Andare a Zonzo

I guess it's time for me to mark my territory here on mcclurelife.  

Back in college, I went on a two-month trip to Europe with others in the architecture program.  It was a great trip, but we did make the trip with Prof. Zorr.  Zorr was a strange bird - he would make some kind of weird siren sound when he saw something he didn't like, and an equally weird yet distinct siren sound when he saw something he liked.  He wore the same outfit everyday - a white turtleneck, khaki pants, and a blue blazer.  Except for Fridays, when he came in a ratty pair of overalls and a blue sweatshirt jacket.  Every week.  This was our tour guide through the grand boulevards of Paris and the canals of Venice.

So Zorr came up with this "theme" for our tour:  Andare a Zonzo, which he translated as "to walk around aimlessly."  You ask me, a bunch of college students don't require structured aimlessness, it just kind of happens.  

It was an interesting theme, and part of me wonders if ole Zorr just didn't want to come up with anything for us to do, and so stuck with a theme of not having one.  The weird thing was, I feel like I was able to really get a better feel for the people, the city, the food, etc. when I wasn't given a minute-by-minute itenerary. 

Now we're in a new city, and it feels a lot like wandering around aimlessly (which Zorr called "zonzoing.")  We get lost every time we venture outside of our known area, and it's frustrating.  But, we are getting to know our city, our people, just by driving/walking around.  We've discovered the best things when we didn't plan on it, when we weren't in control.  There's something helpful (and hopeful) about that.

 - ashley