Oh Trieste, What a Fickle Mistress You Are

As  I begin the fourth day of my stay in Trieste, I am becoming aware of how intricately complicated she really is. Although I have only had but a morsel of her, that morsel has been sufficient to create an infatuation that will undoubtedly grow to love as I discover and understand more of her complex nature.

I have awoken every morning with the wind singing through my window, stirring me to wake...at six or seven a.m.  I also take the wind as a sign of how the day (in relation to the weather) will be. I dress the part, only to realize that the wind is a false warning. This happened to me on the second day while my friend Abby and I were going to run errands. I changed into some warm weather clothing and we both headed out. I in shorts and a t-shirt and she in shorts and a blouse. Our mission that day was to locate a school building in the historic district and attend a meeting. I, of course, being in charge of the map, managed to get us lost. As we wandered in and out of quaint streets, we noticed dark skies heading our way. She, being from Vermont, was quick to point out that rain would soon be upon us. Surely enough, the rain began to pour some minutes later. The first drizzle was like heaven. It had been so long since I had felt rain. Each drop renewed my spirit and solidified my joy; it solidified how truly happy I am to be in this exact location at this exact moment in my life. The drizzle soon turned into a downpour and I fruitlessly tried to find our way. I finally decided to give the map to Abby (something I should have done in the first place). I found out that she has a much better sense of direction than I. We continued through beautiful streets and neighborhoods and got closer to our destination, but the rain was falling with more vigor, so we found a building that had some shelter and took cover. We waited until the rain passed and continued our trek. After our meeting, we explored a little more of the historic and waterfront district and had dinner at a lovely restaurant. I must admit, it was quite the romantic evening, ha ha.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was not nearly as great. I spent my whole day helping my friend Abby (and may I add my only friend here) buy a ticket back home. Unfortunately, this city and this program were not a good fit for her. She was not happy and needed to go back. She's currently on her way back home. I dropped her off at the train station last night. I wish her the best of luck with everything and it was a pleasure getting to know her.

So now,  I find myself in a precarious situation, but one that will reap great rewards if I am successful. As far as I know, I am the only American at this University and I have not had the opportunity to get to know anyone else. I chose this particular program because it was labeled as "full-immersion," which I found to be very exciting. I now know that label was in no way an exaggeration. The dorm I live in is not set up in a way that promotes interaction and the "orientation" mentioned in my packet is nonexistent. With no real direction or guidance, it is basically up to me do figure everything out, which both excites me and frightens me...nay, it ONLY excites me! I look forward to this challenge and figuring out ways to overcome it. I am sure it will turn out great...

But anyhoo, here are some pics of the University and Trieste. Enjoy!