Ciao ! It has officially been 9 days since I moved into the Sant’Anna Institute dorm and started the Sorrento chapter of my summer. As every week of this summer has been, this one was quite eventful. In the past 9 days, I have been able to settle into what will be my life here until August 6 and I already feel as though I’ve learned a great bit about Sorrento, Naples, and southern Italy, in general, in this short time that I’ve been here. Reflecting on such a busy week is always a bit difficult but I will try my best to touch upon all of the highlights.
On day 1 of the program, July 3, I moved into the Sant’Anna institute dorm and got to experience the view I would have for the next 5 weeks for the first time. From my room I can see the Marina Grande of Sorrento and the Mediterranean Sea. Let me just say, there’s definitely worse views to wake up and go to bed to. One of my favorite experiences so far has been watching the sunset over the water from that view. It’s truly spectacular. That evening, after having unpacked and settled into the room, I had one last dinner with my family before they were to depart and return to the United States the next morning. It was a lovely way to officially end our family vacation and to kick-off the start of my second study abroad.
On day 3, I began my class on the Bay of Naples. So far I have learned a lot about the history of Naples and Southern Italy. I’ve come to discover that before the unification of northern and southern Italy in the 19th century, Naples was considered to be a major European city, as London or Paris is today. Despite being an International Studies- Europe major, I was unaware of the rich history of Naples until the start of this class. This past week, I was able to see some of the amazing churches and royal palaces built from this time period in Naples. This city is full of treasures that were completely unknown to me 10 days ago. I feel very fortunate to be taking this class and getting an in depth history lesson of the city I am interning in.
Speaking of my internship, I also began that this past week. In order to get to the office, I take a train called the “circumvesuviana” (literally meaning “around Vesuvius”) for a little over an hour from Sorrento. Often times the train has no air conditioning and given that it is July, the train can get pretty hot. Of course, sitting on a hot train for over an hour isn’t my favorite thing to do but it’s been very interesting to authentically experience what a commute to work would be like as a local here. In addition, having taken this train a few times now, I can honestly say that you do become more and more used to it. The office is located in a high rise building just less than a 5 minute walk from the Naples train station. So far, most of my work has consisted of translating documents from Italian to English. Because my knowledge of Italian is very basic, I’ve been instructed to use Google Translate to first translate the Italian and then to rephrase what Google Translate generates into better and more proper English. In addition to that, I’ve been able to observe various office operations that have gotten me familiar with the type of work that this organization does on daily basis. I was able to observe an interview with what in Italian is called a “minori stranieri non accompagnati” (MSNA), meaning a foreign unaccompanied minor. The interview was conducted to learn about this person’s intentions after turning 18 in Italy as well as to inform them of their options and the resources open to them through the organization. Observing this interview was extremely interesting to me and has given me the desire to learn more about the immigration process and laws in Italy. Overall, the internship is going well and I’m very eager to continue gaining experience and insight with this organization.
In addition to class and work, this past week I celebrated my 21st birthday! I spent the evening out singing karaoke with some new friends that I have made through this study abroad. Sorrento has such a festive atmosphere so it was truly a great place to experience a birthday.
Now that I’ve almost spent 10 days here, I’m starting to get a routine developed, learning what types of food to buy at the local grocery stores, and finding the local restaurants and gelaterias that I like best. As you establish a routine, though, time starts to fly by faster and faster and I truly can’t believe I only have 3 and a half weeks left of this summer abroad. Therefore, I have every intention of making the absolute most of them and I can’t wait to see what is to come.
Until the next time!
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