A Floating Labyrinth

by Daphny Oliveira (Brazil)

I didn't expect to find Italy

I’ve decided to travel to Venice after my graduation. It didn’t take much thought to exchanged a party for the trip. The ironic thing is I was pretty much escaping from my country’s carnival to experience... another carnival. The one I was sure I was going to enjoy because those incredible dresses and masks in the pictures appealed so much to my inner primmadonna it just had to be right. You see, I’m known for being an old soul. I hate crowded places, loud music and everything people my age enjoy. I was going to Europe again because I love to visit museums and enjoy ancient architecture… but this time I also wanted to experience an event. So I made myself a plague doctor costume and went to Venice. Why, you may ask? Weren’t I talking about dresses just a paragraph ago?! Let me tell you about something called budget. Nevermind, I’m sure you’re very aware of it, aren’t we all? Anyway, I arrived in the city just a few days before the semi-final catwalk that takes place on Piazza San Marco. I went to the hotel to leave my luggage and started walking on the famous streets in which everybody gets lost even with a map. Yes. I thought that was ridiculous too. I mean… that’s exactly the reason why maps exist, right? Ok. I was walking with my “tourist kit” on a backpack: bottle of water, snacks and many flyers about everything I needed to know and… I have to be honest. I went to Venice with the same disbelief I had for Paris: “It can’t be that impressive. I’m sure people are exagerating. They even say the water smells!”. Even though I was excited to be in Italy, that little island didn’t thrill me. So wearing my unimpressed expression I walked on narrow streets between ancient buildings, watched italians moving around in boats, crossed stone bridges and even saw a few people dressed in their carnevale attires. When I’ve realized I was already a tourist like many others. Taking pictures of everything, buying souvenirs for each member of my family and… getting lost. There are signs to help you find the main attractions of the city but I don’t know. I just… had no idea where I was and how I got there. So I thought to myself “I’m pretty sure the main street is two lefts and one right ago. It’s where I started to follow those beautiful windows filled with flowers.”. You guessed right. It wasn’t. I was still lost and as it happens everytime we need help… I couldn’t find anybody to ask for directions. Do I speak italian? I mean… does a 6-month course counts? I found out it actually does. Long story short I’ve tried using the map and it didn’t help at all so I kept walking until I found a lady and asked her about the train station nearby my hotel. She gave me the instructions and I forgot pretty much half of them after a sequence of 3 lefts, 4 rights and so on. When I noticed I was lost again the only thing that came to my mind was – as a good fan of Pocahontas – following the wind. I know what you’re thinking but this is a free-of-judgement zone. Wind it’s stronger near a water source so I had to try and guess what? Not only I found the main street but I’ve realized the water doesn’t smell bad! After a few days in Venice I noticed it didn’t take long before I was already telling everybody how charming that place was and how I should go back to stay longer. I know. Ironic, isn't it? Nothing else matters when you’re there but the present moment specially because you can easily forget you’re even in the 21st century to begin with. I think that’s what made the city even sublimer to me. Becoming more than an expectator of the past meant so much it actually made Venice not only an incredible place to experience but gave the italian “City of Love” a piece of my skeptical heart, turning it unexpectedly into my place on the world.