We’ve made it to blog 5, my final post for the first half of my semester abroad! This weekend was one of my favorites so far because Dr. Tarvin took all of the Communication students on a day trip to Viareggio for Carnevale.
Throughout the semester, we have discussed Carnevale and its traditions in our Rhetoric of Humor class. I was so excited to experience it in person. Carnevale can most simply be described as Italy’s version of Mardi Gras. It’s a way for Catholics to let loose and celebrate before the Lenten season begins.
Along with costumes and confetti, parades of festive floats are a large part of the Carnevale celebrations. The floats we saw in Viareggio were massive and some even made the news thanks to their strong political and social messages. This was one of my favorite aspects of Carnevale. I loved standing alongside my friends, watching the parade, and trying to figure out what each float meant or was attempting to communicate. Some were more obvious like a crying Blue Whale covered in plastic waste and spilled oil. Others took more thought like the float with golden, obese, burlesque women who had tv screens for heads and a pig swinging from a giant disco ball. I’m still not totally sure where the designer was going with this one, but I was nonetheless impressed. It was also surprising how many floats depicted Donald Trump. There were at least three floats I can recall from memory that depicted him as a war lord, a baby, and as graffiti on a large wall beneath Frida Kahlo. After being outside the US for a month, I had almost grown accustomed to not being bombarded with Trump imagery or messages in every day life. These floats sure brought things back into perspective.
Carnevale was also a special experience for me because I got to share it with my boyfriend, who flew to Italy to visit me for a weekend. I was anxious about bringing him along at first because I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable or awkward around my classmates or to be disappointed that this was the activity I’d planned for his last day in Italy. He was a trooper and came along despite his apprehensions. I am so glad he did because it ended up being one of the highlights of his very brief trip. He met and spent time with my new friends and was able to take part in a celebration that was totally new to both him and I. Neither of us would have ever sought out a Carnevale celebration on our own, so it was really fun to experience it with the group.
Our day in Viareggio will stand out as one of my favorite memories from this semester abroad. It was such a unique opportunity and a great way for us to celebrate the upcoming halfway-point of our semester. Although endings may be sad and change can be difficult, I look forward to the second half of my time in Italy and all it has to offer.
Arrivederci!
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