Sweet lady

This morning I woke up before my alarm, ate breakfast, worked on blogs, and then got ready for church.

Church was great!  I still cannot get over worshiping in a different language!  It is just a beautiful thing to me!  I love the songs, etc.  One really cool moment was when Francisco's grandmother, who is visiting from Argentina, was giving her testimony.  Now, she was not allowing Francisco to translate after she spoke, so I could not even catch the Italian because it was being spoken OVER the Spanish, but then at the end she got out her Bible.  She started reading it in Spanish.  Then Francisco read from the Italian version, and I was following along in both my Italian Bible and English Bible.  What an awesome moment to hear God's word read in 3 different languages.  Such a reminder once again that we all worship the same God, believe in His same word, but speak different languages, and though we do not understand each other now, I have faith that in Heaven all things will be understood! 

 

One thing that I was thinking about while listening to Francisco's grandmother, who still lives in Argentina, but has come to visit for 3 months, was that her family has been called halfway across the world.  It must be so difficult to be called by the Lord to live on the other side of the planet from your family.  Thus, if I will be 10 hours by car, and a short flight away from everyone, then I am incredibly blessed all the same.  At least I will be able to pick up a cell phone/regular phone/skype phone, etc. and talk to them regularly and not have to calculate time difference, money, etc. Not to mention, I live halfway across the world now; granted I KNOW/KNEW it would be temporary, but I think this next adventure will be equally as fun and exciting!  Who knows where it will take me, but I have faith that God's plan is far greater than anything I could dream up for myself! 

When I came home I had Francisco drop me at the grocery store so that I could get a few things.  Then I came home to eat and talk to Nick, but Nick wasn't there.  So, I made strawberry pancakes for lunch, and they were DELICIOUS!!

 

 

 

Holy cow! Then I spent a lot of the afternoon cleaning the apartment.  I swept, mopped, washed trashcans, washed clothes, cleaned surfaces, the toilet, etc. etc.  So, the apartment is almost ready for visitors!! 

I was able to talk to Nick for a bit before I went out for a walk.  I stopped to get a cappuccino, and then went to the river for a bit.  On the way I saw a weird, and badly translated (?) sale sign in a shop window!

I stood there for a while because I never tire of that view on a sunny day!

 

 I chose a weird route back to my apartment, one I've never taken, and it was well worth the venture off the beaten path.  I stopped in a park and saw some groups of sweet old men playing cards in the park, and my favorite part is that they are so into it.  They were so adorable, and I just wish I could have understood their conversation, but I am pretty sure that the majority of it was in dialect. 

 

 

 

Then I kept walking back.  I was getting really annoyed with all of the men honking and slowing down to look at me...this makes me feel gross and I am NOT a piece of meat for you to look and gawk at, especially since I am dressed rather modestly and it is clear that I am not walking around seeking out your nasty attention. 

I saw some graffiti that I finally understand because my students taught me some of the slang (x = per, which means for because in Italian math they use "x" for times, like multiplication and they say "per"). 

 

Then I stopped to watch these boys playing a pick up soccer game on concrete...I kept waiting on one of them to bust it, and I was going to cry for them I think.  However, it was fun to watch them get so into the game!  They never even noticed me and the little boy that was also watching them.  Then I kept walking and sat in Piazza Loreto, which is the piazza near my apartment.  I sat there and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon sun! These two girls approached me about whatever was happening in the piazza, or was about to happen.  They could tell that I spoke English, and they tried to, but it was a very broken conversation.  They were doing some sort of Christian festival, but I never fully understood the idea behind it.  They are doing something every Sunday about a different religious topic. 

When I went back to the apartment, this sweet little lady was sort of holding the door for me to come in, and also staring at me like I was from outer space.  Then she started asking me where I was from, and why was I here.  She could barely hear me so I felt like I was shouting at her the whole time.  Then she was asking what floor I lived on,etc.  She told me that her daughter was currently in London, and she almost started crying.  She was so sweet.  I started helping her get up the stairs, and then she tried to get on the elevator, but when I told her I would have to leave her there because I do not like elevators, she informed me that she does not take them alone.  Therefore, I helped her up the stairs!  She was so sweet!  Then she invited me in, but I HAD to go shower and get on the computer because I could NOT miss another skype date with my Britt.  I am sure it would have been a unique experience, but we were having A LOT of difficulty communicating as it was because of the language barrier, plus hearing difficulties!  Sweet little lady! So, I planned to go buy her some sort of sweet or treat this week and take it to her. 

I turned on my computer, ran to take a shower, and could hear her calling as I was getting out of the shower.  I ran to answer and then get dressed.  I was able to talk to Britt for a while and catch up on life with her! I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life to love on and who love on me.  Britt is one of the sweetest and most giving (of herself) people that I know!  I love my Britt Britt. 

After that I spent some time blogging, talked to Nick through email, and had a delicious salad for dinner.  Then I was able to talk to Nick on Skype.  I love sitting in my kitchen with the afternoon light:

 

 

I am so ready for him to come back to Italy!  Then I worked on blogs, and THEN I was able to talk to Erin for an hour or more while she drove home to Charleston!  I do love me some Erin, and I can hardly believe that she will be here in about a week(ish).  Immediately after I hung up with Erin, Nick called!  Great timing!!  Then I worked on blogs and went to bed!

He is Risen!!!

We got up early to go to church, which meant that we were going to one of the catholic masses in town.  We went to Basilica di San Petronio.  The church was FREEZING and of course it was all in Italian.  Now, this would not have been such a problem if 1. so many people had not been continuously streaming in 2. the speakers were not so echoey  3. If I were a bit more fluent.  This all being said, I at least knew what the message was about!  The message??? My savior is ALIVE...he's not dead...He is ALIVE and therefore I can face tomorrow!  I worship and serve a living God who sent His only Son to die for my sins so that I might live a life full of hope, joy, worship, happiness, etc.  I know that no matter what I face, my God is alive and He is there with me...at all times!

When the service was over, Nick wanted to show me a painting in the church where Mohammad is burning in hell, which cause some Muslim extremists to try and bomb the church at some point in history.  The lady was charging 2 euros to go in and see it, which REALLY irritated Nick and so we did not.  I have to agree with him; charging to see something in a church is a bit extreme.  So instead we went outside to get warm because it was super sunny outside.  We still had not heard from Mattea, so we figured that she must have overslept!!!

We decided to just walk around and Nick wanted to show me some areas of Bologna.  The sun was shining and so it made for a gorgeous walk around the town.

 

I was feeling tired, so I asked Nick if we could stop and split a cappuccino somewhere, and he reminded me that he did not drink coffee when he lived in Bologna, so he did not know of a place.  Therefore, we started just searching and came across a place that looked decently busy, leading me to believe that it was probably a good place.  So, we went in and ordered our cappuccino and also split a baby cannoli.  The cappuccino was DELICIOUS...a great one I'd say!

Then as we were making our way back towards the hotel we saw this guy (a few guys??) playing music in the piazza.  So, we stopped to listen. The sun was SO warm and the music was nice, so Nick sat on a post thing and I had to sit on his lap because otherwise...we would be standing...a questo non va bene per me! We just sat, listened, talked, laughed, and took some pictures...

 

There were some kids nearby blowing bubbles, so we also got to pop some of those...made me miss playing with bubbles and children!  After a bit of music, and after the quality of the music declined, we went back to the hotel to use a clean bathroom and wait to hear from Mattea!  We decided to go check out the advertised terrace with a view at the hotel.  

It really was a beautiful view from the terrace so we stayed up there for a bit talking and looking at the city!  Naturally, we also took some pictures...I cannot tell you how gorgeous of a day it was! Bologna looks different than others cities I've been to, but that is one of the wonderful things about traveling in Italy; none of the cities really look the same! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous right?  Mattea called while we were up on the terrace and said that they could meet us near the "two towers", which is a meeting place in Bologna and conveniently located near our hotel.  So, we grabbed our stuff and headed out to meet them!  We were headed to eat lunch with Mattea and her friend Elizabeth.  

I was sooo excited to see my Mattea love.We started walking towards two restaurants that they knew were open.  The first said that if we came back in about 15 minutes we could have a table, but did not want our name; therefore we headed out and went to another place.  The second place was crowded, but not too bad.  While we waited patiently we got a pre-lunch show.  This man came in demanding a table in the inner room of the restaurant and then demanded that he be brought coffee outside while he had to wait for a table.  His wife came up and said something, but he barked at her too.  Then he went back to demanding things, and saying that he did not understand why they said they could not provide him with coffee when they serve after dinner coffee.  The waiters were getting pissed and annoyed...in America, this is when your food would get some extra "flavoring" (spit).  He was being so ridiculous and rude...then he decided he needed his cigarette fix, but at first I did not realize it was one of those electronic cigarettes...ughh even still...how rude!  We ordered an appetizer of fried polenta and then their speciality meat and fried dough thing appetizer....the food was incredible!!!  FOr my main dish (well, in Italy it would just be considered my first course) I ordered tagliatelle con bolognese.  The others all had pasta dishes as well; Nick got more lasagna, but it still did not beat the first place we ate in Bologna.  We all shared food and had some red wine!  We talked about teaching, law school, life plans, etc.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was nice, and the company was wonderful!  Nick and Mattea are two of my fave people ever, and it was great to meet Elizabeth, Mattea's good friend who is studying abroad in Bologna this year. 

We all walked around together for a bit just exploring the town! 

 

These three know it really well, and of course I was just taking it all in!  We went into a beautiful church, and then walked back towards our hotel.  We were going to go to Mattea's favorite gelato place, but we decided to do it later and/or tomorrow.  We then parted ways to go take naps, per Mattea's suggestion! Nick and I walked around a little bit more and then went back to have tea and relax.  We had tea from the hotel, which means they were providing hot water all day long with different types of Twinings tea- MY FAVE!!

Much later Nick and I decided to go grab something "small" for dinner!  We went to a place near where we had lunch.  I ordered pizza with brasaola, parm. reg., and rucola.

Nick ordered this amazing chicken and we basically just split the food!  The food was amazing, the place was nice, but the waiter clearly hated his job!  It was actually quite comical to watch him! 

We walked back to the hotel and Nick had a brilliant idea.  We went to the room and grabbed his mp3 player and speakers and headed up to the terrace again!  We danced to our Gubbio playlist (the one he played when he gave me the T&Co bracelet.  It was a little cold outside, but it was so much fun to dance with him!  Someone who would randomly dance with me...something I ALWAYS wanted!  It was so much fun!

When we went back downstairs we sent our April Fool's email and then went to sleep! 

Today He is Risen!  My savior Jesus Christ is risen and is a living savior!  I am so blessed to know Him.  Romans 5:1-11

5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. ⁷ Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹ And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Early morning train station

So, we all got up really early and ready to go to the train station.  Christy and I took a quick picture before we took their stuff downstairs.

Francisco came and took us to the train station, and helped them get their luggage loaded. Once they were on the train, Francisco and I stood there talking while we waited for the train to actually leave.  Around here I have to make sure that they actually left the station; I feel like you just never know!  SO, once they were off, Francisco took me home so I could get ready for church later. 

I came home and showered, rested, and got dressed to go meet his dad in Piazza Europa.  My Cuban friend was there, but she does not really like me, so she does not talk.  His dad was later than usual, which was slightly concerning (just because it was so unusual), but he eventually arrived and we went to church.  Church was amazing, and I was reminded of how much I love worshiping in Italian (the music, the words, etc).  It is challenging to learn the words, but amazing all at the same time to just wrap my brain around the idea that no matter the language, we can worship God.  All around the world there are Christians worshiping my God, our God, in our respective languages.  What really matters is the condition of our hearts!  I was also reminded that worship and church in general is NOT what I can get out of the service, ma anzi what I can bring to God during said service. 

After church I came home to eat lunch, clean up my room, put things back where they belong (blankets, etc), and start getting my stuff together to leave on Wednesday.  I worked on lessons plan stuff, blogs, etc.  I also found out that Nick's brother's mock trial beat Auburn...I always like when people beat Auburn...at anything! ;)

It was a rather relaxing day overall. 

Tomorrow starts another week!  A week when I get to see Nick! 

That need....

The Devil tried to get me to skip church today, but he failed.  It was a great service.   We sang mostly familiar songs, which is always good because when I do not have the words written down, I have a really hard time catching on to them.  I really enjoyed the "la vittoria abbiam in Gesu'" song today.  It was such a wonderful reminder that we DO have victory in Jesus.  We have victory over sorrow, worry, disease, hurtful things, etc. etc.  How dare I want to skip church today.  I was also reminded of how much I do love worshiping in Italian, because it is a beautiful reminder that the language in which we worship does not matter, it is our heart; the condition of our heart is what God is looking at! Are we giving it all to Him?  Are we spending time with Him?  I enjoy looking up the verses in my English Bible AND my Italian Bible.  The end of the service was wonderful.  They did something that they have never done before when I have been there.  They had everyone (all like15-16 of us) come to the front and we sang some more.  At first I had been very unclear about what they had said, and so I just stood there watching people slowly trickle towards the front, only to realize that I was the only fool standing there...oops!  I swear I do understand Italian.  This sweet lady had her arm around me, and I put mine around her.  Then Francisco's mom and dad both took turns coming around and laying hands on each person and praying for them!  Then at the end, they told everyone to do something and the only word I caught was abbraccio, but I had no idea why.  Then when everyone started hugging, I finally understood.  SO, we all started hugging.  Then the lady that had previously had her arm around me spotted me and made a beeline towards me.  She gave me a HUGE, tight hug and was saying something in my ear about love.  This was just what I had been needing.  I had just been telling Nick that I needed more human contact and more people to love on.  When church was over, Francisco talked to me and Dashina about dinner and bowling on Tuesday night.  Then, a lady that I do not know took me and the girl from Cuba home; I swear that this girl does NOT like me.  WHen the lady was trying to ask me something in Italian, and I was not understanding, the girl stepped in and was like yelling at me in slow Italian as if I were an idiot.  Get over yourself; this was also after she had not said more than two words to me in the car this morning, even though we were all involved in the conversation; she seemed to purposefully avoid my comments.  However, the Lord calls me to love everyone; I am just confused as to why she insists on ignoring me.

Lunch was good, and then I talked to Nick and worked on blogs.

At 4:30 I met my students from Virginia's class in Piazza Loreto to go to the Fiera, the St. Joseph's Festival.  On the way, we had to stop at the bank, and one of my students who does not understand English, was the only one to understand that I was needing to stop at the bank!  She was really proud of herself, and I was too!  THe first one wasn't working, so we had to go to the other, but then we hit the fair.  We walked the streets and looked at all of the random stuff you can buy: bracelets, hats, t-shirts, candy, food, corn on the cob, jewelry, cell phone covers, purses, dishes, furniture, cooking utensils, products being demonstrated, toys (hula hoops), and any other random thing that you can think of.  We walked towards the rides, and half of the group went there.  Me?  Heck no!  I wouldn't ride those things in the U.S.  So, the ones of us that did not go there, went to walk some more.  We stopped to buy some of the nuts (like the ones at the street vendors in NYC).  We got the peanuts and the HAZELNUTS...they were incredible!  I've never seen the hazelnuts done that way, but they were sooo good!  THey bought me a bracelet for me to remember them by, but I will of course be remembering them for many other wonderful reasons, and did not need a bracelet.  That being said, it was incredibly kind of them to do so!  I saw some other students along the way, talked to M. from Rosina's class, but never could find her, and then we eventually went to find the group that had gone to do the rides.  I saw bumper cars...Nick and I agreed that this could be driving school!!?!??!? NO?!?!?     Then we watched one of the rides go in circles and bump and spin and I thought I would throw up watching it.  They had one of those rides that made you go upside down, etc.  NOT FOR ME!!  Here are some pictures from the whole afternoon/evening:

Candied Strawberries, something new

 

 

So, a few of the girls had to walk back to a piazza near my apartment so I walked with them!  We stopped in H & M a bit and looked around; one girl likes weird prints WAY too much...her friends think so too!  Then they insisted that I let the dad that was picking them up, drop me near my apartment! So sweet and unnecessary, but I of course did it! 

THe rest of the night was spent working on blogs, texting with one of my students.  M. was texting me about meeting at the Fiera, and then it just turned into random texting.  She is so incredibly sweet, and so we decided to meet at the Fiera tomorrow. 

I talked to my momma, April, and Nick.  Wonderful day!