I’m in China!: First Thoughts

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Daniel

My plane ride to China best symbolizes what I expect my experience in China to be. I expected my United Airlines flight to be like any other long flight: watching movies on the mini screen in front of my seat. As I arrived at my window seat, I was in utter shock and horror because guess what? There was no mini-TV! Even better was that I couldn’t watch Zootopia like everyone else because my earphone cord didn’t work. The one thing I do when I’m stressed is sleep. So, naturally, I slept. When I woke up, there was an old Asian man who looked to be about 70 years old sleeping on my shoulder. I spazzed out and woke him up. He immediately started speaking Chinese to me, and I could only make out one of the things he said; “Are you Chinese?” “No, I’m American.” And that’s how the plane ride went from depressing to interesting. I barely reviewed Chinese before coming to China, and it definitely showed during our conversation. As he talked to me in only Chinese, I had my first taste of what China was going to be like (which involved using a lot of my Chinese-English dictionary). This is what some of the conversation looked like:

I had a huge headache the entire plane ride and felt like a 3 year old child trying to talk to Albert Einstein. But throughout my terrible Chinese, I learned that his son is a professor at Penn, a story about a man named Wu Song who killed a tiger, and (after holding up the flight attendant for several minutes) how to say red wine in Chinese. Long story short, my plane ride was my first taste of China: and it tasted weird but interesting.

I noticed a lot of things that I took for granted in the States. For example, TOILET PAPER. Public bathrooms here are not only holes in the ground, but they also don’t provide toilet paper, so we have to carry these little packs of tissues. Ice water is also huge. Restaurants here don’t provide us with ice water, so we have to drink hot water. But it’s ok. Everything is really cheap here and the people are really nice (except when they’re driving: it is terrifying).

NDiB is pretty challenging, in both the academic and cultural sense. We have a lot of work to do and I still don’t know how to say napkin in Chinese but it’s aight. My classmates and I suffer together, but we also have fun together hahaha. We went to a few “cultural excursions,” 比方说 (for example) we went to the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. The Great Wall was super sick. There were a lot of foreign people struggling to hike the Great Wall, but the view was incredible. 8/8 would highly recommend. Tiananmen Square is cool too, but there were a lot of people there, which made me feel pretty uncomfortable. There were a lot of Chinese people taking pictures of us because we were American (well mostly my caucasian friends), so we felt like celebrities.

In conclusion, even though there are some things that I don’t care for in Beijing (air quality, dense masses of people, and 90+ degree Fahrenheit weather), overall I really love it here. The people are chill, my classmates are fun, the teachers are awesome, and the city is bumping. See you guys next week!

When in China, Do as the Chinese Do

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Jessica

The past two weeks have truly been both an overwhelming and exciting adventure. Living in a foreign country, I felt as if I turned five years old again. As soon as I arrived at Beijing International Airport, I took in my surroundings with child-like curiosity, but the harsh reality of traveling to a different country hit when I struggled with my basic Chinese language skills to hail a taxi and check into my dorm. As soon as I got to Peking University, I climbed in bed and thought, “Wow, I am a big 19 year old baby trying to navigate my way through China.”

The “Lake with No Name” at Peking University

At first, I felt terrified and insecure of the weeks ahead. However, now that I am entering the third week of the program, I have noticed my confidence grow exponentially. Every day, my interactions with other students and local residents involve a lot of charades and guessing games, but the small wins are really what fuels my confidence. For example, I learned how to bargain in marketplaces, ask and give people directions, and order food at restaurants. Although each conversation is very short and seemingly insignificant, it makes a world of a difference for me as I continue to embrace my vulnerability and use it as a strength.

Throughout the week, we spend most of the day learning new vocabulary words and sentence structures in class and over the weekends, we have the opportunity to apply what we learn outside of class. Our first excursion was to the Great Wall of China and although the hike up elicited blood, sweat, and tears, the view was simply unforgettable. Growing up, I learned about the Great Wall and marveled at the pictures in my history textbook; however, in person, it seemed so unreal and I reached a newfound appreciation and respect for the rich culture and history of China.

At The Great Wall of China with Ye Laoshi

In class, we learned the phrase, “???? ”, which means “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” My goal is to live in China, not as a tourist, but as a temporary resident, and correct the preconceived notions that I had before coming to Beijing with a more educated and insightful perspective. Every single day in Beijing is full of adventures and hard-earned lessons; I can’t wait for what tomorrow and the next day will bring.

My Wonderful Japanese Host Family

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Alison

I can hardly believe it, but I’ve been living in Japan for exactly a month now! My experience so far has been absolutely incredible, and everything that I had hoped for! That said, it has also been much busier and more challenging than I had expected, and somehow I let a whole month go by without writing a post. There is so much to talk about, and so I’d like to focus this post on my incredible host family, who, it turns out, are the most amazing people in the world!

Having only studied Japanese for one year before arriving here, I have to admit that I was very worried about communicating with a host family that didn’t speak any English. The first few days were extremely challenging indeed. In fact, I barely spoke at all. But it is indeed true that when plunging into an immersive environment with little background knowledge, one absorbs language really fast! Additionally, it helps that one of my host moms is a kindergarten teacher, and thus is used at using easy words and simplifying her grammar. I have reached the point where I can comfortably speak about nearly any everyday topic with my host parents, and it is such a great environment to practice all the new vocabulary and grammar outside of the classroom.

My host family consists of two sisters in their late 50s and their energetic shetland sheepdog, Lucky (ラッキー). Lucky and I became quick friends! I quickly got to know all the Japanese commands he knows.

My host parents have introduced me to so many things! My first weekend, we visited the strawberry farm near their house. I was so surprised to see so much farmland right in Hakodate, and the strawberries were the sweetest, brightest ones I had ever encountered.

On my birthday, my family hosted this amazing potluck and invited all their friends to come meet me! It was really fantastic to hear about all their different stories, and also to try all of the amazing food. I was very surprised by how much Japanese food I had never heard of! I thought I knew what Japanese food was, but the vast majority of the foods at the potluck were brand-new to me (and delicious).

One day, we tried the most amazing ice cream shop, which is very famous throughout all of Japan. They sell actual ice cream sandwiches – meaning a scoop of vanilla ice cream on an actual bun! The bun is a special Japanese bread called melon bread, which is a kind of sweetbread. The ice cream goes into the bun right as it comes out of the oven, and the combination is surprisingly incredible. The name of the shop is 「世界で２番めにおいしい焼きたてメロンパンアイス」which translates as “The second most delicious melon bread ice cream in the world”. It’s an odd name indeed, since it’s the only melon bread ice cream in the world, but my host parents explained that the shop was just being humble. What an interesting cultural nuance!

http://www.japanbullet.com/life-style/schoolgirl-s-ice-cream-twist-on-melon-bread-goes-down-a-treat

One of my favorite activities was going to the 「運動会」(undoukai – “sports day”) that my host mom’s kindergarten held. An undoukai is a very fun modern Japanese tradition similar to field day in the US, except it’s held on a weekend, takes up the entire day, and all the parents and even grandparents come and participate in field games, relays, and dances. The kids were adorable, and everyone had a blast. What a great community-building tradition!

There’s even more. For my birthday, my host parents insisted on getting me my very own yukatta (summer kimono) which was amazing. One of the other teachers at the kindergarten happens to be a kimono etiquette teacher as well, and came over to teach me how to wear it (it is surprisingly difficult). I think I’ve got it down, although I still cant tie it as well as she can! I can’t wait to wear it at the Hakodate Port Festival in August.

The transition to life in Japan has been a crazy experience, definitely difficult at times, and even more of a different world than I had predicted. I’m amazed at the all the new aspects of everyday culture that I’ve been introduced to, and by how far my language skills have come in just one month. I’m so excited for the second half!

China Second Week

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Timothy

After the second week in China, I feel like I have a good feel for what daily life is going to be like. There is still not a whole lot of free time during the week just because of the workload, but its manageable. Our first trip was to the Great Wall, which was beautiful. There were quite a few other people there, but it wasn’t too crowded. It was a bit of a walk to reach the wall itself, but once there the view made it well worth it. The amount of effort and resources that it must have take to construct it is unimaginable even today, let alone hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It was also something to consider how many people must have died making it.

We have Friday activities that I’m not too much of a fan of, but it’s not the worst. They generally consist of familiarizing ourselves with Chinese culture in some way or another, whether it be talking to random people about the college entrance exam they have there, or just exploring campus. On the weekends Wudaokou is generally the place to hangout, it seems like its kind of tailored to college students. I also went to an area called Tuanjiehu with a lot of expatriates, where you can get some fairly authentic American food, just definitely more expensive than the dining hall.

Deaf Space

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Audrey

“Deaf people inhabit a rich sensory world where vision and touch are a primary means of spatial awareness and orientation. Many use sign language, a visual-kinetic mode of communication and maintain a strong cultural identity built around these sensibilities and shared life experiences. Our built environment, largely constructed by and for hearing individuals, presents a variety of surprising challenges to which deaf people have responded with a particular way of altering their surroundings to fit their unique ways-of-being. This approach is often referred to as DeafSpace.”

One of the great things about studying and living at Gallaudet is having the ability to experience DeafSpace. What is DeafSpace like?

Several newer buildings on campus are built as DeafSpaces. These buildings generally have open spaces, automatic doors, proper lighting, and wall colors without patterns that are pleasing to the eye. This is one of the buildings designed as a DeafSpace. I had the pleasure of attending a couple of ice cream socials organized for summer ASL students here. It was interesting to watch how easily the space could be used for “speeches” because it was so open. There is also an elevated platform across from the bench which could act as a make-shift stage.

Several older buildings on campus have since been renovated to be more Deaf friendly. In one of the buildings, a courtyard was created so people could congregate in the middle of the building and so people could see one another even if they were on a different level.

Almost all classrooms had off-white or light blue walls. Doors often have glass panels on them such that one is able look into or outside of the classroom easily. One day, my teacher was signing with another teacher who was just outside the classroom, through the glass door. They had no need to open the door since they could see each other! There are, of course, downsides to having glass doors – sometimes, one might prefer some privacy. As such, there are blinds that people can use as and when they see fit.

Now here’s a fun fact for ND football fans. Did you know that the football huddle was pioneered by Gallaudet’s football team? They had to huddle together so the other team wouldn’t be able to see their signs! The football field is not DeafSpace per se, but the huddle gives us a sense of what cultural DeafSpace is like. It was an ingenious solution that even the hearing could use.

Gallaudet Football field

It’s important to realize that making a space Deaf friendly doesn’t necessarily have to entail costly architectural changes. Union market which is just across the street from Gallaudet is a warehouse turned farmers market/ haven for foodies (I ate there a lot!) What I especially loved about Union market was how many restaurant owners have made their stalls Deaf friendly.

DC Empanadas at Union Market

DC Empanadas is one such stall. First, they visually show and describe what their food is like, making it easy for the Deaf to know what’s being sold (though this is helpful, even for the hearing!) Second, they have servers who can take orders in ASL! How does this work? The guy at the counter signs HELLO in ASL to everyone who steps up to the counter. If the person signs back, he continues taking the order in sign. If the person begins speaking to him, he uses his voice. This is one farmers market I’d recommend any one in DC to check out at least once. Oh, and did I already mention that the food is amazing?

“All things are difficult before they are easy.”

Posted on July 5, 2016 by James

Good news: I’ve survived another week! Barely.

But more seriously, week two proved to be a new challenge in itself. While I wouldn’t necessarily admit I experienced a wave of culture shock, the simplest tasks still seem overwhelmingly difficult to manage using only my limited vocabulary. In particular, ordering meals at restaurants, the dining halls and at street vendors’ booths has been a nearly insurmountable task, especially because there is no Chinese version of: “just sound it out!” So far I’ve been able to actualize my gustatory preferences by pointing to already prepared meals or pictures on menus followed by either the Chinese for “that!” or “the same as theirs,” but never without the accompanying humiliation. But every setback just serves as inspiration for a new language goal to blog about wanting to achieve. For now, the surprise factor has been a source of excitement and a bit of a game, trying new dishes first and then translating the name afterwards. I like to believe this way is fundamentally better and is conducive to being adventurous in adding new tastes my pallet I wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

The strangest feeling arose when this past weekend while a few of us visited the Beijing Zoo where we watched a toddler, who could probably count the months he has been alive on his fingers and toes, rattle off names of animals and topics more advanced than I could understand. Similar experiences occurred at the Forbidden City, in the Houhai neighborhood and elsewhere. Usually followed by a picture or a comment about a foreigner from a local.

As if to alleviate the extremely narrow range of ideas I can express in Chinese, our textbook was designed to introduce us to the topics that would be most useful to one living in China, as we are temporarily. Strangely enough, I am glad to see the increasingly complex topics in our vocabulary because discussing the double-sided effects of the mandated One Child Policy in Chinese makes me feel more worthy of studying in China’s most esteemed university, while learning to introduce myself makes me feel like a three year old. Speaking of the One Child Policy, I feel that if you would like to have an opinion on the matter, you should be forced to visit China before commenting. Maybe I am only experiencing the strains of living in the world’s third largest city, but witnessing traffic patterns and the sheer volumes of people at nearly every location made me reevaluate my automatically negative opinion of the policy for a much more balanced perspective.

Halfway through the Summer in Mannheim

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Jay

I’ve reached the halfway point of my studies here in Mannheim this summer. Last week my first Goethe Institut course ended, and I’ve had a five day break before my next one begins today. This break has been a good time to rest, travel, do some extra study, and take stock of how my learning has progressed over the past four weeks. On the whole I am cautiously pleased with what I’ve accomplished, which feels dramatic in some areas while being more modest in others. Now that I know how Goethe Institut courses work, and feel relatively settled into my routines of daily life here in Mannheim, I am looking forward to increasing the effort I put into my studies and trying to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities to learn that remain for me here.

Finding ways to learn outside of the classroom has been the most important step I’ve taken since coming here; this is, of course, the whole purpose of studying abroad. My most fruitful experience learning German outside the classroom has been meeting once a week with a local Mannheimer (as residents of the city are called), and talking over tea, coffee, and pastries. I’m doing this through TandemPartners, which matches native speakers of different languages together so both can both improve on a target language. Since I want to learn German and my partner wants to learn English, over the course of several hours together we switch between the two languages, or sometimes speak both at the same time. Along with this practice speaking, having a Tandem partner has also helped me to get a better understanding of the life and culture of the place I am living; my partner has graciously invited me on excursions to the surrounding area that I otherwise would not have known were possible. For example, last week we drove to the nearby city of Ladenburg, where my partner has a friend who is an official tour guide. Speaking in German I could understand, she showed us Roman ruins, medieval city gates, and the workshop where the first automobile was invented by Karl Benz. It was a wonderful tour–and the city of Ladenburg had not even been listed in my guidebooks! This just goes to show that to really learn a language and the lay of the land, you have to get to know the locals.

I’ve been getting to know locals in less in-depth but still significant ways by interacting with people while I am simply walking around Mannheim. The other day someone asked me where I gotten the bretzel (pretzel) I was eating. Another time I had to explain to a conductor that I had forgotten the pass I usually use to ride the streetcar (it’s amazing how quickly your second language improves when you are trying to avoid being ticketed!). Once a woman living on the street stuck up a conversation with me about where I was from and what she was doing that day. All of these interactions, just a few examples of many, are brief, but their spontaneous and colloquial nature help keep me on my toes.

Because of immersion experiences like these, it is my speaking skills that have improved most rapidly during my time here. However, because I am learning German for academic purposes, it is also important that I continue to improve my reading and translation abilities; this is something I’d like to focus on more in the second half on my time here. I’m going to start wrestling with an eighteenth-century text I want to translate (this was one of my perhaps overly ambitious goals for my summer learning), but I’ve also begun reading a less complex book titled Über das Meer, a undercover journalistic account of Syrian refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Europe (the English translation of this book was actually sponsored by Goethe Institut). Lately I’ve also enjoyed listening to and translating the lyrics of a German musician named Philip Poisel, whose music I was first introduced to in my translation course at Notre Dame. By adding these translating, reading, and listening habits to my routine here in Mannheim, I hope that by the end of my time here I will have seen significant improvement in multiple areas of German usage.

These first four weeks have gone by quickly, and I have a feeling that the next four will also fly by. I’m grateful that along with the language learning I’ve been able to travel to some beautiful places nearby Mannheim, such as the city of Heidelberg, or Triberg, a town in the *Schwarzwald*, or Black Forest. My language learning journey has been paired with travels along riverside paths and hiking trails (see photos below). I know that just as there is more to learn, there is also more to see. This blog has been a great way to keep track of what I’ve experienced in Germany so far, and I looking forward to updating it with more posts in the weeks to come.

The Philosopher’s Walk along the Neckar River in Heidelberg

Triberg’s Waterfall in the Black Forest, one of the Largest in Germany

Sorrento – Week 5

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Samantha

My last week in Sorrento has just come to a bittersweet end, and yesterday I took the Circumvesuviana to Napoli and began a week long tour of Italy with a friend. It is going to be an interesting adventure to move through the biggest and most well known cities in Italy while trying out my Italian skills as I move farther and farther north. We began our journey in Sorrento, and will end in Venice at the end of the week. It’s going to be a cultural and linguistic whirlwind, and I hope that I can really make the most of it before burning out!

My finals went well this week, and I was glad to receive As in both of my classes. I had really learned a lot from both of my professors, and it was a little difficult to walk out of the door on that last Thursday. We had a farewell luncheon at a Trattoria on the Marina Grande the next day with the students and faculty of the Summer One program, and it was another of many heartfelt goodbyes. The group of kids unaffiliated with specific university programs like myself and the Italian friends we had made during our five weeks here had our own unofficial farewell dinner to say goodbye to everyone. It was a Mexican themed potluck, and everyone brought the food they missed the most from America if they could make it.

We had an Italians v. Americans game of soccer the day of Italy’s final Euro Cup game, and needless to say there was a lack of competition. With equal effort on both sides of the field, the Italians had managed to shut out the Americans 14-0. It was interesting to see that some of the phrases I would yell out on the field would be spoken in a mix between Italian and English. I’d scream “vai vai vai” at our players as they ran across the field, and a few other phrases I had picked up from our opponents. When we all watched the game together later that night, I noticed that everyone was cheering on the Italian team in their native language. Cheers of “forza azzuri” and “forza Italia” rung through the living room of a friends home as Italy contested the Germans for the majority of the game.

During each of these events, I had realized that I had really made a home of Sorrento. Speaking to my host mother in Italian was effortless, I had friends who had grown up down the street from me who were so helpful in teaching me and helping me with my Italian, and I was asked to come back and say goodbye from some of my favorite store owners and workers. I really feel that I have made myself a part of the community in Sorrento and the surrounding areas. I learned that it was so much easier to grow and learn if I really gave myself the opportunity to fail. The native speakers were almost always supportive and helpful, and they would make sure that I really grasped what I was saying, even if it was incorrect.

With a heavy heart I leave Sorrento, but I know that my five weeks spent there and on the Amalfi Coast have had such a tremendous impact on not only my Italian, but also my cultural awareness, curiosity, and overall language learning and competency skills that I cannot even begin to fathom at this point and time. I am so eager and excited to begin my journey through Europe without a life jacket. I’ve challenged myself to only speak English to my friend that’s coming with me, so each restaurant, tour guide, and store owner must be spoken to in Italian. I’m a little nervous to travel speaking my second language, but all the more excited to see how my Italian is received outside of Sorrento with complete strangers and native speakers.

Arrivederci, Sorrento! It was an incredible five weeks. Onward to a new challenge!

Munich week 3

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Kevin

Week three in München has come to a close and with that my 7th week in Germany is over. Only one more week of classes, then 2 weeks of traveling around with some family members and ill be back in the states. Looking back on the summer, I truly have no idea how it went by so quickly. Anyway, München has had decent weather yet again this week so I have had a chance to do some touristy things this week that I can recommend for the huge groups of travelers reading this…(sarcasm).

1st touristy thing. You must see the Residenz and the theater that is next to it! This was one of the living quarters of the royal family and all their guests. Not only does this building showcase beautiful southern German architecture, but it also portrays the strong influence that french fashion had on the German royalty. The interior is decorated in a strikingly french 19th century fashion, some rooms also adopt the southern German rococo style which has so much detail and gold gilded extras that it often leaves you overwhelmed. I definitely recommend the complete tour, it only takes around an hour and a half and is worth the small charge to see how the royal family got to live.

The secondary recommendation for car lovers is to go to the BMW welt und museum as well as the Mercedes building, in which they have a giant showcase of the newest and famous older Mercedes. Because BMW owns Rolls Royce and Mini Cooper you also get to check out their newest models which was a dream come true for me. BMW is my favorite car brand so I may be biased, but I have to say that the BMW welt (world) and museum really surprised me with how large they were and how many really cool concept models you could see and sit in. For anyone who loves German cars these places are a dream come true and cannot be missed!

Finally, there are many Schlösser (castles/mansion) around and in München that are well worth the visit, but if you only have time to see one in the city, Schloss Nymphenburg is the one to see. Started around 1704 the architecture as well as the park that surround the palace are a wonder to see. Just watch out for the ducks and geese that surround the ponds, they’re bolder than you’d think. So far that the end of my touristy experiences here in München. I have spent most of my afternoons either working on school/scholarship stuff, or playing soccer in the Englischer garten.

As far as school goes, I took a test that determines the level of my German knowledge and officially know German well enough to become a German citizen which is pretty cool. Still need to work on the vocab and sentence structures alittle to be able to study in a German university where classes are taught in German. sadly I only have one more week to work on my German here so that probably wouldn’t happen. Sorry this week I have no “pro-tip of the week” I know this must ruin the week for all of my dedicated readers. Maybe the fact that I have not done anything extremely embarrassing is a sign that I am learning to act slightly normal in this different culture, or I just got lucky all week. Either way sorry all and happy independence day!!

il Palio: more than just a horse race!

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Regina

My apologies for not writing last week! It was a busy week here in Siena, more tourists came to the town and the locals were bustling with excitement and anxiety, all because of the Palio–the biggest event in the town. I consider myself very lucky that I was able to be in the city while this great event unfolded. I got the opportunity to not only watch the race from the middle of the piazza, but also take part in the events leading to the race. The school of Dante Alighieri organized a group led by one of the instructors to go to the various events.

A little bit about the Palio: it’s an annual horse race unique to the town of Siena, which happens twice a year (one on 2 July, and another one on 16 August). If you ask a Sienese person, whether he or she is young or old, they’ll tell you that the Palio is more than just a race, it’s a huge part of their lives here in Siena. It’s been around for about 400 years, and it involves the entire town. The town of Siena is divided into 17 “contrada” or neighbourhoods, and everyone would grow up with their contrada. When asking a local if they were from Siena, most, if not all of them, would answer proudly that they were born and raised in their contrada. Every Palio, 10 contrada would take part in the race. They race to win the “drappellone”, or the Palio banner, which is made by a local artist, and depicts an image of the Madonna. (And also pride and bragging rights, I suppose). The race itself is only one day long, but the ceremonies and events leading to the race start three days before that, and the preparations for the race is all year long. The race takes place in the main piazza of the town, Piazza del Campo.

The first event that I attended was the assignation of the horses for each contrada at the Piazza del Campo. Earlier that day, 30 horses ran around the piazza, and the captains of the 10 contrada picked 10 horses. Then those 10 horses were assigned randomly to each contrada. That afternoon, thousands of Sienese people gathered in the piazza to see which of the ten horses would be their horse for the Palio. They marched in as a group, and left proudly chanting their contrada song with their horse. It was fascinating watching the reaction of the people from the contrada upon hearing which horses they got, whether it was one of the better horses, or one of the inexperienced ones.

The next event I attended was one of the trial runs for the race. It was held on a Thursday evening at the piazza. The horses and their jockeys got the chance to try out the “track” for a couple times from Wednesday to Sunday, doing the full three laps around the piazza. These trial runs were almost as well-attended as the Palio race itself. About an hour before the start of the trial run, the people of the contrada would march into the piazza while chanting their contrada song, with their horse leading the “procession.” The horse is the star of the weekend–they get the best treatment, and are guarded by a “barbaresco”, a man who was assigned by the contrada to take care of the horse. This man would stay with the horse the entire time, even sleeping with the horse, to prevent it from being “sabotaged” or harmed by anyone or anything. Watching the trial run was like watching a sneak peak of the Palio, although a lot of the horses and jockeys did not run as fast, merely trying out the course of the race.

The crowd at the Palazzo Comune, waiting for the trial run to start

On Friday afternoon, I went with a group of students to the Blessing of the drappellone at the Basilica della Santa Maria in Provenzano. The whole Palio race is dedicated to the Madonna, who is the patron of Siena. In July, the whole celebration of Palio is done at the Basilica in Provenzano, while in August, it’s done in the Duomo. So that afternoon, hundreds of people went down to Provenzano to get a closer look at the drappellone, which depicts the Virgin Mary, the emblem of the contradas, and interesting creatures which look like a mix of horses and men. At the top of the drappellone, the words “Divinae Misericordiae” was inscribed, as this Palio is dedicated to the Jubilee year of Mercy. (For a peak of the banner, go to this link: http://www.ilpalio.org/drappellone2.7.2016.htm)

Basilica in Provenzano, during the Blessing of the drappellone/Palio Banner!

The most interesting event, however, was the contrada dinner that Friday evening. I got the chance to join the contrada of Tartuca (tortoise!) for their huge dinner on the evening before the day of the Palio. There were hundreds of people (or maybe close to a thousand!) from young to old, attending the dinner, and the night was filled with camaraderie. The food itself was really great, a full five course Italian dinner from antipasto to dessert, cooked by the women of the contrada. During the dinner, the captain, the jockey, and the head of the contrada gave a speech for the people. It was amazing, the community spirit and pride they have as a contrada.

The Tartuca contrada dinner!

Saturday was the day of the Palio! In the afternoon before the race, all the contrada people flocked down to their contrada church for the Blessing of the Horse event. It was a solemn event led by the contrada priest. I attended the blessing of the horse of the Draco contrada, which was held at a garden in front of the church of San Domenico. The people of the contrada arrived together as a group, led by young men of the contrada marching with drums and flags wearing medieval costumes. They entered their church and said some prayers, and then moved into the garden forming a circle around the center of the garden. Their horse then marched in with the jockey. The priest said a short blessing for the jockey and the horse, and then the horse was taken back to the stable to wait for the race. It was a relatively short event, but the atmosphere was full of tension. You can sense the anxiety of the people from the contrada, their determination to win the Palio.

After the blessing of the horse, it was finally time for the race. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the piazza to watch the race. An hour before the race, the young men of the contradas entered the piazza in a very fascinating procession with drums and their contrada flags, waving and throwing the flags up in the air as they marched with pride representing their contrada. Then the Palio banner arrived in the piazza, carried in a giant carriage around the piazza. Soon after that, the horses and the jockeys entered the course. The crowd went completely and eerily silent as the official of the city read out the order of the horses at the starting line (again, the orders are determined randomly) from the inner side of the course, to the outermost side. It took awhile from the announcement to the start of the race, as some of the horses grew anxious with the crowd. Finally, a bang was sounded to announce the start of the race. The crowd went crazy, yelling and cheering loudly for their contrada. One of the contrada, Nicchio (the Shell contrada) was leading for the first two laps, but at the last lap, suddenly the horse from the Lupa contrada (the Wolf contrada) caught up and took over the lead to the finish line. As the horses went past the finish line, the people from Lupa started pouring out into the race course, running towards the horse and the jockey. I watched on TV a glimpse of their celebration at the Basilica in Provenzano after the Palio race, where they gave thanks and chanted the Tedeum to the Virgin Mary.

The people from the Bruco contrada (caterpillar!) marching with their flags, drums and medieval costume

The whole weekend was so eventful and exciting, and I learnt a lot of things about the people of Siena as I went to the series of events leading up to the Palio on Saturday. I was a little overwhelmed by the big crowds that flooded the town, but the experience of being in the town during the Palio was one that I will always cherish and remember. I was able to witness the people’s passion, their sense of belonging and pride to their contrada, their fierce determination, and their strong ties to their traditions.

It was a really great week!

SLA Profiles (2016)

Monthly Archives: July 2016