Friends, Food, Kids, Adventures...

So my sense of timing is a bit off, i suppose. As it feels like I've already been here for two months, it makes sense that when I say, "I'll write tomorrow,"that I really mean I'll write in two days. But actually it has been more than a week, so again, I have no excuse. Sorry!



Okay... Since I have so much to write about and it has been so long since I wrote, I don't think I will go in chronological order, so this post may seem a little scatterbrained, but very interesting in any case.



The family has two helpers, Guisy and Cinzia. Cinzia comes on Mondays and does cleaning and she makes lunch for Eugenia and me. Guisy comes on Tuesdays and sometimes on Thursdays. She generally prepares vegetables to be cooked for dinner, makes other food/treats, cooks lunch for me and Tommaso, and irons the laundry. The first week I was here I made Banana Bread with Guisy. It wasn't too hard because we had the recipe in both english and italian. Oh, I forgot to mention, neither one of these women speak english. Anyway, so she would measure out the ingredients on a scale and then I would mix them together. Two interesting points... 1) the use powdered vanilla, and it comes in a small packet, which I am sure has less than 1/2 tsp in it, 2) baking soda comes the same way. In the english recipe it said to put in 1 tsp of baking soda, but Guisy assured me (in italian) that one packet (less than 1/2 tsp) would be plenty. It didn't seem to be that different in the end, but still kind of wierd. The next week, I was bored and so I decided to make some shortbread cookies. I wanted to make something more exciting, but since I didn't know how to get all the ingredients, I settled on this cookie which only has four ingredients (butter, sugar, salt, flour). When Guisy came the next day, she asked me for the recipe. Even though there were only four ingredients and six steps, it took me about an hour to translate! I don't think my translation was very good, but she said it made sense, so I guess it was okay.

I've decided that the best snack in the world is really fat, ripe cherries alternated with a bite of dark chocolate. Then again, I've said to myself almost everyday that what I am currently eating is the best snack in the whole world. It just so happens that I just ate cherries and dark chocolate. Other things I have said this about includes...all the deliciously ripe fruit they have here, pasta with fresh cold tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, egg fritatta made with milk, cheese, and priscuttio, chocolate, gelato, chocolate gelato, crostata (the friut tart I put a picture of on my picasa web album), and the list goes on. As you can see, I love the food here. Maybe a little too much, and since I spend so much time at home, it probably is even worse.

This last sunday was Stake conference. The american family, the Fairborns, that I mentioned in my last post offered me a ride, and I was very grateful of that because the conference was an hour away in Alessandria. For some of it the stake presidency spoke, and for the rest we watched a broadcast where we heard from Niel Anderson, Elder Holland, and President Monson. I didn't understand very much of what was said because they muted the english and
had the translation playing through the speakers. The family was really nice, and on the way back we took a short detour to see the Royal Hunting Grounds. They were so huge, it was insane!!! There street leading up to the house was about 1/2 a mile long, and then there was another 1/2 mile of stables and servants quarters to pass by before we got the the building. we didn't stop, but just drove around the outside and had a look. There were carvings on the walls of dead animals and on the very tip of the cupola was either a bronze or a stuffed elk. I couldn't tell because it was so far away. It was probably bronze, but it reminded me of Joe Jonas, Jr. Taxadermy anyway. It turns out that the Faiborns are my home teachers, which is really handy. Sister Fairborn offered to do a lot of things with me (take me to the markets, museums, etc.) which I think will be really fun.

This last thursday Benedetta had a "concert." She takes kareoke singing lessons, and there were about 7 other students who performed as well. It was a real party, in an underground bar, with flashing lights, alcohol, bar nuts, and the like. It was really fun to see her perform, because I got to see a completely different side of her that I usually see. She got really into her songs and put on quite the little show.

Last weekend the family and I went to their Condo in Courmayeur. I meant to take some pictures, but when I got there, my camera had dead batteries, so you will have to wait until next month when we will go again. It was nice, and really relaxing. We left on saturday night, drove for 1.5 hours, and then just hung out until bed time. It was freezing!!! I slept with 2 pairs of pants, a sweater, and 5 blankets. The next day was nice; we went for a hike in a valley at the base of Mont Blanc. I thought it was going to be a really hard hike because I know the family is so active. We dropped off Matteo and Tommaso about 2 miles before the trailhead, Tommaso biked while Matteo ran. The rest of us drove to the beginning and started walking. It turned out that the hike was flatter than Kansas. We walked along the river Dora, and after a while the boys passed us, then passed us again on their way back. The trail was cut short because the river had flooded. After the hike we stopped at a nice restaurant and had a picnic outside. We ate cheese, bread, tomatoes, and an "apple pie" from the store. It was nothing like american apple pie, but it was still really good. It was really rainy for the rest of our time there, so we just stayed inside and played games. We came back monday afternoon.

I've made some really nice friends in my ward here. After institute two weeks ago, we all went out to eat Kebap's afterwards. I had no idea what this was, but I went anyway. It turned out to be kind of like a burrito, but the meat was shaved, not ground, and it was really, really, really, really, really hot. Probably the most spicy thing I have ever eaten. I was good, and I suffered through the heat...without a drink... and I ate most of it. I don't know that I would eat it again, maybe if I got it without the spicy sauce, we'll see.

Yesterday I had a little adventure. The kids started basketball camp, and I rode with them to the place, and then walked home. Well, I got lazy and decided to figure out the bus instead. I missed my first bus and had to back track, and then I got off too early on the second one, but I didn't get lost, which I am very proud of. It would have been an hour to walk home, so i'm glad that I figured out the bus because I had left the house without eating breakfast! I stopped at a Gelateria on my way home, and the Gelato was so good! It is kind of fun because at most gelateria's you just stand at a window on the sidewalk and order from there. You can go in if you want, but you don't have to. Behind the window is a freezer with about 15 different flavors, and you pick two, put your money in a tray, and continue on your passeggiato (little walk).

That's all for now. Love you!

Every day is a new adventure

Okay, I have so much so say since I haven't posted in a while, so i'll just jump right in! First item of business is to answer questions left in some of your comments. I know that I have answered some of these questions, but for the sake of all who read this (all...8 of you? :) ) i'll answer them for those of you who I didn't get to tell.

The lasanga... good, but very different. There is still layers of cheese and noodles, and sauce, and meat, but it isn't the same at all! First of all, there is no ricotta cheese in it. there also isn't very much sauce. They only put meat on the top layer, well, right underneath the giant layer of...cheese. It is very creamy and cheesy. very good!

Are there Americans at church? I have only met one american, besides the missionaries, at church. The father of the famly is from Utah, and the wife is Japanese. They moved here a couple years ago to work for Boeing and will be leaving in another couple years. I found out just today that they live in the same quad as me, so you might be able to see their apartment in one of the pictures that I posted last week. This is kind of nice, i'm hoping that I will be able to get a ride to and from church with them. Even though the building is only a mile away, that is a mile that I would rather not walk in high heels. Today I wore tennis shoes there, changed into my church shoes, and then walked home in my tennis shoes again. I think it took me half the time to get there!

Any potential suitors? I love the YSA in this ward. There aren't very many, but they are super nice and lots of fun. as for dating any of them... ... I guess we'll see. I don't think I am heading in that direction any time soon. :)

What do I do in my free time? Well, I generally take walks around town, read, study italian, go out with the YSA... I'm starting to do more and more things with other people, but generally during the day I stay at home. I've read a couple of books, but none that I would reccommend. If there are any that you would, please let me know! There is an english book store near my house, so I might go purchase a few. As for my adventures around town, that will be covered later.

Will I come back speaking Italian? Certo! (of course) I'm learning slowly, but I pick up more and more every day. I have an italian textbook that I have been working my way through, and I also have started to read the BoM in Italian. I think the thing that is helping me out most is my little background in spanish. The two languages are very similar.

Did they like the gifts I gave them? Yes, I think so. I gave them each a book ( But no elephants, and Wacky Wednesday), and then I gave Eugenia some beads for bracelet making, and Tommaso a Cleveland Cavaliers baseball hat. Eugenia has claimed both the books as her own, and we have made a bracelet together with the beads I gave her. Benedetta says that the hat is to nice for Tom to wear to school, so it is sitting on his desk looking pretty. :)

Am I using my laptop? Yes... and no. It still does not have internet connection, but at this point I doubt that it ever will. I do use it though. I have made playlists for both kids of songs I think they would like and we listen to them while doing other things. I also have a program with a bunch of mini-games on it which the kids like to play on. They love those games, so it is easy to use as an incentive to get them to do things like homework and picking up after themselves. So, yes, I use my computer, just not for internet.

Is the food any good? I am happy to report that I love the food here. I have tried everything they have put on the table, except for this one pasta dish with calamari in it, but that doesn't really count because I wasn't at home for that meal. Benedetta is a great cook. It is amazing to me that she can whip out such good meals in such a short amount of time. More on food later.

Have I cracked open the peanut butter yet? Yes I have. Actually, I have finished my jar of peanut butter. What is really amazing to me is that while I was at college, I barely touched peanut butter. I had half of a jar on my shelf for the entire year last year. I honestly think that the only reason why I went through my jar so fast was for two reasons, 1) it was american 2) I didn't have anything else to snack on! These both continue to be issues for me. Just yesterday I went into a mini grocery store and found that when I got to the checkout, I had picked up mostly american items including pringles and "american cookies" (chocolate chip cookies). Actually the second one isn't really an issue any more. I have been snacking on fruit, grissini (very crunchy breadsticks, which they always have around), chocolate, and a block of extremely aged parmegano reggiano. In fact, it is aged 30 months and the flavor is so strong I can hardly stand to eat more than a square cm. They also sometimes have these balls of rubbery mozerella cheese that are good to. I'm trying a lot of new kinds of cheese, and they are mostly all great! So far I have already tried 3 different varieties of mozzerella cheese alone!

As for Fabio #1 - He seemed very nice. He was probably in his 40's which is what creeped me out the most about him. I think that in general this is very socially acceptable here. (Fabio #1 is the name my family is using to refer to the man who asked me to get a drink with him while I was walking home from church).

Have I started my Italian class yet? Unfortunately, no. The class doesn't start until September, it is just like a normal school year. In the mean time, I have been using my textbook and reading the BoM in Italian, which I think I have already said earlier in this post.

And the last question to answer... Is there grass anywhere nearby? Not really. There is a small park with a jungle gym about 2 blocks away, and there are a couple large parks a little further away. I'm told though that these generally aren't good areas to play at because there is some danger of stepping on used syringes/needles when you wander into the grass.

wow, that is a lot! I'm afraid that if I write too much in one blog that you will get bored or not have time to read it all. So, this will be all for tonight, but I promise, I PROMISE, that I will write the rest tomorrow. In fact, I have already made notes for everything that I want to write about, and I bet that that post will be even longer than this one.

So, I love you all. Ciao! Chi vediamo domani (I think this is the correct way to write "see you tomorrow")

Picasa Web Album - Tiffany

Here are some pictures...

Picasa Web Album - Tiffany

I can't believe it has been a week already!

Okay, okay, i really didn't mean for a week to go by before I posted again, but I guess I was just busy enjoying laying around all day, having no homework, etc. :) Okay so I really have no excuse as I have hours of time alone every day with nothing to do. Here is a quick summary of my week.

Day 1 (Tuesday ) This is the day I arrived. I think I already mostly wrote about my trip. If I didn't, here is the rest. I arrived at about 3:00 with Matteo. He was at the airport and took me to the house. Then I unpacked and the kids came home from activities. Benedetta had left a gift for me on my bed. It turned out to be a t-shirt with the Torino anthem/theme song on it. I still have no idea what it says, but it was very nice of her. Benedetta also told me about the security system for the house, and unsucessfully tried to teach me how to unlock the front door. This was crucial as I would be locked in the house if I couldn't unlock it! For some reason it was very difficult for me, and I never was able to turn the key all the way. We ate lasanga for dinner at about 7:30 and then I was so tired that I went straight to bed! The lasanga was good; it did not have ricotta cheese in it, and it only had meat (sausage, I think) on the top layer.

Day 2 (Wednesday) I think that I got 10 hours of beautiful sleep and woke up around 7:30 to hear the family eating breakfast. I crawled out of bed and opened the door to see...nothing. By the time I had opened my door they had all left! I found a note on the table that said "ciao tiffany, I hope you slept a good night. Cinze (a cook/maid) will arrive around 12. Tom will be back for lunch around 2, you can have lunch together. Grandparents pick up both of you at 4 for going at Eugenia school and then ice skating (bring a coat/pull bc is cold there). I'll reach you there around 6. Don't hesitate in calling me." The day proceeded just like that. Tom came home at 2, then the grandparents came to pick us up, and we went to get Eugenia from school, and then we all went to the iceskating rink to take Eugenia to practice. I stayed there to watch her while the grandparents took Tom to basketball. she skated really well ( i think). then Benedetta picked us up and we went to her sister-in-law's house with all matteo's family (about 13 people) for a little pre-birthday party for Eugenia. It was fun, and I got my first taste of Italian sweets. i ate chocolate cake (kind of dry, but with really good frosting (it was like a layer fo hard chocolate) and these little things that were kind of like eclairs, but round, not like a tube, but not like cream puffs. Then we went to the last 30 min of Tom's basketball practice, then came home and ate dinner (some weird green pasta, with parmesan cheese and olive oil, and a roll of cooked meat. I think it was rabbit, beef, and something else).

i'm getting really sick of writing right now, so I'm skipping to sunday (because I already wrote this), and i'll finish with the other days tomorrow.

Sunday -
Today was my first time going to my ward here in Torino. Benedetta had to take Tom to a basketball game at 9:30, so she offered to drop me off at the church on their way. Since the church didn’t start until 9:30, I was there quite early. Everyone was very nice and excited for me to be there. There were a lot of people who spoke English there, but the services were definitely in Italian. We had Relief Society first, and one of the sister missionaries sat with me and translated. The lesson was on gifts of the spirit. Then I went to the young adult Sunday school class and to my surprise, a set of guy missionaries came in to translate for me. It turns out there are three sets of missionaries in this ward, 4 guys and two girls. The one who translated for me in Relief society is from Centennial Colorado, and knew of Jenny. She will be leaving on the 22nd of this month. In the last meeting I listened to a translation of the meeting through a headset. There are a few other English speaking people there, so one man sits and translates into a walkie talkie (spelling?) and we all could listen in. It was very nice. I also got to meet a few of the YSA, and everybody wanted to make sure I knew about institute on Friday nights.

It took me about 20 minutes to walk home. I was able to find my way very easily. The streets are in the shape of a grid, so everything intersects. I was almost home when a man stopped me and started talking to me in Italian; I told him I didn’t speak Italian and then he started talking to me in English, and proceeded to propose that we go get a drink at the nice market down the street. I told him I couldn’t, and he said “no, no, I mean coffee or something, I wasn’t saying we should drink alcohol.” I smiled and said my family was expecting me, and I kept walking away. As I walked away, he said “it’s okay! I wasn’t trying to pick you up!”

Today, sunday, for lunch we had porpetone (again, I was planning on already describing this, but since I have't it is basically like a huge loaf of meatball type stuff that they cut in slices and eat with mayo. we have had it at least 3 times now), salad, tomatoes, and fruit.
The kids are working on homework, and I’m just chillin today.

wow! that was a really long update! you're probably really glad I didn't write about the other 4 days yet. If you have any suggestions about things you want to hear about, just leave me a comment or send me an email and i'll try to include it in my updates.

Love you all,
Tiffany

The rest of my trip

Well, my flights were pretty uneventful. I reached Philadelphia with no trouble, and then changed my cash to euros and called home to check in. I just arrived in the Rome Airport. I was a little worried at first because I had no idea where to go! But I followed the crowd until I saw a desk for my airline, Alitalia. I stopped and asked them where I needed to go, and they told me to go back upstairs (where I just was). I had to go through security screening again, and then I walked a long ways from terminal C to Terminal A. I was walking towards the signs pointing to terminal A when all of a sudden there was a bunch of DO NOT ENTER signs. So I had to go get more directions. Finally I found the right place to go and proceeded through immigration. I was never asked to see my ongoing ticket, my return ticket, or my letter of sponsorship from Matteo. It was so easy! The immigration man just asked me for my passport, asked me why I was going to Torino (in SUCH a cool accent, with emphasis on the “why”), stamped my passport and then told me that Torino is a beautiful city.

However, I still didn’t know where to go since my flight was changed. I wandered around Terminal A for a bit until I found another Alitalia desk and asked them what gate I was supposed to go to. They printed me off a ticket, and now I am sitting here next to gate A 12 with about 2 hours to spare.

In total I have asked about 8 people if they “parla inglese?” All 8 of then gave me a look that said very clearly “are you kidding? I can’t believe you just asked me that. Of COURSE I speak English.”

Other details…
I sat by a nice, experienced traveler, named Jane from Syracuse, on my flight from Philly to Rome. Brooke Bradley told me to meet one new person a day, so Brooke, I met Jane, and that counts for May 5th, because I met her yesterday! She was traveling with her sister all over Italy, Germany, and France.

They served “two” meals on my transatlantic flight. Dinner was a wheat roll, a leafy green salad with two cherry tomatoes and creamy pepper dressing, penne pasta in a creamy red sauce, carrot cake, and a Ghirardelli chocolate square. Our second meal was breakfast, which was an apple Danish and juice.

I tried to sleep on that flight, but it just didn’t happen! I ended up watching a movie about a man who adopts a child who believes that he came from Mars. It was interesting. And I listened to music, and star gazed for a while. I even got to see a shooting star!

Something ironic…
When I got on my first flight this morning I turned on my mp3 player to shuffle, and the second song that came on was Leaving on a Jet Plane. Ha! This song was followed by about 5 other songs that all had very poignant lines that applied to my situation.

Ciao!

P.s. I am now at home in Torino. The house is very nice and everything went well! We are having lasanga for dinner tonight.

Flying Away

Well, my bags are packed and I ready to go…cause I’m leaving on a jet plane! Don’t know when I’ll be back again.

Seriously though, I’m sitting here in the Denver airport writing this post on my laptop with the free Wi-fi. I’ve been packing for the past 4 days, and I’m finally ready and leaving. Most of you know that I originally thought I would only be allowed to bring one 50 lb bag with be to Italy. However, on Saturday my mom got curious about a few things and called the airline. She found out for me that since I am allowed two bags on my first flight, they both can be taken all the way to my final destination! That was awesome news, but it meant that packing took me longer. I stayed up until about 2:30 am packing last night. I’m excited about all the extra stuff I get to bring though…computer speakers, books, more clothes, more shoes, more of everything!

I got up at 6:45 this morning to finish some things up and was planning to leave at 8 am for the airport. Dad left for work and called on his way saying the freeway was backed up and we should leave as soon as possible (this was at about… 7:30?). Anyway, we didn’t end up leaving the house until 8:15 am, and mom was nervous about getting to the airport on time. We took some other road instead of the freeway, but it turned out there was a lot of construction going on. It didn’t seem to delay us very much though; we got to the airport at about 8:55 am. Checking in took a really long time. There was no line to the counter, but when the woman tried to check me into my flight from Rome to Torino (with a different airline), it turned out that my flight had been cancelled! So we spent about 35 minutes standing around while she called the other airline and sorted things out. The other airline had bumped me to the next flight, so now I have a layover in Rome of about 4 hours instead of 2 hours. It all worked out fine besides that.

Well, they are starting to board my flight, so I gotta jet. (haha) CIAO!