Venice Imagined

My whole life I’ve dreamt of travel. Now, as a senior year in college who has never traveled outside the American borders, the opportunity has come for me to fulfill my lifelong aspiration. Preparing for my excursion to the enchanting city of Venice, I am so thankful that I have the chance to travel while I am young. With the world as my oyster, I am ready to set off and engulf as much as it as I possibly can. I am excited to soak in the Italian culture and investigate both the sun and shadows of mystical Venice.

Having grown up with an Italian best friend, I already have many ideas engrained in me of what the Italian culture is like. The intense religiosity of the people, the deep ties to family, and appreciation for food, music and beauty in the simple things are only several of my perceptions of the Italian culture. Venice, on the other hand, is a foreign land that I have a hazy perception of. I currently picture Venice as a city of historical splendor and domestic simplicity that together form a lifestyle that mixes the old and new, complex and simple, and myth and science. I am eager to stroll the winding streets of the city, shop at the bustling markets and quaint shops, and watch the sunset while winding down the day at a Venetian café. This magical place that I am about to call my home is one that seems so drastically different than the home I know now, and I am ready to embrace the change and learn about another way of life. I hope to come out of this experience a changed individual, whose eyes have been opened to other cultures and with many memorable experiences, excellent photographs, and great stories to tell my friends and family when I return home.