A Lull in the Action

Spain!

On Monday morning we woke up and ate a quick breakfast with the Ginevra’s before leaving for the airport with Riccardo and Claudio. When we got to the airport everything went smoothly (for once!) and we were really sad to say goodbye. The Ginevra’s were such wonderful hosts, and we definitely want to come back to Sicily sometime in the future!
We relaxed for a while before boarding the plane, and then before we knew it we were off to Spain! We flew first from Catania to Munich, and then from Munich to Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

When we got of the plane in Palma we met Alfonso, the Mallorcan liaison. The Mallorca program is new for ATAD, so we were really glad to be the first people to get to visit Mallorca. It is like the Florida or Bermuda of Europe, with lots of families from all over visiting for summer vacations.
Mallorca is a small island off the coasts of Barcelona and Valencia. We drove a half an hour from the airport to Alfonso’s apartment that he shares with his Polish girlfriend, Magda. They are so nice, and the four of us ate dinner on the rooftop above their apartment.
After dinner we were tired, so we talked for a bit before falling asleep!

Julia Marie

The Mallorcan countryside

Caltanissetta: Day Three

On the Third day in Caltanissetta we woke up around 11, had a meal, and then went out to a nearby city called Enna to do some sightseeing. Enna is a really old place, and is also the highest town in all of Sicily. At the highest point in the town is an ancient medieval fort that the people of Enna used to protect the city from invasion. We walked around the ruins of the fort, and then climbed the watchtower to take beautiful views of the hills and mountains of Sicily.

We learned lots of history from Riccardo and Claudio while we were there. We learned about all the different groups of people that had conquered Sicily throughout the ages including the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish, the Greek, and the Romans. They showed us how the soldiers used to hide behind the fig trees (eating figs all the while) to wait for the enemy to arrive. We also learned about the slave revolt led by a slave called Euno to try and free the slaves of Sicily. He took over the town, but eventually Roman soldiers came and killed him.

After our tour of Enna we returned to Caltanissetta to rest and change before leaving to go to the baptism of the Ginevra’s cousin’s baby. The baptism was held in a tiny church that used to be a Norman Abbey. There was lots of history inside the church. The ceremony was all in Italian (of course) but it was interesting for my mom and I to see the differences between an Italian baptism and an American one. In Italy, the babies are baptized naked and their bodies are submerged in the water, rather than just having water poured on their heads. The baby, Daniele, was so cute, even though he cried most of the ceremony. After the ceremony Riccardo and the priest gave us a tour of the old parts of the Abbey, which was pretty interesting.

After that we drove to the house of their cousin for the family party. They served some really delicious Italian foods, including pizza and rice balls filled with meat, rice and cheese covered in a fried breaded topping. And they had about 6 different types of cake as well!

After the party we went home, and then I went out again with Riccardo and Guillermo to a Sicilian discotheque, where we had fun comparing dancing styles in different parts of the world.

My mom and I were sad that it was our last day in Italy, but we know we will come back to visit again someday since we had such a wonderful time!

Julia Marie

Enna

Euno the Slave

The fort

Riccardo and I at the fort

Enna

Climbing the steps of the ancient medieval fort

Enna

Sicily

Mom, Gaia, Me, and Riccardo at the fort

Enna

The fort

Enna

Mom and I on top of the fort

Enna

The fort

Mom and I at the fort

Riccardo, Me, and Gaia at the fort

The Norman Abbey

Before Daniele's baptism

Daniele's baptism

The Ginevra family

The Norman Abbey

Caltanissetta: Day 2

On our second day in Caltanissetta we woke up early to meet with the board members of CulturScambi. CulturScambi is the group here in Caltanissetta that is in charge of finding exchange students and coordinating with ATAD each year. There were about 10 of us at the meeting, and Riccardo came as well to help translate. We had a really nice time meeting the CulturScambi people, and we had a really great conversation about ATAD and the exchanges.
After the meeting we went back to the apartment for lunch, and then went on a driving tour of Caltanissetta with Claudio and Riccardo. We saw lots of cool parts of the center of Caltanissetta, and then we drove to an archeological museum just outside the city. We saw lots of old pieces of pottery that they had excavated from sites near the museum, and even got to see an iron mask like the ones they wore in the movie 300! Riccardo studies ancient Greek and Roman literature in college, so he helped explain a lot of the things at the museum to us.

After the museum, we drove back to the apartment to pick up Maria and Gaia, and the five of us went for a walk through the center of the city. We met lots of local people, including a woman who sells fresh fruit in the street market, and a man who has lots of passion scenes that are carried in processions through the streets during holy week.
After our walk we got some gelato, and then we were really tired so we went back to the apartment to rest and play with the Ginevra family’s cat, Ludo. Ludo reminded us a lot of our cat Nick back at home. He has a really funny personality, and really bright blue eyes.

After we rested, we changed and went out to dinner at a nice restaurant for some pizza. At the dinner were lots of the CulturScambi people, as well as some past and present exchange students and their families. It was fun for my mom and I to talk with a lot of them, even though we needed Riccardo to translate.

After dinner I went out again with the boys and their friends. We met a few other Americans who were here in Caltanissetta visiting the girl they used to host! Everyone I met was so nice, and I had a lot of fun talking to them and attempting to understand everything. My Spanish helped a little, as a lot of Italian and Spanish words are very similar. However, once again I was glad to finally go home because I was exhausted after another long day!

Julia Marie

A cathedral in Caltanissetta

The archaeological museum

Mom and I in the center of the town square

The town of Caltanissetta

Mom, Gaia, and I out for a walk in the market

A typical Caltanissetta street

Ludo, the cat!

Caltanissetta

A church in the town square

Mom, Maria, Gaia and I in the town square

Sicilian countryside

Off to Italy!

Friday morning we woke up early and headed to the airport. Suzy, Dave, and my dad’s flight left at 11am, so we got to the airport around 9pm. My mom and I didn’t leave until 2:30pm, so we sat in the airport and did computer work until it was time to get on the plane. We ran into a few problems (when we first went to check in they told my mom she didn’t have a seat on the plane!) but eventually we worked everything out and got to Caltanissetta safe and sound in the evening. We first took a flight from Istanbul to Rome, and then another short flight from Rome to Catania, Sicily.
When we got there, it took a while to find our luggage (it was on a completely different track than everyone else’s luggage!) but when we finally did we met up with the Ginevra family who were hosting us it was great. Claudio, the husband, is the liaison here in Caltanissetta for the ATAD program, and he and his wife Maria have 3 children. They drove us back to their house and fed us a wonderful Italian meal. The two boys were once exchange students in the US.
After dinner I went out and explored Caltanissetta with the boys and their friends. We went to a local bar, and then we drove to a place where you can see a view of the whole city of Caltanissetta. It was beautiful! However, I was really tired after my day of traveling, and was happy to eventually return home and crash!

Julia Marie

The view of a volcano (the tallest in Europe!) on the way to Caltanissetta

Downtown Caltanissetta

Istanbul: Day Three

On our third day in Istanbul we woke up early to go on a boat tour of the Bosporus. The boat tour took a little over an hour, and we saw lots of beautiful sights of the coast. There were lots of smaller royal palaces that the sultans and their families would use during different parts of the year for different things that were right on the water. We also saw some old fortresses as well as some really big modern mansions, some famous nightclubs, some mosques, and a great view of the city skyline.

After the boat tour we went to the nearby spice market. That was unlike anything we had ever seen! There were rows after rows of people selling spices, dried fruit, and handmade Turkish crafts. We spent a while there, and bought some spices and Turkish delight to share.
After that we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases, and then went to a small part of Itstanbul by the water for lunch. It was a small town in a far away part of the city, and we got baked potatoes filled with anything we wanted for lunch. They were pretty good!
After lunch we walked around the town and looked at some of the shops that were selling things outside. We also met up with Canberk, the other exchange student that came when Irmak did, and his mother. He is going to be studying at Columbia in NYC in the fall! After that we went back to the hotel to rest and pack before dinner.

We went back to the Taksim area for dinner, but to a different restaurant. The food was really good, and there was a group of musicians that serenaded us while we ate! After dinner we were all really sad that we were going to be leaving tomorrow. We headed back to the hotel and played a few games of poker with Umurhan, before falling asleep!

Julia Marie