Day 16

Leaving Castelrotto was tough today. It’s always interesting when you look and realize how attached you get to a place. I’m not sure how to put the type of attachment it was, but it was this feeling of home. I mentioned it before but it was hard not to see it as home/ familiar. I left the place, missing the mountains and missing that place of awe. I think it was also impart because it felt like we just finished our trip with this beautiful 4 star place, and it wasn’t. I’m not beginning this with complaints about Venice at all, but Castelrotto was where my heart was recharged and I felt most at peace.

So, Venice started with the trains. I think its important to talk a bit about the train rides, because we’ve lived on the trains the past couple weeks. They were our way around as well as a chance to see how people interact. Personal space is smaller in Italy…It’s not as big a deal, and that is for sure the opposite back in the states. Only in Italy (not true, but its different than America) you’ll have all the seats, as well as open floor space filled with strangers. Everyone seems to have a common decency about it as well. I never noticed any sighs, or angry looks. I guess it’s a bit in part to it being daily life, but I’d also believe its just how people are raised to know community, and to be respectful for the sake of face/ honor.

(I’m currently having issues trying to figure out what to talk about too so my thoughts may begin to get scattered).

Oh here’s something to talk about, education. I’ve discovered things are drastically different. So besides the basic same thing through early elementary, kids here have to/ maybe it could be seen as get to, choose their direction for careers so much earlier. It through me for a loop to discover that when they are about the same as half way through high school they are put on tracks based off of test scores and interests. Though that sounds all good and fine, it was interesting to hear that it sort of becomes the only option. If one goes into technology, they can’t go into teaching, that sort of thing. If your in the science, your in the science. That seems like so much on a person. I don’t want to get emotionally involved, but it does strike me as controlled to not train the child with a strong foundation and then let them try things out. I don’t know if I’m right or not since I’m not studying education, but its interesting to see. They are much more deep in studies much earlier on.

Something else that I’ve been noticing and thinking about lately, Is the way teens act. Facts like how they don’t get involved in sexual acts until their near 20, compared to the 15-17 years old for Americans. To the fact they frequent bars starting at age 16, sometimes 14. It’s interesting. Kids seem to do a lot of the same things we do back home, shopping, sports, relaxing, and the like, but they do them differently. It still blows me away when I see kids smoking in the streets like its normal. I ask myself where is the balance? Where are they getting things right here, compared to back home? I think the structure back home is safer, but then again I notice the trends here show kids not being as extremely stupid as the one back home can trend. It’s another random thought I’ve been tossing around… I don’t know where I’ll end and right now I can’t thoroughly think through it, but it keeps blipping up in my thoughts. So, I shared that blurp.

So after that I guess I could also talk a bit about Venice. It does not come off like it does in the movies. I know the place is always in repair, but I thought it would look more clean and beautiful. It is I should say….but… it’s a charm rather than a true architectural beauty I think. This place is full of alleys, expected, and it narrow pretty much ever. Yet,  here the buildings look their age…peeling paint and rotting wood. I don’t want to take away from the charm of the city on the waves, but it’s a real place with real people.

I’m excited to go out tomorrow and check out the rest of this place, and hopefully find more about it like I’ve dreamt of doing. Something else that I need to do is to start seeing the difference in the tourists and the locals. It may be harder here, but there are also more Americans which means it could be easier to notice how Americans do fit into their world seen stereotype.