Home sweet home

I made it back to the good ol' U S of A on Thursday after a marathon day of travel.  I started the day at Rome's airport amidst American tourists who were anxious to get home and unexperienced with life in Italy. What makes me say this? Well...we were all awaiting the boarding of our flight and above our gate the airline and flight number listed was an El Al flight to Tel Aviv, but it was really our United flight that was boarding from that gate. Yes, it was confusing, but it was so typically Italian. They didn't change the info, they just went ahead and boarded the flight. Those standing around me complained about how disorganized the airport and airline was...how this would never happen at home. I couldn't help chuckle. Yep. This is the way things are over here...this is how they do things. You just have to be ok with it and go with the flow. If not, prepare to be frustrated all of the time. ;0

The flight leaving Rome was an hour late thanks to France's air traffic controller strike so I had to run for all I am worth from customs to my gate to for my flight to Phoenix. (Of course it was at the very last gate!) I just made my flight and then had the pleasure of waiting on the runway for an hour as they rerouted flights because of a storm.

Finally, I made it to Phoenix and was greeted by one of the greatest sights: the Egglets (Lees, Matty Moo, Addie Mae, and Noah), the Suarez family, and Gabe. Awww! What a great welcome home! My sister and brother in law picked me up and we met my cousin for dinner. I finally crashed after dinner.

I'm still exhausted, but it's not as bad as when I head out there. So glad to be home!!! Thank you Lord!

Cinque giorni, ventitre ori, e cinquanta minuti

Woo hoo! In cinque giorni vado a casa mia negli Stati Uniti! (Translation: Woo hoo! In 5 days I go to my house in the United States!)

Being "Rick Steves"

Living in a city like Rome affords me with lots of amazing things to enjoy: the Colosseum, the Pantheon, gelato, pizza...and lots of visitors!

When I told people that I was moving to Rome a common response was "I'm so going to visit!" Ok. Sure. I would love for you to visit me...but I knew that travel to and from Rome is expensive so I didn't really put much stock into people's exclamations. Well, I was wrong. (Happily wrong!) In the last month or so I've had a constant flow of visitors. Friends from home have traveled across the ocean to see me...ok. I'm not completely naive. I know that for the most part they're coming to stay with me for free in an incredible city...but still...they're also coming to see me.

It's been such fun showing my friends Rome and introducing them to my life here. We've been to the Colosseum, Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, Fontana di Trevi, Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona, San Marino Pizza, Gel'Istria, the corner bar, Cinque Terre, and more. I've been playing out my own version of Rick Steves! I love introducing people to the sites and places that I've come to love and appreciate. Again, it overwhelms me to see these places with them because it's as if seeing them for the first time all over again. Amazing!!!

Blast from the past

I lived in Italy during the summer when I was 16... in 1993. Wow, that seems like it was a hundred years ago!  I had the most incredible time and was changed because of it.

I went to Italy with the Lion's Club as part of their youth exchange program. The goal of the program was to allow youth from around the world to live in and experience another culture as well as meet other people their own age in order to start communication and international relationships. I was blessed in that my parents could afford the airfare to send me, all the program cost was the airfare. I chose Italy because I was fascinated by it and because my older cousin had just returned from a year as an exchange student outside of Venice. I was excited and terrified all at the same time. I remember crying for hours the night before because I was so scared to travel internationally by myself and to a country where I didn't speak a word of their language. My mom told me I could stay home if I needed or wanted to, but I knew I had to go...it was something that I had to do. (Hmm....could it be that God was working in my life before I knew Him? :) )

The plan was that I was to meet up with another girl from Tucson at the airport in Germany (or at least I think that's where we were supposed to meet) and we would continue on to Venice together to meet our host family. Imagine my scared 16-year-old-self when she didn't show and to top it off when I got to Venice my host family didn't know that I was coming as well! Talk about freaked out! I managed to hold in the tears until I was alone. Oh, and did I mention that the airline lost my luggage? Benvenuto a Italia! (Not much changes...)

Anyways, Catherine, the other girl from Tucson, eventually arrived as did my luggage and what ensued was arguably one of the best summers of my life. I spent time outside of Venice in Mestre with an incredibly loving and welcoming family. Their daughters showed us Venice and took us out with their friends.

From there, we went on to camp with other exchange students from all over the world outside of Trieste. It was a great time meeting other people our age from all over the world...I remember Abbie from England, Tim from Germany, Yael from Israel, Uri from then-Yugoslavia, and Tomas from Hungary. (He holds a 'special' place in my heart!)

Finally we landed outside of Udine at another family's home. They had two boys, Antonio and Paolo. Ahhh...they were an incredible family. They took us exploring in the mountains and in the tiny towns that surrounded their home, cooked us delicious pizza in their backyard brick oven, pushed me in the pool, took us on their beach holiday, and so much more.

I left Italy that summer completely and utterly in love with Italy and its people. That summer was a catalyst for the life I am now living.

I have been to Venice twice now since moving to Rome and each time I am there I wonder if I might bump into a member of one of my host families. Would I recognize them? Would they recognize me? So, I decided that I wanted to look them up and get in touch with them. Perhaps I could meet up with them the next time I am in the area....except I can't remember their last names! I know I have the information at home somewhere, but I couldn't find it the last time I was home and besides, I want to know now!! (Delayed gratification and I aren't friends.)

What's a girl to do? Facebook! That's always the answer! I was able to track down Catherine on FB and ask her if she remembered the names of our host families, but she didn't....I mean it has been 17, gulp, years. I am now more determined than ever to reconnect with them and to thank them for how they helped to shape my life. I can't wait to write to them, in Italian, and tell them that I am now living here.

Come divertimento!

Orvieto

Last Wednesday Lynda and I ventured to the Umbrian countryside and spent two nights in the hill town of Orvieto. What a treat!

The medieval city is perched atop a hill that overlooks the rolling hills of Umbria and its neighbor, Tuscany. So beautiful!

We spent the two days that we were there exploring the town and eating some fabulous meals. We had some of the best pizza I've ever had. Pesto, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese made for a culinary sensation! The weather wasn't all that great due to rain. There were moments of sunshine (as evidenced in the picture above), but there were also moments of torrential down pouring! 

On Thursday we decided to walk the trail that leads around the perimeter of the town so that we could enjoy the view. As we stared out into the green velvet hills a man, Luciano, approached us and told us that we needed to visit a nearby church because it was home to some beautiful frescos. He proceeded to ask us where we were from and was very excited to learn that we were from the US because he'd lived in the States when he was younger and he wanted to practice his English. Thus, Lynda and I found ourselves with an unofficial tour guide. He walked with us and explained Orvieto's colorful history from the time of the Etruscans to its role in World War II to its current place in Italian culture. He was actually very knowledgeable and fascinating. He even told us about the time he met Rick Steves! (If you've ever traveled to Europe you probably know that many refer to Rick's travel guides as their tourist 'bibles'.) 

All in all, Orvieto was fabulous. It was peaceful, relaxing, beautiful, and interesting. And bonus! It's only an hour and 10 minute train ride from Rome. What a great day trip it could be for students and guests. Love it!!

  

Eventually

I promise that one of these days I'm going to get my act together and blog in real time and not weeks after the fact....ok maybe not in real time, but somewhat more timely than I am now. Sheesh! However, in my defense I've barely had time to think much less write! The last month or so since I last posted has been insane. I feel like I say that all the time, but it's so true! I blink and weeks have passed amidst constant activity. So...for now....here's a rundown of the last three weeks:

April 9-11: Bulgaria. Yep. I said Bulgaria. Lynda and I jetted off to Sofia, Bulgaria for the weekend. Why Bulgaria you ask? Well...let's just say it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. We flew in on Friday morning, checked in to our hotel, and went out to explore. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't disappointed. Sofia is a city that's trying to attract tourists, but it lacks many of the mainstays needed to attract tourists from the West...like restaurants, public transportation, and an alphabet that is recognizable to Westerners! :) (The cyrillic alphabet makes navigation fairly difficult) Nonetheless, we had a good time. We visited the Alexander Nesvick Memorial Cathedral (beautiful!), ate dinner at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant with traditional Bulgarian dancing/singing (yummy and fun), and saw many other sites. Plus! There was a Starbucks! I am still kicking myself for not buying the Sofia city mug...what was I thinking?!

April 14-17: Venice: We returned to the city of canals for 3 nights/4 days with students. Yep. Venice remains my favorite city in the world. And it was even better this time because 1) I didn't sprain my ankle, and 2) I celebrated my birthday on the 16th!! Woo hoo!!! The big 3-ahem in Venice. Hey, if I can't be with friends and family....why not be in Venice? We had a really great trip with gorgeous weather. Lynda and I explored areas of Venice that we'd never been to before and I took lots of great pics with my new camera. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) For my birthday I was serenaded by my students outside of the Peggy Guggenheim museum (which despite a little mishap involving the men's room, a lamp, and a student's jacket is still standing) and then they surprised me at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. What more could a girl ask for?! Although...the time in Venice was overshadowed a bit (no pun intended really) by a large cloud of ash that was preventing flights to and from Europe from operating after a volcano in Iceland erupted. There was some concern that the students' flight 10 days later would be affected by the ash cloud.

April 21-28: Last week: The last week of the semester arrived in such a fashion that I had to pause for a moment and really ask myself where the semester went. Seriously, this semester FLEW by. I do not remember a semester before this ever going so fast in my whole life. It was as if we blinked and it was over.
   There were lots of "lasts" that students wanted to squeeze in before they departed Rome for the US. We managed to get a lot in there...including finishing up our Office marathon of the first 5 seasons. Whew! My RA managed to hold his last event: Icelandic Volcano Explosion Sensation. Ha! Take that cloud of ash. It was a great event. Then, on our last night together we all went to dinner in Porta Pia and afterwards I went with several students to what's supposed to be the best gelateria in Rome: Oldbridge. Well, let me tell you...I was not disappointed. Delish! So yummy that I plan on spending some time there after I drop friends off at the Vatican museum. (You didn't think I'd go there again without students did you? Heck no!) Then, the next morning Lynda and I escorted the students to the airport and stayed with them until they got thru security. Again, where did this semester go!?

All in all it was a great semester. I so enjoyed spending time with the students and getting to know them. God blessed me so much with the relationships that I developed with them and the experiences that we shared. He truly answered my prayers and poured out His grace upon me and our students this past semester. I give all praise and glory to Jesus!

There's so much going on the next month and 22 days before I head home. (Yep...started my countdown!) On May 11 a group from another college arrives for about 14 days. Then, my good friends Anthony and Jill  are coming to Rome to see me and check out Rome and Italy. They leave and 2 days later my former student, Josiah, comes to see me. Not sure what we're going to do yet, but so excited! Then, while he's here my friends Gabe and Amber are popping down to Rome from Prague for  a weekend. Finally, Brady and Heidi arrive in mid-June for 2 weeks. I cannot wait to introduce my friends to my life here and to Rome. It's going to be amazing and I am so blessed to have people who want to spend their hard earned money to come and see me....granted they get to visit an amazing city, but I know a lot of why they're coming is also to see me...and for that I am so thankful. I have incredible friends.

God is good. He has proven Himself faithful time and time again this semester and this year. There were times where I stood back and asked Him what He was thinking when He led me here, but I know that this is where I am meant to be. I know this is where He wants me...and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than where God wants me. I have high hopes for the coming semesters and trust that He goes before me and that I will be used for His glory. Grazie mille!!!!

Buona Pasqua!!

Happy Easter da Roma!

It's been a good day here in Rome, albeit wet and a bit cold! Still, it was a good day.

We started the day at the Vatican for Easter mass. One of our students had requested tickets for mass and we were all really excited. I mean, who wouldn't be?! This would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, we left campus at 7:45 (shudder) and made our way to St. Peter's. We arrived there around 8:30 and found ourselves waiting in the security "line." I say "line" because it's a seemingly fluid and almost foreign concept here in Italy....lines don't exist and if they do, they exist to be cut into. It really is quite amazing. So, we waited while the rain started and strangers pressed up against you on all sides...and we all know how I feel about that.


After about 2+ hours we made it into the piazza and tried to find the entrance for the seated area. Well. We found it only to be told that it was full. Hmmm. What's the point of tickets if it's going to be full? Only seems logical. Instead of sitting, we stood and watched mass on the large TV screens they'd placed in the piazza. Despite the rain, the crowds, language barriers, cold, and everything else....it was a pretty amazing experience. How many people can say they've been to Easter mass at the Vatican where the Pope presided? Not many.

(Do you see the Pope in this picture? He's kind of hard to make out, but he's just above the red umbrella)

Afterwards we headed back to campus for much needed rest before dinner and funtivities. Lynda, myself, and some of the students did quite a bit of prep work on Saturday so we didn't have a lot to do, but enough. We planned a big meal and wanted it to be special for students since they were away from home. You can't get ham here in Italy like we're used to in the States so we opted for pork roast. You can't get cheddar cheese in Italy like we can in the States so we opted for mashed potatoes rather than a potato casserole. We also had a fabulous fruit salad and steamed veggies. For dessert we had sugar cookies, Nutella cheesecake, and Pavlova. Man I miss having my cake stands on days like this! :)

Before dinner we had an Easter egg hunt. It was such fun watching the students scramble about the convent for candy-filled eggs. Lots of laughs! After we surprised them with a new Wii system...as I sit and write this they're playing golf!

All in all, it was a fabulous day. Yes, I missed my family, ham, and cornflake potatoes, but we had a great day nonetheless. I mean really what it boils down to is Jesus. He gave His life so that I could be spared eternity separated from God. Instead, He gave Himself over to humiliation on the Cross, died, and rose again so that thru His sacrifice I can find grace, mercy, and eternity in heaven with Him. Thank you, Jesus. I love you!