Posted by clairef on Saturday, May 20, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

On Thursday eight of us seized a wonderful opportunity and visited the Aeolian Islands – specifically the islands of Salina, Panarea, and Stromboli. While we missed climbing La Rocco, we had a day filled with scenic views, quaint architecture, black sand and pebble beaches, and swimming. Aside from a slight sunburn, this experience has been a highlight of my trip so far!

One particularly interesting aspect of our day long excursion was the boat ride to and between the different islands. We boarded a large boat, that was also transporting many other tourists from Cefalu. The diversity on this boat was intriguing to me – featuring different ages, ethnicities, genders, combinations of people, etc. In my experiences in the United States, many of the tourists on similar boats are either young families, or elderly couples. However, on this trip there were young families, young adults, elderly couples, individuals travelling alone, etc. Even more intriguing was the wide range of nationalities on the tour boat. There were Argentineans, Germans, Italians, Americans, etc. This was evidenced by the various languages that they played over the intercom. Each time an announcement was made, it was repeated in multiple languages – which I assumed to be Italian, German, Spanish and English. This again is different from tourist ships in America, where the main language is always English. While some companies are becoming better about including Spanish as well, I have never been in a similar situation and heard the announcements in multiple languages. In my opinion, this speaks to both the accepting nature of the Italian people, and how the tourism industry infiltrates all aspects of the country.

Another interesting experience occurred on a taxi ride on Salina island. We were taking the taxi to Calla Junco, a beautiful bay on the island. First off, the taxi was not an actual car, but a golf cart. Since it could only hold four people, we split into two groups. After spending a semester in New York, I was accustomed to being able to get a taxi immediately, but on this island that was not the case. The first group left, and we waited about ten minutes for the next taxi to arrive. It finally came, and the driver appeared to be an adult male, like in his early to mid-30s. The taxi driver was overly friendly, striking up conversation about the island and our trip, which is also different from many of the taxi drivers in New York. At one point during the ride, Haley asked about education, and he expressed how they had middle schools on the island, but if you wanted to continue on to high school, you would have to leave the island and move to mainland Sicily. This is also extremely different from America. While some public high schools offer better educations than others, we are fortunate that every child has access to at least a high school education in America, without having to leave their homes completely.

Our driver had never left Salina, and did not have a high school education. Both in my family and America in general, education is seen as a necessity, and the most powerful tool one can possess. Growing up with that mindset, it still shocks me that not everyone sees education in such a light – and for some, a higher education just isn’t necessary. Our taxi driver has lived on Salina all his life, I am assuming has been driving his taxi for a considerable amount of time as well, and seemed perfectly happy. This lifestyle is unfathomable to me, but when attempting to view the situation from his perspective, I can understand how it is probably what he was expecting to do from a young age. To me, this highlights an extreme difference between my life in America and life on a small island in the Mediterranean. I am extremely grateful that I have been exposed to the power of an education, and have seen how people can succeed by aiming high, pushing themselves forward, and working hard. Not to say that people on these islands don’t work hard, I’m sure they do, but in my opinion there is a different mentality regarding ambition and the definition of success. The experience further highlighted the extreme impact that an upbringing has on an individual’s worldview and perspective on life.

All and all, our experience hopping around the Aeolian islands was completely unforgettable!