Intros, Orientations, & Explorations

Well I’ve arrived and have had the opportunity to do so much throughout our first week in Italy!

To go back to the beginning- I left the Cedar Rapids, Iowa airport on Sunday afternoon, flew  to Detroit, then to Amsterdam, and finally landed in Venice. After waiting in the airport for the second bus to arrive we eventually made our way to campus located in Paderno del Grappa. Everything here is gorgeous and the scenery with the mountains is breathtaking! However, I was surprised by all the corn/sorghum – it almost looks like home (:

Once we arrived on campus we checked in, got our books, had an orientation, and unpacked. Each of us was assigned to one of two groups, so this week my group had various orientations and workshops along with going to our first days of classes. I think I am really going to enjoy my classes here, although it will be a lot of work in such a short period of time.

When we weren’t in orientation or class, we were able to enjoy our free time and experience the local culture. There is a local pizzeria in Paderno where we ate at a couple times that has amazing pizzas! We also walked to a nearby town, Crespano, for gelato which was delicious. Then on Friday night a group of us decided to attend a wine festival in Fonte, which was quite the experience. The walk was much longer than expected and we had to walk on the edge of the road, but it was well worth it. We were able to sample different wines from local wineries and later in the night there were authentic Italian ballroom dancers who performed.

The next morning we had planned to hike up Monte Grappa, a mountain we can see from campus. We began at 8:15 in the morning and hiked to the base of the mountain, which was a feat in itself. However, we continued on and my group took the faster (much steeper) trail. My legs have never been so tired in my life! That combined with the higher altitude made for quite the workout, but the views along the way were incredible. We finally arrived at the top after about four and a half hours and were able to sit down to take a break and eat our sandwiches. After our break we continued up to the memorial at the mountain which memorializes troops who fought in World War I, as this was where some of the battles occurred. At the top we were in the clouds and couldn’t see far, but for a little while we could see the Alps in the distance which I thought was pretty incredible. After our time at the top we headed down the mountain, finally returning to campus at 5:15. It was a long, exhausting, and incredible experience that I will definitely never forget!

It has been an incredible week, although it has felt like we have been in Italy for so much longer because we have all gotten to know each other and have been able to spend so much time with one another. As far as the culture shock, I feel like it isn’t noticed much until you walk into a store or restaurant and go to say something only to remember they may not speak English. That’s why I’m glad I will be taking Italian throughout the semester, as it will be much easier when traveling around the country. It has been interesting to start immersing myself in this culture and seeing the many differences from home. As I get to know the other CIMBA students it is also interesting to hear about the schools and where they live since I am one of the few who comes from a very small school. Everyone is so excited to be here and many are making travel plans for the coming weeks, which just gets me more excited to see what all is to come this semester abroad.

This coming week will be a busy week as we have classes and my group will be completing the LIFE program. Many of us will be heading to Cinque Terre for the weekend which should be beautiful and a lot of fun!

Ciao!