Sicily

Since the moment we arrived in Sicily, I fell in love with it. The buildings are amazing and the architecture is breathtaking. The city is exactly what I had imagined it would look like if not even better. The little streets with tightly parked little cars and cars passing by closely are very common. Many coffee shops around with great coffee and beverages that are very cheap. My favorite part of Sicily so far was the University of Catania. The building itself used to be a monastery which was later turned into the university. The architecture inside and outside was amazing with high ceilings and big arches. The classrooms were fairly small compared to ours. The library was the best part of the university which was located at the lower level. There were many shelves filled with books from ancient times till today and you could tell how precious each book was. I also really liked the mosaic on the walls and on the ground on the 2nd floor which used to be a kitchen during the time when it was used as a monastery. At the end of the tour, we stopped in the quad where there were many interesting plants. There were some palm trees and cactuses but my favorite one was the huge aloe vera plant which was right next to the door. During the time we visited, it was examination period and we saw many students in the hallways studying and preparing for their exams. The overall atmosphere at the university was relaxed and generally, in Sicily the atmosphere is amazing. I really have never seen any city like this one that I fell in love with so fast. Finally, one thing that struck me the most during the university tour is how the tour guide said that tragedy can be a good foundation for the future, referring to the lava and Mount Etna. I really hope to return in the future with the plans to study here.