Nomadic Adventures

We arrived in Verona at exactly 9:55 am. 

Where to go? What to do? Soon we got out of the plane and followed the rest of the group as if we knew were we where and what we were doing. After we got our luggage, we headed towards transportation. There was must confusion on whether to go with the taxi or a bus. Eventually, we realized that there weren't any buses around, so taxi it is! Someone had started to say that it would be 30 euros per person to take the taxi. Our taxi driver laughed and sait if we wish it to be that way that it was okay with him. As he drove away from the airport and towards the Residence, I noticed the driving in Italy reminded me a lot of the driving in Puerto Rico. Laws without laws! 

I never realy knew how it felt to be around a languge I didn't understand until now. Since spanish is so close to italian it is easy for me to pick up conversations and understand what people are saying, but to build up the confidence and security to attempt to speak the language is a little more challenging than I thought. What if I say it wrong? What if they laugh? By this point I feel like what the heck not? I am here for the experience, might as well live a little and learn some italian, right?

Once we arrived at the Residence everyone was anxious and ready to get their room key and of course, the wi-fi password. Paige and I got settled in our apartment and took a shower to reboot. It had been a rough sixteen hours of nonstop traveling. Though showering cost us to be late to the group lunch it was well worth it! Communicaton is such a challenge within the group because we didn't have wi-fi for the longest time and the only way to talk to each other is through Group Me and email. How are we supposed to know when and where to be? 

Szymon, one of the professors, took us a couple of blocks down to Piazza San Zeno. It was absolutely beautiful! The tiles, the shops, the vibrant yet mellow colors everywhere! We ended up eating at one of the local restaurants at the plaza. Surprisngly enough we all got pizza. I had the proscioutto e funghi aka ham and mushrooms. At the restaurant I learned that italians enjoy sparkling water rather than natural and find it funny how americans don't like it. It took a while to get service due to the fact that waitors don't make their money off tips. Iit isn't really a common thing to "split" checks, so we just all pitched in how much you were accounted for. 

After lunch, we walked around the main plaza and walked by the San Zeno Maggiore Basilica. The church has, according to Szymon, been there since the 6th century! To walk where many have many many years ago was astonishing. How can so much beauty hold during that many years? And still it did. I have to admit I have already fallen in love with Verona and it's barely been a day!