Anika in Italy!: Sailboats in Slovenia

Yesterday we exchange students from district 2060 had quite the adventure! After school on Saturday (hmpf. The 6-day school week here is taking some getting used to) we boarded a train to Trieste for a sailboat race and festival called Barcolana. We ended up taking the wrong connecting train from Venice to Trieste: we took the regional train that stopped at every town along the way, so the ride lasted an extra two hours. Despite this setback, though, we had a great time listening to music and hanging out in the train car that we had all to ourselves! The conductor was very friendly and we had a good conversation with him as well. Finally we arrived in Trieste, which is a gorgeous seaside city, all lit up at night, and joined the others for dinner at a pizzeria. After spending the night with a Rotary host, we got up early the next morning and drove to Slovenia (about 20 minutes away, isn’t that convenient!) to board a boat. That day was one of the most beautiful days I’ve ever experienced! The sunrise over the Slovenian sea was breathtaking. The air was fresh and salty, the sky was clear and blue, and the ocean sparkled in the sun. We sat on the deck of the boat, watching the multi-colored sailboats and occasionally spotting white and pink jellyfish in the sea. In the afternoon, the sailboat race began, which was incredible to watch! Teams of sailors had to maneuver their boats to turn at three different points during the race, and a big crowd of people in smaller boats had come to cheer them on from a distance. Helicopters flew above and policemen rode around on jet-skis, yelling at the spectators to move their boats so the sailboats could get by. Many people were just lounging in the sun on their boats and enjoying the perfect weather. I sat on the deck and took turns staring down at the ocean, over at the sailboats, up at the blue sky, and out at the mountainous coast of Slovenia and Italy. It was the first time I had seen the ocean in years, and I realized how much io amo il mare! At the end of the afternoon we had to leave the boat and catch the train back to Vicenza, but it was an unforgettable day. I went to school today (Monday) pretty tired but I didn’t mind. Right now I am considering switching schools, which would be a big deal, from a scientific high school to a linguistic school. At the moment I have lots of science and math classes that don’t really interest me, and at the linguistic school I would get to take five languages, with limited math classes! The only problem is that I get along really well with my current classmates- they are so helpful and friendly (and patient with me when I don’t understand what’s going on) so it would be tough to switch… we’ll see how it goes. I’ll have to decide this week. Until then, ciao!