It's a Small World After All

Ciao!

I don't have much time today because we are headed to Catania for the afternoon - our last trip to Catania! So, this will hopefully be short and sweet. One of the biggest discoveries I've made here is that the world isn't as big as I thought. I mean, it's huge, don't get me wrong, and there are a million different cultures to learn about, but in the end, I think we're all a lot more similar than we like to think.

In talking with other students from the school, I've discovered that many countries struggle with the same issues. I've learned about illegal immigration in other countries, corrupt politicians, unemployment rates, crime, racism, and justice. The issues in other places really don't sound that much different than what we have in the states. Sure, some countries struggle more than others with different issues. And everyone's economy suffers at some point more than others. Ultimately, though, there are so many similarities between countries.

I think one of the biggest similarities, though, is human nature. Through the school we have met so many incredibly nice people, but we've also come across some not-so-nice people, and that sounds exactly like back home. I know good people, and I know bad people. Period. The families here are a lot like in the states - they love each other, and would do anything for each other.

In a physical sense, I've also had some instances when I thought the world was way small. Back in February, there were two Swiss students here. Now, they were from the same country, but still, this is a cool story. One of them, Christoff, worked at a company that his parents founded. Another student, Francesca, had a brother who also founded this company with Christoff's parents. The two of them didn't realize this until his last week here! It was amazing! Another example is us meeting Jay and Michelle. Two Americans, and she happened to go to school here for two weeks, and they happened to now live in Marsala. And then just last week, there were two other Americans here from Hawaii. I mentioned a professor of mine had started a mediation center in Hawaii, and they actually knew what I was talking about! Two weeks ago we had a student from London, Susannah. Once she had decided to come to Taormina, she was telling her friends about the trip. Turns out one of her friends in London is the nephew of Elsa and Nini! We also met an American here several weeks ago who now lives in Rome, a huge city, yet he actually knew our terrible tour guide because she had dated one of his friends! It's like playing 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. I think we're all connected a lot more than we realize, and I think if I stayed here longer, I'd find even more connections.

That's probably enough for today. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate for our trip into the big city! I'm actually taking my camera today to get pictures of Catania. A domani!