Recap

This past month I've...

Been peed on by Giulio

Eaten an egg that a hen laid a few hours earlier

Been thrown up on by Giulio

Eaten a 4 euro Pizza Margarita at a pizzeria by myself in Napoli while the waiters and cook kept coming over to make sure I was okay because I was by myself

Had about 18 Caffe Freddi while sitting on a beach staring at Mt. Vesuvius

Had my bikini bottoms pulled down by a child I did not know

Picked peaches, plums, and lemons off trees in our backyard

Been told by an Italian grandmother that I need to hurry and find un bel ragazzo to sposarsi with. Apparently she thinks I am running out of time.

Made peach cobbler with peaches grown in the backyard. The previous president of the Constitutional Court of Italy really enjoyed my peach cobbler!

Gotten bitten by approximately 7,841 zanzare


Eaten 4 different kinds of fish (and liked them! especially the pesce spada Gasp!)

I have also celebrated Giulio's 2nd birthday!

Eaten some of these...

These are Italian donuts, and in Naples and other parts of the south they are called Graff, and they are so much better than the ciambelle you can find in Rome.

Francesca, Cecilia, and I went to Positano.

It is so beautiful there! 

Met up with these girls in Naples, where we played foosball in a convent...

We thought it was weird too.

Cecilia and Francesca tried a fruit roll up!

They have each requested a box to be sent to them once I get back in the States.

Went back to Rome for my weekend off and cried when I saw this for the first time in two weeks.

I swear, no matter how many times I see Il Colosseo it still amazes me.

This month away from Rome has been surprisingly good! It has been tiring and at times, a little lonely, but over all not to shabby.

Now, I am anxious to get back to Rome, for August to start (yay month long vaca!), and for my 3 best friends to arrive!!

How was your July?

Happy 4th of July!!

 One thing I have been so thankful for during my time in Italy is the amazing group of friends God has blessed me with. I distinctly remember being so nervous that I would wind up in Rome, friendless and lonely, but like He always does, God overfilled my cup with so many wonderful friends. Within that group, are several Americans, with whom I got to celebrate Thanksgiving and Easter.

We also made plans to celebrate the 4th of July together, but decided to share the fun of the 4th with our friends from around the world.

The night of the 4th a group of us got together and ate some traditional American (okay traditional Southern) food. Then we headed to the park, lit some sparklers, and sang the National Anthem. It was a great night!!

Here are a few photos of the fun!

The Spread: BBQ Chicken, Green Beans, Blackeyed peas, Cornbread, Fruit Salad

The Chefs...we can call ourselves that, right?

Friends anticipating the yummy Southern American food.

Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert. Does not get much more American than that.

Go Team America!!

Quite Possibly My Favorite Place in Italy

Nestled roughly halfway between Rome and Naples is what I like to call heaven on earth, but what Italy likes to call the city of Sperlonga.

This place is simply breathtakingly beautiful. For some reason, I find it to be one of the most peaceful places I have ever been even sitting amidst a crowd on the beach.

I mean who wouldn't find this peaceful?

There is something about the mountains meeting the sea that make Sperlonga the perfect place to be. That last time I was there, some friends and I rented a paddleboat with a slide for an hour to play a little bit in the water. Two things kept creeping into my mind as we made our way out to sea.

The first is this quote from the opening paragraph of Moby Dick:
"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off -- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."

I often feel like I need to just take to the sea, or at least get to a beach, and everything will make sense.

The second is how big God is to have created all of this. Here I sat on this boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea staring up at these mountains, and I am overwhelmed by God's grace for giving me simple moments like these to remind me to be thankful for his goodness and his bigness. If he made this sea, if he made those mountains, why do I ever need to worry about anything? All I need to do is simply look up to those mountains, because, of course, from there comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121).

I have already been to Sperlonga twice, and intend to go back por lo meno (at least) one more time.

The first time was with this sweet friend...

Then another time for a friend's birthday. We spent the whole day there, and watched the sunset over the sea. Of course we were almost stranded in Sperlonga for the night, but we made the most of it! Let's just say that taxis do not always arrive at their appointed times in Italy.

This place is glorious. It is postcard perfect in every way. If you ever make a trip to Italy, I highly recommend taking a break from the craziness of Rome and hopping a train to Sperlonga. Well worth the 15 euros it costs to get there and back.

True confession...I could live here. The last time I was here, I thought, "I may never leave," but then I did. I had to go back to Rome, and, of course, I love Rome. Nothing, however, quite compares to Sperlonga.

Then I decided that this is the perfect spot to get married. Anyone have a wedding coming up? Yes? No? Well, in that case, whenever I get married, I think I will get married here (as long as the person I marry agrees).

I know I am a long time from having to plan these things, but this seems like a pretty exquisite place to tie the knot. The sea in front and the mountains behind. Both reflections of God's infiniteness and strength to do all things. Yep, I will get married here in Sperlonga one day. 

Until that day, I will just play at the beach!

L'Estate a Roma

L'Estate is how we say summer in Italian. We also use the word caldo to describe l'estate. Why? Because caldo means hot. And summer in Rome is caldo, caldo, caldo, especially without air conditioning. I have been sweating, day and night, for a month. Sometimes I wonder why I even shower, because after I do, I just start sweating again, but this is beside the point.

The point is that Rome is hot in the summer, and we Romans do a lot of things to beat the heat.

These are as follows:
a. go to the beach
b. eat gelato or granita while at the beach
c. go to the beach

Thankfully, one can get to the beach from Rome by train in about 45 minutes. Plus, the cost is only a metro ticket.

Here are a few things I have learned about going to the beach in Italy:

1. The sand is not white like our beautiful gulf coast beaches. In fact, some of the sand is almost black, and this means that the sand gets really, really caldo.
2. Just like Italians have to shower as soon as they get out of the pool, dry their hair, and then get dressed before going home, they also shower and change clothes after a day at the beach. That seems normal, right? I mean, who does not love a good shower after a day at the beach once you are back at your beach house or condo? Well, Italians shower right there at the beach in these little enclosed showers stalls that cost around one euro to use. We don't do that in the states, right? Maybe it's because the Mediterranean Sea is so salty (it is soooo salty).
3. Italians are very comfortable and very free with their bodies. No matter how old or young you are, no matter how fat or thin you are, it is perfectly acceptable to parade around the beach in a bikini or a Speedo. In America, we are so consumed with having a perfect body, and are quick to cover up if we are out of shape. Not in Italy. There are 75-year-old grandmothers rocking bikinis on the beach, and you know what? I think we can learn a lot from this. These people are comfortable with who they are.
4. Along those same lines, it is also perfectly acceptable to not wear a top at the beach. I will leave that statement to speak for itself.
5. Italians do crowded beaches. People are sitting almost right on top of each other and do not seem to mind in the least. I know that this has been somewhat of an adjustment for me. My American mentality says that I need a lot of space, but sometimes, it is just nice to be on the beach, regardless of how close you are to the potentially topless person next to you.
6. Italians do paid beaches. I mean you can definitely find free ones, but Italians do not mind paying for a beach, then paying for the chairs and the umbrellas, and then paying for drinks, coffee, and food at the beach bar. Same with pools...pools cost money to go to here, and they are certainly not cheap! It cost at least 30 euros for me to take the kids to the pool for only half a day!
7. Having a beach so close means that I am really tanned (yes Mom, I have been wearing sunscreen...sometimes). No complaints about that. Every time I come home from a morning at the beach, the family always comments about how abbronzata or tanned I am. I think, that considering how pale I was in the winter, they are a little shocked to see that not only can I tan, but that I can get pretty dark.
8. Not that people are not selling random and completely superfluous things on every street corner, tourist site, or traffic light in Rome, but it seems to me that the beach is the place to go if you have some cheap piece of jewelry, sun glasses, or hair bands to sell. Your restful day at the beach is constantly interrupted by someone trying to sell you all kinds of things from friendship bracelets to bathing suits. The strangest thing they sell, however, are massages. There are always women walking around and asking "vuoi un massagio?" which means "do you want a massage?" Seems like a good idea in theory, but then again, who wants a massage on the beach in front of all the people who are crowded in around you? Best thing they sell on the beach: granita. It is kinda like shaved ice. I love waiting to hear the tinkle of the granita bell as the man pulls up to my section of the beach with his granita cart in tow! Time to get out my 2 euros and get a refreshing granita. Definitely a great way to beat the heat!

Strange Things

Strange things have happened in Rome recently...well they are not that strange.

1. My blonde haired friend, Chelsea, and I got asked if we were Chinese at the markets in San Giovanni. Yep, clearly we are Chinese.

2. Today I ate mexican food at a restaurant that did not put cheese on its tacos, did not seem to have tortilla chips on the menu, and for sure did not have margaritas on the menu. Italians do not do Mexican like we do in the US.

3. My parents visited (blog post to come sometime in the future. Possible the distant future seeing how I have still not posted about my sister's visit over 2 months ago.) This means now 4 out of the 5 snows have spent time in Rome. I guess this is not strange.

4. I am officially coming back to America. This is perhaps the strangest of all. It is going to be so weird to be back in the States. I know many of you thought I might make Rome my permanent residence. There was a time I thought this would be true as well. Hopefully, one day in the not so distant future (perhaps sooner than I write those blog posts), I will make Rome my permanent home. As for now though, I get back to America on Wednesday, September 19th. I can hardly believe it! In 3 and a half short months, I will touch American soil (well pavement probably) for the first time in over 365 days. Life is crazy. Strange even...

5. In other news, here is the list I gave my Mom today containing what I would like to have for my first American meal.

Get ready.
It might be a little long, and, as is the theme of this post, a little strange.

- Cheese dip and tortilla chips
- Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-a on a whole wheat bun with cheese and extra pickles.
- Lemonade from Chick-fil-a
- Lime margarita on ice with salt
- A greek salad from Zoe's
- Homemade Carrot Cake
- Skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks
- Cheese Its

I am sure I will think of a lot more things...

Gosh I'm hungry.

Who doesn't love a good picnic

New favorite thing...picnics! As soon as spring descended on Rome, picnics became an essential part of my Roman life. Whether it is the middle of the afternoon on a tuesday and you have gelato on the hill by the Colosseum, or you pack a huge picnic lunch with friends and head out to the Appia Antica to celebrate Pasquetta with a picnic, eating outside is the way to go in Rome in the spring.

Here are some of the highlights from some picnic adventures!

Can't wait for all the picnics to come this spring and summer!

Who is ready to picnic with me back in Birmingham??

One Year

A lot can happen a year.

A year ago, I was only 25.

A year ago, I was trying to decide if I was totally crazy to quit my jobs and move to Italy.

A year ago, I was hanging out with these fun people.

Miss you guys!

I remember exactly where I was on this day last year. My roommates and I huddled into my bathroom/closet with the dog and watched James Spann as we waited for the tornado that had devastated Tuscaloosa to come our way. We watched the debris fall from the sky, as the tornado skipped us and instead hit other parts of Birmingham. Those small towns and neighborhoods lumped into the area "North or West Birmingham" were more than just that to the three of us. One of my old roommates is a nurse at a hospital near there, the other is a teacher at a school right near the Pratt City and Forestdale areas, and I led worship at a small church near McDonald Chapel, Pleasant Grove, and Concord.

I will never forget going into Concord only two days after the tornadoes hit. The pastor of the church where I attended and his wife lived on the main street of Concord that was literally leveled by the tornadoes. The images I saw there, and then a week later in Pratt City, are forever imprinted in my mind. What used to be a quaint street with stores and homes looked a like a set from a movie meant to depict the aftermath of a nuclear war. There were army tanks and soldiers in uniforms carrying machine guns manning check points around the damaged areas. I will never forget seeing the markings on the homes that let rescuers know if bodies had been found inside or if the house was clear. I will never forget the sickening sound of dogs barking because that meant they may have found another body. I will never forget the strength and faith I saw in the eyes of people who had literally lost everything. I will never forget the sweet old lady I met near Pratt City who told us all about her house (which had been destroyed by the tornado), and how she had built it with her husband over forty years ago.

This was her house a week after the tornado hit.

I will never forget how she took our hands with tears in hers eyes and ask us if she could pray for us. It should have been the other way around. I will never forget being at church the sunday after it happened. Everyone there had been touched in some way by the tornado whether it was the death of a friend, family member, or losing a home. The church still did not have power, but I will never forget the worship that morning as people wept and worshiped the God who gives and takes away.

The day of and the days following the tornado taught me a lot about God's character, specifically his mercy, his sovereignty, and his goodness. Now, a year later, I am continuing to learn these lessons, just in different ways. If you had asked me a year ago if I honestly believed I would be in Rome the next year, I would have laughed. Yet, here I am. God has plans that I literally do not have the capacity to comprehend.

Who knows what this next year will bring, but I do know one thing for sure: God is faithful.