August 29 2016

I have finally made it to Ragusa Sicilia!

 I had to take three flights. One from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Milan, Milan to Catania. 

Getting around the Minneapolis Airport was easy and I got to my gate with an hour and a half to spare. A rotarian recognized my jacket and I spent the time talking with him. When I boarded my flight I was seated next to a really nice 18 year old guy named Eric. We talked a lot and had a really nice time being travel buddies. We got to Amsterdam and because he had a 6 hour layover he walked with me too my next gate. The flight to Milan was very short and I mostly slept through it. 

The Milan airport was my low point of the trip. I had to pick up my checked bag, recheck it and print my ticket. The problem was, that after I picked up my bag I had no idea where to go to finish the next two steps. At this point I was also exhausted, making the task 10x more daunting. After wondering around for a bit and going to a lot of wrong places I found a very nice lady who helped me through everything. The problem was that she had to weigh my carry on bag, which I was praying nobody would have to do. Because my bag was so heavy I had to pay more to check it. It doesn't seem like a big deal now but at the time it felt earth shattering. I eventually got to my last flight and made it to the Catania airport. 

My host mom, brother, aunt, and cousin were all waiting for me. We loaded all my stuff into the car and made the short hour and a half drive to Maria Ragusa. Despite having one of the longest days of my life I had way too much adrenaline to even think of sleeping. Instead I went swimming in the pool! My host brother had invited two of his friends over so after the pool we drove five minutes to the beach. Everybody was so nice and welcoming. They talk slowly too me in Italian and when I don't understand they all work together to either translate to english or explain it simply in italian. 

At the beach it felt like everybody knew each other, but in reality I think everyone is just very friendly. The three guys and I joined a game of beach volley ball, and despite my lack of skill the guys were so nice and cheered me on. After a race into the ocean (which I lost), we all went home to get ready for dinner. 

Dinner was served on my host parent's balcony over looking Marina di Ragusa. A few more of my host brothers friends came over for dinner and we all ate pasta, salad, and meat. It felt like food just kept coming out. Of course we ate canolli and gelato for dessert! 

I don't think I could have asked for a better first day. I can't wait to see what today holds, all I know is that there is a festival for one of Ragusa's two patron saints!