One word. Happy.

This weekend was one word. Happy. I typed happy into my iTunes to find "happy" songs to listen to while I wrote this post. One of my favorite songs came on from the soundtrack of Happy Feet, "Song of the Heart." While I listened to it, I wished I had brought the DVD with me to Italy....I will have to bring it back with me next time I go home. But, anyways enough of that. I'm writing about my weekend not about an animated film. 

Yesterday, I went with Ipolita and her family to Naples in search of drapes for her new house. Unfortunately, businesses in Naples don't take into consideration that people work during the week and are only able to shop during the weekend. So all the shops were closed. On our way home, they decided to stop at Ikea (only my favorite store in the entire world) and look for material there. I was like a little kid when we walked in the store. I told Ipolita I was very happy! :) 

As we walked through the store, I filled up my shopping bag without a problem. We were walking towards the checkout counters and there they were, 10-12 huge stands shining and sparkling from afar....the CHRISTMAS Section! :) As soon as I saw the Christmas trees, I turned to Ipolita and said like a little kid seeing Santa Claus, "OOOOH LOOK! CHRISTMAS!!" I was too excited. We were looking at the decorations and then Ipolita said "oh look you can get a Christmas tree in a bag." I know she was joking but I looked at the price and thought "why not?" I thought a few seconds more and decided I needed a tree. I won't be home until Christmas Eve to see our tree at home, so this way I can celebrate during the entire Christmas season! I quickly ran and got some ornaments and beads to put on the tree since they were already in line. 

Afterwards in the car, Ipolita's daughter asked when I was going to put up the tree, they assumed in a few weeks I think. I said "maybe tonight if we're lucky." They laughed and probably believed me since they know me so well. 

I came home, unwrapped, put together and put away all the items I got from Ikea. Then I opened the bag with the tree and started to put it together. I put Christmas music on so it would be "official." 

I am very happy for the Christmas tree. The Christmas season makes me so happy. It is a magical time and I love it! Every time I look at the tree I smile and my heart fills with joy. To some people, it is just a tree and it doesn't mean anything. But to me, it represents a wonderful time, a time full of peace, love, and joy. It represents family and friends. Some of my greatest memories were during the Christmas season with my family. Some people say it is too early to put a tree up but for me, why should we wait to celebrate such a wonderful season. Bring on the love! 

Today, I went to a friend's house for lunch. His mother was very happy to see me. She told me she was glad to have me over since I don't have any family here in Italy.  And then she welcomed me to be with her family for Sunday lunch, the day for family to be together. 

This is what we ate...

wonderful wine! (like the wine topper?) 

Lasagna

Zucchini

Zucchini

Bread

Eggplant

Skewers of meat and sausage and salad

Chestnuts

Fruit

I was with Naples fans! :) 

Can you tell!? The mascot for Naples is a donkey....

This is a traditional cake from Torre del Greco. It's name is Sciu (pronounced shoe). Very good! :)

This was a chocolate nut candy bar that was wonderful!

I definitely ate a lot. The food was delicious. We had a great time. Thank you!

Overall this weekend was just what the Christmas spirit is all about....joy, family, celebrating and eating delicious food! ;)

America and Every Other Nation's Decision :)

This past Tuesday was a stressful day for me. It was Election Day in the United States of America. Our next President would be named and I was passionate about the subject.

I voted by absentee ballot. I received confirmation that my vote had been received but I was still hesitant if I completely trusted the electoral system in Florida. After previous elections in Florida and absentee ballots not being counted, I wanted to ensure that my ballot would be, in fact, counted. I knew there really was no way of knowing if my ballot had been counted but I could monitor the results all night long...so that is what I did.

During the day, though, I had lessons at school. My students were all informed of what day it was and insisted on asking my preference for President. Before I shared my opinion and preference, my students informed me of theirs. It was unanimous. Obama. My first class of the day informed me of this. And guess how old these students are...yep you guessed it, 9, 10, 11, and 12 year olds. Such informed and politically conscious children having their say in not Italian but American politics. It amazed me. I doubt any children in American know presidential candidates from Italy. I'm still shocked. Later in the class period, we were playing hangman. Usually the student tells me which word or phrase they will use in the game but my student changed it! He had me guessing with the other students! I guessed it right away but doubted myself because I still couldn't believe children are so aware here.

We talked long and hard in my adult class, multiple times actually, about this subject. They already had opinions and thoughts but wanted me to confirm them or make sure that they understood something correctly. A lot of them knew they way our government works, which again surprised me because how many Americans know how Italy runs and operates?

After work I went straight home and turned on my computer. I started my countdown until the counting would begin on the East Coast. I had about 4-5 hours, so I decided to watch a movie. Why not "Love Actually," My first christmas movie of the season. After being in a cheerful and positive mood filled with hope and love I figured I could look at the computer. I still had some time before I would see anything significant so I took a little nap. I woke up from my 2 hour nap at 3am. 

The night had just begun. I was ready to stay awake all night long. I pulled up my sources online and looked at the maps. There were only a few states that were red and blue. We had many more to go...I watched as each state would send in their results and slowly update the count. When it came down to Ohio and Florida, I felt like I had a horrible internet connection and my download was taking forever to download to my computer. And it did, it took 3 hours until the announcement was made that Obama was projected to win. I didn't go to sleep right away because I was still watching Ohio "download" and they were too close for comfort. I waited because I also wanted to see where Florida was going to go. The numbers were swaying in favor of Obama but the state wasn't changing to blue on the map. Since this was my new state, I wanted to see which way it went. 

After they made the announcement that Obama had won, my Facebook newsfeed went crazy. I saw the first post and knew it was going to get wild. But I was still hesitant since neither of my sources had made the announcement online. Everyone at home were in front of their televisions and had heard the news before me. Technically, I found out via Facebook. I watched as friends and family members wrote about the news. It was exhilarating to watch. I was chatting with my friend, Becky, and we were sharing all the different posts we were seeing. There were hundreds of positive statuses and a few not so positive statuses. But, all in all they were pretty positive. I could feel the cheering on the page. It was an amazing experience. For this being my first Presidential election abroad, watching and feeling the excitement from my friends on Facebook made it worthwhile and a memorable experience. It was a party! I was scrolling down my newsfeed liking (almost) all of the posts. Everyone was commenting and sharing their thoughts on the matter. It actually brought us together. Most of my friends on Facebook I don't talk to that often. I apologize for this now but I get wrapped up in my own world that it is hard just to stay up to date with my own life. But, this event had us all talking, sharing, and celebrating the wonderful news that President Barack Obama would remain in office for 4 more years!

I decided to go to sleep afterwards, since it was past 6 am. I couldn't stay awake to watch the acceptance speech so I decided I'd watch it after I woke up in a few hours.

I went to sleep and woke up a few hours later to a text message from my Italian cousin in Milan....This was his message:

Good Morning United Sates of America

Italians were excited just as much as I was, well maybe not as much but still! The following day and the day after all my students asked if I was happy. Before I could reply, they all informed me that they were all happy! Ipolita told me that the Italian news had surveyed Italians the following morning on whether or not they were glad Obama won and 93% said yes...I get a Swedish newspaper online and they said that the Swedish people were happy as well. I know this is only a small sample of countries outside of the USA but I would bet that the majority of other nations around the globe were happy with the outcome as well.

On to another 4 years....Congratulations President Obama! Italy sends their best wishes! Auguri!

My weekend in Milan

I spent this past holiday weekend in Milano with my cousins and their friends. I had never been to Milan, except for the airport. I saw many sights, ate delicious foods and met many wonderful people.

I arrived Thursday morning on All Saints Day. The streets were quiet and empty. Every one was at home enjoying their day off. It was planned that we would go to my cousin's girlfriend's house for lunch. Apparently, her parents were excited to meet me :) When I arrived, I was greeted with welcome arms and many smiles. The table was set and waiting for me to arrive. Our first course was mushroom risotto. Very delicious!

Then we had roasted pork with potatoes.

Then salami and spinach. Apparently the salami is traditional for that region.

Then they brought out cheese, gorgonzola and parmigiano. Gorgonzola is made in a nearby town.

Next was fruit.

Then walnuts...

And finally, dessert. The chocolate cake is a torta di latte. It had raisins and pine nuts in it. 

After our delicious and very filling meal, they took me through their town, Vimercante. 

This is the old medieval bridge, Ponte di San Rocco.

I was excited about going on this trip because I was looking forward to seeing all the colors on the trees. In Naples, it is difficult to see the leaves change colors due to the warmer temperatures. I loved seeing the colors and took many pictures. Here is one.

The next day, we went to Milano. We took the Metro into the city and got off at the "Duomo." We climbed up the stairs from the Metro, turned to the left and BAM! There was the Duomo! I love when that happens. There were many people! We went inside and I kept thinking how my grandpa always wanted to go to the Duomo and never made it.

After we went through the Duomo, we went to the Galleria. It was pretty. I've seen three different Gallerias in the past 2 months: Rome, Naples and Milan. Apparently in this particular Galleria, there is a spot that will bring you good luck if you turn in a circle. So I did it. Why not! :)

After visiting the Galleria, we saw the Theater, the Castle, old buildings, beautiful streets, etc. We went to a cafe next to the Duomo and looked at the views. In the cafe, there was a display of chocolate shoes and purses, so I had to take a picture! :)

Afterwards, we went in search of some expensive stores. We found one street and I want to share what I found....

This one is a little more reasonable.... :) 

After our fun day in Milan, we headed back to the house for dinner. We had wine and potato chips as an antipasto with music playing in the background. My cousin thought it was Christmas because he put on Christmas music! I couldn't believe it! I was tempted to start listening to it since the weather was starting to feel like winter but I was good. Instead my cousin plays it for me without me saying a word! Great minds think alike! :) For dinner, my cousin made pasta with broccoli. Then chicken and hot dogs. For dessert we had Danish cookies. I laughed because they are popular all over the world! Those cookies are delicious!

Friday evening, I went out with my cousin and his girlfriend and their friends. We went to a bar. They asked which bar we should go to "the King's head or Sir Jacks." I went with Sir Jacks since it sounded better. The next morning, I went with my other two cousins to Lecco. For breakfast, we went to a bar.

Along the way, we stopped at  Madonna di bosco.

Then we arrived in Lecco. It was fairly chilly but a beautiful city. We stopped at a bar before we made it to the heart of the city for a bathroom break. The bar was small and I didn't see a bathroom but we asked anyways and they said there was one where a small door was at. So I opened to the door to expect a small toilet and BAM there wasn't a bathroom. It was a huge courtyard. I felt like Alice in Wonderland when she opens the door and finds herself in another land. So I walked around and found stairs but it looked like apartments. Then I saw garage doors and thought, "no the bathroom can't be there" but then I looked closer and saw the sign "Toilette." This was definitely an adventure. Sure enough there was a toilet and I found a woman already there dumping a bucket of water in the toilet. She said there was no water.....Anyways, long story short, I found the bathroom.

After I warmed up from some tea, we headed for the water.

After walking along the shoreline, I asked to try some typical foods :) I tried this chocolate cookie that was soft and had raisins inside with nuts. It was good. My cousin didn't like it though. 

We left Lecco and headed for another spot for photos. We walked through a lot of nature. I had fun taking pictures. 

After stopping for photos, we headed to the big shopping center/mall for lunch. We had a piadina. I had the vegetable and cheese piadina. It was very good. Then we walked around and I saw a two story carousel! We went to the bathroom, I know another bathroom story and in the same day! When I walked into the bathroom I saw many stalls. I chose one then backed away quickly. I thought I was losing my mind. I thought I couldn't see straight. So I chose another stall. Same thing. I went down the rows praying for something else but there wasn't. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it! I was in Northern Italy, where everything seems so modern and clean. But, here I was in a bathroom with no toilets but holes in the ground. I thought I was in Turkey again. Luckily, I lived in Turkey for a year so I have had practice but what a shock!

 That evening, we went out with my cousin and group of friends. We went to a Mexican restaurant just for me! I told them that I miss Mexican food tremendously so they took me. It was fun and I was in heaven! Margaritas and chips and salsa! yum.! There happened to be a big football match on that evening but my cousin assured me that there would be a tv because I didn't want him to miss out on the big match. But there wasn't a TV. Instead he asked to borrow my earphones because he was going to listen to the game. We were talking, eating, drinking and all of a sudden we would hear loud clapping and cheering. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked in my cousins direction. He didn't seem to mind, he was happy his team was winning!

 On Saturday evening we made cheesecake. They wanted to learn so I taught them. After the cheese cakes were in the oven, I mentioned that Sunday morning I would make pancakes. Instead they asked how long it takes to make pancakes. I informed them that it would take little time to make them. They then suggested that we make them then at 7pm at night. No problem. So we did....They loved them. They put nutella on it instead of syrup....good idea!

The next morning, I woke up and my cousin's girlfriend said "pancakes for breakfast!" I didn't want to make pancakes but then she said "no no not you, I will make pancakes." Ok. I taught her that you can add things to the pancakes. So we added chocolate chips. She did a great job. I gave her the honorary title of "Professional Pancake Cook" After breakfast, 12:00, we went to say goodbye to the girlfriend's parents and sister. We also had to deliver the cheesecake. This rose was outside and called my name for a photo. :)

For lunch, the boys (my cousins) cooked again. It was fun living with 3 boys for a weekend. They cooked and cleaned for me! :) We had wine and potato chips for an antipasto, along with some jazz music playing in the background. Then, we had pasta, my favorite kind-gemelli, with sauce and prosciutto cotto. It was great!

Then we had pork, salad, potatoes and onions. Very good!!

For dessert we had cheesecake. :) It was delicious!

After lunch, we played Cranium in Italian. It was interesting and somehow I managed to be on the winning team! :) After spending a great four days getting to know my cousins and their friends, I had to leave. In the car ride to the airport, my cousin said (always in Italian, I just translate so all of you understand :) "it seems like it was just Thursday morning." I said,"Time flies when you are having fun!" I had a great time and hope to visit again soon! Thank you all!