I have arrived! My first impression of the city is its beauty. It can seem sketchy on the outskirts of the town due to rundown buildings and graffiti, but once we arrived in the city, I was taken aback by the historical buildings. It is easy to tell that craftsmanship and history are part of every building. One thing to watch out for is the drivers. The drivers accelerate and brake VERY hard. I did not think I would survive the ride to the hotel. Once I got to the hotel, I took a well-deserved nap before our first dinner. Learning everyone’s names was the hardest part of the first night in Italy, but by the first full day, we all got to bond and learn about each other. Below is the first picture I took abroad. It is the view from outside my hotel room.
My favorite part of this host location is the food. Bologna is in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. This region is the most popular for food in all of Italy. This region is the only one that can produce foods with certifications such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto. We were able to visit factories and vineyards for these certified products, as well as do tastings.
One funny thing about the locals and language barriers is that when Italians who can speak English talk, they say “okay” a lot. This occurred many times, even for Italians who spoke no English. Overall, most people spoke enough English to understand what we needed, especially in shops and restaurants.
In preparation for returning home, I had to stuff my bags tightly with what I bought, especially the fragile items such as ceramics and bottles of olive oil. Hopefully everything goes well!