In less than one week, I'll be in Cagliari, Italy, beginning my first Northeastern summer dialogue for five weeks. While over there, I'll be studying Sustainable Waste Management: European Practices for Resource Recovery and Environmental Protection. Sustainable practices has been something I've always been interested in, fostered from growing up in one of the greenest cities, Portland, OR. I'm excited to finally begin pursuing this interest with a global viewpoint. I expect the Italian culture towards resource recovery to be different than what I've seen in the U.S.; I know there are several environmentally conscientious cities in Europe, and it'll be interesting to see the Italian perspective on environmental protection. I'm hopeful the language barrier will not be too difficult to feel immersed in the culture, and that I could use some of my rusty high school Spanish to help communicate. I'm sure it'll be difficult, but I look forward to learning the lay of the Cagliari, and become a "short-term local" in the sense that'll I'll have spent extended time in the city, and ideally would have a grasp of the cities customs, geography, etc., by the end of the trip. To learn about the culture and experience the island fully, I'm hoping to explore the city and visit the places the locals do. I want to avoid doing some of the overly tourist things, and instead find the best marketplaces and restaurants. I look forward to meeting new people, and learning about how their experiences vary from mine, and just in general gain a more global output on life.