Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Temporary Pause

Sad news: yesterday night I got back from a wonderful day in the mountains only to discover my computer cord was no longer delivering power to my computer. Either I will have to buy a new cord, or my blogging time will be severely impeded.

Good news: my cousin Anna and I got our tickets to Sicily! We leave for Taormina in the morning and I will begin volunteering at a new hostel, Taormina's Odyssey. Looking forward to it!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Three Kind Strangers

Oh, no! Two days have gone by without my daily post. And just as I advertised on Facebook...

Yesterday was Sunday. I took that day off to go into Rome. Since my first trip there last year, I've been keeping a long list of things to do in the Eternal City, and each time I check something off but also add two or three more things. This time, I also got to meet my cousin Anna and share the day with her! She's been traveling through Italy on her own, but we're going to spend the next week or so together.

Since yesterday was Sunday, we were able to go to the Porta Portese Flea Market which is held this one day a week, south of Trastevere (that's the part of Rome across the Tiber River). It was a little like the open-air market in Sora, except less food and plants and more dry goods. And it was huge! I bought a yellow summer scarf to protect my shoulders from further sunburn, and Anna got a long colorful skirt made from fair trade cotton in Nepal.

At one of the stalls, a customer who couldn't speak Italian was looking puzzled at a jar of confettura di fichi along with the merchant who couldn't speak English. The guy asked me if I could translate, and when I said "fig jam" (I only know this because we serve jam to the guests at Via Piana and it says confettura on the bottle) the merchant was SO excited and gave me this huge kiss on the cheek. He then enthusiastically gave Anna and I some cheese, which, in his words, came from a "baaaaaa"... :)

So Anna and I were laughing about that one for a while, but we also met a few other kind men in the course of our day. Our next stop, since it was nearby, was La Bocca della Verità or the Mouth of Truth made famous by the movie Roman Holiday. It's in tiny front courtyard or entryway of a church, and there was a line of people extending out the gate. They were all waiting to get pictures with their hands in this Mouth (which, if you are a liar, will bite off your hand). The kind man in this case was the security guard. He saw that Anna was about to take a picture through the gate, and stuck his hand through, offering to take a picture from a better vantage point. He indicated we were far to trusting by joking "thank you, goodbye" and pretending to pocket the camera (at any rate, it was a disposable camera). Then he laughed and took the picture.

After this, we made our way north through the old part of the city. We saw the Jewish ghetto, where all the Jews in Rome were forced to go on October 6, 1943. There are still many Jewish bakeries and shops in that neighborhood, many of which were unfortunately closed at the time we walked though.

We reached the Pantheon, which is one of my favorite places in Rome. It's just so old and huge and beautiful. Near there we got coffee (un cappuccino for Anna and un caffe freddo for me, which was an extra-sweet cold espressso) at Sant'Eustacchio Il Caffè, which I keep hearing about. It was worth the crowd of people filling the bar. SO good. Our next goal was to get gelato so we went to Della Palma, a gelateria with over 100 flavors. We tried two each: blackberry and ricotta fig for Anna, coconut and spicy chocolate for me. Again, SO good.

By this time it was almost time to catch the train to Anna's hostel so we could catch the bus back to Sora before it got too late. We decided it was time to eat some real food, so we went to this cute little pizzeria near the train station where Anna had eaten the past two days. In fact, as we were walking past the man recognized her and greeted us. We shared salad, the first vegetables Anna had eaten in several days, and pizza margherita. We shamelessly put the rest of the pizza in a zip lock bag to take home with us. When we went to pay, Anna told him that I was her cousin (cugina, we added). Then, in a hilarious turn of events he proclaimed in Italian, "and I am her uncle!" and gave us both a big hug (and a discount on our food). Such a nice man. The kindness of these people really characterized our day and gave us pleasant thoughts on the way home, despite our aching legs.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Partire è un po' morire

To me, that phrase means "parting is a bit like dying" or maybe "a little death" and its equivalent in English would be "absence makes the heart grow fonder" I suppose. I've been here only a bit more than a week, but soon I will have to depart for Sicily. I am confident Sicilia will be wonderful, but I really like the people here.

Today I spent a lot of time with Anna, helping her study for an oral exam on Monday. It's on the French philosopher Henri Bergson. She would study a bit and then explain it to me in Italian, thereby helping her sort out her ideas and helping me understand a bit more Italian. At the very least, I learned the words scienza (science) and durata (duration, apparently one of Bergson's pet concepts).

I'm sorry that these last two posts have been so...I don't know...technical and boring. I'm writing so very late at night and thoughts are not flowing very well. More tomorrow!

More Info on San Giovanni

Passed on by my dear dad (see previous post for back story):

"In the Church's veneration of her saints, the cultus of St. John the Baptist had from earliest times and continues to have a most prominent place. John gave testimony of the true Light that shines in the darkness, although he proclaimed in utter humility: "He must increase, but I must decrease." And the Master also spoke in highest praise of His precursor: "I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." Attuned to the words of the Gospel, the Christians of former times were filled with love and enthusiasm for this saint, and expressed a justifiable conviviality at the approach of his feast-day by lighting a bonfire the night before in front of their churches, in the market-places, on the hilltops, and in the valleys. The custom of St. John bonfires, indicative of a people with unabashed and childlike faith, continues in some places to this day." (The Rev. Dr. Philip T. Weller)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

An Italian Tradition

Tonight I went to a bonfire for the day of San Giovanni. It was a small neighborhood gathering near the farm. I can't figure out which San Giovanni it was, nor could anyone tell me (in English or Italian, all they could say was "it's an Italian tradition"). EDIT: After a bit of research, I realize that it's the eve of St. John the Baptist. I still don't know how the bonfire figures in.

First we ate dinner where everyone got a sausage, a small piece of lamb, and maybe a small piece of pork as it became ready on the grill. The first meat wasn't ready until maybe 9:30. The rest came after that. I was thankful that Anna and I had eaten salad beforehand.

The tables were furnished with fried bread and regular bread, pecorino and smoked ricotta cheese, red wine, white wine, beer, and water. Giuseppe (that's Antonello's father) has quite a liking for Anna, so he paid for our meals. He introduced us to people and talked about Sicily with everyone who would listen.

Then some of the other guests and volunteers showed up, right before the fire was lit. We watched as this huge bonfire, with an effigy of San Giovanni (I think -- again, nobody really knew for sure what was being represented) went up in flames (relatively quickly due to the dry grass making up the majority of the fuel).

And today was market day. The huge open-air market is held in Sora every Thursday, so many of us volunteers went down around 8AM to beat the heat. I didn't really need anything, so I just walked the span of the stalls which were selling everything from pots and pans to chicks and ducks. I ended up buying a bit of goat cheese, just because I love the taste of goat cheese and it's fun to interact with people at the market.

In between these two fun events, I cleaned rooms for our new guests. I was imagining a small family as we set up beds for four people, but it was actually four gigantic Australian guys. It was just surprising to see them, because I guess we don't get to many backpacking groups. I don't know. Hopefully they appreciated the freshly-mopped floor. Now I'm going to go to bed so I can help Anna make breakfast in the morning. Buonanotte!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tranquillità

Today was a quiet day. I spent the morning weeding, doing dishes, and scrubbing tile. I spent the afternoon eating, sleeping, and memorizing Italian verbs. I spent the evening watering plants, eating dinner, and talking to Anna. It was nice to spend some time with her and catch up. We said goodbye to the Austrian volunteer this afternoon. The only other volunteer (Eleanor, the Welsh girl) is spending the night with her friend at the rustic farm. It's very quiet indeed. I'm off to bed.

Lingua Franca

This post is to make up for the one I was supposed to write yesterday. I'll write another this evening.

It's a very strange thing to be the only native English-speaker in a room of many different language-speakers. English ends up being the default language, and I feel a little spoiled always being the comfortable one, never having to stretch myself. I have decided, however, that I don't like the way I speak English. I need a better accent. The Welsh girl told me yesterday that she admires the Deep South, including the accent. Maybe that would do.

Monday, June 20, 2011

This Has Been the Best Monday Ever

We took a trip to the sea today! It was the Mediterranean (also known as the Tyrrhenian Sea which, as my 10th grade students may remember, was sailed by Aeneas and his men on their way to Italy) and the water was so, so, so blue. How is it so blue? I really don’t know. Maybe it goes along with how clear it is. The weather was also very nice – sunny and not too hot. I may have stayed out in the sun a little too long, but just a little. I went out swimming two or three times, took lots of pictures, studied my book of Italian Vocabulary. I learned the words for many insetti, frutte, e verdure (insects, fruits, and vegetables). I tried to pick things that I see most often, and both insects and food are involved in much of my day.

Thankfully, insects are not quite so involved as last year. For one thing, the common room now has a piece of clear plastic across the big window. (Some might remember the picture of it from last year. Actually, you can probably still click on that photo album link to see it.) It was a little sad at first, but I’ve gotten used to the sight and I think it does help keep the insects down – as do the scores of ragni (spiders) which make their homes here.

Another factor eliminating my exposure to zanzare (mosquitoes) and other pests is the fact that my accommodations were upgraded from last year’s ancient unfinished kitchen to a genuine guest room. This is due to Anna’s kindness, another volunteer’s use of my old room, and ultimately a rather slow season. I’ve been here four and a half days and we’re just getting our first guests. It’s nice to have guests, because that means my work has a bit more variety. Instead of sanding rusty metal for hours on end (okay, only three hours) I get to make breakfast and do dishes and clean rooms. It may seem routine, but it’s nice for a change.

A couple of people are leaving tomorrow. I really should do a post of all the people I’ve met. It’s one of the best things about being here – talking to these people who’ve come from all around. I think that the majority of people I talk to here in Italy are not Italian (which might explain why my language acquisition is not going as quickly as it could – maybe that will change when I am in Sicily).

Besides Anna, the Austrian girl who manages Via Piana, there’s another Austrian guy who’s a long-time traveler and been here for three weeks, Anna’s friend from Austria who’s visiting until tomorrow, the Welsh girl who’s been volunteering here for nearly five months now, the Welsh girl’s friend who’s also leaving tomorrow, a French guy who volunteers at both Via Piana and the farmstay, a British guy who has volunteered at both places off and on for a long time, and a Dutch girl whose name I can’t remember because I only met her once and she works at the farmstay. I don’t usually think of these people paired with their nationalities like that, but sometimes it’s interesting to sum up and see the wide variety that we really are.

Nice fact about Italian culture: I got a cappuccino today for only €0,90 (about $1.28) and it was delicious.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Free Time

Today was my first free day, and having worked six hours yesterday in preparation, we were all very excited for this time off. We started out with a hike to a waterfall. It was about an hour up into a gorge in the steep mountains. Although steep, it mostly in the shade. At the very end you have to follow the creek bed, because the gorge becomes so narrow. (I hope to post some pictures in the next few days). Some of us wore our bathing suits, but it the water was too icy to do more than wade.

Afterwards, we ate a bit of lunch. Then I took a nap and tried to memorize some more Italian words. We ended the day at Park Bridge Pizzeria, where I got a pizza bianca (no marinara sauce) with arugula, tomatoes, and Parmesan.

But speaking of bathing suits, tomorrow we will actually use them. Anna is taking the volunteers to the sea. After we spend a couple hours cleaning for the guests, we'll drive down to Gaeta for the rest of the day.

Buona Sera!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sabato

Have had more wine in the last two days than the last two months (but none today…it really just depends if one is at a party when the host is offering home-made wine). Worked six hours today instead of three, so that a bunch of us volunteers can take a long hike to a waterfall tomorrow. It is a lot cooler here than it was when I left Maryland. It’s even getting down into the 50s at night. It’s beautiful.

More tomorrow, but I wanted to fulfill my daily quota!

Friday, June 17, 2011

First post from Italy, 2011

Whenever I start talking, or writing, I want to tell everything there is to tell! But since I really don’t have time to spare for sitting in front of my computer, I am going to post at least one interesting thing that happened each day I am in Italy. Featured today: a short account of my journey here, a fact about Italian men, and a fact about Italian women.

It started on Tuesday night, when I finally finished grading final exams and began packing. I had already planned what I wanted to bring (somewhat) and begun to set things out, but I still had some laundry to do and miles to go before I slept. And actually, I didn’t sleep that night. My dear cousin Amanda came to get me at 4:50 a.m. just as I had finished packing and changed into my travel clothes. She helped me empty the fridge of perishables and laughed as I had to lighten my suitcase by a few pounds. This amazing girl had to get up at 4 a.m. to get me. THANK YOU, AMANDA! We were (or at least I was) a bit slap-happy on the way to the metro.

So she took me to the metro, which I took to Reagan National, from whence (after an hour delay) I flew to JFK. I had a long layover in New York, but we left on time at 5 p.m. I was really tired by then, but I tried to stay awake all day long so that I could sleep on the plane. And I did, very well. You see, not long after I found my seat at the back of the plane (a window seat, 38G) the lady sitting next to me asked if I would switch with her daughter, who was sitting up several rows in 19G. Sure, I said. No problem. After I found my seat there, the flight attendant came up came up to say that those seats had been double-booked (or something that was unclear to me) and we had to move all the way up. I was now sitting in 1G. Business class. First class.

There were so many amenities, I didn’t know what to do with them all! Instead of a thin fleece blanket and small, flat pillow, passengers in first class get a comforter (practically) and a big, fluffy pillow. They also get noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water, and a completely different menu than the rest of the plane. I was so tired that I unfortunately did not get dinner, but I did enjoy the omelet for breakfast. And I really enjoyed the reclining seats as I slept.

So, it was a good flight! And even better, my suitcase turned up at the baggage claim. I kept thanking God after each successful stage of the journey. I took the train, then the metro, then a bus…and there were Anna and her friend, waiting to pick me up in Sora!

Since then I feel like I’ve done so much: hiked up to the old castle in Sora, dinner and il vino with Giuseppe (who is the father of Antonello, the owner, and only speaks Italian), lunch with all the volunteers at the house of Gabriele (who is a friend of Antonello and a park ranger in Abruzzo), and my first three hours of work. We cleaned rooms for guests and then I worked on sanding remnants of paint off an old door.

Observations from the past 24 hours:

Italian men are really great about helping with suitcases. One guy helped me get my 49-pound suitcase onto the train, and then two more helped me with the process of getting it on the bus.

Italian women like to match things. I spotted three matching outfits, yesterday. One lady had on golden-beige glasses, shirt, purse, shoes, and fingernails. Another lady had a blue patterned dress, light blue bag, and blue espadrilles. The third was wearing light purple from top to bottom. Oh, and I saw another all-purple outfit today.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Temporary Pause

Sad news: yesterday night I got back from a wonderful day in the mountains only to discover my computer cord was no longer delivering power to my computer. Either I will have to buy a new cord, or my blogging time will be severely impeded.

Good news: my cousin Anna and I got our tickets to Sicily! We leave for Taormina in the morning and I will begin volunteering at a new hostel, Taormina's Odyssey. Looking forward to it!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Three Kind Strangers

Oh, no! Two days have gone by without my daily post. And just as I advertised on Facebook...

Yesterday was Sunday. I took that day off to go into Rome. Since my first trip there last year, I've been keeping a long list of things to do in the Eternal City, and each time I check something off but also add two or three more things. This time, I also got to meet my cousin Anna and share the day with her! She's been traveling through Italy on her own, but we're going to spend the next week or so together.

Since yesterday was Sunday, we were able to go to the Porta Portese Flea Market which is held this one day a week, south of Trastevere (that's the part of Rome across the Tiber River). It was a little like the open-air market in Sora, except less food and plants and more dry goods. And it was huge! I bought a yellow summer scarf to protect my shoulders from further sunburn, and Anna got a long colorful skirt made from fair trade cotton in Nepal.

At one of the stalls, a customer who couldn't speak Italian was looking puzzled at a jar of confettura di fichi along with the merchant who couldn't speak English. The guy asked me if I could translate, and when I said "fig jam" (I only know this because we serve jam to the guests at Via Piana and it says confettura on the bottle) the merchant was SO excited and gave me this huge kiss on the cheek. He then enthusiastically gave Anna and I some cheese, which, in his words, came from a "baaaaaa"... :)

So Anna and I were laughing about that one for a while, but we also met a few other kind men in the course of our day. Our next stop, since it was nearby, was La Bocca della Verità or the Mouth of Truth made famous by the movie Roman Holiday. It's in tiny front courtyard or entryway of a church, and there was a line of people extending out the gate. They were all waiting to get pictures with their hands in this Mouth (which, if you are a liar, will bite off your hand). The kind man in this case was the security guard. He saw that Anna was about to take a picture through the gate, and stuck his hand through, offering to take a picture from a better vantage point. He indicated we were far to trusting by joking "thank you, goodbye" and pretending to pocket the camera (at any rate, it was a disposable camera). Then he laughed and took the picture.

After this, we made our way north through the old part of the city. We saw the Jewish ghetto, where all the Jews in Rome were forced to go on October 6, 1943. There are still many Jewish bakeries and shops in that neighborhood, many of which were unfortunately closed at the time we walked though.

We reached the Pantheon, which is one of my favorite places in Rome. It's just so old and huge and beautiful. Near there we got coffee (un cappuccino for Anna and un caffe freddo for me, which was an extra-sweet cold espressso) at Sant'Eustacchio Il Caffè, which I keep hearing about. It was worth the crowd of people filling the bar. SO good. Our next goal was to get gelato so we went to Della Palma, a gelateria with over 100 flavors. We tried two each: blackberry and ricotta fig for Anna, coconut and spicy chocolate for me. Again, SO good.

By this time it was almost time to catch the train to Anna's hostel so we could catch the bus back to Sora before it got too late. We decided it was time to eat some real food, so we went to this cute little pizzeria near the train station where Anna had eaten the past two days. In fact, as we were walking past the man recognized her and greeted us. We shared salad, the first vegetables Anna had eaten in several days, and pizza margherita. We shamelessly put the rest of the pizza in a zip lock bag to take home with us. When we went to pay, Anna told him that I was her cousin (cugina, we added). Then, in a hilarious turn of events he proclaimed in Italian, "and I am her uncle!" and gave us both a big hug (and a discount on our food). Such a nice man. The kindness of these people really characterized our day and gave us pleasant thoughts on the way home, despite our aching legs.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Partire è un po' morire

To me, that phrase means "parting is a bit like dying" or maybe "a little death" and its equivalent in English would be "absence makes the heart grow fonder" I suppose. I've been here only a bit more than a week, but soon I will have to depart for Sicily. I am confident Sicilia will be wonderful, but I really like the people here.

Today I spent a lot of time with Anna, helping her study for an oral exam on Monday. It's on the French philosopher Henri Bergson. She would study a bit and then explain it to me in Italian, thereby helping her sort out her ideas and helping me understand a bit more Italian. At the very least, I learned the words scienza (science) and durata (duration, apparently one of Bergson's pet concepts).

I'm sorry that these last two posts have been so...I don't know...technical and boring. I'm writing so very late at night and thoughts are not flowing very well. More tomorrow!

More Info on San Giovanni

Passed on by my dear dad (see previous post for back story):

"In the Church's veneration of her saints, the cultus of St. John the Baptist had from earliest times and continues to have a most prominent place. John gave testimony of the true Light that shines in the darkness, although he proclaimed in utter humility: "He must increase, but I must decrease." And the Master also spoke in highest praise of His precursor: "I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." Attuned to the words of the Gospel, the Christians of former times were filled with love and enthusiasm for this saint, and expressed a justifiable conviviality at the approach of his feast-day by lighting a bonfire the night before in front of their churches, in the market-places, on the hilltops, and in the valleys. The custom of St. John bonfires, indicative of a people with unabashed and childlike faith, continues in some places to this day." (The Rev. Dr. Philip T. Weller)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

An Italian Tradition

Tonight I went to a bonfire for the day of San Giovanni. It was a small neighborhood gathering near the farm. I can't figure out which San Giovanni it was, nor could anyone tell me (in English or Italian, all they could say was "it's an Italian tradition"). EDIT: After a bit of research, I realize that it's the eve of St. John the Baptist. I still don't know how the bonfire figures in.

First we ate dinner where everyone got a sausage, a small piece of lamb, and maybe a small piece of pork as it became ready on the grill. The first meat wasn't ready until maybe 9:30. The rest came after that. I was thankful that Anna and I had eaten salad beforehand.

The tables were furnished with fried bread and regular bread, pecorino and smoked ricotta cheese, red wine, white wine, beer, and water. Giuseppe (that's Antonello's father) has quite a liking for Anna, so he paid for our meals. He introduced us to people and talked about Sicily with everyone who would listen.

Then some of the other guests and volunteers showed up, right before the fire was lit. We watched as this huge bonfire, with an effigy of San Giovanni (I think -- again, nobody really knew for sure what was being represented) went up in flames (relatively quickly due to the dry grass making up the majority of the fuel).

And today was market day. The huge open-air market is held in Sora every Thursday, so many of us volunteers went down around 8AM to beat the heat. I didn't really need anything, so I just walked the span of the stalls which were selling everything from pots and pans to chicks and ducks. I ended up buying a bit of goat cheese, just because I love the taste of goat cheese and it's fun to interact with people at the market.

In between these two fun events, I cleaned rooms for our new guests. I was imagining a small family as we set up beds for four people, but it was actually four gigantic Australian guys. It was just surprising to see them, because I guess we don't get to many backpacking groups. I don't know. Hopefully they appreciated the freshly-mopped floor. Now I'm going to go to bed so I can help Anna make breakfast in the morning. Buonanotte!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tranquillità

Today was a quiet day. I spent the morning weeding, doing dishes, and scrubbing tile. I spent the afternoon eating, sleeping, and memorizing Italian verbs. I spent the evening watering plants, eating dinner, and talking to Anna. It was nice to spend some time with her and catch up. We said goodbye to the Austrian volunteer this afternoon. The only other volunteer (Eleanor, the Welsh girl) is spending the night with her friend at the rustic farm. It's very quiet indeed. I'm off to bed.

Lingua Franca

This post is to make up for the one I was supposed to write yesterday. I'll write another this evening.

It's a very strange thing to be the only native English-speaker in a room of many different language-speakers. English ends up being the default language, and I feel a little spoiled always being the comfortable one, never having to stretch myself. I have decided, however, that I don't like the way I speak English. I need a better accent. The Welsh girl told me yesterday that she admires the Deep South, including the accent. Maybe that would do.

Monday, June 20, 2011

This Has Been the Best Monday Ever

We took a trip to the sea today! It was the Mediterranean (also known as the Tyrrhenian Sea which, as my 10th grade students may remember, was sailed by Aeneas and his men on their way to Italy) and the water was so, so, so blue. How is it so blue? I really don’t know. Maybe it goes along with how clear it is. The weather was also very nice – sunny and not too hot. I may have stayed out in the sun a little too long, but just a little. I went out swimming two or three times, took lots of pictures, studied my book of Italian Vocabulary. I learned the words for many insetti, frutte, e verdure (insects, fruits, and vegetables). I tried to pick things that I see most often, and both insects and food are involved in much of my day.

Thankfully, insects are not quite so involved as last year. For one thing, the common room now has a piece of clear plastic across the big window. (Some might remember the picture of it from last year. Actually, you can probably still click on that photo album link to see it.) It was a little sad at first, but I’ve gotten used to the sight and I think it does help keep the insects down – as do the scores of ragni (spiders) which make their homes here.

Another factor eliminating my exposure to zanzare (mosquitoes) and other pests is the fact that my accommodations were upgraded from last year’s ancient unfinished kitchen to a genuine guest room. This is due to Anna’s kindness, another volunteer’s use of my old room, and ultimately a rather slow season. I’ve been here four and a half days and we’re just getting our first guests. It’s nice to have guests, because that means my work has a bit more variety. Instead of sanding rusty metal for hours on end (okay, only three hours) I get to make breakfast and do dishes and clean rooms. It may seem routine, but it’s nice for a change.

A couple of people are leaving tomorrow. I really should do a post of all the people I’ve met. It’s one of the best things about being here – talking to these people who’ve come from all around. I think that the majority of people I talk to here in Italy are not Italian (which might explain why my language acquisition is not going as quickly as it could – maybe that will change when I am in Sicily).

Besides Anna, the Austrian girl who manages Via Piana, there’s another Austrian guy who’s a long-time traveler and been here for three weeks, Anna’s friend from Austria who’s visiting until tomorrow, the Welsh girl who’s been volunteering here for nearly five months now, the Welsh girl’s friend who’s also leaving tomorrow, a French guy who volunteers at both Via Piana and the farmstay, a British guy who has volunteered at both places off and on for a long time, and a Dutch girl whose name I can’t remember because I only met her once and she works at the farmstay. I don’t usually think of these people paired with their nationalities like that, but sometimes it’s interesting to sum up and see the wide variety that we really are.

Nice fact about Italian culture: I got a cappuccino today for only €0,90 (about $1.28) and it was delicious.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Free Time

Today was my first free day, and having worked six hours yesterday in preparation, we were all very excited for this time off. We started out with a hike to a waterfall. It was about an hour up into a gorge in the steep mountains. Although steep, it mostly in the shade. At the very end you have to follow the creek bed, because the gorge becomes so narrow. (I hope to post some pictures in the next few days). Some of us wore our bathing suits, but it the water was too icy to do more than wade.

Afterwards, we ate a bit of lunch. Then I took a nap and tried to memorize some more Italian words. We ended the day at Park Bridge Pizzeria, where I got a pizza bianca (no marinara sauce) with arugula, tomatoes, and Parmesan.

But speaking of bathing suits, tomorrow we will actually use them. Anna is taking the volunteers to the sea. After we spend a couple hours cleaning for the guests, we'll drive down to Gaeta for the rest of the day.

Buona Sera!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sabato

Have had more wine in the last two days than the last two months (but none today…it really just depends if one is at a party when the host is offering home-made wine). Worked six hours today instead of three, so that a bunch of us volunteers can take a long hike to a waterfall tomorrow. It is a lot cooler here than it was when I left Maryland. It’s even getting down into the 50s at night. It’s beautiful.

More tomorrow, but I wanted to fulfill my daily quota!

Friday, June 17, 2011

First post from Italy, 2011

Whenever I start talking, or writing, I want to tell everything there is to tell! But since I really don’t have time to spare for sitting in front of my computer, I am going to post at least one interesting thing that happened each day I am in Italy. Featured today: a short account of my journey here, a fact about Italian men, and a fact about Italian women.

It started on Tuesday night, when I finally finished grading final exams and began packing. I had already planned what I wanted to bring (somewhat) and begun to set things out, but I still had some laundry to do and miles to go before I slept. And actually, I didn’t sleep that night. My dear cousin Amanda came to get me at 4:50 a.m. just as I had finished packing and changed into my travel clothes. She helped me empty the fridge of perishables and laughed as I had to lighten my suitcase by a few pounds. This amazing girl had to get up at 4 a.m. to get me. THANK YOU, AMANDA! We were (or at least I was) a bit slap-happy on the way to the metro.

So she took me to the metro, which I took to Reagan National, from whence (after an hour delay) I flew to JFK. I had a long layover in New York, but we left on time at 5 p.m. I was really tired by then, but I tried to stay awake all day long so that I could sleep on the plane. And I did, very well. You see, not long after I found my seat at the back of the plane (a window seat, 38G) the lady sitting next to me asked if I would switch with her daughter, who was sitting up several rows in 19G. Sure, I said. No problem. After I found my seat there, the flight attendant came up came up to say that those seats had been double-booked (or something that was unclear to me) and we had to move all the way up. I was now sitting in 1G. Business class. First class.

There were so many amenities, I didn’t know what to do with them all! Instead of a thin fleece blanket and small, flat pillow, passengers in first class get a comforter (practically) and a big, fluffy pillow. They also get noise-cancelling headphones, a bottle of water, and a completely different menu than the rest of the plane. I was so tired that I unfortunately did not get dinner, but I did enjoy the omelet for breakfast. And I really enjoyed the reclining seats as I slept.

So, it was a good flight! And even better, my suitcase turned up at the baggage claim. I kept thanking God after each successful stage of the journey. I took the train, then the metro, then a bus…and there were Anna and her friend, waiting to pick me up in Sora!

Since then I feel like I’ve done so much: hiked up to the old castle in Sora, dinner and il vino with Giuseppe (who is the father of Antonello, the owner, and only speaks Italian), lunch with all the volunteers at the house of Gabriele (who is a friend of Antonello and a park ranger in Abruzzo), and my first three hours of work. We cleaned rooms for guests and then I worked on sanding remnants of paint off an old door.

Observations from the past 24 hours:

Italian men are really great about helping with suitcases. One guy helped me get my 49-pound suitcase onto the train, and then two more helped me with the process of getting it on the bus.

Italian women like to match things. I spotted three matching outfits, yesterday. One lady had on golden-beige glasses, shirt, purse, shoes, and fingernails. Another lady had a blue patterned dress, light blue bag, and blue espadrilles. The third was wearing light purple from top to bottom. Oh, and I saw another all-purple outfit today.