Buona Domenica

Today was a good day. I experienced many firsts today.

This afternoon, my student and his friends picked me up for lunch. They were coming directly from church. Every Sunday, they go to church. It seems to be common for the younger generation to go to church here, unlike in America. As we drove through town, we made a few stops. One stop was to make bets. Sunday is the betting day. I was told a few days ago that soccer was played only on Sundays in the past. Nowadays, it is more common to have games throughout the week. But, tradition holds true for the most part. Every Sunday, people (95% being male) bet on the soccer games throughout Italy. We walked into the betting shop and I only saw one other woman. It was filled with men. They were placing their bets for the day. And, naturally as we were placing our bets we ran into a couple of other friends making their bets too. Everyone does it! The guys were nice enough to let me bet. I told them I never bet on games before and it would be completely random since I don't know the statistics for any of the teams. I chose based on whether I had been to that city or if I liked the name. Not a good way to bet, I am sure. I ended up guessing good on a few games but overall I lost since I didn't get them all correct.

After the bets, I went to my student's house for lunch. Tradition in Italy is that no one can eat alone on Sundays. It is the family day and one must be in the company of others. We had pasta with sauce and mozzarella, then braciola (meat), eggplant and salad. It was all very good! I was full! I even got to watch American television in English. I watched According to Jim, Once Upon a Time, and White Collar.

My student's mother picked this for me

After lunch, we went to my student's uncle's house. It was quite an entertaining visit. They tried speaking English to me and wanted to know about me. Even the 84 year old grandfather spoke to me and told me about when the Americans came after WW2. He said that they would try to communicate with the soldiers. He told me that the Americans called him "Ginger" because he had red hair. I laughed because we still call people with red hair "ginger." They were all very happy to have me there. I felt like I was part of the family especially when the photo albums came out! In Italy everyone is very hospitable and treat you like family. They invited me to have lunch at their house someday.

We left to meet up with the group of friends. We headed for Vesuvius. A place I had not visited yet. We arrived first in Torre del Greco. Another place, I have heard a lot about but never visited. It was dark so it was difficult to see but we did go up Vesuvius. I could see the molten rock pieces on the side of the road. They were huge! I also saw the aerial night view of the area. It was full of lights and you could see the shoreline and the sea. It was beautiful. I will have to go during the day someday to get the full experience though. Afterwards, we drove through Torre del Greco and it seems very nice. It has a few hills, quaint streets, Vesuvius and the sea. We stopped near the sea and had drinks. Afterwards as we were standing outside, I saw that there were no cars coming so I crossed the street to get a better look at the sea. As I was crossing, I heard them say No where are you going! :) And shortly after one of the guys crossed the street as well. I think it is still common that guys must escort girls wherever they go. :) I noticed right away, even though it was dark, that the sand was black. I had heard about this but forgot until I saw it. The sand at Torre del Greco is black from the molten lava from Vesuvius. It was very soft though, I touched it. :) As I stood on the beach, I breathed in the fresh air. It seemed so peaceful and quiet. I looked up at the sky and saw stars that I usually don't see. I realized I truly do love the sea.

The view from Mt. Vesuvius at night

Afterwards, we returned home but not before stopping at the Cornetteria to get the chocolate filled croissants. I didn't have one because I have realized that they are too sweet for me. Shocking, I know!

Anyways, I had a great day with friends! Thank you everyone!