Starting to Get Reflective

I've been having a pretty great week enjoying the beautiful beaches and scenery that Sardinia has to offer but as my time in Sardinia is beginning to come to a close I have begun to think more about how beneficial traveling here has been for me. Over the last few years I've fantasized about what it would be like to travel to Europe one day, hoping that one day I'd finally have the chance to take the much romanticized trip across the pond. I didn't really care where I'd go, I was just dying to experience a taste of European culture. Thankfully the opportunity for me to do this program arose and I was able to get my first glimpse of Europe through one of the most unique lenses possible.
It has been an invaluable experience to be thrown into a land in which I can barley even form a sentence in its native language. Though admittedly this no one's fault but my own, this language barrier has allowed me to interact in this environment in a way that feels totally genuine and authentic to me in a strange way. It makes me feel like I am experiencing an entirely different form of traveling than I ever have before.  It's a bit hard to explain but it feels like I am taking in the purest possible form of the Sanitarian experience, almost as if I am a fly on the wall. This is something I anticipated as being frustrating and yet here I am talking about how much it has added to my experience. This entire trip has really changed what traveling means and feels like to me and I cannot wait to see how this attitude fares in other places I will visit around the world in my lifetime. Thankfully, I just finished booking all of the transportation logistics of my solo backpacking trip after the concision of this program. Sad to start thinking about leaving Sardinia but I'm excited for the next leg of my European journey. More reflective thoughts in blog posts to come.

Farmer's Tan Be Gone

I can say with almost 100% certainty that this is the first summer in my life where I do not currently have a farmer's tan. It has been my goal for years now to prevent myself from acquiring these hard cut off tan lines that my body is so inclined to getting at the start of every summer. My last few days have been spent mostly lying on the beach with my shirt off, a life I could very easily see myself getting used to. There is nothing more relaxing than spending a day alternating between swimming in the beautiful translucent Mediterranean waters and drying off on shore in the sun. In fact, that's exactly what I have done the last 2 out of 3 days. And what's on the agenda for today? You guessed it, more beach time. As the remaining days of the program begin to quickly count down, I am glad that we were able to enjoy a full on ‘beach phase’ so to speak and enjoy the island’s natural beauty to its fullest extent.

With our first two projects and our exam in the rear view, I’d say this is the least stressed state I’ve been in in months, bar none. Every moment feels as though passes in a purely leisurely manner and I’m loving every second of it. Yesterday after the beach we waited for about two hours for a bus to come by that wasn’t too crowded to get on. This unluckily never ended up happening and we decided to walk the entire 5 or so miles back to our dorms; a beautiful walk that seemed to only take minutes. I can’t convey how great it feels to be in a state of pure enjoyment of my life at this moment.  

A day in and around the Mediterranean

As I type this blog entry I am trying my best to find a comfortable position to sit in that won't cause any additional pain to the massive sunburn on my back.  As it turns out, I drastically underestimated the power of the sun during some of this week's activities.

After class and a lecture at the university on Monday, our class took a much needed break in the action to go sailing Tuesday morning. We arrived at the marina at 8 that morning and after an extremely brief introductory lesson headed out to the docks to hop on our respective boats. I had previously done some sailing in a boat of similar size and shape to the ones we used and could not have been more excited for the day ahead. Though there was little to no wind when we first raised our sails, once we exited the bay area we started in the winds picked up and our boat stated to really cruise. We set our destination to be just past the cliffs surrounding Cagliari and headed off. I spent almost this entire time laying down on the boat's deck relaxing with my shirt off, assisting in the occasional sailing duty. Made it around the cove and were exposed to an amazing view of  Cagliari from the sea, a nice reversal of the usual view from the city. After turning around we stopped at another crystal clear cove that is a popular swimming destination. We dropped anchor and immediately dove in. I put on a snorkel and goggles and my mind was blown by how I could see clear to the 20ish foot or so deep sea floor, along with dozens of fish swirling about. It was incredible to be able to see fish swimming around just a few feet below you while you're right there in the water with them. It even temps you to just reach out and grab one, which as it turns out is much more difficult than it looks. We reluctantly got out of the water eventually and hoisted our sails yet again.
About half an hour into our return journey I experienced what was by far the closest call I have ever had on a boat before. While we were under sail (giving us the nautical right of way) another appeared to be veering directly onto our course. This is a common occurrence, only requiring a slight readjustment by the other boat to change course and clear way way for us. As we began to get within 30-40 feet of the boat it became clear that its captain was not turning. From the front of our boat where I was standing we could spot one man on the entire ship, standing away from his ship's wheel and not controlling its direction. As we were turning our boat as sharply as possible to avoid any contact as the distance closed, it appeared that a collision was inevitable. I stood up from the seat and braced for impact. The other boat narrowly skidded by us, with less than a foot between its sides and our bow.  Given how fast the distance between our two crafts was closing, I was honestly extremely surprised in that moment that we didn't have a full on collision. In the end no one was hurt and we laughed the whole thing off.
After sailing we spent the remainder of the day relaxing on the beach directly next to the harbor. The water was shallow and warm, perfect for casual swimming and relaxing. After jumping into the Mediterranean a few more times I laid down on my towel and took in some rays. A few too many rays as it would turn out. Upon leaving the beach that day my entire backside, along with my legs and feet were lobster red. Though it would certainly leave me in some discomfort for days to come, sunburn is a small price to pay the incredible day I had. 

Mountain Excursions

We had the opportunity again this weekend to see some of the other parts of Sardinia outside of Cagliari, specifically the mountainous region surrounding the island's east coast. Though it was a bit of bus ride to get out there, it was well worth it to see some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever come across.

On the road 

After about a two hour drive from Cagliari we found ourselves in a small town on the outskirts of the mountains. Here we visited a cultural museum which highlighted customary Sardinian clothing and its use in religious traditions that were carried out in the region. We were informed of some of the ceremonies that were once carried out and shown photographs of some of them in action, as well as models of recreations. Some of them seemed a little eccentric and strange but highly interesting nonetheless. 

Another costume from a traditional celebration, bearing strong resemblance to the creepy dead rabbit thing in 'Donnie Darko'  

Masked men dressed in black from head to toe pull a cart for a 'carnival' type of festival in which people take on the roles of animals. These men are symbolically switching place with oxen on a farm.

These practices were seen as pagan and primitive to Christian missionaries that eventually came to the region, who discouraged their popularity and continuation. Based on what we saw it was easy to see how these festivals can look a little less than angelic to the outside viewer. If I was unfamiliar with these traditions and saw the pack of men from the picture above trudging in my direction I would certainly be a little freaked out. Though Christianity has been the dominant belief system in the area for some time now it was interesting to get a glimpse of how the culture of the region developed completely independently of those in continental Europe.  

Took this picture in passing from the bus, got lucky and accidentally got a Sardinian flag in there 

The next leg of our journey brought us about an hour further into the mountains to a large farm run by shepherds who cook massive meals for travelers visiting the area. The food was fresh and incredibly good, and as usual the wine was plentiful. We had sheep meat boiled with potatoes in some sort of broth that was so tender it is practically falling apart in your mouth. My personal favorite was the roasted suckling pig, whose aroma became the first thing on your mind upon walking into the seating area. The tender juicy white meet of the pig is perfectly complemented by the crispy, smoky, and salty skin surrounding it. I ate as much of it as physically could and left myself feeling uncomfortably full and totally satisfied. The meal also came with a shot of grain alcohol at its conclusion, in case you didn't get your fill from the wine. The lunch suddenly became a huge social function after all of the eating was done. The shepherds led traditional group dances and belted out some impressive sounding traditional throat singing. We intermingled with other Italian tourists at the site, who had clearly taken advantage of the farm's unlimited wine policy. They were extremely friendly, took plenty of pictures with us, and welcomed us to their country. I really got a kick out of the whole thing. Not a single person without a smile could be found.  

I succumbed to my food coma immediately upon sitting back down on the bus and woke up in Orgosolo, a mountainside city know for its infamous history of banditry and rebellion. The city is filled with dozens of beautiful graffiti murals, most of which are filled with political and social commentary. We wandered up and down the streets admiring them. The US was depicted in a few of the murals, in a not so positive way.

We spent the night at an amazing hotel built right up on a mountainside. As soon as we pulled into parking lot the first thing on my mind was finding a way to the top of the mountain that was essentially in the backyard of the hotel.  I went to my room to quickly throw down my belongings, appreciated the insane view of the mountains our balcony provided, and set out on a hike. A lot of people got wind of our plan and came along with us. We found a few trails and began making our way up the mountain. I saw a rock formation with a few anchors drilled into its side and decided that I should try climbing one of the easier routes, which a little overambitious considering I didn't have any ropes and was only wearing hiking boots. I made it about 15-20 feet up before I did't feel safe enough to keep climbing. Thankfully Ted was right with me the whole time and was able to guide me down safely, with only a minor scratch on my stomach from scraping against rock. We caught up to the rest of the group making our way up off trail through some more rocks and got to the rock formation just shy of the mountain's peak where everyone was gathering. We took turns climbing to the tippy top (for lack of a better word) of the rock formation and enjoyed one of the best panoramic views I have ever seen on a hike:

Just before sunset

The hike was so great we decided to do it again before we left, and got up at 5:30 the next morning to see the sunrise from the mountain's peak:

Sunrise from the top of the mountain

After breakfast we shipped out to a small port side town on the island's eastern coast and boarded a boat that took us out on the crystal clear Mediterranean waters for a series of scenic location visits. We stopped first at a massive cave on the ocean that was once heavily populated with seals that has since become a tourist destination. Though the cave was very cool (In both the literal and colloquial sense of the word) they unfortunately did not allow any pictures. We then proceeded to spend the remainder of the day essentially being chauffeured by boat to what were without a doubt the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. There were plenty of rocks to be climbed and jumped off of into the perfectly picturesque ocean. Here's what the beaches looked like:

  After the long and exhausting day of lounging on the beach, we finally made it to land and three hours later back to Cagliari. We had met a few Americans in a rock band touring on the island a few nights ago and knew that they were playing a show at a local bar that night. A couple of us went down to see what turned out to be a pretty fun show. It is still so strange to me to see Sardinians with such appreciation for rock music in English but nonetheless I love it. We also met a few other native English speakers hailing from England, Scotland, and the US who all live and work in the city. I am slowing getting better at meeting other people in these types of situations when we go out, given that I really don't speak any Italian and most Sardinians don't speak English. In fact last night I think I spoke more Spanish than either language, just because of the preference of the locals in being able to understand me given how similar the languages are. It always works out though, hand gestures tend to make up for what words can't. It was a good end to an amazing weekend. 

First Project in The Books

So we're about two weeks into the program at this point and on Monday afternoon we presented our first group projects to the class. Our topic focused around the handling of construction and demolition waste in the EU and how it compares to the US. I was a bit surprised by how little this topic has been mentioned historically and currently in EU environmental regulation given how substantial of a portion construction and demolition waste make up of all of the EU's solid waste. Though there may be a lack of detail in their regulation the EU has set the impressive and ambitious goal of recycling 70% of this type of waste by the year 2020. By contrast the US has no common goal for the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste, and individual states are free to set their own standards. This results in lots of non-uniformity in sustainability throughout the country which in my opinion holds the nation back as a whole. I believe that for the progression of sustainable waste management in the US the federal government must begin to impose nationwide regulation pertaining to the management of construction and demolition. 

After our presentation my fellow group members and I went out for a celebratory meal at a local restaurant. We ordered a few liters of wine and two sampler type appetizers to start us off and were caught completely off guard by what was eventually brought to our table. A fleet of waiters brought 3 or 4 trays full of plates of native Sardinian foods we otherwise would have never ordered on our own. There was so much food coming to us the waiters had a grab another table to add alongside ours just to have enough room for all of the plates. Various types of seafood like sea snail and octopus were brought out alongside various cheeses and breads. Some more exotic foods made an appearance as well, such as what was apparently cow knuckle and liver. This was gesticulated to us by our enthusiastic waitress who pointed to her hand to indicate the knuckle dish and said "when you drink too much" and pointed to the mid-chest region for the liver. All hope of ordering a main course was eliminated once we finally finished the mountains  of delicious appetizers, concluding one of the most enjoyable meals I have had thus far on the island. I really liked having no idea what it was that we ordered and eaten until we had already had it all and would like to do that again. On a side note I ate horse for the first time today, in the form of a generously sized steak accompanied by french fries. It was very good and surprisingly similar to steak from a cow, though just a little bit tougher. I will never look at a horse the same way again.      

Our most recent technical field trip was to a large Sardinian landfill about 45 minutes from Cagliari. I had seen landfills from a distance before but this was my first time seeing one in the process of being operated and maintained. The property the landfill occupies is absolutely massive and it took us an additional 10-15 minuets just to drive from the front gates of the property to the actively maintained portion of the landfill. I had no idea how huge and complicated it was to handle the systems involved with landfill operation and maintenance. Surprisingly though, this was definitely the least smelly of all of the sites we have visited this far and there was quite a nice view from the landfill. We also visited the co-generative power portion of the site, where captured biogas from the landfill is used to generate both heat and electricity sustainability.    

  

West Coast Weekend Trip

After a fun filled late night of enjoying a Bob Dylan cover band at a local rock venue, we woke up early the next day to embark on our first weekend trip. Actually 'woke up early' is a total overstatement, as the first words I heard upon opening my eyes that morning were "the bus is here". I made it to the bus as quickly as i possibly could, albeit late and totally under packed for an overnight stay. With everyone finally on board (me being the person now making that statement true) we headed out to our first destination, the Sardinian geo-mining park.

The drive to the geomining park was about an hour of stunning views of the Sardinian western mountain ranges and the dramatic cliffs of the coastline. Long steep roads lead us through the windy route to our destination, a white sandy beach surrounded by tremendously tall and flat rock faces:

View from just right of the beach

After about a 20 minuet hike alongside the basses of the mountains, we found ourselves at the entrance of the geomine, a now closed but once active mine. The site is now used as an example to show visitors the basic structure and layout of the mines that once flourished in the area. It is very interesting to see the now abandoned ghost towns in the surrounding area that were once heavily populated during the peak operation of these mines. We went on a tour of the mine which was cool and even cooler when we reached the end of the dark mining tunnel and were shown what was probably the best view I have seen on the island thus far:

 

We spent the night on an agroturismo tucked away in the mountains about another hour from the geomining park. An agroturismo is essentially a farm in which tourists are provided with rooms to sleep in as well as breakfast, dinner, and lunch, usually consisting of foods produced on the farm itself. Everything was delicious and it was nice to have a great sit down meal of authentic and fresh Sardinian food after a long day outside. After dinner a few of us went outside and laid in a nearby field to talk and stare up at the stars for while. It was a good end to a good day.

Photos of Sardinian Waste Management in Action!

Mountain of paper and cardboard products stored at a paper recycling facility

Some of Cagliari's finest on duty collecting waste throughout the city

Small plastic recycling collection in the the University 

Toner cartridge recycling alongside a paper recycling bin 

General waste bin in a plaza

Street art decorated containers for paper, plastic, and glass waste

Paper, plastic, and organic waste recycling bins