Bloga Numero Due

First week of classes are done with, and much has happened!  Coming back to the Pensione Ottaviannni for our last night there, we stop into a high-end chocolate shop.  While Diddy, Nathan, Noelle and Tori are inside buying treats, I decide to wait outside for them, so as to not be tempted to spoil my appetite.  A man is putting sprigs of grapes all over the alley, and I ask him for some, and he agrees.  As I am eating my grapes towards the end of the ally, he starts talking to me in fast Italian.  I keep telling him that I don’t speak Italian, and that he’ll have to speak more slowly, but he understands neither.  He then proceeds to throw the knife he was using to cut the grapes up into the air and catch it with the other hand, and wheel me this bike that was parked next to the bikes.  He thrusts the bike towards me, and lets it go, so I have to grab it so it won’t fall.  He then walks away, and continues cutting the grapes.  I keep asking him to repeat what he said, and he keeps saying what I think means “take it and go”, but that couldn’t be right.  He then yells more and thrusts the crate of grapes into my arms, and I grab them.  And as he throws his knife up in the air again, he drops it, and he picks it up and look at the others as they walk out of the shop.  To them, it looks like I am trying to steal his bike AND his grapes, while he threatens me with a knife.  We all try to ask him if I can have the grapes, and he says what we think means “you can”.  We then high-tail it out of there, laughing about the situation.  But I wish I took that bike, it was a really nice bike…

Last night, the second Italian dude tried to hit on me, this one asking me where a gay disco was at 1 a.m., and then asking me to get into his car while making kissing noises.  Gosh, Italians are friendly!!!

Today, we went to Cinque Terra, on the Amulfi Coast, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been!  The area was amazing, and I had an amazing time!  Once we got to the beach of the final city (Riomaggiore), we immediately got into the water, which was clear turquoise blue and the perfect temperature.  I decide to explore the area more with Jordan, and we discover an area where a 2 Italians are bobbing up and down in the extremely choppy water past the breakwater.  Under this breakwater outlet, there are a series of large, jagged rocks, and the in the ebb of a wave, the water level is about 13 feet below the breakwater pier.  The men are both grabbing onto the edge of the pier every time the wave brings them closer to it, but always push themselves off immediately.  All of the sudden, a wave larger than all the others swells up and pushes one of the men onto the pier, where he laying and laughing.  Jordan and I decide to try it, and we get directions from Ricardo, and we dive in with no idea what’s in store for us.

I’ve swam in oceans before, and this was much saltier than the Atlantic or the Pacific.  Just being in the Mediterranean makes you want to pour Pepsi in your eyes, nose and mouth.  And since we were so close to the pier, the foam and water coming back at you provided a constant inability to see or hear.  And the undercurrent was so strong, it was an athletic feat in and of itself to stay far enough from the rocks as to not get slashed or mangled.  Jordan, exercising more intelligence than myself, decided to forfeit the adventure, but I felt a need to soar onto the pier.  After about 20 minutes of failure, my muscles started to ache and my throat began to burn worse than before.  Determined to achieve this amazing acrobatic stunt, I stayed in the game with Jordan, Ricardo, and several other Italians and tourists watching.  25 minutes into the ordeal, Ricardo calls out a wave 2 sets back (only one in about every 40 waves can be ridden, as most are too small).  I prep myself and get into position (2 feet from the pier, with my hand up to grab and brace and ready to paddle).  The wave takes me lower than usual, and then swells upwards, and I kick and flail as hard and fast as I can.  The foam and backsplash are too much, and I close my eyes, only to open them again to a severe pain in my right knee.  I then see an ankle in front of my face, which surprised me, as I could only see people’s heads and shoulders from my position in the water.  The water then flows backwards, but I stay stationary with a hard mass against my stomach.  I then realized that I made it, and I was laying on the pier at the feet of Jordan and Ricardo!!!!!!!  I start screaming and yelling while I get handshakes and pats on the back, and Ricardo tells me to go wash the blood off of my knee.  It then occurs to me that as my eyes were closed, I couldn’t see where I was, and I kept kicking at the water even though I was already up on the pier!

To date, that is the physical accomplishment I am most proud of.

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