Pumpkin Carving

Yesterday, after work I went with Ipolita and her family to Auchan, a large grocery store. It is located in a place called Vesuvio or Volcano Buono, I think, a shopping center shaped to replicate Mount Vesuvius since it is located opposite of the volcano. There is even grass on the outside and you have to go in "the volcano" in order to go shopping. Quite an interesting place. It was a nice mall. We walked around for a bit, stopped at the food court for lunch then headed to the grocery store. We passed many stores along the way that had Christmas already out. One store even had Jingle Bell Rock playing in the background! At the grocery store though, I got a witch's hat for my costume. They had a large selection of halloween things. Then we made it to the wine section. I got a couple of bottles of wine for only 2-3 euro each! Then, I needed to get marshmallows and rice krispies because I am going to make rice krispie treats for the Halloween party at school. As we moved throughout the store, I was excited to see all the things they had. They had Mexican food, Indian spices, American chocolate (Twix, KitKat, Crunch, M&Ms, and more). They even had sweet potatoes! After I did a little damage to the "card" and a cart full of goodies, we headed home. But, not before we stopped and played our numbers. When we checked out of the grocery store, they gave us lotto numbers. They were apparently our lucky numbers. So I played 1 Euro and we waited 5 minutes to see if we won. Ipolita and I each won two numbers therefore winning our 1 Euro back! Well we got to play without having to pay essentially. Afterwards,  I went back to their house to carve pumpkins.

You can tell which pumpkin I carved...The less artistic one on the left :) 

Today, we will make pumpkin pies and a pumpkin cheesecake. They don't have canned pumpkin like we do in America so they figure we might as well use the pumpkins we carve and make some goodies! I will post those pictures after we make them today!

Trinity Conference/Workshop

Today, I attended the Trinity Exam Conference and Workshop in Naples. Since, I will be teaching students who will take the exam at the end of the year, my boss and I felt that it would be good for me to learn what it is and how to ensure that the students will pass.

In the morning, I was graciously driven to the conference by the new secretary's fiancé. On the way there we listened to his favorite band's (Jamiroquai) new cd. Luckily for me I love Jamiroquai! :) Plus I didn't even know they had a new album so now I am thrilled that I have even more music to listen and dance to in my spare time! :) He dropped me off at the hotel but after he showed me where the train station was since I had to return home using the train.

I arrived and registered. They gave me a burgundy bag filled with Trinity books and supplies. I sat down near in the main room and filled out my questionnaire. Of course, it was all in Italian but I was able to understand it :) The plenary session started. The head guy started speaking. Guess what language...Italian. I thought crap! I hope it isn't all in Italian! Plus I heard something about a coffee break and I was sure he was telling everyone whether or not there was free food and drinks and where to go but of course I couldn't tell! I wanted to make sure I wouldn't miss out on that!!! :) Shortly after about 30 minutes, he stopped talking and handed the mic over to another Italian who spoke English. I was relieved. I could understand. She talked about the overall mission statement of Trinity. For those of you who don't know, I didn't know until I attended the conference, Trinity thinks that students should learn English in a way that allows the students to communicate and use the language in real life. They feel that learning the grammar is nice, but the overall concept should be to express themselves and learn grammar while learning to express themselves in another language. I was very pleased with their concept and wish I could have learned Spanish or Italian with that same methodology.

After, the plenary session, there was in fact free food and drinks. I was smart and followed a few people up some stairs and boom! There were 10 tables with food and drinks! I had found it! I filled up on some OJ and a few little pastries then headed for my first session...

I attended the session regarding A2 levels which would be my teen levels and beginning adults. The session gave me an in-depth look at the exam and what would actually be tested. After the session, it was lunch time. Unfortunately, I was on my own for lunch but I knew I would be. I left the hotel and walked the nearby street. I started by following the burgundy bags in front of me. I didn't know where I should go and I figured since they are from here they would know where to go. I lost sight of my people so I got a slice of margherita focaccia from a nearby bar. I paid my 1,50 euro and got my slice to go. I walked back to the hotel because I knew they had an area to sit outside. I sat next to some other people and ate my focaccia. After I ate my focaccia, no one was speaking to each other. So naturally, I started asking people where they were from. I met a woman from Salerno, another woman from a neighboring town to where I live, and another woman from the same town as me! We chatted and exchanged information. I was invited to visit Salerno since I had never been there.

After lunch, it was time for the workshop portion of the seminar/conference. I stayed in the same group, A2, and learned how to teach the students how to use English for their real life. They supplied us with sample lesson plans and had us take part in those lesson plans. I learned some good tools and techniques. Throughout the workshop portion, the facilitator had us sitting in groups of 3. She emphasized how group work is essential in learning English. In my group, we had an older gentleman, a red haired woman, and myself. The red haired woman kept making fun of the older gentleman because the facilitator told us to take a sheet of paper then pass it on. She also told us to take more if we'd like since she had extra. But, the older gentleman kept handing us one copy and keeping the stack to himself. We wanted more copies but he wouldn't give it to us. So the red haired woman kept making fun of him since in the end the facilitator had passed out more than 8 worksheets. After talking during the workshop, the red haired woman had mentioned she had to go to the train station. I told her I had to go there too so we decided to go together. When we walked out of the session, she first motioned to go to the registration table again. I didn't know why but then I saw people exchanging their questionnaire forms for certificates of participation. I was shocked because I wasn't expecting it!

Afterwards, we headed to the train station. In the course of trying to leave the hotel, I realized that this woman was an Albanian Lucille Ball. She was just very bubbly, loud, scattered and outgoing.  At first I thought she was Italian but then she told me that she was Albanian. She has lived in Italy for 18 years, is divorced and has a 10 year old daughter. She told me her life story pretty much. She emphasized how much she enjoys these conferences and workshops because it is the one time she gets to practice her English. She teaches it at school but with children you only speak so much English. So anyways, we make it to the train station and I told her I need to buy my ticket. I go to the machines because I know I can just get a ticket with having to only press a few buttons. But, my train ticket wasn't available. It wouldn't let me buy it! I started to freak but thank goodness I had this Albanian Lucille Ball guardian angel with me. She brought me to all these different places trying to find a ticket for me. We finally found a bookstore, after the tobacco shop being sold out,  that sold me a ticket. Now I had my ticket, but now my train isn't on the list. I was supposed to go to Caserta but no trains were going to Caserta until 8pm. It is now 5pm. So then we looked at the main master schedule and Lucy found her train going to Benevento. Underneath it showed that it stopped in Acerra. I thought yes, I have a train. So after some phone calls with my boss we confirmed that I could take it. So I went with Lucy to get a coffee and sandwich, I only got a bottle of water, from the bar. Then we headed for the train. We chatted and before I knew it I had to get off (It was only a 15 minute train ride :) ) I waved goodbye to my Albanian Lucille Ball as I got off the train. Then I headed home to cure my headache and then headed to school since I had a lesson tonight.

Anyways, I had a good day. Fun, educational, and adventurous! I again thank the Albanian Lucille Ball for helping me at the train station. My boss told me when I arrived at school that they weren't too worried about the train situation because she figured I have traveled around the world so many times that I was sure to figure something out. And as a matter of fact,  I told my boss later in the evening while recounting my adventures that somehow I always manage to have a guardian angel helping me along the way. Whenever I am in a situation, someone is always there. This is when I have to thank the people up above, mostly my father I am sure, for taking care of me.

I've been slacking...

Sorry everyone. I haven't posted in 10 days! I am ashamed of myself! :) Now I must fill you in on the last 10 days....

Last weekend, I went to the mountains again with Ipolita and her family. The weather was much nicer this time, a little warmer! We arrived earlier than last time since my lesson was cancelled, so we ate at the house. We had pasta with pesto, which was made from the ingredients grown in Ipolita's garden. It was delicious! :) We relaxed for most of the afternoon. Her children were doing their homework/playing games. I taught one of her daughters how to play chess. Then we played checkers. Her daughter beat me both times! :) We left in the evening to go to the grocery store and get pizzas for dinner. The pizza parlor was family run, cute and quaint. It had a wood burning oven and one person was making and cooking the pizzas. I got the margherita, her daughter got the marghertia shaped as a teddy bear, and they got the porketta (roasted pig) (a speciality of the area). The crust was a little thicker, which I liked. It was good!

After dinner, we watched a television program that is on, I think, every saturday night from 9-12pm. It's a singing competition show for children. Every week, the children sing and there is a winner for that week but they continue to stay on the program until the end of the season. I like that concept better than kicking people off each week, especially for children. At first, I thought the show wouldn't be that great. It started off rocky but it got better. I ended up sitting there all night watching it! lol. They even had opera singers.

The next day, we had the traditional Italian breakfast. We had coffee, toast with jam or Nutella, or cookies. I had toast with peanut butter and jelly. :) Then we got ready and went to the market. After the market we went back to the same place we went last weekend to pick chestnuts, hoping there would be more on the ground. There were a few more. We got a couple of buckets filled.

After we picked the chestnuts, we went to a neighbor's home. She makes fresh cheese (ricotta). We visited her and saw her animals. She had sheep, cows(maybe, I can't remember), and chickens. Usually Ipolita will get fresh eggs from this neighbor as well, but the chickens weren't laying as many as usual. Apparently because it is colder now or because of the change in daylight.

When we returned home, Ipoilta's husband made cocktails for us. He decided on the "White Lady," which was made up of cointreau, gin and lemon juice. It was good but strong, which I like! He put out some snacks to go along with it.

After the cocktail it was time for lunch. We had the antipasti and then pasta with gorgonzola, cream and walnuts. It was delicious and I will definitely try to make this someday!

After the pasta, we had the veal scaloppine and fruit salad (grapes, apples, walnuts and pecorino/parmesan cheese). They were delicious! I was so full by this point! Then we ate some of the chestnuts that we had picked! Then of course, after dinner we have coffee and dessert. I was very full!

We cleaned up and that is when I heard about the earthquake in Turkey. My cousin texted me to ask if everyone was ok. We found out that also at the same time a popular motorcyclist from Italy had died in a race. It was a sad moment.

We returned home to start another week of work.

This week we started another course outside of the school. Not sure if I am supposed to say where but its a car factory of an Italian brand... I have to wear this bright neon yellow vest that says "visitatore"and a badge that says the same thing. Everyone there definitely knows I am a visitor! :) I only have to wear it until I get my id card, hopefully it won't be that long! :)  The class went well though. I think it will be good year.

Halloween is approaching. We will have a party on Halloween for the kids at the school. I am looking forward to it!

I hope you are all well and I will try to write sooner next time!

My weekend in the mountains

I went to the mountains this weekend with my boss and her family. They graciously let me stay with them in their home in the mountains. Their home is surrounded by mountains and makes for a wonderful view! It is very beautiful.

When we first arrived they took me through the town. The town is a quaint mountain town with its cobblestone roads and narrow medieval streets. The views of the surrounding area were breathtaking and of course the pictures don't do justice.

The town

Views from town

Their lovely house!

We arrived at their house in the afternoon on Saturday. It was very cold about 10 degrees Celsius colder than in Acerra. Their house is situated away from many homes. It is private and secluded. It made for a great night's sleep! They have a large vegetable garden that was still harvesting many items when I was there. They were taking the green beans and tomatoes out because they knew the cold weather would be approaching and hurt the crops. I helped them pick green beans and tomatoes. They joked because I told them I never help my mom in her garden and here I was helping them! :) We ended up picking a lot of green beans that we ate some for dinner. Then there were a lot of green tomatoes and they showed me how to make green tomatoes. That evening, I helped cut up the tomatoes and take the seeds out. Then they added salt and left it over night. In the morning, they drained the salt and added some vinegar. A few hours later, they drained the vinegar and put the tomatoes in jars with olive oil, garlic, oregano and some chili pepper. They graciously let me take one home :) I can't wait to try them!

A section of the vegetable garden

The herb garden

On Sunday, we woke up and had the traditional Italian breakfast- Coffee, bread and Nutella. I love chocolate in the morning! :) Then we got ready to go to the market in town. There were many vendors although I am told that some were missing because of the cold weather. We went to the produce stand and got fresh produce. Then we went to the cheese stand and got fresh cheese. Of course, I had to sample some before buying and it was delicious! :) We passed by some linen stands, clothing stands, shoe stands before going into the meat store. We went into two meat stores and both times the butcher was a woman. I asked why because you would typically think of it being man. I was told that the men were on the farms running the farms so the women run the stores. Also, every place we went the people were very friendly.

The market in town

After our shopping we returned home and put on more clothes (because it was cold out!) to go chestnut picking. When we were at the meat store, one lady said that there weren't any chestnuts yet and that it was too early. We decided to try anyways. We went only a few minutes drive from their house and stopped by the side of the road where there were chestnut trees in an open field. They told me that you have to only pick the chestnuts on the ground because those were ripe. The chestnut is covered by an outside pompom ball covered with needles. The only way to open them is to use your feet to separate the outer shell so you can get the chestnuts inside. Usually there are three chestnuts inside one pompom. We also wore gloves so we wouldn't get pricked. There were a good amount on the ground, apparently not as many as in the years past but enough so I can say I went chestnut picking! :) It was cold and I didn't have my winter coat so I had on five layers. I definitely wasn't going for the stylish look but I was warm! :)

Chestnuts

Using your feet to open the outside shell

A mushroom

A chestnut tree

Chestnuts on the tree 

Chestnuts when they open

My dashing outfit! :) 

Acorns

After we returned from chestnut picking we had the traditional Sunday large lunch! The antipasti was cheese, fig jam (the combination of cheese and jam is delicious), a smoked prosciutto called speck (not sure if I remembered that correctly), bread and spicy paste to spread on bread. Then we had the first course, wine and pasta with tomato sauce, onion, and pancetta (like bacon). We even used bread to clean our plates (scarpetta, I think)! For the second course we had roasted chicken with fresh herbs from the garden and salad from the garden. Then we had dried fruit (nuts) and fresh fruit. Followed by caffe (and/or liqueur (all homemade-licorice, lemoncello or walnut) and cookies. Everything was delicious! I was quite full!

The fire we had the entire weekend. It kept us nice and warm!

The cheese, fig jam, and smoked prosciutto

The antipasti

First course. I was too busy eating to take pictures of the rest of the food!

Before we left, I was given fresh herbs from the garden. During the car ride home, I kept smelling rosemary! I was given rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and parsley. I think I am pretty set now on herbs. I was feeling a little scattered trying to cook with just salt and pepper, now I feel at home! :)

Thyme

Oregano

Sage

Parsley

Rosemary

I had a wonderful weekend and I want to thank my gracious hosts for everything! It was perfect! :)

Italy=Party

So, I have been trying to figure out when to write this post. Ever since my first night in Acerra, I have heard loud noises. Yes, there are the car horns, people talking even though sometimes it sounds like they are screaming, but there is another noise. It sounds like a gun shot. Then I thought, maybe fireworks. But then the noise stops after a few minutes. I couldn't figure it out. Then a couple nights after I first heard the noise, I was with Simona and her friend, and I saw the bright colors in the sky. Sure enough, it was fireworks! I asked them,"why are there fireworks?"They said jokingly that in Italy everyday is a "festa," a party. I like that attitude! :)

And of course, every night, rain or shine, there have been fireworks. They only go off for a few minutes every night but they are a nice reminder that I live in a country where everyday is a party! I don't know why it is a party, maybe in celebration of a saint's day, since there is a saint's day every day of the calendar, or for some other reason. But either way, I enjoy the mentality of living each day as a party, a celebration of some sort. It is such a great reminder on how to live our lives. I don't know the exact data but I have a feeling Italians enjoy their lives much more than Americans, I mean come on, they get four hours off during the afternoon to take naps! :)

Mostly, I enjoy the attitude of the Italian people. Yes, now times have changed where people are working more and not getting to live the normal Italian way of life, but they still manage to encompass the Italian mentality that you must work to live not live to work. Family always comes first, not work.

On that note, I wish you all the best to a nice relaxing weekend! Remember to live each day as if it was a celebration or a party! :) I know I will! :)

More food....

Sorry for the food, but this blog is about food too :) I wanted to share what I had for lunch today. I had fresh vegetables. My usual combination, onion, garlic, zucchini and tomatoes. I don't know why but I just love this mixture of vegetables. As I was cutting everything up to throw into the pan I was tempted by the bright colors of the tomatoes and try one. I did. And of course, it was delicious. So I told myself to leave some out and just eat them plain. I prepared another plate and put the tomatoes on the plate, drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled on some salt. They were delicious!

As I was eating the other plate, which I wasn't able to finish of course, I was thinking about my previous trip to Roma. It was in April of 2010. Aunt Sherry and Uncle Tom hadn't arrived in Rome yet and I was hungry, so for dinner I went to a restaurant down the street from my hostel. The name of the restaurant was Angelina's. I thought the name was appropriate so why not try it! I walked in and asked for a table for one. I sat down opened the menu and saw a pasta dish titled "Pasta d'Angelina." I looked at it and what was it...My pasta! The pasta I make all the time! I think it has something to do with the name. So I ordered it. They brought it out and sure enough, it was pasta with onion, garlic, zucchini and tomatoes. Random huh!? I guess it is all in the name.... :)

Delicious Food!

The other night, I made the best tomato sauce ever! I have been trying for years to perfect it but have never been successful. I mean the sauce always tastes good but I could never make it taste like the sauce I have had many times in Italy. So the other night, I did it. I can't take complete credit for it, obviously. I mean the ingredients play a HUGE factor! So I ultimately give the credit to Italy. It's soil and crops are just fabulous and taste exquisite!

The Delicious Tomato Sauce

So, I am sure you all want to know what I did to make this amazing sauce. I first, opened a bottle of tomato puree, pure tomato, nothing else. I poured some into the pot. I tasted and it tasted a little bitter. I know in Sicily my relatives added sugar to the sauce, but I didn't have any sugar so I told myself it would be a little bitter, oh well. Then I thought about adding some other vegetables to the sauce just to give it more substance. I decided to add a small onion and a clove of garlic. I sautéed the onion and garlic in some olive oil in another pan. Once they were tender, I added it to the tomato puree. Then I threw a hand full of fresh basil roughly chopped into the sauce, followed by salt and pepper. I let it cook for about 10 minutes, maybe less. My apartment didn't come with any lids to the pots in the kitchen so after 10 minutes of the sauce splattering every where, I decided to shut it off and let it finish cooking without any heat. In the mean time, I was cooking the pasta. The sauce ended up sitting by itself without any heat for an additional 10 minutes. I didn't taste the sauce I just added it to the cooked pasta. I put some pecorino romano shavings on the pasta and sat down. I took one bite and went to heaven! :) I thought oh my goodness! This is the best sauce I have ever made! Finally, I have done it! But, I brought myself back to reality shortly after and reminded myself that it was probably the ingredients. It was delizioso!

I thought I would post some of the other food items I have made or eaten since I have been here since some of you don't have Facebook so you can't see all my pictures that I have posted. 

Pesto (don't worry I didn't eat all of this in one sitting!)

Just my normal veggie dish- Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, and Eggplant

I have also had wonderful ricotta and buffalo mozzarella that I think were amazing but I was told that there are others, which are even better! I can't even imagine! I also went out one night to Naples with friends and had Neapolitan pizza and crocchè (a fried oval shaped ball of mashed potatoes and cheese). They were both delicious!

Overall, I have been eating very well! I can't say I haven't eaten anything that I don't like! Everything is delicious!