A Native’s Take on Public Education in Sicily

Do a one-on-one interview with a local they said. Well too bad I have an irrational fear about human interaction and high anxiety while talking to strangers.  It actually didn’t go as badly as I imagined! Once I got out there and started rambling on to people about my status as an American student who…

Posted by cynthia on May 26, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Video Tour of the Cefalu Cathedral

One of my favorite places to be in is the Cathedral in Piazza Duomo.  This Cathedral is huge compared to the little town), and it is unique because it has Norman-Arab influences, as well as a Romanesque style and Byzantine mosaics. Check out my video tour of the famous cathedral here for more information~  

Posted by cynthia on May 25, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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A Walk Through Palermo… A Wave of American Nostalgia

We went to Palermo to see some Cathedrals and the city on Tuesday (May 23rd).  We had some free time to explore the streets, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of nostalgia.  Palermo reminded me of Boston in a lot of ways. PHOTO: Palermo Streets Being a city constructed with Muslim influences, Palermo…

Posted by cynthia on May 24, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Clothes Shopping in Cefalu

Cefalu is full of little local businesses- cheese shops, bread shops, souvenir stands, and even soap shops!  I love looking at the clothes boutiques, but the style of clothes found there did not seem like clothes you would wear on a regular basis.  There were sunhats draped with seashells, long, lacey, pastel dresses, and be-dazzled…

Posted by cynthia on May 19, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Being Extra… But Also Frugal?

On Sunday, May 14th, we went to go see the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina.  The tour guide talked a lot about how the villa was constructed.  Most villas at the time were made symmetrical, but this villa was huge and historians say this is because additions were made to it over the…

Posted by cynthia on May 19, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Laundry & The Grocery Store

Sometimes I don’t realize how simple day-to-day tasks are until I am in another country and everything is foreign and confusing.  This is what I mean: I was reaching the end of my clean clothes and decided to try out the washing machine in our villa.  “Washing clothes in an Italian washing machine is probably…

Posted by cynthia on May 15, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Observations on the Beach: Vendors

Living in Cefalu, it is almost impossible not to spend a substantial amount of time on the beach.  Most people like to sunbathe and read in the sand, while I prefer to make sandcastles and take a dip in the cool seawater.  However, with so much time and beach (that has extremely soft and warm…

Posted by cynthia on May 15, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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Good Food & Good Company

It’s been about a week since I first arrived in Cefalu, and already I’ve had many little memorable moments here interacting with the people.  This picture is of my roommate Rita and I having Sicilian lunch (beginning at 1:30PM- later than my usually 12PM lunch) at a ristorante across the boardwalk.  We actually didn’t want…

Posted by cynthia on May 13, 2017 in 2017 Blog post

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