An exciting day!- Well every day is exciting in Italy!

I took my time waking up this morning, it was after all a Sunday morning. I got ready and went to Ipolita's house for lunch. Today we were having my adoptive aunt, uncle and cousins over (Ipolita's real family). It was a big group. We ate in the dining room. It was the first time I had eaten in the dining room. Usually, we just eat at the table in the kitchen. There were a total of 13 people for today's lunch. As soon as I arrived, we starting eating the antipasto.

Olives and Eggplant from Ipolita's garden..Yummy!!!

Ipolita's aunt made these, I forgot the name but also very delicious!!!!

Sun Dried Tomatoes from Ipolita's garden! They were delicious!!!!!!

Cheese!!!

Then we started on the first course. Homemade pasta with meatballs and braciole (meat rolls). I unfortunately was too busy eating that I forgot to take pictures of this course.....But, trust me it was delicious. And, I was definitely really full at this point.

After the pasta, we had pork, peppers, and salad. Delicious. The pictures will do all the describing.

Then we had a fruit and nuts. We waited a little longer and then had dessert. Yes, it was a successful Sunday dinner. I left full!

At the beginning of the meal, someone suggested for me to take photos. It has now become the family joke. Angela, where is the camera? Take a picture! They find it humorous that I take pictures of food and only take photos of people when we are eating! They are afraid my friends and family are going to think that all we do in Italy is eat. I said well it is true! They also said that I was mean. I asked why and they said because I am going to make my mom jealous of all the delicious food. I said no, not just my mom but everyone in America! :)

After the Sunday lunch, which finished around 4:30pm and started at 1:15pm, we went to mass at the Duomo. The Cardinal from Naples was going to be saying the mass so we decided to go. As we arrived at the Duomo, there were a lot of people outside with banners, balloons, and even police escorts. At first, I thought it was a protest of some kind then I saw the balloons and quickly decided it was a party, a celebration for the Cardinal who had just arrived. And, after about a minute of standing in the crowd, we heard a loud BOOOM! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am going to say it again "OGNI GIORNO è UNA FESTA!" It was fireworks. Fireworks, going off right outside the Duomo. Only in Italy, folks. I love it! :) EVERY DAY IS A CELEBRATION/PARTY!!!!

I love Italy. I smile every day!

Buongiorno/Buona Domenica

Good day to you all! Last night, I went out with my adopted family and cousins. We went to a nice restaurant that was once a duke's palace. It is called Panart. We were told the pizzas were really good so that is what we ordered. I won't write much as words can't describe. Instead you can look at the pictures. :) 

I ordered the Sicilian pizza. Naturally, of course. Someone said "you never forget where you come from." That is true. But usually, I stick with mixed vegetables or just margherita pizzas. This time it sounded good. Mozzarella and Eggplant. When my mother reads this, she will be in shock. I normally don't love eggplant and rarely order it. When it came out, there were roasted tomatoes on it as well. It was delicious :) Ok. Enough talking. You can look at the pictures now! :) 

Appetizers: French Fries

Appetizers: Fried Zucchini, Mozzarella, Olives, Arancini, Crocchè

Porchetta Pizza- Roasted Pork

Bufalina Pizza- Mozzarella di Bufala

Primavera Pizza

Siciliana Pizza- Mozzarella e Melanzane

The Exterior of the Restaurant

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

I wanted to take this time to thank my grandpa for everything. If it wasn't for him, I would not be here right now on this exciting journey.

My grandpa was always outgoing, starting conversations with strangers, opening his heart for all. He was definitely a people person. Everyone who knew my grandpa loved him. In his family, he was respected and loved by all. And in turn loved everyone very much. He would make sure his family had every opportunity to enrich their lives somehow. He encouraged the children to push the pencil not the broom. He always wanted his family to have the best. He came from Sicily during the 1930s. He had experienced the hardship in Sicily and wanted his family to have more than what Italy offered during those times. A better life.

Now, I have come full circle. I am not in Sicily but I am back in Italy. It is a different era than when my grandpa lived here but I am still experiencing the same culture that he did. I am thankful that my grandpa came to America. He allowed his children, my mother, to have better opportunities in life. My mother passed those opportunities down to me and now I can say that I am educated, well rounded, have experienced other cultures, and I am living a very wonderful life!

I was able to fulfill my dreams and continue dreaming thanks to my grandpa. Thank you for everything you have given me. I know you are watching over me now and smiling. Love you and miss you lots. Thanks again. I really do appreciate everything!

Strikes

So there is another strike in Italy. It started over a week ago in Sicily but started here a few days ago. The truck drivers are striking over the high prices in gas. They are blocking the major roads not allowing the trucks with gas to refill gas stations as well as the trucks that bring materials or goods to factories or supermarkets. Everything is closing down, factories especially. People are running out of gas resulting in fewer cars on the streets. If you go to the supermarket you can find only a few things since the shelves are almost bare. We aren't sure how long the strike will last but from what I was told in Sicily they are still striking and it has already been 10 days. In Sicily, the gas has already finished and there are very few cars on the road. The food supply is dwindling in the supermarkets as well. I guess we have to start living a little more simplistic.

The positive side of this... We can go on diets! Portion control! :)

Taking action

Last week, I was teaching a class. It wasn't my regular class but a higher level. Sometimes, my boss and I switch classes to give her class more conversation practice and my class gets help in grammar by having an Italian translation and explanation that I can't give.

So I was speaking to her class. The class is made up of mostly teenagers in high school. We were speaking about school and they informed me that they didn't go to school that day. I asked why and they said that they were on strike. I was shocked. I didn't know teenagers could go on strike especially against their high school. They informed me that the headmaster (principal) had decided not to let the students go on the annual trip, therefore they were protesting.

Yes, a protest over a trip. And, they informed me that they would strike as long as it took for the headmaster to change his mind. They told me that in the past students would protest for many days, almost a month until they got what they wanted. I asked them if this was a private school and they said it was a public school. I asked if they were going to school the next day and they said no, well yes to stand outside and protest. I also asked if they had full support from the student body. They said all but a few were in participation of the protest. I was impressed.

Apparently, this is a common thing in Italy. It seems like such a foreign idea since I don't recall such action taking place in America's high schools. I only recall being threatened that we wouldn't graduate if we all participated in the traditional "Senior Skip Day." And we were all too scared to follow through with the tradition. I remember when I first arrived and my boss and I were picking up her daughter after school. Her daughter said that she had a test the following day and that her class was going to protest. She said they protest by not going to school when they have a test that they don't want. She is in middle school. Another student told me once that they didn't go to school because their teacher had given them too much homework and/or exams and they were protesting. I was very shocked to hear all of this and at such a young age!

In defense of the homework/tests protest, I have seen how much homework these children get each night. They get a lot more than I had ever gotten in school. In one week, each student has around 10 different classes, 7-8 in one day. Each class gives them homework and none of these classes are enrichment or sports related. Sports actually is not a priority. First, they don't have the space but even then it isn't taken seriously. My boss' daughter told me that in her gym class they were playing volleyball and the ball flew towards the teacher, who was wearing high heel shoes, and in turn hid from the ball. I asked if there was any certification needed to be a gym teacher and they all thought nothing was needed. I was imagining how in America to be a gym teacher you have to have a physical education degree or some sort of certification at least!

Anyways, I am truly impressed with these students and their notion that taking action and protesting for change is normal. I asked a few days ago how the protest was going. Apparently, the headmaster did give in to the students and signed the paper allowing the students to go on their annual trip. The strike lasted one week. Amazing.

Correction: Gym teachers do need a degree in order to teach gym class.

My Christmas Vacation

I know many of you have been waiting a long time for a blog post. I apologize. I was on vacation and got caught up with the festivities surrounding Christmas. I had a wonderful time back home. It went by very fast but it was great to see everyone! My grandma is doing great, chatted about life and even spoke some Italian :) She even said a couple of times to me, "Why are you going to Italy? Stay in America!" I told her that I work there so she allowed me to return :)

We ate a lot of food including homemade Italian sausage made by my aunt, Italian cheeses, olives, etc. We spent a lot of time with family, friends and neighbors. We even made a trip to see Mickey! Mom and I ran the 5K. It was a first for both of us and we had a blast! The following day though, we went on separate planes back to reality.

I wasn't sure how I would react coming back to Italy. I didn't know if I would fight it or embrace it. It turns out that I didn't like leaving my mom but coming back to Italy felt right. It felt like I was going home. :) As soon as I returned I got back into the swing of things and can't believe that it has already been one week. All is well and nothing changed while I was gone... Ogni giorno è una festa! Fireworks and celebrations continue....