Party with the Venetians! 6/29/07

Last night I was invited by another MIT student, Sara John to go to a festival with her coworker and some of her co worker's friends. It was a lot of fun. First we walked across the island to somewhere I had never been before, (my goal is to walk on all the streets of Venice), and went to a restaurant. The best part was when this 70 year old drunk woman latched onto Sara John's arm and started yelling at an old man. Then she shuffled away somewhere to go bother other people, but when we toasted, she shuffled back over to say "cheer cheer!" with us.

We then walked over to the festival which was tucked away in a little corner of the island. It was definitely a local scene, and we were probably the only non-Venetians. There were tents with food and drink, and I ate a deliciously greasy meal of ribs, sausage, fries, and coke. Mmm it was a nice change from pasta, pizza, water, and salad. It was so cute too, the joy in the air, all the children with strangely shaped balloons, the italian band performing latin sounding music, the quaint wooden bridges over waterways decorated with colored lights, the moonlight reflecting off the dark water. Sara John bought me a balloon and we danced the night away. Finally, we headed home and walked through Saint Mark's Square at Midnight, which was a pretty sight, compared its crowdedness and pigeonfullness during the daytime. To top the night off, I made my way home, pink balloon in tow, floating behind me as I walked through the dark and empty streets. Every once in a while I would pass a bar and people would look at me like how random, a girl with a pink balloon walking through the streets at night, or even smile at me, and I was content.

Overall, last night was a good break away from the tourist grind, the monotony of going home every night and cooking, washing the dishes, and then going to sleep. It's easy to feel isolated on the Island, because of the lack of young people, the lack of locals, and no connection with the familiar world after I leave my computer at work. I guess this is what life is about, not falling into that trap of repetition and boredom, doing different things, but still taking time to relax.