Blog post #1:
Wow. I feel like
that’s the best way to start my post, the word that best summarizes my first 48
hours of this trip. I thought that I was
getting better at managing emotional ups and downs, but yesterday certainly
tested my limits and I’m not quite sure I handled it well. There were a few tears, that’s for sure, but
after having been awake for about 36 hours and then finding out that you had
just ridden a tram for a half hour in the wrong direction, the tram driver ask
you where you were headed and request that you sit by him so that he can point
out the correct stop, I felt helpless and inept, incompetent when it comes to
getting around foreign places. That on
top of my two hours searching frantically for the USA booth at Parco Valentino,
to no avail. That’s actually my first
task today, after getting a wifi password and asking some more questions about
the delegate shuttle bus.
It’s hard to say what the best moment of my day was
yesterday: Being guided by a kind woman
to the right street after getting off the tram at 11:30 p.m. or my hot
shower. There were many kind people I
came across yesterday, guiding me towards the right places, but unfortunately
when I got on the tram last night to get to my hostel, I asked the wrong
question to which I thought I had the right answer. Learning tip:
Don’t just ask about the name of the train but your final desination as
well. Haha you might just end up going
in the exact opposite direction you want to go.
I’m not gonna lie, though.
I’m already falling in love with Italy.
It probably doesn’t help that everyone around me sounds like their
singing even though it’s just simple conversation. Or that there are bikers everywhere, the air
smells a bit like Portland, OR, or that the weather is just perfect. It smells like fall, which I’ve been waiting
for quite some time back home in KS.
It’s almost October, yet it’s still 90 degrees!
In all of my getting lost yesterday looking for Porta Nuova
(bus station), I became fascinated with the evening street life. There are these neat little green-house like
enclosures right where the sidewalk is (obviously the sidewalks are quite wide)
where restaurants sort of have an extension; outdoor seating. At night, they fill with young people
drinking wine and having enthusiastic conversations, music to my ears.
Needless to say, my Spanish has helped me tremendously while
I’ve been here. I find that I can speak
a mixture of what I learned listening to podcasts and what I know of Spanish
and generally get my questions conveyed and answers provided. I’m making a mental list of words I’d like to
switch from Spanish to Italian, like aquí, estar, español, and I’m sure a plethora of others.
Let’s see. First impressions of Parco Valentino. Qué
bello! It is enormous. It really does take a half hour to walk from
one side to another, and about 70% is filled with tents teeming with excited
food producers handing out free samples and encouraging sales. I started out in the Italy section I believe,
worked my way through Asia and Oceana, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, all
without finding the USA booth. I am glad
that I at least made one full round, though.
I could probably have a breakfast of free samples if I wanted, but this
morning I opted for a bowl of hybrid co-coa puffs and frosted flakes plus an
“empty croissant” filled with ham and cheese.
Yesterday at the airport I ate focaccia romana e salume. YUM!
Today, who knows what my culinary discoveries will be. I would like to try some gelato though, I
think.
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| For all of my sustainability fans out there! |
I'm always interested in seeing how other cities organize their waste management. This was in the Charleston, NC airport.
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| Recycling at airport in Rome! |
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| Waste management in Turin. |
These receptacles didn't appear to be very integrated into the city scape. My urban planning class is making me think a lot more about this! You will be interested to see some different approached in my later photos...
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| Slow Food tents at Valentino Park |
What a relief it was to see these tents. Having finally made it to Valentino Park, where the majority of the conference events would take place, I figured it would be a breeze to go check in. Learning experience #1: As prepared as you think you may be, always mentally prepare to have moments of complete failure. :)
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| River Po alongside Valentino Park |
With a view like this, I can see why Slow Food would want to locate their conference at such a beautiful outdoor venue!
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| Built in fountain at Valentino Park |
My evening didn't really go as planned. It was about 11:30 by the time I figured out how to get to my hostel called Sharing Turin, a 30 minute drive from the park but by bus at least an hour. Haha if you know which side of the street to get on. Learning experience #2: Know that rail lines go in two directions and don't just ask for the end point but the stop you need when trying to get directions from people. Take pictures of the bus stops so you know how many are coming before you have to get off. If you're without internet, as I was unfortunately most of the time despite having paid for data, it become an incredibly useful tool.
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| Breakfast at Sharing Turin. |
What a lovely start to my day! Caught the rail line to Porto Nuova station.
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| Gotta love faulty translations... |
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| Greenery in the heart of Torino |
Some of these photos I thought would help me with an assignment for my urban planning class, but it ended up being too difficult to try to make the connections that I needed to. However, gotta love the green. Other than Valentino Park, I didn't see a whole lot of that this week. Kind of depressing.
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| Eating area built into the sidewalk. The bamboo area fills with tables, chairs, and vibrant conversation at night. |
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| The Slow Food Snail and Myself, Valentino Castle |
Start of day #1 of the conference! Got to the park about an hour an a half before I needed to be anywhere so that I could check out some stuff. Found a really cool feature of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, pictured below. What a wonderful use of space!
I will admit that these posts aren't going to be as organized as I had hoped they would be. Obviously this is just getting out now that I'm at the airport headed back to Kansas City. The next one will sound a bit like starting from the beginning, but I promise towards the end it will all make sense! I'll probably have, like, philosophical thoughts and really intellectual things to say. :)
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