...To Infinity and Belgium

As we near the end of our journey, I can't believe how fast the time has passed. Yesterday, we were all saying, "Oh well we have four weeks. We have time." Now that time is nearly up and this dialogue has been everything I could have ever hoped for. Coming into it, I was nervous being one out of only two second-year students going on the trip. I was definitely not up to par academically and socially I knew no one else on this trip. Everyone seemed to be in the same year, and it was intimidating. Now after spending four weeks with everyone, we have grown closer and formed great friendships within the group (at least we can joke and laugh with each other if that is any indication). We survived countless blog posts, late-night projects, cultural activities, Italian fails, the Mediterranean sun, crazy ocean waves, the tallest rocks we could find, and the early morning classes powered by cappuccini.

Car festival/race in the center of Cagliari

These past couple of days have been filled with laughter, shopping, and indecisiveness to the nth degree. People are much harder to find gifts for than we originally anticipated, and I think I have re-visited almost all of the places. We are starting to become regulars now. My favorite part about this though is that every time we walk into the same store, we are greeted as a group with a familiar smile. Each time we are asked more questions by the shop owner and forced to listen to more Italian and try to communicate the best we can. It's like a puzzle trying to figure out what's trying to be conveyed to you and how you can respond. I think it's so much fun getting to interact with so many people and see how communication doesn't have to be a precise science. Things just flow, and it's really hard to let go of what exactly you want to say to go with something that could potentially convey the same meaning. I'm also quite sure that everyone in this city has at least seen part of our group at one time or another. We never wander off too far in either direction.

Top view of Poetto. The beach stretches about 8 km and is one of the longest beaches in Europe.

Yesterday, I was reflecting as well on how much this dialogue has taught me about  solid waste management here in the EU as well as in the USA. It gave me an insight into all kinds of waste management options which I found really interesting. So far, the majority of my classes in school have been those that are the basic science and math courses that every engineer has to take. Basically the boring stuff that's important for a foundation, but doesn't really relate to anything civil. Being a part of this dialogue gave me the opportunity to not only work with and get to know other students in my major, but also give me an insight into one facet of the civil engineering profession. I'm not sure that waste management is exactly my thing, especially after some of the smells, yet, I do really like civil engineering, especially the more environmental side. This class wasn't calculations heavy, but the amount of information that was taught as well as how much I actually absorbed surprised me. It made me kind of start to enjoy school again which was a nice surprise.

A big thanks should go to our Professor for all of the work she has done throughout the dialogue to make sure everything runs smoothly. We wouldn't have had as many great cultural experiences without a true Sardinian, nor would we have found anyone who could give us better beach suggestions.

View walking to our dorm

For those who aren't aware, we are allowed to differ our return flights home to Boston. So I will be taking advantage of my current geographical position and visit some of my exchange friends who I haven't seen in one to two years. I couldn't be more excited as I look forward to visiting Belgium, France, Denmark, and Norway over the next couple of weeks. Cagliari has been a wonderful start to this summer, and now it's onto true vacation time. Hopefully I can return in the future to once again greet the Sardinian island that I have called home for the past month. Ciao Cagliari.