It's the first Sunday of the semester, the Sunday before classes start... (more importantly) the Sunday the Patriots take on the Ravens in the AFC Championship game (GO PATS!). It's also the first day that we have to explore the island of Ortigia and do whatever we so please. Orientation all but culminated last night with wine tasting at a local wine store, where we shared a few bottles of an anti-Mafia red wine. The orientation process included the general rules and regulations of the program and housing, a tour led by Ramzi, the MCAS student services coordinator, showing local markets, the best restaurants around, cheap barber shops, and historically significant buildings around Ortigia.
Ramzi has set up many trips for the semester including a 5-day trip to Tunisia at the start of March. Granada, Spain and other cities around Sicily are future destinations for the MCAS group. There are also 9 weeks for us to travel, explore, whatever by ourselves. Initial plans show a possible Easter Sunday mass with the Pope..? It will be exciting to see what destinations await!
The apartment I share with the other guys in the program (Nate and Frankie) is arguably the least favorable of them all. The kitchen is so small we can barely even walk in it, the shower literally spits water at you with no constant flow and with no force, and it always seems freezing. Yet, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be right now! The dubbed "Cave" already feels like a home away from home.
Everyone else in the program (all 13) are the only students at MCAS. We all really get along well, granted we've but just met each other. Classes should be interesting seeing as I may have one or two others in a few of them. I am REALLY excited for all of the courses I have registered for.
Well, that is all I can think of that I have to share at this moment... I'm excited to get to explore Ortigia in more depth and without a schedule (so I can take more pictures!)
Ciao!
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