Settling In

Day 1

 

Buon giorno da Bologna!

 (Good morning from Bologna!)

After two grueling flights where I got an hour of sleep in total, yesterday I arrived safely in Bologna! My first experience in BLQ airport was one of frustration as I waited for my checked luggage to come through the conveyor belt. Everyone from my flight received their bags and happily walked off and I waited for any sign that my bag was going to come through. Then, the conveyor belt turned off completely and I accepted the inevitability that my bag was going to be coming on the next flight. I went to the customer service desk and handed over my bag claim ticket to the man, who began to call the airlines of the respective individuals who were asking for assistance. 

Then, a woman began to shout "It's back on!" and I went back to the bag claim area to see my large red bag coming through the flap and making its way around the carousel! That is when I knew my day was going to be a good one. All thoughts of my exhaustion went out the window as I collected my things and proceeded to meet the IPSI representatives (who recognized me first and flagged me down with a sign).

I was taken to the area where four members of the Symposium were already congregating and waiting for a shuttle to Camplus Bononia, where we were to check in to our rooms. I began to talk with Fiona, Daniel, Emirza, and Helena (respectively from Kenya, Germany, Indonesia, and Finland) and had a really lovely time starting to get to know them. We all clambered into a large van with our luggage and took a ride to campus, pictured below:

What a double room looks like!

Once there, IPSI staff members had a desk set up to check us in and we received an official program guide, our name-tags, the key to our rooms, and one of the most valuable assets: the Wifi username and password! I collected my things (which seemed to be the theme of the day) and went to my room. The feeling of finally getting to settle into the place you will be living, your own little sanctuary after being submerged in the travel world, is such a feeling of bliss. My immediate instinct was to flop down on the bed, but instead I unpacked all my belongings and put them away and then took a look at our official program schedule. 

I then began to explore the building and quickly got lost! My room is on the R floor, which is above the 0 floor. It was pretty confusing at the beginning (and the elevator doors open both to the front and to the side) but I began to get more of a handle of navigating the corridors. Emir and I bumped into each other in the La Nord (the North) ward, where we both took a look at la sala fitness (the gym).

 

Then, I made my way back to my room and took the BEST hour nap ever. I'm definitely going to enjoy the siesta culture here!

 

Daniel, Helena, Fiona, and I met up around 5pm and trekked away from campus, referencing a map given to us by the lobby desk. Oddly enough, we all scoured the map for local cross streets but couldn't find where we were! So, I tried my hand at basic Italian by stopping at a Gelateria to ask an older gentleman, "Dove la Piazza Maggiore?" ("Where is the Maggiore Piazza?" - The Piazza Maggiore is the center of the city). He began to speak quite quickly in Italian, at which point I timidly asked "Parli inglesse?" and he chuckled and said no so I brought Daniel over and they talked in fluent Italian. We learned that in order to get to the center of Bologna, we needed to take a 20 minute walk by foot (venti minuti il piede). 

We passed a couple of local markets and kept going all the way to la Due Torri (the Two Towers) in the center of the city.

 

 After briefly exploring the area around the towers, we decided to head back to campus since we were having an informal meet and greet with pizza and wine around 7pm! Before getting back to campus, we all grabbed a couple items at the market (I bought some Activia yogurt, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and little crackers) and discovered once again that my Italian needs lots of improvement!

The rest of the night was great and I've never had pizza that good in my life (you were right, Andres!)

Today, we have lots of time to continue settling in and getting adjusted-- our first scheduled activity is a walking tour of the city at 1pm. Here's to resting!