Ravenna, Italy: It’s a matter of sink or swim.

During my first week of classes on the Bologna University campus, I realized that my study abroad program left very little time to acclimate to my new surroundings. Everything felt new, fresh, chaotic, exciting and overwhelming and it was the exact kind of adventure I wanted in a study abroad program. Back in the States, home and school life can sometimes feel monotonous and boring as we execute our routines as the days, weeks and months seem to slip by. For me, my time in Italy seemed to pass by more slowly. I think I accounted for time more consciously as I became overly aware and stimulated by my new surroundings. The mornings consisted of “survival” Italian classes. We were taught basic commands of the language so we could navigate through Bologna and interact with the local people. In the afternoon, our time was split and merged between the literary and film production portions of the program. We screened two films (“S.O.S Submarine” and “Rome, Open City”). The subsequent class discussions allowed us to critically analyze the narrative structures and production values of each film. Learning world history in a classroom setting is one thing, but when it is physically possible for me to occupy the same historical spaces being portrayed on the big screen, I walked out of each class with a profound understanding of how World War II affected Italy, its people and the world. The way Italian filmmakers realistically dramatized historical events made me feel, at times, like I was watching a documentary film.

By the fourth day of classes, I was able to politely ask for “this” or “that” from the nearby café at lunch. As I sat there eating my panino (a sandwich made with non-sliced bread, salami and mozzarella), I started to feel like I was living the Italian life instead of observing it. My confidence was at an all-time high when I pronounced “Ciao” to the café owner as I headed back to campus for my afternoon class.

My well-earned confidence was put to the test when we were given our first film production assignment. The next morning, the entire class boarded a train and traveled about fifty miles east of Bologna to the ancient city of Ravenna. We were divided into groups of three and we were instructed to produce a three-minute documentary film exploring the reality and imagination of Ravenna.

Ravenna: Città Amica Delle Donne (Friend of Women)

We were told Ravenna was once a thriving port along the Adriatic Sea but the water has since receded about seven miles. Like Venice, Ravenna is slowly sinking into the marshes. Each group was given a camera, a boom pole with a microphone and we were set free to roam Ravenna. My team quickly headed for the nearest café and we started to strategize. We each pulled out our cell phones and connected to the café’s free Wifi. We quickly learned that Ravenna was known for its colorful mosaics and it was the capital of the Roman Empire between 402 and 476. We decided that a three-minute documentary about Ravenna would not do the city justice, so we decided to capture the “feeling” of Ravenna through her natural environments, her buildings and her people. Unlike some of our fellow students groups, it was going to be a little harder for us to insert ourselves into the city without being noticed. Our team was comprised of an American Indian (me), an Indian from India and an African-American. Our recordings included visits to Dante’s tomb, the churches, and the newer port of Ravenna along the Adriatic. Any trepidation we had about our Ravenna adventures was only in our heads. We found the people of Ravenna to be modest and polite, even when we spoke Italian with our American accents.

Before I visited Italy, my impression of this country consisted of mental images of the canals of Venice, Vatican City in Rome or Santa Maria del Fiore (the domed church in Florence). At the end of the day, I was extremely happy with my visit to Ravenna.

Ravenna, Italy (SU Abroad) from Cornsoupman on Vimeo.

And then there was light…and breakfast

The differences between my world in America and my new world in Italy were apparent right way. With my modest-sized suitcase in my hand, I waved my key card in front of a panel beside my dorm room. I heard a magnetic click as my door unlocked. I threw my bags on my bed and I searched for the electrical adapter so I could recharge my phone. I plugged my phone into the wall but the life-affirming green light on my charger was not activated. I walked over to the light switch and I toggled between on and off. No luck there either. The only thing that resembled electricity was a dimly lit green arrow next to the door. With my key card still in my hand, I inserted it into the slot and I heard a faint click. The lights came on and I felt cooler air at the back of my neck. I was amazed that the Bologna campus was so progressive in being “green” and I wished that we could be more like that back home. As I left my room for a group meeting, I pulled the key card from the wall. The lights went out and the air conditioner went off. In some small way, I felt like I was making a small contribution in the global effort to conserve energy.

After a good night’s rest, I was ready to start my first day of classes. However, the first order of business was breakfast. As I ventured through the hallways to the dining hall and upon entering the room, my first impression was that the Italian students did not look that much different from the other students at the Syracuse campus. As I carried my tray of food, I became acutely aware of the incessant chatter emanating throughout the room and I realized I didn’t understand what was being said. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to endure this surreal moment of feeling out-of-place by myself since there were twelve other Syracuse students participating in my film studies program. As I sat down next to the other film students, my attention turned to my Italian breakfast. What lay before me was not my “breakfast of champions” that I was accustomed to back home. My tray contained a fresh-baked croissant (with Nutella), a banana, a yogurt, a cup of pear juice (from a box) and a tiny ceramic cup of espresso. I can’t deny I was a little let down. Where were my eggs, toast, bacon and my 16 ounces of coffee? I said to myself, “You are in Italy…do as the Italians do!” I took a deep breath and I devoured what was in front of me. I was a little surprised that bread, yogurt and fruit were actually quite filling. As I was leaving the dining hall, the server politely said something in Italian, which I didn’t understand. I didn’t worry too much since I was on my way to my first Italian language class!

When in Bologna, Italy…

I think it is important to understand how I view the world. Everyone one comes from a place they call “home”.  For me, I am a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, which means that I grew up on an Indian reservation located in western New York State. I am considered both a citizen of the United States and my tribe (approximately 8,000+ members).

I was excited to begin my studies in Bologna, Italy through Syracuse University’s “Italian Neorealism and Documentary Filmmaking in Bologna” program. As my departure date approached, I was creating a pile of things I was going to pack for my trip and I was ordering my required textbooks online. Mentally, I was preparing how my studying abroad was going to affect me personally. I really didn’t think how my absence at home was going to affect others until my family planned a going away picnic for me. Having a picnic with your family is one thing, but I have forty-one first cousins so this get together was an event. I have traveled abroad a few times before but for my family, this time it was different. No one in my large extended family had ever studied abroad and very few had even attended college. In my culture, we do not have a word for “good-bye” so as I was saying my “until next time”, my family was less worried about me bringing back souvenirs than expressing their desire for me to have fun and return safely. After that picnic, the perspective of my studies in Italy shifted. Unlike my prior leisure trips abroad, I felt a duty to make my family proud.

A few days before my departure, I felt like a part of me was already on my journey to Italy. I’d find my mind preoccupied with the future steps required to get me from my home reservation to the University of Bologna campus. I’d find myself thinking (and sometimes sharing with my parents), “Gee, in forty-eight hours, I’ll be on the flight to Italy”. Although my statement was stated with a sense of glee and anticipation, I also became aware how those words affected my mother. My mum would say “I know you are going to have a good time”. Thanks to modern technology, leaving home for far away journeys does not need to feel as permanent to the one who leaves or for the ones who are left behind. As my train departed the Buffalo-Depew train station, I was able to text my mom and dad that I missed them already and I thanked them for being there for me.

As the wheels of my trans-Atlantic plane lifted off the ground at JFK airport, I became acutely aware how lonely it felt sitting there in seat 10C. Only a few days before, I was surrounded by my parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. I opened one of my digital devices and I browsed through a multitude of images of my life on Seneca territory. In a small way, I was already a little homesick. When we travel to far distant lands, we usually bring souvenirs or mementos back to help us remember our experiences. I realized the images on my phone were in themselves souvenirs from home and they were helping me to not forget where I came from.

I arrived at the Bologna University campus safely and I checked into my dorm room. For the next five weeks, I will be doing as the Bologna students do and I will be studying and living within this ancient city.