Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sicilia



*Top-Entrance to Sigonella, the naval base
*Bottom- Shannon's street in Sigonella 

After all of my classes ended, I traveled to Catania, Sicily to visit my friend Shannon.  Shannon’s dad is an officer in the US Navy and is stationed that the base in Sicily.  I had never been to a naval base before, and I was very excited to see what it would be like. It was very different from what I hade expected.  I thought that there would be one base where everyone lived and worked, and I expected to see sailors walking through the streets.  However, there are actually three different areas for people to work and live, and the only time I saw a sailor was when we presented our IDs at the gate.  The base had a distinct Italian feel in its architecture, but offered many activities found in the US such as a bowling alley, movie theater, and skating park.  I was amazed that the commissary had products found in the US, such as peanut butter and salad dressing, which I desperately missed after being in Italy for almost 2 months.  I loved being on the base and having the opportunity to still visit Italy, but at the same time feel like I was in America. During my stay with Shannon, I learned quite a lot about life on a naval base, which was a cultural experience in itself very different from what I experienced in Florence.  

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