JRN Assignment 1: Weekend in Venice

Upon our arrival in Venezia, several striking culture shocks presented themselves immediately. The first: no cars. On the entire island. The canal system is very intricate and probably the most confusing thing for foreigners to navigate that I have ever encountered. But aside from the obvious like having boats for cars and water for streets, the people were very different as well. Obviously there are vast differentions in the way Italians think, walk, talk, dress, and act but as the trip goes on I will be able to gain more insight and delve deeper into the reasons behind these differences.





While in Venice, we also learned about various elements of respect. As the Ventians dine, it is inappropriate to look at your glass when making a toast as you should look another directly in the eye instead. Then in all the churches, clothing must cover at least the knees though most italians sheltered their entire legs behind pants and both male and female shoulders must be covered out of respect for God and those trying to worship. I have heard many italians joke that Italy is a nation of roughly 99.9% catholics; from what I have seen I must agree.





In order to "do as the Italians do", I tried to politely and secretly observe conversations or engage in them with locals in Venice for this assignment. At a small bar watching the World Cup, I listened in on a couple seated behind me and found out they were actually from the University of Georgia in the U.S. I listened as they discussed their experiences they were having now since graduating compared to when they each studied abroad during their time in undergrad. After I joined the conversation they were very interested in sharing their experiences; as was I. We ended up hanging out for quite a while and even met them again at a different bar. However I also had a different conversation that same night with a man who looked like a 'pledging frat-star' being publically hazed (notice the marks on his legs in the photo to the left) in a square before the group ate dinner. I spoke with him and learned that as a 'right of passage' from the University (he had just got his doctorate in Languages) you basically were taken out by your friends, got obliterated drunk, and forced to do a variety of embarrassing things for sometimes more than one night. He seemed to be having a good time with everything and was very nice to talk to.

But to describe a place like Venice was very difficult for me and could almost be told as the beginning of a story for the assignment:

Hopping off the boat from the grand canal led us into the seamingly endless maze of waterways that is the great city of Venice. No cars, no roads, just streets of water, sidewalks, and bridges. If you are not lost in Venice, you are a Venetian.

Besides the extreme heat, Venice was an awesome, confusing place. Definitely a must see if you are in Italy because there is really no other place like it. Very glad I got to experience it first hand.