Stories are a way to educate, preserve cultural experiences, and archive memories. Storytelling can be a social and cultural activity--a way for us to share stories (sometimes with improvisation, theatrics, or embellishment) with other people using various platforms. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, and one of the purposes of our study abroad program is to explore the Italian ones.
Today in Dr. DeMaria's course we practiced our storytelling/writing abilities in preparation for composing the Results section of our research papers. Below are the posts we compiled with our research paper groups, which focused on descriptive details, enhanced emotions, and a concrete beginning and ending.
Let us know what you think of our writing progress by dropping a comment below! And, thank you for reading our post...we are trying to reach 250 views to earn a special treat while we are on our group trip to Venice! Stay tuned to see if we meet our goal...
------
A Day of Sunshine
We landed on a small, rocky beach in Capri after a marvelous boat ride around the island where we proceeded to spend the rest of our Saturday. Instantly, we noticed the sweet smell of sunscreen and the feel of the salty ocean air. We were mesmerized at the sight of the crystal clear water, shining like a freshly cleaned window allowing us to view the the ocean floor. Our group anxiously awaited the chance to run into the freezing cold water after we quickly claimed our spot on the rocky beach. We instantly tasted the strong salt in the water, as if we were eating an overly salted pretzel or Italy’s favorite—anchovies! While going for a swim, it was difficult to ignore all of the relaxing sounds surrounding us. The birds were chirping, music was playing, and children were laughing; yet, all of this noise ceased when immersing ourselves into the cool, magical water. Many of us engaged in the adventurous activity of jumping and flipping off of large rocks. To revitalize, we sipped on sweet fruity drinks, ate some petite panini, and rested our eyes. Later we refreshed our bodies by soaking up the blazing sun while lying on the dusty rocks, which provided a slight massage and a bit of pain to our feet. Everyone around us was doing the same, including locals who were engaged in conversations in Italian, which has become music to our ears. We repeated this routine until the end of the day, until our bodies were completely kissed by the sun.
[This story was composed by Savannah Hottle, Lesley Flores, and Aly D'Eramo.]
------
Limoni di Sorrento
Sorrento, a small town on the southern coast of Italy, has more lemons than people. You are greeted by the fragrant smell of fresh lemons as you walk down the cobblestone streets. The zesty aroma lingers in your nose. The bright, glowing yellow color lights up the town like fruity, lemon-shaped lightbulbs. Lemons come in all shapes and sizes; some were the size of grapefruits, while others were the size of limes, but they all have the iconic oval shape with pointed ends and always have their leaves attached. Lemon trees lined the cozy, coastal homes and open terraces, which added to the breathtaking view. Souvenir shops filled with lemon-themed gifts were abundantly available on every quaint street and busy piazza. These gifts included aprons, soaps and lotions, home décor, and so much more. Family-owned restaurants had their own, unique variations of lemon inspired dishes. Some of the menu items that stuck out to us were lemon pasta, lemon sponge cake (which we tried during a group dinner—it was chilled, creamy, and lightly fragrant with lemons), and the classic limoncello. The sweet and sour flavor of limoncello is recognized throughout Italy as a post-meal treat that cleanses your palate and promotes digestion. The vibrant sight, smell, and taste of lemons will always remind us of our weekend getaway on the coastal town of Sorrento, Italy.
[This story was composed by Emily Ball, Scotlyn Sunkel, and Kathryn Jamieson.]
------
The Capri Dream
Our boat rocked through the island and grottos of Capri, the wind combed through our hair, and the salt water air softened our skin as our much-needed beach day under the sun officially kicked off. There was only one rule for the day: no shoes. The Statue of Welcome greeted us with a simple wave as we began our excursion, and we only had a second to return the favor before we rocketed off to the next jaw dropping view. Each new sight had our cameras clicking rapidly as we captured ourselves living a day that was close to perfection.
Towns were scattered throughout the green, hilly landscape with colorful flowers peeping through to create a picturesque view as the hypnotic water emphasized the stark contrast between land and sea. The bottom of the Mediterranean Sea could be distinctly seen through the still crystal clear, shockingly aquamarine water that you could even tell the difference in depths. Our captain steered us into three grottos that were both beautiful and haunting as we moved from open, bright skies to a dim and enclosing cave. Each grotto glowed and shimmered, one had orange coral clinging to the rocky sides, and another consisted of a giant arch where if you kiss someone underneath you are destined for eternal love. These beautiful caves created audible gasps from our tiny boats as well as inspired the fashion powerhouse of Dolce & Gabbana in their advertisements.
Our hearts began to sink because our time on the boat was drawing to a close as our captain brought us towards land. Although bidding farewell to our most fabulous boat-selves was truly tragic, the beach was calling our names. So, we jumped off the boat and into the water with child-like excitement and waved “arrivederci” to our boat and captain because we knew we will be returning here soon (10 year reunion, right ladies??).
[This story was composed by Heather Heyrman, Maddie Cruse, Megha Reddy, and Lois Carpenter.]
------
Pizza in Pompeii
We arrived in Pompeii after baking for an hour and a half on the rather warm bus (which was caught up in unexpected traffic) and were giddy to find our first priority was a pizza tasting with our FUA group. The scent of sweet marinara and creamy mozzarella hit our noses as we scurried across town, and was almost as refreshing as the wave of icy cool air-conditioned air that hit us upon our arrival. We walked in to see the pizzas being tossed, covered in toppings, and slid into the brick ovens by the young, stylish pizza chef with unusually light hair. As we sat at our tables, we were given a choice between the traditional Napolese (Naples) pizza, topped with salty anchovies and fresh herbs, but SANS cheese (yes, you read that correctly, no cheese in this pie!), or the basic Margherita pizza, topped with mozzarella and basil. Our server took our order and scribbled it on our disposable white tablecloth, which was a new experience to us, but also a very practical way to serve 28 people. Who was going to be brave enough to eat the anchovies? Who was going to play it safe? No matter which pizza we chose, our stomachs collectively growled like a pack of wild dogs while waiting for it to arrive. Then, it happened: the divine hands of providence laid our personal 12” pizzas down in front of us. Having an entire pizza to ourselves has been something we are accustomed to now that we have been in Italy for 4 weeks. Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and flaked red papers were passed around the table in a “choose your own destiny” fashion. When eating traditional pizza there is no room for manners: it was falling apart as we ate it, and despite our best fork and knife efforts, hands were the way to go with this endeavor—leaving vibrant marinara dripping on everyone’s hands.
[This story was composed by Kaylee McCracken, Camille Goodwyn, Sarah Kincade, and Adria Diaconu.]
Thanks for following along and reading posts from our in-class activity. As Dr. DeMaria says: "Work Hard, Play Harder." We certainly have been doing both, and are looking forward to a great week of data collection and transcriptions, and continued writing development.