a boat ride to the nearby island of Capri. Capri is beautiful and the best part was taking a chairlift up to the top of Mt. Solaro, the highest point of the island, for a 360 view of the surrounding blue waters. The colors around Capri are unbelievable when the sun is shining. (See images below) If you like citrus, Amalfi is the place for you. Known for their lemons, nearly every shop offers some sort of treat featuring the fruit. Lemon desserts, chocolate covered orange skins, and, if you can stomach it, limoncello.

     Day two was beach day, but the overcast weather forced me to stay in my jeans and sweatshirt. Thankfully, Positano has tons of shops, cafes, and art galleries tailor made for tourists. It’s easy to spend a whole day walking around looking at the art and ceramics, or sampling gelato. This is definitely a trip meant for summer or late spring. The Bus2Alps itinerary includes private boat tours, cave exploration, and swimming under the sun. We had to skip several of these activities due to the windy weather. If you go before April, there’s a good chance you’ll have to skip the beach or brave some chilly water.

     On Sunday I got to hike Mt. Vesuvius, and tour the ancient ruins of Pompeii. In 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, covering the thriving city of Pompeii in ash and smoke, destroying buildings and burying citizens. Pompeii is famous because so much of it was preserved by the volcano. You can even see plaster casts of people in their last moments, frozen in time by the cooling liquid rock that buried them. That part can be a little depressing but it really is a beautiful place. I walked down the once-bustling avenues and intersections of the city. Pompeii is a lot bigger than I thought. I recommend paying for a guided tour, or at least using an audio guide like on Rick Steves’ travel app so you don’t get turned around.

     I had been most excited to hike to the top of Mt. Vesuvius. I didn’t realize how windy and cold it would be on the way up. I tightened the hood of my windbreaker and kept marching up. The top was cool, but a little underwhelming. I couldn’t actually peer down into a vast pool of lava. It was just a sunken valley of gravel and rock. The volcano is still active today though. I still recommend the hike to any adventurers out there. There are some stunning views of the city and ocean along the way. If it was a sunny and clear day it probably would have been amazing.

     We ended the trip with margherita pizzas in Naples. Best pizza ever. I went to Naples earlier in the semester and had a vegetarian pizza. It was disappointing. If you get the chance to have pizza in this classic Italian city, you have to get classic margherita. Trust me when I tell you you don’t want to ruin it with other toppings. Less is more here.

     By the end of the weekend, I had gotten a little bit of sun, taken a lot of good pictures, and I felt ready to return to Rome. Some of my favorite things were the stray dogs and cats that lounge around the islands, the views from the top of Capri, and the pizza at Pompeii Pizza. I recommend the trip, but it is best taken in the warmer part of the year.  As for the solo aspect of the trip, I’m glad I went by myself. Traveling alone is a great way to test your self-reliance and do some reflecting. Bring a journal on your next solo trip so you can jot down your thoughts throughout and look back on them later.

 

 

 

Views of Capri from the water.

 

One of the beautiful art pieces in free galleries of Positano.

 

Classic Amalfi Coast spot, but a little cloudy

 

Beach Dogs

 

It says “Explore”

 

Statue at Pompeii

 

Wow, this is a real place!

 

Cat Nap

 

It’s good with or without the vodka
The Necessary trip to Barcelona

The Necessary trip to Barcelona

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Hi!

When I first decided to study abroad, many of my friends who had travelled before told me I absolutely had to go to Barcelona. They described the extraordinary atmosphere of the city and how they wished they had to opportunity to go there again. When I finally made the decision to go there this past weekend, multiple people in Switzerland from the exchange student residence hall that I live in echoed similar sentiments.

All of this was completely new to me, as most people have never been to Switzerland before or had even heard of Malta, which was the first big travel I did two weeks ago. For the first time I wouldn’t be nearly blindly discovering a city and then figuring out if it is a nice place. However, these preconceived notions of Barcelona also created extremely high expectations for the 3-day trip. Thankfully, Barcelona lived up to and even surpassed anything that people told me about it.

Although my friend and I already knew a lot about Barcelona, we made absolutely zero plans for the entire weekend in order to maintain some level of spontaneity. After arriving early Thursday morning, we checked into our hotel and immediately started just walking around without looking at any map or anything. We started the day by our hotel on La Rambla, one of the most famous streets in Barcelona, and by the end of the day we had walked around the entire city for what felt like and probably was multiple times.

               La Rambla

Even though we didn’t even really intend to see anything, we ended up seeing La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Plaza Espanya, Plaza de Catalunya, the Columbus Monument, and most of the beach all in one day. Along with all the famous places, we ventured along countless small streets that all had their own unique flair. Following the entire day of exploring Barcelona, I looked at my phone and saw that we had walked a total of 37,000 steps, or 14 miles. Normally, it would take a hiking trip or something similar to get even close to that many steps, but Barcelona had so much to offer that I never even noticed how much walking we were actually doing.

La Sagrada Familia, a Church that has been in construction since 1882
       The Columbus Monument
                             Plaza Espanya

 

Despite not feeling the effects of all the walking during the day on Thursday, Friday morning my friend and I both woke up pretty tired and even sore. Luckily, Friday was the sunniest and warmest day of the weekend, so we decided to have a relaxing day on the beach. It also didn’t hurt that we had already seen a majority of the landmarks, which meant we wouldn’t be losing anything by spending a day not visiting anything. Laying out by the beach wasn’t only much needed after an entire day of walking, but also because it has been cold and cloudy in Switzerland almost every day. It was refreshing to have a day to bask in some sun and not worry about anything at all.

Barceloneta Beach, only a little different from the Swiss mountains

Saturday was the third and final day in Barcelona, and we couldn’t think of anything better to do than to see the whole city, literally. We took a cable car that took us up to the top of Montjuic, a hill that features a view of all of Barcelona and a castle with an interesting history. The rest of our last day was spent shopping and simply taking in the final sights and sounds of Barcelona.

    The view from Montjuic

The notable sights, beaches, and panoramic views were all more than enough to make the trip better than I could’ve expected, but without a doubt my favorite part of Barcelona was the food. To start, our hotel was also located right by La Boqueria, a well-known food market. Instantly when we walked into it for the first time I knew that I was in food paradise. I was surrounded by fresh fruits, every cut of meat, seafood, bakeries, and everything in between. It may not sound that groundbreaking, but it’s a stark contrast from the Swiss diet of bread and cheese. We went there at least once each day, each time trying out new foods and never leaving unsatisfied.

A little snack from the market
Only one of the many fresh fruit stands

The extent of my love for the food in Barcelona doesn’t end in the market, as everything that I had felt worthy of a 5-star review. The first dish we had at a restaurant was Paella, a Spanish staple and something that everyone that has been to Spain talks about. The combination of rice and seafood was worth all the hype and I wished that the plate for two was only for me. On Friday night we decided to switch things up a bit and go to a Latin American restaurant called FOC, and it was the best decision we made the whole weekend. I had a Brazilian steak called Picanha, which came out on a steaming plate and looked like enough meat to feed all of Barcelona. I truly believe that it was one of the best restaurant meals of my entire life, and we had to go back the next night for dinner again. Somewhat reluctantly I switched my order from the Brazilian steak to Argentinian steak, and fortunately it came close to being as good. The final part of the food journey in Barcelona was mainly deciding what flavor of ice cream I wanted or whether I desired beef or chicken inside my empanada.

          The Picanha
Approximately two seconds later the whole Argentinian steak was gone
        Paella for “two”

 

 

Barcelona was one of the best cities I’ve ever been too because it had a great combination of everything. There were intriguing historical landmarks, fun beaches, impressive views, and delicious food all inside one vibrant and dynamic city. Whereas Zurich feels similar pretty much anywhere in the city, Barcelona reminded me more of Chicago because every part of the city had its own particular and compelling characteristics.

Now, it’s my turn to be the person telling others that they need to go to Barcelona.

 

Radek

 

 
Bi Nka Bi – No One Should Bite the Other

Bi Nka Bi – No One Should Bite the Other

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At the edge of campus on the Wednesday before Easter, Phil, Elly, and I climbed into an SUV in our Sunday best. We were on our way to the wedding of someone named Ethan from Florida – someone none of us knew.

The driver of the SUV was a young woman named Selly. She wore her natural hair and was dressed in a white lace dress that starkly contrasted her smooth, dark skin. Her mother was in the passenger seat, also dressed in white. She plugged her iPhone into the center console and played Ghanaian pop music as we drove off campus. As we introduced ourselves from the backseat, I was struck by her sudden comfort with us, three young white people whom she’d never met. I grew to be equally comfortable with her on the short ride to the venue.

The event was a traditional Ghanaian engagement and marriage ceremony. It involves the groom-to-be and his family presenting gifts of food, drink, and cash to the family of the bride-to-be. Today, the groom was not Ghanaian, and neither was his family, but he still was presenting gifts in exchange for the bride’s hand. But his family remained in Florida – so who would be able to participate in the wedding?

TL;DR, it was his sisters Elly and Anna, and his brother Phil.

Family pic. LtR: Elly, George, Georgina, Ethan, me, Phil.

The long version is that the bride, Georgina, was friends with Selly, the woman who picked us up at campus, and Selly used to work in UG’s International Programming Offices, where USAC’s current resident director Abigail is stationed. Selly petitioned Abigail on behalf of Georgina for Abigail to send some American students to act as a surrogate family for the groom. Otherwise, Ethan would have no family who could present the wedding gifts. Got it? Ethan -> Georgina -> Selly -> Abigail -> Anna -> Elly, Phil.

Doesn’t matter. On the Wednesday before Easter, Anna, Elly, and Phil were adopted family members for Ethan from Florida.

Technicalities of the ceremony requirements aside, I ask you, dear reader, to imagine being in Ethan’s position. How would you feel coming to Ghana for the first time to get married? Would you invite strangers to be in your wedding party? Would you ask a stranger to become your sister, knowing that you might never meet again?

Akosua, sister of the bride, and her partner at the drinks table.

The ceremony was lively and loud and beautiful. The bride, Georgina, was dressed in a two-piece dress woven of multicolored kente, with jewelry around her neck and adorning her hair, and she was holding a fan made of white feathers. She took my breath away, and I bet Ethan felt similarly. We were invited to sing, dance, shake the hands of Georgina’s family, take photos with cousins and sisters, invited to a feast fit for royalty. And the event wasn’t in a banquet center or a huge garden – it was in Georgina’s family home.

Now, can you put yourself in this position? Your daughter is getting married to an American man whose ways of life are vastly different from your own. He isn’t familiar in the Akan marriage tradition, and yet he still wants to participate in one. What does it take for you to open your home to him and his (albeit, fake) family? To offer them food, welcome them into your home, dance and sing with them, add photos with them to the wedding album that you will show your future grandchildren?

Tables set up under a marquee in the yard of the family house.

Phil, Elly, and I decided to leave the festivities just as the heat of the sun was becoming weak, around 4pm. I was full of fufu and jollof and sobolo with a huge smile on my face, and the three of us joked about the more bizarre aspects of the day as we waited by the house gate for Selly to come out.

She drove us to ISH and the drive back felt a lot longer than the drive there. As we left the car, I said yɛbɛhyia – see you later. Literally, it means “we will meet again.”

—————

Alone in my room, I sat in thought and wonder at the hospitality of everyone I’d encountered that day. The whole day had felt surreal, but comfortable. As Selly got to know me in her car, I felt appreciated. When Ethan asked me to fill the role of his sister, I felt honored. When Georgina’s family opened their doors to me, I felt accepted. I’d suddenly felt at home with this family I didn’t know and the family I’d just become a part of. What new kind of hospitality was this? There were no presuppositions, no judgments, no uncomfortable gazes – they welcomed me as if they had always known me as an intimate friend. Even the language of the Akan is welcoming: everyone greets you with akwaaba – you are welcome here; saying thank you, medaase, literally means “I lay at your feet;” yɛbɛhyia – we will meet again.

Can you put yourself in my position?

I navigate my small part of Accra with the language of laying yourself at a stranger’s feet, ensuring them you will always meet again. I cram myself in the back of a trotro with a stranger pressing their arm up against me. Strangers ask me where I’m from, asking me for my phone number so they can get to know me. Sometimes, men ask if I will marry them as I’m waiting in line to get lunch.

What do you do when socialization requires a level of intimacy with strangers that you’re not familiar with? When the friend of a friend of a friend asks you to pretend to be someone’s sister? When suddenly your understanding of personal space is inconsequential?

I am endlessly grateful that I am able to be here in Accra, but I think I am more grateful to those I’ve met along the way, whose attitudes of intimacy and hospitality have sometimes been challenging. I didn’t come here to be comfortable, so I don’t resist these challenges. Was Selly comfortable putting three American kids in her car to take them across town? Did Ethan get married in Ghana without his family present because it was more comfortable? Was it comfortable for Georgina and her family to open their home to American strangers? Maybe, maybe not. But what rises above insistence on personal boundaries and comfort is extending welcoming to strangers.

It might be hard for you to put yourself in my position. If it is, I challenge you to look more closely at Africans, at Ghanaians, at the city of Accra. They might be strangers to you, but they don’t bite. You are welcome here.

The newlyweds dancing after the ceremony.

Yɛbɛhyia,

Anna

Pretty in Paris

Pretty in Paris

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Make sure to visit this at night for a stunning light show every hour on the hour
If you can afford it, the views from the tower are breath-taking

I’ve been lucky enough to have visited Europe before. I saw some cities in Spain, France, and Italy, and loved them all enough to come back. Recently, I returned from a trip to Paris, which I saw last time I was in Europe.

I thought I wouldn’t have much to do, since I’d been to the Eiffel Tower, seen inside the Louvre, and entered the Notre Dame, but I didn’t have enough time to visit half of what I wanted to.

As preparation for this semester abroad, I hunted down works of fiction that took place in Europe as inspiration on where to visit during my stay, and I had a few new ideas on what to see in Paris. This trip was so fun because it was like a scavenger hunt, I was either viewing the touristic attractions in a new light or visiting places a tourist would normally walk by.

Be sure to look for the cat if you don’t have the time to read part of a book in there
A complicated, beautiful work of art. If you think it’s pretty on the outside, wait until you walk in

I highly recommend reading a couple books that take place in the countries you’d like to visit, because that way you’ll learn about new places to visit, or gain more knowledge on places you already know of.

Thanks to the books I have read, I was able to visit the church of St. Etienne du Mont, Shakespeare & Company, and learn more about Point Zero.

I learned Point Zero is where all distances in France are measured. Apparently if you make a wish on it, it’ll come true, and if you don’t make a wish, you’re bound to return to Paris again one day.

Don’t worry, I made sure to stop at Point Zero before I left Paris, but I can’t tell you what I wished for, or it won’t come true!

It’s worn away from the tourists walking past, to Notre Dame