Ciao! My name is Analise Gartner and I am studying abroad in Sicily this spring semester. I am on a little island called Ortigia and it is located right on the Mediterranean Sea. There are about 3,500 people who live on the island of Ortigia, so it is fairly easy to get around and meet the locals. There is a larger city, called Siracusa, which is about a 15 minute walk from Ortigia.
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The kitchen in my apartment! |
So far I absolutely love Italy! I have been here for almost ten days and fell in love with Ortigia as soon as we pulled up in the taxi. There is a lot to do for such a small town, and the people are so friendly. There are many great places to eat and shop, and the island is beautiful, so I take a lot of walks. Being right on the Mediterranean helps because the weather is amazing, and the sun is almost always out. Everyday the sky is so blue and there is a nice sea breeze that makes this January weather feel like April or May in Buffalo.
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Look at the view! |
As for the school, it is called the Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences. There are twenty-six of us studying here this semester, so it is very tiny. My classes are really small, and everyone knows everyone. It helps to get acquainted with the city as well as blend in when there are so few of us. We are a tight knit group and all of the people in the program as well as the staff are great.
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Walking around this beautiful town! |
I really enjoy my classes. I am taking some interesting ones, especially the History of the Mafia and Art and Architecture in Sicily. The classes are good, but what makes them even better is that we take field trips all over Sicily, or just walk through Ortigia and look at the architecture. It really makes classes more enjoyable and reinforces everything we learn in the classroom.
I also have to take Italian, but that I practice everyday and always want to learn new words and phrases. At first I was nervous about coming here not knowing a word of Italian, but I am so much more confident now. Everyone is so patient with my broken Italian, and they love that all of us try. Hand motions go a long way, and Italians use their hands a lot when talking anyway. They are so very animated, so usually I can get the drift of what the conversation is about.
This entry was more of an introduction of the town and school, so by the next one, I’ll have gone on field trips and traveled for fun. There are many places in Italy I want to see, so hopefully I will get to see everything that I’d like to.
Ciao!