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Course Blog – Cultural Engagement and Exploration (2017)

Trains, planes, and automobiles….and buses and golf carts and boats

This weekend my friends and I journeyed to the motherland of Renaissance art and culture—Florence, Italy.  Between the Uffizi Museum, Medici gardens, the Galileo exhibit, and the David, our time in Firenze, as the Italians call it, was simply unforgettable.  Little did we know that equally unforgettable, would be our overall travel and transportation experience...... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Video Tour – Siracusa

... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


My Time on a Boat

As I think about what to write for my last blog, I anticipate that it will be less exciting but more contemplative than the others. I want to talk about the free weekend trip that I took with 6 other guys around the Mediterranean and compare it to my time in Sicily. I wasn’t sure...... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Catacombs in Siracusa

For three days in our last week in Sicily we traveled to the small island port of Siracusa.  A city that was much more prominent in Sicily’s history, it is very large but draws less tourists than Cefalù.  On one of our days there we toured the catacombs, ancient tombs beneath the city.  They were...... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Tour: Cathedrals in Monreale & Palermo

Watch my video tour of the cathedrals in Monreale and Palermo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBSL5dKcg2c&feature=youtu.be... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


From Cefalù to Rome and Back

For our free weekend, I went to Rome with Cynthia, Rita, and Katie. The first thing I noticed about Rome was how modern it is compared to Sicily. However, even with the shinier buildings and cars, historical monuments were everywhere. A common sight in Rome is a glass and concrete building right in front of,...... KEEP READING

Posted by on June 1, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


The Mayor Talks Politics

The mayor in his office Relatively early in our time in Sicily, I got the chance to have a conversation with the mayor of Cefalù, Rosario Lapunzina. We met in his office, and discussed politics. We talked about Italian government and its similarities and differences to American government. The interview was extremely interesting at the...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Education in Sicily: an Interview

Audio link (56:30) For my interview, I spoke with Giulia, a 23 year old philosophy student at Palermo University. We talked about how the Sicilian education system works and how it differs from the American system. Sicilian children start in a sort of daycare-kindergarten similar to American children, and also have a similar elementary school...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Relationships in Italy versus America

  In my Italian class this semester, in typical Italian fashion, we discussed love and romance extensively. Throughout these class discussions, I began to notice the disparities between the amount of people in long-term relationships in Italy versus those in America. In order to find out more regarding these dichotomies, I interviewed my new-found friend...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Sports: America vs. Sicily

Interview Blog Over the years, I have enveloped myself in American sports, watching baseball, hockey, basketball, and football games on a continuous cycle. For myself and countless other Americans, sports play a large role in our society, bringing people together to cheer for or against teams. Here in Sicily, I wanted to use my interview...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Unemployment and the Stagnation in Sicily

During the evening hours of Thursday May 25th at the Tourist Hotel located at the far end of the boardwalk in Cefalú, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the recently hired receptionists, Fania.  Dressed in a black and white pant suit with high heels and bright red lipstick, Fania welcomed me into the...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Interview with Elisabetta

Everything in Sicilian culture is similar, but slightly different from elements of American culture. So it was no surprise to find out that family values and expectations are different here as well. The woman that I interviewed, Elisabetta, has a unique perspective because she comes from a half Sicilian, half American background. She even lived in...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


One on one interview with Davide

Something that interested me about Sicilian culture was how the school system worked and in turn how that affected the type of job a person had. I interviewed a 32 year old man named Davide to learn about his school process and how he acquired and kept a successful job in the suffering job market...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Welcome to the Cathedral de Monreale!

Please enjoy our video walking tour of the Cathedral de Monreale! Have a great day, Claire and Haley... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post


Interview with Marco

Nadelina Wine Bar is directly below the apartment I live in, so I see Marco Martina (the owner) almost every day. After a week I realized he speaks English well and gets to see an interesting side of Cefalu. Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night the wine bars on the street below our apartment...... KEEP READING

Posted by on May 31, 2017 in 2017 Blog post