Home Really is Where the Heart Is

 After two and a half months of living in Spain, going to classes at G42 every day, and learning more than I could have ever imagine, the time came for the term to end, senior interns to graduate, and the four newest interns (myself included) to have a two week long break before classes started again. The second week of our break was already set aside for our Practicum week (more on that later), so I had one week to spend pretty much anywhere in Europe I wanted.

Naturally, I went to Italy. :)

I worked out that it's been about eight months since I was last in Italy, walking through the quaint cobblestone streets of Foligno, saying goodbye to my host family, and hanging out with other au pair friends in gorgeous cities. Oddly enough, before I considered it, I thought it had only been a month or two since I was there.

At least that's what it felt like.

When I finally gave it some thought, however, I realized how much I've done since my last day in Italy. After getting back to the U.S., I worked for several months in Dallas, moved in and out of a new apartment, visited Ecuador, au paired in Ireland, moved to Spain, studied for three months at a Christian leadership training center, and traveled to London. When I think about things in that sense, it seems like ages ago that I was picking up Maria Vittoria from school, helping Zoila with lunch, and coloring and playing Uno all afternoon with the kids.

But even though I've been in plenty of other places doing plenty of other things in the past eight months, Italy has been on my mind, and most definitely in my heart, frequently and consistently. Consequently, upon stepping off the plane in Italy, I found myself feeling right at home. And when I say "at home," I don't mean comfortable and at ease, as people generally mean when they use the phrase. I mean I felt like I was truly in the place where I belong.

I guess that's why they say home is where the heart is... 

Nevertheless, my time back in Italy was more fantastic than I can even explain. It was incredible to go back to Foligno, walk into my old house, see Zoila and Aurelio, have Cesare and Maria Vittoria run up to me and jump all over me, sit down and eat family dinners together, and basically just spend the entire week being an au pair once again. I loved it. I didn't even feel the need to leave the house a whole lot, because the main reason I went was simply to hang out with my Italian family and be around them. We had such a great time too. The family has a new au pair right now named Jordan, who just arrived in Foligno a week ago. I wasn't sure what it would be like having me, the old au pair, there while a new au pair was adjusting to everything still, but it ended up being perfect. I got to introduce her to some of my old friends and show her the ropes on some of the au pair duties, plus we learned that having two au pairs around is a lot of fun for us and gave us a friend to talk to and hang out with all the time!

In addition to the time I spent with the family, simply being a part of their every day life again, I also made sure to meet up with all of my old friends as well. Jordan and I went out in Perugia one night with the group I had hung out with most frequently (including my friends Andrea and Shaila) during my time in italy. We ended up back at a pub I had sung karaoke at (not to mention totally embarrassed myself at...) back in January and had a great time making a new memory at an old and familiar place. The whole time we were out, I kept feeling the paradox of disbelief that I was actually back in Italy with all my friends once again after so many months, combined with complete comfort in being there and the feeling that I had never left. 

 

 

I got to watch Cesare ride a bike with no training wheels, have a photo shoot with Zoila (along with many conversations to get her up-to-date on my life), and play with the kids on the terrace while watching a gorgeous sunset. I ate pasta, tons of Parmesan, and remembered how much better Italian wine is than Spanish wine. We all went for a walk in town, spent some time at the park, and ate lunch and dinner together with the whole family every day. It was a beautiful, restful, and relaxing week, and I loved getting the chance to be at home :)

The City

Rome completely exhausts me. Every time I take a trip there, I come back tired beyond belief and feeling like I just battled the world. I finally concluded that it’s Public Transportation. I hate it. There’s nothing more stressful than cramming into a space of four square feet with people touching you on every side, breathing their unbrushed teeth and cappucino breath on you, speaking way too loudly right in your ear, and uncomfortably staring at you, a stranger that they are now a little too familiar with. And on top of that, just wait until that group of twenty sixteen year olds decides to get on your means of transportation and completely change the entire atmosphere of your ride. If it was quiet before – and I say if, as it’s something very unlikely thanks to accordion-playing gypsies that try to take advantage of everyone’s inability to run away from them and deaf grandmas that think the person on the phone with them can’t hear anything they are saying) – if it ever was quiet, prepare yourself to be completely swallowed by obnoxious screams, ridiculous squeals, and irritating incessant laughter of immature teenagers. And there is no escape. Don't even think about trying to get away from these people. You won't even be able to find a seat to sit down in to give yourself some breathing room. And if you do find an open place to sit, it's guaranteed that there will be some sort of mysterious brown sticky substance or clear liquid already occupying your desired seat. So, if you are willing and brave enough to bear all of that madness and face the insanity of Public Transportation, you might be able to arrive at your desired destination in Rome. But you can't even count on that. If you want to take a bus, it might come in fifteen minutes, it might come in thirty, or it might not ever come at all. And by the time you realize you can no longer take the bus that will never come and instead have to walk to the metro, stand in line to buy a ticket, weave through the thousands of other people also trying to get on a metro, and walk up and down a million stairs, you will never make it to your destination on time. Especially if it's a train... which you can never count on either. It might leave exactly at the time it's supposed to (which is most likely to happen if you are running late) or it could leave ten, fifteen, twenty minutes late (guaranteed to happen if you are in a hurry). Then sometimes you fly right through all the stops - doors open, people off, people on, doors closed - and sometimes you just stop. In the middle of the tracks. Waiting....waiting...and all the while the whole train is quiet, save for that one person that is shouting to their friend on the other end of their cell phone... the entire ride.

So this is where I find myself when I travel through Roma Termini Station... only I get to get off my train and instead of finding a nice quiet place to rest, I am immediately faced with throngs of people - travelers from all over the world, business people, homeless people, and really shady people that will steal your wallet or your purse or your suitcase in a heartbeat. Ok then, so run through the station, spend as little time there as possible, head outside, breathe some fresh air. Or... run outside to have a huge city bus fly past you, three cars honk at you as you cross a street, dozens of vendors trying to get you to buy their amazing (amazingly cheap) product, and noise, NOISE, Noise. Everywhere!

There is no better feeling than arriving back in Foligno, walking through the quiet town, coming in the door of our apartment, and realizing that I am home. I can breathe. I can rest. I can relax, and it's calm. I love the stillness, the mountains, the small town, the simplicity. I love coming back to my family here and joining them at the dinner table and sharing all of my crazy adventures with them. And I absolutely love curling up in my warm, comfortable bed - lamp lit, blankets piled on - and just sitting.

My friends in Rome have quite a different experience than me. They get to go out every day. They see the city life, the people, the famous historical sites, the art. They have an endless number of people to meet and become friends with, they can go to the movies anytime they want, take a language course if they desire, walk past ancient buildings on a daily basis, travel anywhere they want conveniently and easily, shop every day, and experience true city life. But while many of these things are appealing to me and seem fun, I can't help but be a little proud of the experience I get to have. I may not have tons of Americans or other au pairs around me, but I get the opportunity to become friends with actual Italian people. And people here may not know very much English, but what a great chance for me to practice and learn a little Italian! Foligno is not The City; it's not big and bustling, but there is life, there is community, and there is so much beauty. People from Rome travel to Umbria on field trips and day excursions to see the things that I get to see every day. I live fifteen minutes away from the very well-known city of Assisi and only minutes from spectacular mountains, wineries, olive mills, and medieval hilltop towns.

Foligno is beautiful.

And I live here :)

I'm so thankful for the plan that God had for me all along. I may be missing out on a few things in Rome or if I were to be an au pair in another city, but God has given me abundant blessings to enjoy right where I'm at. I have such a unique opportunity, in such a unique place, and I know that it's exactly where God wants me to be. I may not understand the significance of all of it right now, but I'm sure in time I will see why He so clearly opened all of the doors for me to be right here, right now, right where He has taken me.

Basta

Since last Wednesday was a holiday, I went out in the evening with Martina. We decided to visit the town of Perugia, the largest city in the area, because there are lots of things to do, especially around this time of year. We took the train and arrive around 6:00, after a very interesting 30 minute ride spent trying to convince a strange blonde Italian man that he was not going to go home with Martina’s number.

Perugia is situated on top of a hill so once we got into the train station, we had to take a mini-metro up to the top. At the top, we walked into the city center bustling with people shopping, walking, and enjoying their holiday evening. We came across a small street fair with some cute girly things, so we stopped to take a look and each walked away with a new scarf. We didn’t have a whole lot of time in the city, but we enjoyed simply walking through the streets and window-shopping. I noticed a store that had some really cute clothes in it and I’ve gotta say – I think I found my new favorite store! It was one of the first places I’ve found in awhile that actually had cute, affordable (under 50 euro) clothes that were fitting for people my age. I’ll definitely be going back after the holidays ☺

drinking our hot chocolate

Before we had to head home, we sat at a little caffé and ordered authentic Italian hot chocolate – pretty much just thick chocolate in a cup. Delicious! When we arrived back at the train station, we were walking back into the ticket office when we had an unfortunate encounter with our clueless acquaintance (dare I call him a friend…) from the train ride over, so we steered clear the other way hoping he wouldn’t see. After darting around pillars and trying to keep out of sight, we finally made it to our platform and breathed a sigh of relief… only to see him walking up the stairs right behind us. He couldn’t have missed our rude stares and childish laughter trying to hide from him, so he didn’t approach us again. The last we saw of him was as he was walking past on the train and turned to acknowledge Martina with somewhat of a grimace. I think he finally got the point.

This is what happens when you ask an Italian to take a picture for you. If you can't believe someone is dumb enough to take a picture with a cigarette in their hand, don't even try to believe that that person would then look at the picture, show it to you, and ask you if it looked okay. Italians.

 After arriving back in Foligno, we walked to Martina’s apartment where her mom had a beautiful meal waiting for us. We had spinach ravioli with butter and sage followed by a dish of chicken and greens. This is something you must understand about Italy – the food is served very differently from the U.S. In the U.S. we like to pile all our food together and eat it all once in a big mishmash on our plate. In Italy, you are first served a large plate of pasta. But don’t fill up on that! Because chances are there is still a lot more coming! After pasta, then you have your meat – usually pork but sometimes lamb, beef, or chicken – with a side of vegetables. Every meal is served with bread and if you are having a special meal with someone, you will absolutely have wine and dessert. Do you see why I am stuffed all the time?

view on our drive. beautiful!

I had a great time with Martina and am very thankful to have her as a friend. She is busy on weekends with volleyball, so I don’t get to see her much then. Instead I stuck around with the family here and went to lunch at their friends’ house on Saturday. The house was their friends’ parents and was out in the country rather than in the center of town like us. It was beautiful. I loved the entire drive and enjoyed staring out the window and looking at the rolling green hills turning orange and yellow from winter coming. Lunch at this house was exactly as I just described – a full plate of delicious pasta, penne with vodka sauce, followed by an entire other plate of food. Our second serving was wild boar (which was really good) and some sort of greens (not collard greens because those are only in the U.S.). And I can’t forget our appetizer. Sitting on our plates when we arrived was a piece of bread with some sort of pate on it. I assumed it was olive pate (I was hoping for the best), but told myself I would just put it in my mouth and eat it no matter what it was. I braced myself, very discreetly of course, and put the first bite in my mouth. It was not olive pate. My mind immediately flooded with possibilities of what it could be. I quickly reminded myself that I had to eat it no matter what when suddenly I heard Zoila say the word “liver.” It took everything in me to finish chewing and swallow. And of course I didn’t want to be rude, so I had to eat my “happy helping” to at least say I tried. I told Zoila next time she should wait until after I’m done eating to tell me what it is.

The rest of the meal, as I said, was delicious. I had my first homemade traditional Italian tiramisu. It was amazing. I am going to be a huge tiramisu fan when I get back I’m sure, as if I wasn’t already. To top of the wonderful meal, we had two or three different types of wine from the region, a special liqueur, and coffee. I didn’t eat the rest of the day.

Christmas Tree in the center of town

I did go out that night however. I went into town to walk off some of the food and ended up having a very nice time. As I’ve said before, Foligno on Saturday nights is quite busy and full of life, so there is always lots to do. I explored some new places around town and made my way to a beautiful shop that is owned by a friend of Zoila’s. It is a home store and pretty much resembles Pottery Barn. I met Zoila’s friend when I went in the store the other day, so she recognized me immediately and said hello. She told me to wait and went off and called her daughter. Apparently her daughter is my age and is dating a guy that lives on the same floor of our building who I’ve seen a couple times. I talked to Giulia on the phone and she told me she would meet me at the store at 6:00.

In the meantime, I walked outside back onto the main shopping road to find a jazz band performing in the streets. I absolutely loved it. The band was interactive, enthusiastic, lively, and very talented. I joined the crowd around them and watched with a cheesy grin on my face as they jumped, danced, and spun, tubas on their shoulders and saxophones in hand. I concluded in that moment that music makes life good. Every moment in life that is enjoyable seems to be made a little more special when you have the right music. I think music may be one of the most beautiful creations our God made. 

 

Giulia and I met up and walked around town for a little while talking. She is sweet and we plan to hang out sometime soon (if I ever have time). We met up with her boyfriend after we walked and talked to him for a few minutes. As I was leaving, Giulia kissed me goodbye, followed by her boyfriend Domenico. Can I just say, one more time, I HATE kissing?! (I’m talking about the Italian kiss kiss goodbye on the cheek thing.) As if it’s not awkward and uncomfortable enough, try doing it all when you both lean in to the same side, then awkwardly hover in front of each others’ faces for WAY too long trying to figure out which side to go to so that you don’t collide. I wanted to die. I swear I am done with kissing. I don’t care how many Italians I offend… they can give me a hug instead.

After my mortifying moment in front of Giulia, I went home to rest before going out that night. I had heard about a concert on facebook from some of the people that I know in Foligno, so I planned to go. I hadn’t talked to anyone specifically about it yet, but I knew that everyone would be there. Before I went, I stopped by the wine bar to say hi to Chiara and to see if anyone else was there. One of the guys I met a few weeks ago was there with a group of friends, so he said hello and we all walked over to the concert together.

The concert was in a place called the Auditorium. It’s a really neat venue and is basically an old cathedral here in Foligno that has been gutted inside and turned into an auditorium and concert hall. The musician of the night was a guy named Ben Frost, a musician from Iceland, or maybe from Australia… I heard both during the night. His music was the most unique I’ve ever heard. I don’t really know if it was really music… It was more like sounds that he had put together. I think there was everything from high pitched screeches to radio fuzz to wolves. And there was a beating bass that shook the walls of the church. At one point I was convinced my life was over and that the bass was going to shake the walls of the old church until they collapsed in on us. The air was thick with noise. It was so loud you could literally taste it. My whole body felt the beating and screeching until I didn’t have the strength to sit through it anymore. I went outside, into the fresh, quiet air and breathed in the peace. The bass was still booming.

The concert didn’t last much longer than that, so afterwards plenty of people flooded outside, and I stood and chatted with my friends and some people I hadn’t seen in a couple weeks. A party started in the upstairs part of the Auditorium, so I eventually decided to go check it out. I enjoy the way Italians party. There’s no crazy, nasty dancing like in the U.S. People really just do their own thing. If they look dumb, they don’t care. They dance the bounce dance, not the grind dance, and people have a good time. Maybe it doesn’t stay like that. Maybe it does get crazier as the night goes on. But I never stay late enough to see. Italian parties can go until 5 or 6 in the morning. I don’t stay out past 1 or 2 ☺

A new friend I made on Saturday night

Sunday was a day of rest for me. I slept in and spent the afternoon with Andrea in a beautiful town about 15 minutes from here called Bevagna. We drove past in on Saturday on the way to lunch, and I knew I really wanted to go back to take pictures. Andrea had told me he would take me to some really good areas for pictures sometime, so I figured this was a good opportunity. It was a very calm, restful afternoon walking around the town. We didn’t see a soul the whole time we were there. The shops were closed, the windows were closed, the streets were empty. Every so often we would walk through an alley and hear faint music flowing from behind a curtain. My mind was filled with curiosity as to who and what was behind each door. I snapped some pictures (none very good unfortunately) and we walked. Ending our time, we ate at a restaurant called Ottavius. suggested to us by Aurelio. The specialty was Gnocchi with Sangrantina, which I wasn’t quite sure what that was, but I ordered it anyways. It was very good. We also had vegetables, and since I have never tried panna cotta, Andrea made sure that I tried some.

Once more... I was stuffed. 

I think I’ve finally learned my lesson. Enough stuffing myself. It’s 3 am and I’m still awake writing this. Why? Because I ate too much and am too full to sleep. I think it’s time I learn to use a very useful Italian word – Basta.

Amici

Monday brought the official One-Month mark of my stay here in Italy. That means I'm a third of the way through my Italian adventure.

It's amazing what can happen in one month.

When I think back to the beginning of my time here in Foligno, I remember so clearly the wonderment, excitement, and freedom that I felt as I braced myself for a long and unknown road ahead. There I stood, completely free and ready, facing the beginning of an epic journey and carrying nothing but my bags and hope for the future.

Yet at the same time, amidst the excitement and anticipation of a new future loomed a great sense of loneliness and fear. Even though I was confident that the experience would conclude as a rewarding and beneficial time, I still feared embarking on this journey alone, having no companions to laugh with me, no confidant to walk beside me, and no comrade to explore mysteries with me. As the days passed, the mist offered no promise of clearing. I trudged on into the foggy obscurity that remained ahead, surrounding myself in a whirl of my fears. There was no escaping the loneliness. It consumed me in my travels to Rome. Emptiness followed me as I walked through the streets of Foligno, unable to communicate with anyone I encountered. Hopelessness threatened by deceiving me into believing I would never develop fruitful relationships. Quietness echoed around me as I sat alone at home with nowhere to go.

And suddenly one day the sun peeked through. I found a friend. I was introduced to more. And I no longer felt the chill of the hopelessness surrounding me. Each day brought new excitement, new opportunities, new relationships. What seemed to be an unpromising and secluded path had suddenly turned into a bustling and busy road with dozens of other travelers. They brought encouragement, they brought adventure, they brought fun and delight. And they have turned and begun to walk alongside me. I am no longer alone. I have been brought companions, been blessed with loving spirits who want to enjoy and face new experiences with me.

On Thursday, I was invited to a concert with Andrea. Andrea is studying Geology at the University of Perugia, and the concert was a special event for all the Geology students at his school. There were several bands playing classic American rock, some heavy music, and popular Italian songs. There was also an entire buffet of food. It was a different crowd than I normally find myself around, but it allowed me the experience to be a part of a typical Italian concert. I saw it all - the excitement, the jumping, the free dancing, the belting and singing - and loved the enthusiasm of the participants. These listeners ensured that they truly enjoyed their concert experience and made the most of the thrill of the music.

Piazza Navona Christmas Market

Saturday I packed a backpack and left for Rome. It had been a challenging week (babysitting can be quite difficult at times), and I needed some time to relax and unwind. Upon stepping off the train, I had friends waiting for me - such a different dynamic from my previous visit to the city. I joined Madeleine, an au pair from Maine, and we walked around the famous Christmas market in Piazza Navona. Although we weren't especially hungry, we indulged in candied nuts and spent the rest of our time fascinated by all the fried food and children's toys. Later on, our friend Jess, an au pair from Australia, met up with us. She told us the plan for the rest of the day and we continued on our way through the city. I don't remember having a specific destination. We just walked. Right around sunset we found ourselves on a bridge overlooking the Tiber River. Of course, I got out my camera and we made the most of the beautiful golden sunlight. Madeleine and Jess both seemed to thoroughly enjoy playing with my camera, so I was kind enough to let them take turns carrying it through the city for me ;-)

I don't know what this was, but it was amazing! Almost as good as the food at the Texas State Fair... Almost.

Haha... actually I had been lugging around a heavy backpack, a thick coat, and my purse and camera all day. It was quite a blessing to have some relief for a bit! And it didn't even stop there. Madeleine had to return to her Italian family to work for a few hours, so she was amazing and took my backpack with her until she came back. In the meantime, Jess and I enjoyed an evening date in the city. We visited an International Bookstore where I found a book to teach myself Italian (which has actually resulted in drastically improving my language skills in a matter of days already), a guidebook for Umbria (so I can know what I am seeing when I travel to nearby cities), and the last book in the Narnia series (I have been determined to finish it for over a year now, so I am making sure it happens before I leave Italy). The bookstore happened to be right across the street from the beautiful St. Regis hotel that I visited during my last trip to Rome, so we stopped in for a few minutes to rest our feet and enjoy the atmosphere. You will never guess who we saw there. Okay, you probably already did. That's right - the old man that I awkwardly spoke with last time! Part of me couldn't believe he was there again, but then part of me was not the least bit surprised. I told Jess I wished I had taken a picture of him last time, and she cleverly suggested that I take a picture of "her" in the hotel. I officially have a way to remember my awkward friend :)

St. Regis

Indian food!

 After our elegant experience at the St. Regis, Jess and I made our way to an Indian restaurant for dinner. First of all, I love Indian and am very excited that I live in an area of Dallas that has tons of Indian restaurants. Second of all, I can't tell you how thrilled I was to have Indian food in another country, especially after eating pasta every day. It was amazing! We ordered samosas, tikka masala, garlic naan, and the house wine, an absolutely fabulous meal. As if we weren't full enough, we left to meet up with some other girls for tiramisu right afterwards.

We passed this on our way to tiramisu :)

The tiramisu place was on the other side of town, so it took us awhile to get there. We decided to walk. As we came to the end of our 40 minute trek, I considered how quickly it had gone by. A similar walk two weeks ago on a Saturday night in Rome had seemed to drag on forever, but with company to talk to and laugh with along the way, it didn't quite seem long enough.

I don't know what this tiramisu place was, but apparently it is extremely popular and was quite crowded. I also discovered where to find the local Italians in Rome and concluded that since there weren't too many English speakers around, we must have made a good choice in our caffe selection. The selection actually came on the suggestion of a girl we were meeting - one of several girls from Iowa State University who are studying interior design in Rome for the semester. All of us know each other from church, and I had worked out beforehand that I would be staying with these girls for the night.

I ordered a classic tiramisu, ate till I was stuffed, and then stood outside with the girls trying to decide where to go and what to do next. We finally agreed on walking around until we could find a comfortable, quiet, and warm caffe. There was one not too far away, so we went inside and ordered hot tea. The next hour or so was spent in laughs, jokes, and good conversation as we all opened up to each other and took time to get to know each other better. As much as I loved having the delicious tea at the St. Regis two weeks ago, I'm quite certain I preferred the not-quite-as-delicious tea at the caffe, because there's nothing more enjoyable than good company.

That night I went home with the Iowa girls to their large apartment. They had a futon set up for me and proceeded to supply every item that I was lacking for spending the night. I think I even ate some Corn Flakes before going to bed :)

We woke up for church the next morning and enjoyed a service with our friend singing for the special music and an intriguing sermon on God's silence. We stayed and talked to people until we were kicked out because the next service was starting, and then we made plans for the rest of the day. Two of the girls had to go to their studio to work on projects that afternoon, so that left me and Anna to have the entire rest of the day to shop and explore. And boy did we shop! I brought a list to Rome with me of all the things I wanted to buy:

• Pashmina Scarves
• English books
• Socks
• Black boots
• Christmas presents
• Exchange money
• Contact Solution 
• New shirts/sweaters
• A Rome snow globe

You better believe it - I checked off every single thing on my list! I still have a few more Christmas gifts to purchase, but I definitely did not come home empty handed. *By the way, please take note that I bought a pair of black boots. I would just like to point out that besides the cowboy boots I bought when I first moved to Dallas, this is the first pair of real boots I have ever bought. It's official: I now fit in :)

One of the shops we passed along the way

 I was also quite satisfied that I was even able to find my contact solution here, because I had convinced myself that the brand I use would not be sold anywhere in Italy. Not true - they do sell it, just for three times as much money.

By the end of the day, I was carrying a massive bag of all my new purchases, and we were exhausted. We stopped by the Piazza Navona market again to make sure we didn't miss anything, but shortly after that we headed home and did what the rest of the Italians do at 4:00 - took a nap.

Piazza Navona

 We woke up re-energized and hungry, so we made ourselves pasta (did you expect something else?) and got ready to go out one more time. We still had a few things we needed to get, so we visited a few shops close to her apartment and then headed home. Because I didn't want to rush to try to leave early in the afternoon, I had decided to just spend the night on Sunday and leave Monday morning. That meant we had the whole evening together. We went back home and chatted with the other girls for a little while and told them about our day.

In front of the Pantheon

All day long the girls had been so encouraging and sweet to me, even though we had only known each other for a few days. As we were laying on our beds listening to worship music, Anna (a different Anna from the one I had spent the day with) turned over and asked if she could hear my God story. I love how she worded it. She didn't ask to hear my testimony or how I came to know Christ. She asked to hear the story of God in my life. It's a beautiful thought, thinking of the Creator of the Universe working, molding, and shaping my life, and to be honest, it's not something I've thought about much lately. Before I knew it, I was sharing the struggles I have faced and the pain I have felt in the past year, piecing together as I spoke how God was at work through all of it and how He has had a plan for it all along.

Although the trials I've endured are not exactly over, I felt the encouragement of love from my sisters in Christ. They didn't know me very well. They had no reason to sit and listen to my emotions and my story. But they did. And not only did they listen, but they cared, they empathized, and then they encouraged. We had some great discussion afterward about things we had learned or were learning from God's Story - the Bible. Even greater still was the girls' request to pray for me before our time was through. What a shower of encouragement and blessing, to be surrounded by lovers of Christ who love Him enough to love others - to love me - at a time when I needed it most.

To top the night off, I had the most delicious gelato in Rome. The girls are friends with the owner, so we tried pretty much every unique flavor you could think of. I ended up with a cup of Biscotti, Ricotta and Pear, and Nutella. Um... delicious?... Yes!

My train left from the end of these tracks. Understand my frustration?

The next day was one of the worst days I have had so far. I got up incredibly early (6 something - ugh no one should ever have to see that hour) in order to take a train to the main station so that I could take another train home to Foligno. My first train was five minutes late, so I ended up arriving in Roma Termini station (a huge and very hectic train station) 10 minutes before my train to Foligno left. I thought I would be dropped off on a platform close to my next train, but things never turn out like you expect. Instead of arriving at platform 8 as I had expected, I was at platform 26. The train to Foligno was at Platform 1. I looked ahead of me, looked across the tracks, and looked all the way back down to where I would have to run to get on the train. I still hadn't bought my ticket, and don't forget that I was carrying a backpack, purse, winter coat, and bulging shopping bag that weighed about 20 pounds. I was a mess. I dashed through the station, weaved through people, smashed into other people, and thought I was going to die I was so out of breath. I bought my ticket and ran and ran and ran some more, until I just couldn't go any further. I got to my platform, just in time. The train wasn't there. I looked up at the kiosk to make sure it was the right platform and realized that instead it was about another quarter mile down the way, to the very outermost platform of the whole station. I walked. As I was walking, panting, and sweating, I watched the train back out of the platform and roll away. It was 7:43 am.

I tried to be positive and think about the good that could come of my missing the train. I had two hours before the next train (which cost twice as much...of course), so I could definitely enjoy a Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit from the McDonald's nearby. Wrong. I forgot... this is Italy. We eat pastries and croissants for breakfast, and that does not include Egg McMuffins. Don't even try suggesting it because you are just a heretic if you do. When that idea failed, I found a pizza place that was open (because it's okay to eat pizza at eight in the morning, but not Sausage Biscuits) and indulged in a very large piece of ham and cheese pizza.

My pizza... still not as good as a Sausage Biscuit ;-)

 I'm going to skip the rest of that day, because I was not in a pleasant mood and wasn't too fond of Italy for a few moments during that day. Thank goodness the next day came to redeem my attitude a bit.

Martina invited me over to a friend's house for dinner on Tuesday night. It's Italy, so she picked me up at 10:00 pm when she finished her volleyball game. We arrived at her friend's house and drove up to a beautiful and huge home situated on a hill and overlooking the city of Foligno. Inside the cozy home we found seven girls (Martina's teammates) sitting at a round table, each with a pizza in front of her. There were two open seats. Martina and I sat down and dove right into the pizza.

The rest of the night was filled with hysterical laughter, comical attempts at English and Italian, and playful shouting matches. The girls were fascinated by my American background and kept asking questions about what things are really like in the U.S., as opposed to just in the movies. They couldn't believe we actually have balls in high school called Prom and that students really put their books in lockers. I assured them that these ideas are true and that the movies are usually pretty accurate when it comes to things like that.

After a late, late night, I went home and crashed for very short four hours. But it didn't matter. I am content :) I have had encouragement when I'm down, sharpening when I'm weak, laughter when I'm sad, and company when I'm lonely. God has been good. He has provided what I began to fear would never come. I have wonderful friends :)