Some Fun

Buona Notte for me / Buongiorno for you all!

I have been having some fun the last few days. Last night was a good birthday on the beach. Fun dancing to techno music (as always), good food and it was warmish out. Although, there were a few times during the dancing part where I felt like Ben Stiller in “Along Came Polly,” in the basketball scene, when the big sweaty guy keeps rubbing up against him. Simon knows what I’m talking about! But, I would have to say that the highlight of the night by far was going to see this cover band down the beach with a few friends. As we arrived they were roaring through “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors, and the singer, dressed in a black turtleneck and cowboy boots, was nailing the Jim Morrison voice. I was amazed! Occasionally I noticed a funny twinge on the accent, but for the most part he was getting it really well. Then they played some Police, some Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. It was such a pleasure to hear some great music in English, and to be on the beach, will all these people around me yelling out their ideas of what the lyrics are, which ends up sounding like funny, half-pronounced English, was really a joy. Also, there was a homeless guy who was right up in the front doing some pretty intense dancing, who was undoubtedly “feeling the music,” and it all just added to the great scene. I left with my ears ringing.

Today I was supposed to go to Agrigento, where there was a massive festival for “youth.” I foolishly assumed that I was going to be able to take the bus, but as the buses are infrequent and undependable on normal weekdays, they were nowhere to be seen on this important day: May the first! So I ended up going to a barbeque in the country with a few kids. It was nice, and we ate a lot of meat.

A consistent and frustrating challenge of this experience has been transportation. Here in Favara literally every kid has a scooter or motorcycle, and that is pretty much the only mode of transportation, but AFS has a rule against riding on scooters, so we exchange students are oftentimes left in the dust when the armies of scooters buzz away to the beach, Agrigento, or the countryside. Today I was left in the dust when the group went to Agrigento for the festival, which was a pretty big shame, but I ended up going to the beach with my host mom and her friend. I enjoyed the late day sun on the ride to the coast.

Back in Favara we went to the grandmother’s house, who had promised to show me some old, old family photographs, which I was really excited to see. They were unbelievable. It was so nice to see all the young men in the 30’s and 40’s in their nice suits, with slicked back hair and leather shoes, looking sometimes serious and sometimes joking around. I love the quality of old photographs like that, especially just family snapshots.

Anyways, it is time for me to go. Enjoy the new photos from Romagna and this one. Tomorrow is Simon’s birthday!

Zander