The Final Dayz

After the return from Ischia there remained just about 2 weeks to go before the big departure. Much of this time was spent at the beach, or going out with friends and all such things. I stayed the night at Kyriam's house once and enjoyed my first apple pie that I'd had in a very, very long time...it was GOOD.
Then two days later my alarm woke me up very early where I walked to the station and caught the train to Lido where Dario waited for me in his "Disfunctional Yellow Submarine" Soon we were on our way to a small town called Isca..where one of the most beautiful pieces of coast in Calabria is located. And it is also where his grandparents live. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by his grandma and were given fresh peaches..from their own tree I think. They grew everything. Then his grandpa came in and got us ready and took us to go fishing for parrot fish. I wish I could've taken pictures, but a little while before, I had been robbed. We had been out dancing -.- and someone had broken into the car and stole my basically brand new camera, my ipod, all my money and credit card, bank cards...AND my beloved Ray Bans! I was hysterical. I felt so violated, knowing that someone who I didn't even know had gone through my bag. Now someone is in possession of my camera with glimpses of my life on it, and they saw everything in my bag, and went through my wallet and saw the picture of me and my brother, and left all my gift cards and Canadian money, and saw my ID, but didn't take it. But it was the most horrible feeling. And honestly most of the time people are probably my least favourite thing on the planet. I'm pretty social, but I look around and I look at the society and the mentality and all these things, I get so angry sometimes. And it's things like this that send me over the edge.
Anyways, back to the positives. So we fished away most of the morning, and then after me and D went to the beach, and it was beautiful. The water was a sparkling turquoise and the sand was a soft gold, hot from the sun. I didn't want to leave. But eventually did return to the house, where I had a lovely shower outside and then ate a nice pasta lunch. When we had eaten our fill, his grandpa went and napped and his grandma settled down by the TV, me and D went downstairs and played pool for a while, and then went out exploring on two rickety old-fashioned bicycles that rattled and clanked with every bump in the road. We came to a stream and pedalled across and went up a small windy road through the trees and saw old crumbly houses, when we came across another stream. By this time the day had grown even hotter, so we kicked off our sandals and put out bare feet in the cool water running over the road and watched tad poles dance around our toes. Then we headed back and met two puppies so we stopped to give them a pat and rode on until we reached the house again. Then we went with his grandfather to his orchard where he grew grapes and oranges and pears and peaches and plums, figs, and anything you could ever imagine, and he also made his own wine and he showed me how it worked and everything. It was quite interesting. Too bad you can't do that way up here in the north. By the time we returned, it had grown a bit late, and supper was starting preparation, which was to be the fish we had caught that morning. So to kill time, we got out an old scooter/motorcycle/european style thing and started it up and zoomed around, and then D taught me how to drive it...those things are funnn!! And we were back just in time for fried fish. Although I was a little queazy about cutting off deep-fried heads with eyes glaring up at me...but other than that it was very delicious.
We left right after supper, as I had to be home by midnight and it would take a while to get there. So we said our good-byes and thank-yous and then we were on our way again, happy and very tired from the full day. And on the way back we stopped in Lido for a frappe and a bounce on some trampolines before I arrived back at the house early and went to bed, tanned and exhausted.
So, I'm sorry I have no pictures to share, but as you can see, I was without a camera at this time. But it was a good day that will never be forgotten.
So here's to a good, sunny day!
-Mik

Ischia

So about two weeks after school was finished all AFS students in Southern Italy were to gather at a small island called Ischia just a boat ride away from Naples. It was extremely hot and sunny every day. Sweating was a daily routine. The first full day after we arrived was spent mostly at the beach and by the pool side. That is where I received my second major burn...this time on my front. It was EXTREMELY uncomfortable...but luckily not nearly as bad as the first burn. The beach was gorgeous however.

The safety signs for emergency exit
..look like alien abduction signs

On the way to the beach

Predrag!!

Ahh..the beach

Lovely isn't it?

Sun and sand

Walking in the waves

Whoo!

Alyssa

Just chillin' ...getting burned

Go Canada

Poolside

That afternoon after lunch was full of activities and prep for leaving and going home, which was coming up very, very soon. It seemed strange. Seemed like just the other day we were being prepped for starting out.

Afternoon activities

Lawn

Lindsay and Alyssa

Mert

Supper!!

Asuka and Sue-sue

Me and Alyssa

Amr from Egypt

Mmmm pasta

Tierneigh and a volunteer discussing
our "emotional curves" of the year

Those past four days were spent with friends under the sun. We had our share of games and activities and prep. And at the end, a few tears were spilt, but not many because we knew we'd see each other again for a day in Rome before the Big Departure. It was hot and I will never forget the people I met there.. <3

So cheers to our friends,

-Mik

The After School Life

Life after school was over consisted mainly of sun burn and constant sweaty arm-pits. In a good way though. My first sun burn of the year was a bright red, blistering and painful, covering my entire back and backs of my legs. The best I could do was lay on my bed face down and not move. Ever. I could barely stand to wear clothes. The next day Antonella bought me some sort of cream..but after a few days there were still no signs of improvement. And finally one day I managed to ease on some shorts and a loose fitting shirt and flip flops, and I went out with Dario and we stopped at the pharmacy where they gave me a type of spray and  cream for my horrible burn. I thanked them and walked attempted to walk out the door somewhat normal. As soon as we reached our destination I made for the bathroom and applied the spray and sudden relief ran down from my shoulders all the way to my ankles. It was the most AMAZING thing ever! Within 3 days it was gone. This burn was all thanks to baking in olive oil, and not turning over the whole time, on the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean. Olive oil + glow-in -the-dark skin + hole in the ozone layer = MAJOR sun burn. Don't do it folks. Put on sunscreen. The heat in the summer is unbeatable. There is no escape. Out of all the other hot places I've visited, even closer to the equator than Italy, I've never felt sick from heat. But there it was something much different. It was not easy to get used to. Although days under the sun on the sand were quite enjoyable. Things under the sun always seem better don't they? Until you get burnt that is..

Goodbye Misery, Hello Sunshine

And so another small portion of school was still left over for me when I came back from Venice, unfortunately. But let's thank the fact that at least it was only a small portion of about two more weeks. So the days dragged on, sitting in a dark, stifling classroom, watching the beautiful sun shining outside, as it was unbearable to even glance at the sparse white walls marked with shoe prints and graffiti...and the occasional hole from someone kicking the poorly built door barely hanging in there. The hallways smelled of bathroom. Because something went wrong in the wonderfully disgusting bathrooms, but no one bothered to fix it for a while, better to let it ferment a bit first, and just close up the bathroom on that floor. Ah yes! Way to get things done. Anyways the days went by murderously slow, and chaos was everywhere as students, come spring, decide they don't need to listen to teachers anymore. Havoc was brought into the hallways of the pink prison - I mean..school. Luckily, I got to leave school three days earlier than when everything was actually finished, because I had to go to an island off of Naples called Ischia for a camp with AFS. But that's another story. On my last day of school I managed to snap a few photos...so you get the idea of the place.

May I introduce...La Doria

:/

Alessia

Up and about

In the chaos, there is love

Sara, me, Alessia, Giuseppe, Vanessa

Waitin' for the teacher

My desk

Kyriam's desk

Yay Canada

Foreign powers..unite!

...Giuseppe..

 La Giarmoleo
math teacher

The team

So that was my last day at school. I gave out some of the BILLIONS of Canadian pins that mom sent with me -.- and yeah. You know that I only said goodbye to two teachers there? Two. The others...I didn't say a word. You may all be thinking "Hmm that's not good Mick you should've said goodbye. You'll regret it later." Maybe you'd be right, if it were a different situation. I could've said bye if I wanted to, but I didn't. I didn't care. After being told I was insufficient, treated like I was stupid, being constantly "controlled," and even had lies spread to fellow colleague teachers, all the ignorance and stupid comments, being yelled at just because...why should I say goodbye? Why should I have to care when they clearly didn't? So no. I did not say goodbye. And I do not regret it. I won't see them ever again, but they were far from being people who made an impact on my life here...in the sense that they were important to me and I'd miss them when I came home. I'm not sorry and neither are they. So we'll just leave it at that. I was finally free of that place that had caused so many problems in the past, and I was finally let out into the sunshine to enjoy my last days spent here. Goodbye misery, hello sunshine.

Venice Round 2? I Think So!

So the week after my birthday I went off to Venice for another week to visit the family there and just hang out. Ilaria (the 14 year old daughter) had school unfortunately, but I spent my days wandering the city called Mestre, where the family lives. It's the city just outside Venice. I went out early in the morning, sipping cappuccinos and looking at pretty things and gathering gifts (as well as maybe one or two for myself), meeting new people, some strange and some nice, just getting lost. Good stuff. It was sunny every day and birds were singing in big beautiful trees while shop keepers washed the sidewalk out front of their store with soap and water...lickably clean the place was. Unfortunately I only got to go to Venice twice that time, but I won't complain. I took the bus by myself and met up with another exchange student named Santiago from Argentina who lived in Venice. He knew all the ways to go and all the good places to see, and he took me to a little bar in an alley way where there was a not very old, but very wise man with greying hair and twinkling eyes who gave us our drinks. He already knew Santiago, so we were friends there I guess, and I was given an extra olive in my drink because the first one was so yummy....the olive I mean. And there we talked for hours about all things in life, ad I say I learned a lot more in that tiny little bar with the sun setting on the city of Venice then I have ever learned about life in any school after a month. And then as the hour grew later unfortunately we had to leave, and we sat on a dock chatting about all that has passed in this strange year, watching the sun sink down low, casting a shadow on the basilica and turning the water into molten gold. Then we slowly and casually made our way back to the buses through the ancient winding streets, let and right, up and down, over bridges and up stairways. It seemed like a miracle we found our way back. Then another day passed and I went to Venice again, this time specifically for gift-gathering and such things, as well as eating ice cream and taking a few pictures. Thank goodness I had a guide!! We also tried to stop at the bar again but the man with the twinkling eyes wasn't there, and so we went on. I must say by the end of that day I was absolutely dead. Rushing around in Venice is good excersise.

Mestre...a cloudy morning turned into a hot
sunny afternoon

The market

Fresh veggies!

Fishies...and..things with legs

Wanderin'

On the way to Ilaria's school

Sunshine..

I loved the trees

The family turtle

The family mop..I mean dog

I found this poster advertising studying in Canada
...the first one I've seen!

The church in Piazza San Marco

Santiago with my sunglasses

Church

In the piazza

In the piazza again

...Bu..a narrow street

On the bus

What a winner

So that was my second trip to Venice...another beautiful experience I dare say....that is definitely going to be a place that will always remain with me in my heart...a must-see for those of you who consider visiting this country one day.

Cheers,

-Mik