Day 7

Administrator YCI BLOG — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:41:04 GMT

Hi my name is George. I am from the UK. Montecristo seems a long way from home, which to me is a city called St Albans , about half an hour north of London , but not so far away from the idyllic islands image captured in countless novels and movies. First impressions centred around the scenic base of the TV programme ‘Lost’ mixed with a spark of recognition from ‘Muppet Treasure island’. To step onto the untouched white sand was for the first, and likely the only time, cannot be summarised in words; pictures can’t absorb the extraordinary smells that flared through our nostrils as we walked to a peak above the villa once owned by the Savoy royal family. This upward journey, of supposedly half an hour, was prolonged by constant photography and for good reason. To call the natural and isolated beauty of Montecristo moving can in only a small way summarise my experience of the day. It felt almost surreal to paddle in the clear waters the island after a long game of ‘Schiacciasette’ (volleyball for us non Romans), in which I won some small victory for Britain amongst stiff competition from the Italians and appalling history in the sport. Perhaps tainting the image of the shore was rubbish (garbage for Americans) strewn across the beach which bringing an element of realism to discussions from earlier in the week. The issue of the environment as a whole, although vital, has never really impassioned me in the way it does many people. Some of my YPG8 colleagues feel this passion and through discussion it became readily apparent that some people’s views on the environment and in particular its relationship to the economy at large differed from mine. Being a neo-classicist and a free marketer it really challenged me to try to justify my staunchly held opinions when faced with the issues of climate change and waste. To bring morality into the pursuit of happiness and profit is something that is important in a global society and now more than ever in Britain . Compromise between capitalist economics and the environment combined with asserted morality is not an easy issue but one which we have begun to discuss. The different opinions and ideological standpoints brought together on the ship are so vast that I am sure this discussion is by no means finished, and I look forward to its proliferation in the next few days.

Day 6

Administrator YCI BLOG — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:30:10 GMT

Pasta is the main hit! Thank you Bruno and Gabriele.

Tender to Nave Italia Blog - George

Day 7

Day 6