Ciaowdy!
Today marked a week of us being together in Italy and so much has occurred! As we learn more about each other and our backgrounds, we dive deeper into meaningful relationships. In Italy, Catholicism is a unifying factor in the culture, and as a result, a lot of us started the day off going to mass at this morning. According to Emily, there was a language barrier, but the experience was very neat. For others, today was a relaxed day, one of rest and what teenage boys dread the most…laundry! We went in groups to a laundromat down the street and even learned how to work the self-service machines. As we waited, some of us listened to music, while others went to a coffee shop for a cappuccino and pastries. About 10 of us decided to go to the pool since it was a hot day in Castiglion Fiorentino. Some had lunch on the roof while some chose to journal in their rooms. Once 3 PM hit, we all joined together for the sessions of the day, in which we learned about professionalism and teamwork. It was really interesting to see contrasting views on different aspects of life and to ask our student leaders and staff the most simple of questions in regard to how things work at Texas A&M Main Campus and Qatar. Before dinner, some of the group went to the grocery store, which was a fascinating experience! The grocery stores in Italy are nothing like American stores. First of all, the prices seem lower. We’re not sure whether it is because the household income is different than in America or because the Euro is worth more than the dollar, but it was still cheap. We found 1.5L (about 50 ounces) water bottles for less than 0.30€ each, 500g (1.1 lb) bags of roasted peanuts for about 3.00€! For produce, there are several differences from American stores. It’s considered rude and unsanitary to pick up fruit from the displays. There are disposable gloves for all the produce, and you weigh it yourself, not the cashier. It was a bit confusing to work the automated kiosks when nothing was in our own language, but we figured it out eventually. Our elementary knowledge of Italian was challenged as we navigated the entire experience! Finally, we had dinner all together as always, in which we laughed, joked around, and bonded. The night ended with our traditional gelato, at the same place as the coffee shop from earlier! Everything came together at the end. All in all, today was the perfect way to wrap up our first week of adventures.
Until next time,
Celeste and Dylan
