Home again

Well, I am home from my mini-vacation in Sardinia. It was amazing. Beautiful. I had the most wonderful time; it was so great to be able to get away for a few days. We left on Saturday, took the bus to a tram to a bus to a plane. We made it to the airport in an hour and a half even though it was projected to take two hours - the driver was speeding like a bat out of hell. That meant we were waiting at the airport for three hours, but it was worth the lessened aggravation. Then came the flight, which was ridiculous. Apparently, Ryanair likes to play commercials periodically throughout the flight.

When we arrived in Alghero, we had to wait a few minutes for Enrica's dad to get there (our flight was about 10 minutes early and we didn't have any checked luggage). While we were waiting, I had the chance to meet Sara's father and see her mother again. Once Enrica's dad arrived, we were off to her parents house, about 25 minutes away from the airport. It was so strange being in a car after two months of really only taking buses and riding bikes. The first thing I noticed about Sardinia is the quality of the air; not saying that the air is bad in Utrecht, but there is something wholly refreshing about the crisp nature of the air with a slight breeze off of the sea. And hills, which were strange after being in such a flat area before.

On Sunday, we went to Alghero in the morning, Enrica, Sara and me. I got the grand tour - the harbor, the historical city center, the sea. It wasn't so crowded because the tourist season hasn't started yet, so I got to see the town without being crunched with people. It was just stunning, like most of what I saw while on the island. Enrica and Sara kept apologizing that there were a few clouds in the sky, that the sea didn't look as blue as it does in the summer, but I was just so thrilled to be there. If it is that beautiful when it is "not so pretty", then I can only imagine from postcards what it looks like when it is "beautiful".

That evening, we went out for what I think was my personal favorite experience, I think. Pizzalmettro. Pizza by the meter. A whole bunch of different toppings with a pizza that is unlike any pizza that I have gotten before. The crust was thin and crispy, but not like a cracker. The sauce was sweet, without even a hint of bitterness. The toppings were fresh and delicious. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I will write more about my food experiences later on in the post because the whole experience was framed by the quantity and quality of delicious food.

On Monday, I got my tour of Sassari, Enrica and Sara's city. I had my first experience riding on a motorbike - it was so exciting for me and I am pretty sure that Enrica thought I was a little ridiculous for being so excited about something that is so normal for her. She gave me a tour of her University (well, of her faculty because the University isn't really cohesive between faculties). I saw the highlights of Sassari - the duomo, some plaza's. I enjoyed it. In the afternoon, we went to see the Basilica della Santissima Trinità di Saccargia, which was really pretty and old. After an adventure in directional ineptitude, we went to see a Nuraghe, which was just amazing in its construction.

The next day was pretty lazy. Enrica had an interview that she had to go to, so I was mostly on my own for the day. I read a bit, I ate a bit. I packed our suitcases; we brought home a 16 kg suitcase filled with nothing but food. Glorious. And then I went to get my hair cut. As most of those who read this know, I have been thinking about cutting my hair for awhile, and being in Italy gave me a good opportunity. I am kind of particular about my hair. I get it cut a few times a year when I am maintaining a short cut and I am distrustful of people I don't know. After chopping off 10 inches, I feel about 10 pounds lighter. I love the cut - it is longer in the front than the back, short but easy to style and I think it really suits me.

The trip home was only a little stressful. We got to the airport and the people from Ryanair said that they couldn't find my reservation - moral of the story is, always print out your confirmations because it got sorted out because I had all of the necessary documentation (though I think they would have sorted it out one way or the other, having my payment confirmation helped a bit in making me feel better about it). The bus home was long and they dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, but we got home safely.

And now to revisit my food experiences. I spent three days eating all the time. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Cheese. Bread. It was just amazing. Every meal brought new and extraordinary tastes to my mouth and I ate as much as I could, to experience it all in the short time that I had there. I can understand now how homesick Sara and Enrica get about food. Even if we could get all of the ingredients to make all of the things available, there is a quality that we haven't found here. I mean, the fruit alone made the trip worth it for me. It has been so long since I have tasted a perfect orange, so juicy that it feels like an explosion on your taste buds. Bananas with a peel so thin and the flesh of that perfect consistency, between firm and supple. I just loved every moment of eating there and it reaffirmed my study interests. The food culture that I observed could have a whole book written about it - the process of cooking and the social significance of the meal. Every meal being a number of courses and lasting for hours, even lunch. There is no such thing as food on the go. It was just amazing.

And now back to real life, back to school. We are trying to go to Belgium for the weekend, so I hope that all works itself out. And then block 4 starts on Monday. I have only one course, so it shouldn't be so bad, but I am feeling an extreme lack of motivation these past few weeks. After getting into a great grad school with full funding and the program of my dreams, it is kind of hard to want to focus on courses here, which have nothing to do with anything significant in my life. But the course that I am taking this block is about gender and ethnicity and I have already done the first three weeks of reading, which are really interesting so far.

Alas, though. I should run some errands around town, get out into the sun before it retreats behind the inevitable Dutch clouds. I close my eyes and long for Sardinia but I need to appreciate what I have. Really, just a wonderful vacation. And on a side note, made better because I was greeted with a parcel from Ben when I got home, filled with a talking Star Trek birthday card, a letter from the past, a black cat figurine (so Balthazar could be here with me in spirit) and some candy. What a great way to end a great extended weekend.

-B