Samantha's Rome Intercultural Practicum Portfolio : Venice

Venice truly was all that I dreamed it would be, and more. It truly is amazing that an entire city is on water. The culture there is so different than anything I have ever experienced. There were no cars and there were sidewalks but no roads. That concept is so crazy to me. Because there are no cars I am sure that the air is much cleaner.

While there are so many cool things about the Venetian culture, having boats as the only mode of transportation definitely increases travel time, unless you have a boat of your own. For example, when we visited the islands of Murano and Burano it took us about an hour to get there from the city of Venice. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the sights along the way and it sure does make the long trips pass more quickly but it does take a while to get from island to island. Living in Venice or one of its surrounding islands would be like living in another world but having experienced this vastly different culture has opened my eyes to the importance of understanding the ways of life of those around you. As a future teacher, this includes my future students and their family culture. Understanding what circumstances your students are coming to you with is something that all educators need to keep in mind.

Our time in Venice began with a tour of the Doge's Palace and we learned a lot about the history of Venice which was so interesting. We then went to the Basilica of St. Mark which was really great. The church was gorgeous and the mosaics were breathtaking. The entire ceiling was made of tiny pieces of gold and took 400 years to finish. St. Mark's bones are found in the church which is so interesting. He did not actually die there but they brought his bones back and buried them in the palace.

Next, we visited the Ca' Rezzonico which was the private home of a wealthy family. We learned that was common in Venice during that time. People showed their wealth through their fancy and extravagant homes. Our next adventure was amazing! We went on a water taxi tour of the Grand Canal and other channels within Venice. It was amazing! I really did fall in love with Venice!

Saturday we visited the islands of Murano and Burano. We started off with the latter. It is known for its colorful houses and of course their lacework. We learned that mostly fisherman live on this island and they would use the paint from their boats to paint their homes and that was the birth of the colorful houses that are there today. I am totally in love and would love to live there! It has a small town feel much like many towns in North Carolina.

After 30 minutes on Burano we hopped on another water taxi for Murano which is known for their glasswork. We had the opportunity to visit a glass museum. It is crazy what these glass blowers can do. We even got to see some work that can never be repeated because the artist never shared their secrets so no one knows how to continue the work. Then for lunch I got lunch with a small group at a restaurant outside. I had four cheese ravioli and I loved it the only sad part that I wished there was more.

After lunch we headed to the glass factory. The factory is made up of 16 craftsman and we learned that glass blowing is a dying art and many young boys are not willing to learn the art. This means that eventually it will be all produced by machines. We got watch one glassblower make a horse and it amazing what it takes to finish this project. We also learned that different elements make the glass different colors. For example, red is made of the element, gold, so red glass is obviously the most expensive.

Next was our gondola ride! I had a blast. Our gondolier was named Paulo and he was very entertaining, he sang us some Earth, Wind and Fire, Popeye, hummed and sang some traditional Venetian melodies. We had so much fun! I am so glad that I did this, it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.