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.