Cinque Terre!

Hi, Welcome back to my blog! This week I started classes and took a trip to Cinque Terre. 

I kicked off the week with my jewelry-making class, and its going to be so much fun. We will be making a pendant, a ring, and some other cool pieces. Right away, I noticed some differences from my home institution and my current program which is the length and timing of the classes. My first class here was five hours long with a 30-minute break, and the rest of my classes are two and a half hours long. At UHM, the longest class I had was 90 minutes, so it is definitely an adjustment. Another surprising difference is that classes here can run as late as 8:30 PM. One of my professors mentioned that many American students struggle with the later class times. It is interesting how normal it is here compared to back home. 

  Another thing that really stood out to me was the diversity in the classroom. It’s filled with students from all over the world, speaking different languages. I’ve never been in a class with such a diverse group of people, and it's amazing to have a shared learning space with so many different perspectives. I think studying abroad gives you a huge advantage in learning different cultures first hand. 

My week was a mix of classes and exploring the city. Most days, I have one one or two classes, which gives me time to check out the morning markets or explore before heading to class. Each of my classes are in a different part of the city, which has helped me discover new areas and get familiar with the city. 

The week ended with a trip to Cinque Terre. This was a school organized trip which was really nice to be able to have a bus take us down to the coast and back. The bus departed at 6am and took us roughly about two and a half hours to get there. Cinque terre is a region within Italy that comprises 5 villages. I spend most of my time in monterosso, one of the more popular villages known for its beaches. Here we went swimming in the most beautiful blue water with amazing views, and explored the villages getting to see the colorful and unique areas. 

Towards the end of the day, we ventured to Riomaggiore, another beautiful village with its own character. Although this town seemed to be a little smaller, it had breathtaking cliffside views and spots for cliff jumping. I’d love to go back and explore more of the area, especially the villages I didn’t get a chance to see. I think this is a great place to visit and would be perfect to have at least two days to be able to explore and try out some local food.