Posted by Caroline Powers on Sunday, May 14, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

We’ve been in Cefalù for about a week now, and one of the biggest differences between Cefalù culture and American culture that I’ve noticed so far is the pace of everyday life. Back at Vanderbilt, I lived a relatively fast paced life. I lived my life hopping from event to event, planning almost every second of my day so that I could fit everything in. In Cefalù, however, people seem to be less worried about fitting everything in, and more concerned with taking the most pleasure from everything they do. Walking down the street, I find myself passing by people left and right. Everybody else is strolling along, chatting, and looking around at shops while I’m just focused on quickly making it to my next destination. Similarly at restaurants, I usually sit down and figure what I want almost immediately, so I can order and get my food fast. Then, once I have finished eating, I sign the check and leave. I always enjoy talking to the people I’m sitting with, but my focus is on eating relatively quickly so I can move on to the next thing. Sicilians, however, seem to spend a much longer time at restaurants. From what I’ve observed, it is typical to spend time enjoying wine and bread before considering ordering meals. Also, after finishing their main course, many people like to linger drinking wine or coffee and just enjoying the company they are with long after their meal is over. One of my goals over the next few weeks is to embrace this Sicilian mindset and slow down my life a little bit: to stop and enjoy each moment instead of focusing on what comes next.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4s1HHgmE7V-Tm5uYVhfcUhoc3M