Letter from UMass

I checked my email this morning to find a message from a fellow UMass student by the name of Brendan Ledoux. Brendan is a sophomore considering heading to Siracusa next fall and wanted to get a bit of insight from someone there. Hopefully, he won't mind me posting his question and my response, as I think you'll enjoy it.

Ciao,

Frank

Quoting bledoux@student.umass.edu:
> > > > Dear Frank Vitale,> > Hey this is Brendan Ledoux a Sophomore at UMass Amherst. I was interested in> going to Saracusa next fall and JoAnn from IPO gave me your email address and> said that you had gone. How is it there? Is it beautiful? How are the people> like? Have you met lots of italians? Is the language or dialect a bit> different> from the mainland? Does it get boring not being a huge city like Rome? What> do> you do with your friends there. Sorry for all the questions haha i just want> to> make a good decision.> > > -Bren>

Brendan,
I cannot reccommend Siracusa highly enough to you, especially if you're thinking about the API program. It is a new experience for me to be able to open my eyes (almost) anywhere and have it be a beautiful or intriguing new sight. All the people I have met are friendly, and classes so far are going pretty well (if you don't mind taking Italian every day, sign up for intensive. It makes a world of difference). As I am brand new to the Italian language, it would be difficult for me to speak on the differences in dialect, however, my roommate is a fairly able speaker, and he very occasionally has some trouble understanding some of the locals. As for the locals, they have almost all been very helpful and friendly. I've become somewhat friendly with some of the people working at the cafes and restaurants we frequent, but not a whole lot of people our age. We stay on the island of Ortiga, the historical and cultural heart of the city, and though it's very small, I have not been bored since I arrived. With API, you do a few days in Rome to orient yourself to the time zone, culture and some of the language. Rome was one of the most amazing places I've ever been, but I really do like it more here in Siracusa. The natural beauty and the sheer effect the history has on you is really striking, and I honestly feel far more comfortable on Ortiga than I did in Rome. Plus, API and MCAS plan out so much for you to do that you get plenty of time out of the city. You also have a week off to travel as you wish (I think I'm going to tour Italy for a few days before heading off to Germany and Spain with some friends). Just so you've got an idea of what life is like here, this is what I did yesterday:

Woke up and stopped at a cafe on the way to class (a five minute walk), picking up an espresso and a chocolate filled pastry

Italian class with three other students

Grabbed a sandwich from a local deli (2 euro for an excellent sandwich and a liter and a half of water)

Went to the open air market to pick up food for dinner and lunch for the next few days

Kept up on world and US affairs through an hour or so of BBC

Classes on the Mafia and Roman Arch, then video chatted with some friends back home

Grabbed a slice of pizza in anticipation of a late dinner

Finished homework and reading (light amounts) back at the apartment

Took a nap (the heat does that)

Cooked dinner and did a bit more reading before showering and heading out to a friends apartment to pick them up for the Italian passaggiero (sort of an evening stroll) and for gelato, which is freaking awesome, by the way

Went home and polished off leftovers with roommates before heading to bed.

If you decide to come here, you'll be making an excellent decision. Every second of my time here has been filled with something new and wonderful, and I've begun to learn things about myself that I never could have discovered at home (I am, for example, a pretty good cook). It has given me a brand new perspective on life and I can't wait to bring that back home to those I care about.
I have been trying to keep a blog, and though it's been lagging a bit of late, it should give you an idea of how things are here: callingamerica.blogspot.com
Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask more questions,
Frank

New Pictures

It takes really, really long to upload photos here, unfortunately, but I've managed to upload almost all the ones I wanted to.

This album is from Pantalica...

This album is from a historical tour of Syracuse, and...

This album is from me just walking around the city. I'm gonna add some pictures of the school and apartment, along with some other sights, as time goes by.

I'll write up the weekend entry tonight and put it up tomorrow (maybe). Ciao, and sorry for the wait.

Quick apology

I'm sorry I haven't been putting up pictures. I've been so busy since I got here, and I haven't really had the opportunity to just walk around and take pictures yet.

I'll get to it soon, but just as a disclaimer...

There is no way that I will be able to capture how beautiful this place with my camera. I could have years of experience and the best equipment possible and it would still be nearly impossible to do. I'll try my best, but just know that every shot is only the tiniest percentage of the experience.

Life in Siracusa...

...moves at a very strange pace. I don't want to say life is slower here, but I can definitely feel a sense of... relaxation?... that I don't in the US. It's really kind of essential, I suppose, because of the heat here. We're getting the winds off of North Africa, so it's freaking scorching here every single day. Riposo, the two or three hour long break (read: state-sanctioned naptime), is a lifesaver. Our apartment gets pretty warm, but cools off fairly quickly as well, and the beach is always an option. It's finally starting to cool down (a very little bit), which is very much a good thing.



So, what can I say about Syracuse? I like it, that's for sure. There is no ugly part of the island, there is no bad food, and, for the most part, the people are friendly and want to help (though there are far fewer English speakers than in Rome). The place feels kind of touristy occasionally, but's a distinctly Italian tourist destination rather than an international one. Thankfully, I've noticed that a lot of these tourists, as well as some Siracusans, wear board shorts instead of the usual speedos, so I can retain some dignity while not standing out too much (however, even though I've got a slightly olive skin tone and am darker than many of my American friends, I still glow like a freaking lighthouse compared to the Italians).



I've heard multiple views on the amount of weight we're going to gain/lose while we're here. I can understand either view, really. Obviously, the food is excellent, but, since it satisfies quicker and since I'm paying for each meal, I eat less. I actually walk a little bit less than I would at school, and it's still obscenely hot, so it's not hard to imagine.

So, apparently, I can cook, and have evidently been designated as ''the one who can cook'' by my friends here. While this does have it's downs, it also means that everything is cheaper, since we're splitting it. I also don't do dishes, which is very nice. I've made penne with clams and these weird little fried Sicilian rice balls (filled with meat), and they both turned out pretty good. This is really a fortunate development, because I can't afford to go out every night.

I'm gonna cut this entry short because I've got a lot of stuff to do. The entries are going to sort of change in nature after this, and I'm gonna be doing more topic-based stuff. This is mostly because I'm pretty much out of orientation and getting into daily life. As great as daily life here is, it's still daily life, and it might get boring to read about. I do have excursions almost every weekend, though, so there will be plenty of new stuff to document.


PS. Apparently I have a whole week off in October. Where should I go?

New post soon

I've been really busy and really away from internet, but I'm gonna type it up tonight and post it later at school.

Teaser: Frank can cook.

Sicily: Still on honeymoon

Despite my misgivings, my apartment is very nice. It's plenty large enough for three people, and it's looking like the third guy isn't going to show up, so it's practically roomy. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise, however, is the presence of cable TV. With the welcome exception of BBC World News, however, all of the programming is in Italian. I haven't been brave enough to switch to original Italian television, but I have been able to summon up enough courage to watch Italian dubs or versions of American shows (unfortunately, all I could find was Friends) and channels (unfortunately, all I could find was MTV, though it's actually far less grating when you can't understand them). Despite these difficulties, I am very up to date on world news (or at least one programming loop worth of it), and the Italian shows ARE sort of entertaining (I like to make up the dialog as they go along), and I imagine the TV will eventually become helpful in learning the language when I finally have the building blocks of it, so I'm glad we have it.

My first day in Sicily was short, but my first night in Sicily was certainly memorable, in multiple ways. After moving my stuff up to my loft, I got in touch with the other API students and made plans for our first dinner in our new home. After unpacking what I could, I showered and changed, grabbed my keys, and headed downstairs. Once I reached the outer door of the apartment (there is an outer door followed by a staircase up to the two apartments in the building; my door is on the right), I faced a bit of a quandary. How do I open this door?, I wondered. I looked around for a button to open the electric lock, but found only a light switch. I saw the keyhole on the door and came to the (reasonable, I thought) conclusion that because there was a keyhole and because I had a key, that was how I was to open the door.

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Though the key fit in the hole and did turn the lock, success eluded me. After fidgeting around with the key for a while, the unthinkable happened, and the key broke off, half of it still in the lock. I stood stunned for a minute before making a few feeble and ill-fated attempts to remove the key. In my struggles, I found the button to open the door, and I pulled it open to allow for some much needed cool air. I walked outside to the other side of the door in order to take a look and see if I could somehow push the key out when I heard a scooter, an evil, evil scooter around the corner. I moved to the side to allow it to go by before returning to peering through the keyhole. A minute or so later, I thought I heard someone speaking English around the corner, and, hoping it would be my program director or someone who could help me, walked over to investigate. I didn't see anyone, but did turn around in time to see my door close and lock me out.

Needless to say, I felt like an idiot.

I called my program director to tell her what happened, and she talked to Ramza, our housing director from MCAS, telling me he'd get back to me. Thinking I should meet him at the school, I walked in the direction I thought it was. Whatever direction I chose, it must have been the wrong one, because when he finally called me and let me know he was on his way to the apartment, I was thoroughly and completely lost. Though I had a map, the street names were too blurry to read, and though I had my apartment marked on it, the piece of paper in my hand was no Marauder's Map, so I had no idea where I was. Every time I thought I was heading the right way, I'd end up seeing the bridges or the castle, which adorn either end of the island (my apartment is fairly central in location). After making an ass of myself to several well-meaning but nigh unintelligible Italians, I finally found someone who knew where Via Mendoza was, and as a bonus, she spoke some English. She directed me towards my apartment, and after a few minutes of walking (it turned out I was right around the corner), I walked up to my door only a few minutes before Ramza arrived. He got the other occupant to open the door for us, and then used a pair of borrowed pliers to remove the piece of key (which I've kept as a sort of souvenir). He told me he'd give me a key in the morning as my roommate was walking in.

I explained the situation to him and asked what his plans were for the evening. He said he wasn't sure yet, but he'd be happy to head back when I needed to be let in. We exchanged numbers, and I walked out to see if could still catch dinner.

It ended up that I got to the school right as the others arrived, and we headed to dinner as I explained my adventure. We headed to a place on the southern half of the island near the water that our program director recommended. We were a bit late to get a table for so large a group outside, so they took us downstairs to the dining room, where a glass floor offered us glances of a set of ruins below, complete with electric fountain pumps. I ordered risotto with seafood (the menu didn't explain what exactly "seafood" meant, but I decided I'd take a chance) and consequently had my first taste of calamari. I was pleasantly surprised, and the meal in it's entirety was, again, delicious. I'm now afraid to go anywhere that Michelle doesn't expressly recommend, as she's pretty much batting a thousand.

I ambled back towards my apartment after splitting off from the girls somewhere near the fountain that serves as a center of travel on Ortigia. I called my roommate, who was already on his way back. He arrived at the apartment a few minutes after I did and opened the outer door. Though we contemplated going out again, we ended up just watching (and attempting to decode) TV for the rest of the night, as it was late and we were both drained from our travels.

I slept well my first night, and Thursday came quickly. We were to meet at the school at noon for a practical tour of the area, and I threw on my last clean set of clothing and headed out early so I'd have time to stop and eat.

A euro and a half bought me a very large and very tasty custard-filled pastry and my first espresso, which I found to be a bit of an acquired taste. I was very pleased with the price, as the American equivalent of one and a half euros (around $2.25) wouldn't have gone nearly as far back at home.

The practical tour was relatively short, but helpful. Stores aren't quite as plentiful as they were in Rome, but it's less of a walk to the few there are. Michelle introduced us to the owners of a little market/deli place. They brought up the image of my grandparents, only short, fat, and not in South Dennis, Massachusetts. They didn't speak English, but seemed to be excellent at communicating through hand gestured, like they were used to us little lost Americans. She also pointed us towards the open-air market, which, while only open during the morning on week days, offers the cheapest prices and freshest foods. Most Ortigians buy their food far more often and in smaller doses than we're used to, so this fits nicely.

After the tour, we ate lunch, and, after a quick picture session, split off, with most of us heading off to get the things we needed for the next four months. I myself went back towards that market and mimed myself soap, shampoo and detergent, then headed home and figured out how to use my Italian washing machine. It took a bit of effort, but I finally got it going, and, after an hour and a half, pulled my clean clothes out and hung them outside on the terrace to dry. They're still wet as I'm typing, but I'm not too worried. I left the apartment again and bought myself a few more shirts and some food. My first attempt at cooking here was a successful one, I thought. I made myself some kind of pasta and cheese dish that I can hopefully replicate when I need to.

This takes me up all the way through typing this. My third roommate did end up showing up, so I might give him a quick tour. I'm sorry that this entry is so long, but I wanted to get caught up. Tomorrow is filled with a long orientation, and marks the beginning of daily life here in Siracusa.

Rome 3 and arriving in Sicily

You know, I was mentally prepared for a lot of things before coming here. The langauge barrier, the weird Monopoly-esque money, coffee strong enough to make your hair fall out. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was this keyboard. It's close enough so I can still touch type pretty well when it comes to words, but punctuation and symbols are all off. They've made space for the accented vowels (à,è,ò,ù) and other letters not commonly found in the English language, and things have moved around as a result. I'll post a picture of it later so you can see what I'm talking about.

So I spent my last day in Rome touring the Vatican. The amount of art they've got there is amazing, and our tour guide said that, after walking for around four hours, we'd only seen about thirty percent or so of what there is to see. I believe him. The Vatican museum is a complex and winding series of halls, tunnels and courtyards, and I'm glad we had a guide to keep us from getting too lost.

I took a lot of pictures of the Vatican, but I'm sort of disappointed with them. They were really restrictive about what they'd let us take pictures of. The Sistene Chapel, for example, was off-limits for photographs, and the guards (regular, not Swiss) were extremely attentive. The pictures I did take are okay, but a lot of them came out less than crystal clear, due to the lack of flash.

For now, you can look at the Facebook albums by using these public links: Rome 1 Rome 2

After the Vatican, we went and got lunch and walked back across the river to check out the Castel Sant'Angelo. Originally the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, it was later used as a castle and fortress, and now serves as a museum displaying Roman and Egyptian art. The art is all very, very cool. I enjoyed it more than most of the art in the Vatican, and the building is really impressive as well. By far the best part of Castel Sant'Angelo, however, is the breathtaking view available from the top of the building. You can see all of Rome, and it's worth the walk up the seemingly endless stairs and ramps. Those pictures, as well as the ones from the Vatican, are in the second album.

Our last full day in Rome over, we had dinner and went back to the hotel to repack. The next morning, we got up and got on the bus to the airport. The flight was only an hour or an hour and a half long, and was significantly more enjoyable than the first one. We touched down in Catania around three or so and piled into a taxi van to Siracusa.

My first night here was, erm... an adventure, and will take a bit more time to describe than I have time to type right now. Suffice to say that Ortiga (the island I'm staying on) is a beautiful place, and I can tell I'm really going to enjoy my time here.