After a somewhat restful night, I woke up early to eat breakfast and then pack. They did not have the coffee and yogurt this morning, so I had nectarine yogurt, tostate with orange marmelade, and the fruit juice stuff. It was a good breakfast I supposed. Then, I went upstairs to start packing. I also turned on the tv and watched some of FOXNEWS because I knew it would be my last chance to watch American tv for a while. It was good because they were doing random stories and showing clips of different artists playing on their plaza. One thing that did catch my attention was a story about Milan and Rome. They were talking about students protesting and getting in fights with the police in major cities yesterday; UM HELLO...that was what Valeria had been telling me about. It happened in Cosenza yesterday too, it was just peaceful. It was apparently high school and University students protesting some sort of education budget cuts. Riots over that. I feel as though that would NEVER fly in America. We could not protest things we dont like about the schools or our teachers, or if we thought the work was too hard. That makes me laugh...we would get in so much trouble. If this were the case, I would have protested the thesis process...well, certain aspects of it. ;) Did any of yo guys see this story?
Anyway, so then Massimo called up and said the internet was working. This kicked my butt into packing mode. I got it all packed quickly and laid down to post my blog and look at emails and facebook. I reluctantly turned my computer off and headed down stairs. Side story: I put my suitcases on the tiny elevator all by themselves and ran downstairs to meet them. Do not judge. 1. I dont like tiny spaces, and believe me when I say that Italian elevators are TINY!! 2. I do not like elevators. Thus, I met them downstairs. No too long after this, Lila and Ernesto (landlords) arrived to take me to the apartment. They are so friendly and I simply adore them!
The apartment is nice! They taught me how to use the stove and oven. They taught me how to turn off the gas, hot water, etc. Yes people, these things had to be taught. They showed me how to use the lavatrice )washing machine), etc. etc. They were so kind to buy me some cleaning supplies, some food (pasta, sauce, a few basics), and they are looking for a small tv to fill the void while there is no internet. I mean how sweet are they!?!? They wrote down the telephone numbers for some of the neighbors and they have told them that I am there and to watch out for me! Again, how amazing!?!?! We signed all of the papers and I unpacked a bit while they took care of some things. Oh, they had also bought me some toilet paper and soaps. Things to get me started.
Cultural note: They had to write out when to use the electricity. With the company in this building, there are certain times of day that it is more expensive (the middle of the day essentially). It is broken down into 3 categories; the least expensive times fall between 8 pm and 7 am. Of course, because that is when people are sleeping! However, it did further explain why Itlians tend to sit in the "dark" and have sunglight streaming in; that, and they have no airconditioning. I found this very interesting. Anyway, it means I have to wash clothes at night and well, be Italian if I do not want to run my bills up!
Lila invited me to their house to use the internet, and so of course I said yes! Before we went, she said we would eat lunch. Ernesto drove adn we walked so that we could find internet places (here they are called internet points and are expensive). We found a few and she showed me some places to eat and shop. At one point she ran into a lady she knew and it was so much fun to watch them interact. Again, the hand gestures, kisses, touch, dramatic fashion in which they speak, etc. A few times I was reminded of Nonna (NYC family) and it made me long for my NYC family!
So, then we parked the car and went to the lunch place. It was a self-servcice bar and we had to take a number to be waited on. I had what Lila was having because she said it was amazing. It was good; it was basically egglplant parmesean served with potatoes. WAYY too much grease and Lila said it was not for a diet; um excuse me ma'am...I cannot eat that! However, I did, and it was so good! She said when we got to her house we would have gelato and tea. I will be huge...yuck!
The drive to their house was beautiful. It is up in the hills (in Castrolibero, where my other school is located). They showed me where to get off the bus, and they showed me the school! I cannot wait to take pictures of the panoramic view from the school! OMG!!! Then we came to their house. It is very nice. After quite a bit of difficulty with the internet, it would not work on my computer, I was able to talk to April for a few minutes on facebook (in between the internet still not working and the computer shutting down!). However, I had tartuffo (gelato) and some Vanilla Twinings tea, which has been discontinued, so I was excited to see it! I took advantage of the internet to write some of this blog. Then, Lila brought me some figs. I was hesitant, but I said okay. She told me to take a picture (because I had done so earlier) so that I could show people. She said that when they go abroad they take pictures of their food. So, that being said, eventually I have some pictures from today of the food and the tea; the tea because I just LOVE their presentation of tea (much like Signora Gabriella from Firenze). She told me that the figs were from Ernesto's trees and then boiled for a whole day. Ernesto said that they have honey on them, but not honey from a bee, but rather honey from the fig itself. They had walnuts on them and some sort of citrusy garnish. They were really good!
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| Tartuffo |
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| Tea presentation |
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| Figs |
One thing I feel I must say: if I could bring ONE thing to Italy, it would be INTERNET...they dont value this very much. Im sure they have their reasons, but it has been the most difficult thing so far.
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| Old school |
Cultural Note: The Italians use so many hand gestures. I learned last night that if they put their pointer finger to their eye and pull down the skin just a little (slight movement), it means, "é vero!" Which means, "it is true!"
**Citrusy was an unripe orange…it was green...the citrusy stuff on the figs
Where did I leave off?
Once I finished writing earlier, and checking facebook, etc. I went outside to explore. Just as I was about to, Lilla called and said
that she and her niece would not be able to meet me. I was okay with this because I was enjoying
my time with Lila and Ernesto and did not want to leave. Then, as I was walking outside, my momma
called; just the person I was hoping to hear from. I was walking around outside and had just
walked to this terrace (no words to describe so I will add pictures), but the
best I can do is to say that once again it was something out of my dreams of
Italy! A beautiful sunny day; warm, but
not hot, and I could see the mountains in the distance. 
I met their dogs while I was walking as
well. I stood and talked to my momma for
a few minutes, and it sounds like they are having fun in Chattanooga. While I was talking to her, I ran to grab my
video camera to video where I was; it was just that beautiful and poetic. After we hung up, I spotted these very
colorful grapes that were growing on the vines wrapped around the
trestles. I took pictures of course, but
then I picked one and took it inside to Lila so that I could ask her what it
was. She was helping her parents leave
to go back to their home, and it was good to have met both of them. After they were gone she told me that they
were called “strawberry grapes”. 
They
smelled so sweet, and she asked if I wanted to go out and cut some to eat. I of course said yes, and so we went outside,
scissors in hand, to cut them. We ran into her nephew and talked to him for a
few minutes. We cut both the strawberry
grapes and some green grapes from the vines, and Lila took them inside and
Ernesto washed them. We sat out in the
back of the house for a bit and I told Lila about living in NYC and we ate our
grapes. She explained that she liked the
suck the middle out of the strawberry grapes because the skin did not taste
good! I liked it both ways, but was not
a fan of the seeds; Ernesto later informed me that the seeds are good for
digestion. The mosquitoes were eating me
alive, so they agreed to go inside to finish our snack.
In their kitchen there is a china cabinet FULL of mugs, tea
cups, etc. Lila had mentioned earlier
that she LOVED tea and was particular about her cups, but I did not know what
she meant. When I was looking at the
cabinet, she came over and said that she uses a different cup, depending on how
she feels or the purpose behind her tea.
She pulled out a china cup and said that she uses this to relax; she
mentioned that the glass was thin. Lila left to go check on her mother, so
Ernesto and I were left to talk to each other.
He does not speak very much English (though he does speak some), and
therefore I was forced to focus and understand his stories. We talked about his childhood; he explained
that he makes his own olive oil, and he told me that they have a house in the
Sila (the mountains here), a small flat (apartment) at the beach, their house
they live in, and the “flat” I am living in.
Holy cow! He said that the
mountains are about 40 km away and the beach is about 40 km away, so they live
right in the middle. They told me that
their son works in the cigar business, and Lila likes to smoke a “mini cigar”
every now and then. The mini cigar
looked like a brown cigarette. Ernesto
said that I could come to their mountain house one day (ummm YES please!). He and I talked about how when it snows in
Cosenza everyone freaks out and schools close (haha…sound familiar?). He said that in the North things go on as
usual even when it is a TON of snow (again, sound familiar???). We talked about so many things, and while I
did not catch all of the details and flow of every story, I did catch enough to
keep the conversation going.
SUCCESS!!
When Lila returned, she asked if I wanted to go with them to
buy the tv, or if I needed to go home. I
explained that Lilla could not go tonight, so I wanted to go with them. She left us again and Ernesto showed me some
of his olive oil; I wanted some sooo badly, but would not ask! He also gave me some fresh oregano that he
grows at the place where his olives are (or maybe the Sila house…I cant
remember). Anyway, he gave me some and
these weird, salty olive things that I didn’t really like, but did not refuse. I thought I heard him mention to Lila when
she returned that he was giving me olive oil, but I was unsure! They also gave me some fruit to bring home
with me. They have been so kind and
generous.
Then we were off to look at televisions (for my apartment),
microwaves (for my apartment), irons and ironing boards (for my apartment), and
refrigerators for their Sila home. We
went to Rende (suburb type place), where the University is, and went to the
“mall”. The drive was beautiful;
mountains, sunset, etc. I was just
looking out the car window like a kid on their way to Disney World for the
first time! The mall was interesting; it
didn’t look like our malls at all, but we did park in an underground
garage. 
We used the “escalators” to get
upstairs; I put it in quotes because they are flat….NOT stairs, but function
and look like an escalator. 
Holy cow it
was croweded!!! There was a grocery
store, clothing stores, Media world (like best buy sort of), and more. I had seen a place similar to this just
outside of Siena, across from the train station. Lila saw one of her former students (every
time I’ve been with a teacher, they see a former or current student…small
town!). Media World was CRAZY…packed and
busy and so many products, etc. etc. It
was a bit overwhelming. They were just
comparing prices, so we looked, but then left.
There was also a McDonald’s downstairs in the mall. In fact, in our travels to day I saw a few
McDonald’s. We stood out in the plaza
area, which actually happened to be Piazza Martin Luther King Jr. (wha???), and
Lila had to talk on the phone to a family member (she has some sick family
members right now), and this once again left me and Ernesto to have
conversation. He told funny stories, and
I understood enough of them to genuinely laugh!
Woo hoo!! It was nice and he is such a nice man; they were so good to
me.
Notes about the mall:
In the parking area, and in Italy in general so far, I have noticed very
few cars that are colors (i.e. they are mostly black, silver, dark blue,
etc. There are very few red cars or
green cars. It’s strange). Also, I saw a young teen walking behind her
mom texting or something on her phone and it reminded me so much of well, me;
and America in general. I guess some
things are just universal.
After this mall, we were headed to another city nearby to
look at the tvs in their main shopping center.
The town was 8 km from where we were; again, the drive was nice and
relaxing. We were going to Montalto. During all of our driving time it was nice to
listen to them speak Italian and then Lila would also speak to me in English
(but we all spoke in Italian as well).
It is nice to have this balance, as compared to Florence where I was
thrown in head first with almost 100% Italian.
This makes me much more comfortable.
As we drove to this other store, I was just thinking about how grateful
I am to be having this experience. A few
times I thought to myself, “is this my life?? Am I this fortunate? Is this really happening to me?” There have been a few sad moments already,
and I am sure that there are some difficult days to come, but what a blessing
to have such wonderful people placed in my path on a daily basis. I mean these are my landlords and they are
driving me all over just so that I have someone to spend time with. Lila apologized that they were not younger
and said that I must be bored. I assured
her that I was NOT bored and that I enjoyed it; I emphasized that I do not care
about going out at night and stuff, so I was enjoying just exploring the city
and seeing what everyday life is like. One
thing I noticed on this second drive was that the stop sign we came to said,
“stop”. It was in English. Is this weird to anyone else!?!? Am I missing
something?
The second store was huge too, and it was a grocery store
also. We did find an iron there. We also compared prices on hair dryers
because I need one. I had seen one at
the last store, and probably should have just bought it. Oh well, I’ll just continue to go curly for
now. At this store we bought some bread
and things. Well, they bought things and
they bought me some bread (so sweet). We
also checked to make sure that they do not have oatmeal. They did not. But, because they are so sweet,
we went in search of this other store that has more international things. The drive was nice, but it was dark so really
all you could see were all the lights in the hills; like little stars scattered
among the massive dark blobs. At this
point, almost and/or right at 8, I was beginning to feel like I was going to
pass out from hunger. This store
didn’t have oatmeal either, which I did not expect it to. We were going to get something to eat at this
place, but they didn’t like the look of the pizza. So, we headed back to town to get something
to eat. The first place we tried was too
crowded and would have taken too long.
We all agreed that we were very tired, so we went to this other
place. I got carrots (thank goodness for
veggies) and this cold pasta with some sort of light cream on it (by light I
mean there was very little of it) with corn, tomatoes, and olives (which I
didn’t eat). They got pizza. We sat down, and though I was starving, I
could not finish it all. The sweet girl
at the counter, who was SO excited to speak English to me and asked me where I
was from, packed my stuff to go. Then
they drove me back to the apartment and helped me bring all of my things
upstairs. GUESS WHAT IT INCLUDED…the
HUGE bottle of olive oil that Ernesto had shown me! SO EXCITED! Lila explained
that it was extra extra virgin olive oil.
I don’t care what kind…it is not bought in a store; it comes from HIS
olives that HE grows and HE has pressed to make fresh oil. I am so very excited. Ernesto showed me a few more things in the
apartment and then they left me to settle in.
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| All of my gifts |
I was almost immediately overwhelmed. I almost cried a few times because I was
instantly afraid of being alone and instantly wanting the internet so I could
connect with people. Instead, I bucked
up and put “Under the Tuscan Sun” in my computer to watch and began
unpacking. I rearranged the furniture in
my room to make it more like I wanted it, and started putting things where I
wanted them. My momma called; again she
had PERFECT timing, though when we hung up I thought I might lose it. I didn’t though. I just continued with the task at hand. I do wish I could quickly wash and dry the
new sheets and towels, but I’ll have to do it tomorrow night. When I realized how late it was, I sat down
to write this and then get ready for bed.
Tomorrow is another day, with new exciting adventures.
Cultural notes: The
Italians drive all over the road and there are no lane markers. If there is space for two cars, then two cars
drive there, but there is no lane division.
Also, yielding and turning is just at the discretion of the drivers. In America, when you are making a left hand
turn, you wait until all of the cars
have passed and you are free to turn. In
Italy (at least in Cosenza and surrounding areas), you wait until you’ve forced
yourself out into the road enough to ensure that everyone has yielded to your
will, and then you turn. This has been
true in so many situations. Also, I
had forgotten how strange the Italian (maybe European) keyboards are. I had the hardest time at first this
afternoon when I was using their computer.
**Sorry this was so long.
It was a jam packed day, full of beautiful, unique Italian
experiences. I am sure once school
starts I will have a bit less to say.
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