Birthdays and Thankfulness

I turned 26 this past week. Boy do I feel far behind in life considering I am living in Rome, and I am a nanny. I am sure my parents love seeing the money they spent on my college education going so far. Who would have thought I would celebrate my 26th birthday in Rome? Not me! I am not even remotely close to where I thought I would be at 26, but I have learned to never expect your life to go a certain way. God's plan is certainly better than my own, and for that, I am quite thankful.

That brings me to Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for many things...

1. My family back home whom I love and miss!

2. My friends back home whom I love and miss!

3. My Italian family who have shown me so many new things, and who have graciously invited me to be a part of their family for a year.

4. My new friends here in Rome. I am so blessed to have met each of you, and am so thankful for you!

5. Rome and all it has shown me.

6. Italian food

7. Italian wine

8. The opportunity to learn a new language and culture.

9. Oatmeal and peanut butter (thanks Mom and Dad and Kelly and LK!)

10. Cornbread dressing even in Italy (thank you polenta)

11. My Kindle, I could not survive this year without it. 6 books down, many more to go!

12. Getting to listen to Christmas music as I stroll through Rome. Tis's the season already here in Rome, and I love seeing the decorations and lights!

13. Skype

14. Leggings, why have I not been wearing these my whole life?

15. Eating two Thanksgiving dinners even in Rome!

Most of all I am ever so thankful for Jesus. Thanksgiving is a day we remember how God provided for the physical needs of the pilgrims after they arrived in America, but I think we have so much more to be thankful for beyond God meeting our physical needs. Today at Thanksgiving dinner with many of the friends I have met here, we had Communion. I have never done that before at Thanksgiving, but I think it is so appropriate. After all, the Lord's Supper is supposed to be a time of remembrance for believers. We are supposed to stop and reflect on Christ sacrifice for us. What better time to do that then at Thanksgiving?! And so, I am thankful for what Christ has done for us. I am thankful for His life, and I am even more thankful for His death and resurrection. I am thankful that He gives us grace, because without it I would be ever so lost. Living in a country that is lost sometimes it is easy to get discouraged, but today I was reminded that God is still working even here, and so I am thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Paul Anka in Rome

You heard right...Paul Anka lives in Rome. In fact, I see him every single day in the park, called Colle Oppio, when I take the girls to school. I thought it was weird too; I mean Paul Anka in Rome?? But he is always there, taking a walk, every morning.

See, look! There he is!

He is a little camera shy, so I had to sneak these pictures.

Paul Anka is not the only strange thing I have seen in Colle Oppio. The other day I snapped a picture of this:

Sure enough that is a girl in a wedding dress. I mean, Colle Oppio is a nice park, but I would not want to take wedding pictures there. There is a lot of graffiti and dog poop, which means it is not an ideal photo location. I mean especially when the Colosseum is only 4 minutes away.

Plus, Paul Anka does not like to be upstaged by a bride...the park is his.

Fun on Via San Gregorio: Naples Part 2

Naples is known for many things throughout Italy and the world. Naples is a port city, and thus has been central to the Italian economy before a united Italy existed. There are churches and buildings that are hundreds and hundreds of years old all over the place! Lilli took me past her University which is in Naples. She said that it is the oldest university in Naples, which means the oldest university in Italy, which means the oldest university in the world. Crazy.

Naples is situated on a hill overlooking the sea. It really is such a beautiful place!

 I think I could live right on top of this hill!!

On Monday, which was Halloween, Lilli, Nonna, the kids and I went to Via San Gregorio. Now, you would think since it was Halloween that we went there because the street was haunted...nope this is the street in Naples known for the many stores and booths that sell hand made ceramic and wax nativity pieces. The assembly of the Creche is an extremely important part of the Neapolitan Christmas traditions. Families in Naples do not just build a simple manger scene. The create the entire town of Bethlehem complete with store fronts, people working, vendors selling fruit, flowers, and cheese, all centered around Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus.

The pieces are beautiful! And if you go to the right store they are completely made by hand, which means they are very expensive! Here are a few pics San Gregorio.

 This table was full of different ceramic food items to add to the Nativity Scene!

 Nonna Paola showing the girls something about one of the parts of the Nativity!

I wish you all could see the detail on these figurines. They are so beautiful!

I bought a Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus to start my own Neapolitan Creche. The girls were really excited that I wanted to do this! 

We then went in to a few churches and into a Cloister which is where the nuns live. The church was beautiful like all the Italian churches are! Then once inside the cloister, we went in to these little spaces where the cloistered nuns used to sit and look down into the church to watch the mass. At the doors of the cloister there were these other, little doors, and Nonna Paola explained that this is where people would bring their unwanted babies, and the nuns would take the babies and care for them and raise them. I thought that was a nice thing for the nuns to do.

I am not going to lie as we walked through the garden of the cloister I kept singing to myself..."How do you solve a problem like Maria." If I do become a nun while I am here (just kidding...) I think I would live in this cloister. The nuns there seemed nice. 

Here are a few pics:

 The typical Catholic Crucifix: Jesus still on the Cross

 I snuck this picture right before I was told to put my camera away.

 Looking down at the church from where the nuns used to watch Mass.

The entrance to the Cloister.

Although I loved Naples, I was really excited to get back to Rome. It has really started to feel like home!

Due Mesi

Today marks my two month anniversary in Rome! It is so hard for me to believe that I have been here that long! I absolutely love it here!

God has been so good to let me be here with this wonderful family! I could not have asked for better kids to take care of!

I have also met wonderful friends, whom I am so thankful for!

Rome has really begin to feel like home, but even still every time I walk by the Colosseum (which is every day) I do a double take! I mean, it just does not look real!

Seriously...amazing!

In other news, I start an Italian class tomorrow! This was kind of a spontaneous decision that a friend and I made today! I am super excited and extremely nervous! I am starting in the middle of the beginner class which started at the beginning of November. Then I will start the next level in December. I have already learned so much just listening and trying to speak, so I am excited to really be able to learn how to communicate with people after I finish these classes! The next six weeks are going to be intense! I will be in class from 11 till 2 every day in addition to my regular au pair duties, but in the end it will be worth it! Before you know it, I will be blogging in Italian (maybe)!

Since I will officially be learning Italian, I am going to start doing mini Italian lessons on my blog! Each week I will feature an Italian word or phrase for all of you out there to learn, so be on the lookout! There may or may not be a quiz!

I also plan on tutoring Italian students when I get home...get ready!

I miss everyone back home, and as Thanksgiving comes closer, I am reminded how thankful I am for each of you!

Halloween In Italy: Naples Part 1

The following fact came as quite a surprise to me: Italians don't do Halloween. There are no ghosts, no goblins, no haunted houses, and no trick or treating. This struck me as a little odd, because Italians seem like the kind of people that would celebrate Halloween. But honestly, the no trick or treating thing makes sense. Everyone lives in apartments, so there are really not neighborhoods to go around to and knock on doors to get candy.

Italians do, however, celebrate All Souls Day or la festività di Ognissanti which occurs on November 1st. This means that this year the girls had Monday October 31st and Tuesday November 1st off of school, and Lilli had these days off of work. Since Alberto was in Niger for work, we girls and Giulio decided to hit the road for Napoli, or Naples, as we call it in America.

For those of you who do not know, both Lilli and Alberto are from Naples. Both their parents live there, and so they make as many trips to Napoli as they can during the year to see their family. They also go there because any one form Napoli will tell you that there you will find the best pizza, bread, pastries, and coffee in all of Italy, which means all of the world (at least according to Italians). 

I had been forewarned by a few people that Naples was dangerous and dirty. Honestly, for parts of Naples, this is completely true. We hit a traffic detour on the way in and had to drive through this part if Naples. I had my Kindle in my lap, and Lilli quickly told me to put it away and make sure the doors were locked! However, where Nonna Paola and Nonno Giulio (Alberto's parents live) is not like this at all. The live in this extremely upscale part of Naples near the Mediterranean Sea in a large and beautiful apartment! 

I enjoyed my time there, and think I gained 5 lbs. feasting on pizza, pasta, and "graffa" or Italian donuts...mmm mm delicious!

Naples is also only a short train ride to the ruins of Pompeii or Pompei as it is spelled in Italian. So I took a little day trip there to see the ruins! Honestly, the city is quite amazing, and it is a shame that they do not have the money they have to keep up the ruins as they should because it is such an important archeological site.


Here are a few pics from Pompeii!

 Can you believe this arena was burring under lava and ash???

 Mt. Vesuvius, the still active volcano that looks over the city it buried two thousand years ago.

 No, these are not people, just statues, but they do have the remains of of the casts that the lava made around people as it buried them. See the example below.

While I was in Naples, I also headed over to the National Archeological Museum to see the frescos and statues archeologists uncovered from Pompeii.


These were so cool! I was amazed at what they uncovered under the lava and ash!

Okay this is not from Pompeii...it is a statue of the Emperor Vespasian...I just thought it was cool!


Needless to say, Pompeii is well worth the trip!! If you ever are in Italy please go see it! The train ride from naples was only 2.80 euro and the entrance to Pompeii is only 11 euro! Definitely worth the money!!

In the meantime...

I am currently in the middle of writing a long post on religion (or lack there of) in Rome, but in the meantime, I thought I would share a few pictures from the past week.

 Where's Waldo?? I don't know, but apparently they are looking for him in Italy as well.

Guess I did not need to bring my own Usborne Sticker Dolly books for the girls. They can just get them at the bookstore here!

Snapped a few photos of the photographers waiting outside of Berlusconi's house. The guy in the white shirt decided to pose for the photo.

The entrance to Berlusconi's house.

Just one of the many lovely churches in Rome!

The monument commemorating the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. On the other side of the road is a monument to the 1970's terrorist attacks in Rome.

I love Pizza!!! 

The Colosseo at night = Amazing!!

And the final two are just for fun, and because Giulio is adorable!

Happy Halloween!!!

What I Miss from A to Z

I have hit the one month mark of being here, which is incredibly hard to believe! I feel as though I have just arrived, and that I have been here for forever all at the same time. I truly love Rome, but that is not to say that I have not had to adjust to things. Trying to fit into another family is definitely tricking. Also, finding my way around rome and navigating the bus and metro systems are not easy either. But so far I am having a blast figuring everything out!

I have found a favorite coffee spot!

Its just a couple blocks from the apartment, and I love the atmosphere, the coffee, the food, the Sunday brunch, and the sweet people that work there.

I have learned to make coffee the Italian way...with this little contraption.

I will most definitely be bringing one of those home.

I have learned to embrace wearing leggings as pants. They totally rock, and I wish I had like 5 more pairs.

I have also made some new friends! I met a couple girls from church and they are great. One of them is actually from GA! Please continue to pray that I would meet some more girls as well, maybe some other au pairs to hang out with during the day.

I found a church I really like. It is called Breccia and is a really small Italian Evangelical church that meets on Sunday nights. The whole service is in Italian, but I really enjoy it and am picking up more than I thought I would. I still may go to the English service at Rome Baptist Church on Sunday mornings, if nothing else than just to meet people!

Though I have gotten to do so many great things, there are also things I miss from back home.

Other than my family and friends whom I miss so much, I miss...

a. oatmeal...all i want is some instant quaker oatmeal

b. skim milk

c. protein...specifically chicken

d. cake...I mean gelato is great but I really want some Ashley Mac's strawberry cake.

e. my own place to have friends over

f. vegetables that are not cooked in with pasta

g. whole wheat pasta...that is a foreign concept for the family I live with.

h. peanut butter

i. pumpkin spice lattes and anything pumpkin spicy cause it is now fall.

j. clothes dryers

k. Wal-mart (we really have no idea how cheap stuff is in the US. I spent 6 euro on hair spray...yikes!)

l. Publix (when I get home this may be the first place I go, there are just soooo many options).

m. my blackberry

n. pilates classes at Dawson

o. my little red car (not that i would want to be driving it here, but I miss being able to get in my car and drive places

p. a microwave...heating up things is much more difficult without it

q. American sized coffee...how I miss going to Starbucks or O'Henry's and ordering a tall cup of coffee that stays warm for longer than 5 minutes and takes longer than 7 to drink

r. Football...I mean American football. I miss hearing people talk about it and greeting one another with Roll Tide or War Eagle on game days

s. Mexican food. I could kill for cheese dip and a Cocina Superior margarita

t. my own bathroom...sharing with kids is harder than I thought haha

u. just having cereal for dinner...with skim milk

v. Cheddar cheese

w. knowing where I am going...Roman streets=confusion

x. funfetti (yes this is the second time I mentioned cake on this list)

y. being able to wear running shorts and a t shirt and not feeling underdressed (Roman mothers are dressed to the nines when they take their kids to school. I take the girls to school with no make up, running shorts or leggings and a t-shirt. I don't fit in.).

z. No smoking...everyone smokes here, and I do not know how the entire country of Italy does not have lung cancer

So maybe I miss a few things...but I love a lot of things too!! And you would too...so come visit soon, and when you do please bring me some oatmeal. :)

To Do and Not To Do

There are several does and don'ts I have learned the past month in Rome, so I thought I would share!

Don'ts...
1. Don't under dress your child if it drops below 80 degrees. They need at least two jackets. Why? I have no idea.
2. Don't pay any attention to traffic laws. If the light is red, you can still go. If there are people crossing the street, its okay. If you accelerate, they will run out of your way. Oh and yielding...yeah, like that every happens.
3. Don't expect to find skim milk. Everyone drinks latte parcealmente scremata...which is basically like 1 or 2%. And you can really not get a Cappuccino with skim milk.
4. Don't eat the peel on your fruit. Make sure you peel it off before you eat it. This includes apples, pears, and just about every fruit there is.
5. Don't tip....unless you are at a really nice restaurant and then just round up your bill to the nearest dollar. That totally rocks. Talk about a money saver when you eat out.


Do's....
1. Do eat pasta, cheese, or bread all the time, because they don't make you fat in Italy (I wish).
2. Do have wine at lunch. Everyone does it.
3. Do feel free to stop into the gelateria in your business suit on your lunch hour.
4. Do hang your laundry out on the line...how else are you going to dry it
5. Do wear a scarf even when it is 90 degrees outside cause there is this tiny spot on your neck that if the wind touches will give you a cold. Oh you had not heard of that either....hmmm.

That's all for now....but I am sure there will be more to come!

All is Right in Computer Land

Well, thanks to the handy Apple guys here in Rome I officially have a working computer. Granted, I do not have anything on my old hard drive, but I am so thankful to have my computer back. Plus, I got an operating system upgrade with the hard drive which makes it even better!

This means....picture time! Thankfully, all my Rome pictures were still on my cameras, so I did not lose those photos.

Side note, I also am now a big fan of Openoffice.org. This is a free word processor that is really similar to Word. Of course, the best part about it is that it is free! Which is awesome because Microsoft Office for Mac is crazy expensive in Italy. I highly recommend you checking this out the next time you are in need of something like this!

Back to pictures. Here are a couple more sights I have visited in Rome!

The Trevi Fountain!

Now, I know you cannot really see it, but there are always hundreds of tourists around it. I am gonna get a better picture when there are not as many people, and of course I have to throw a coin in it so I can be assured I will return to Rome one day.

The Pantheon

This building is amazing. It is almost 2,000 years old and sits in the middle of this lovely square in the center of Rome. The dome on top is open (actually now it has a glass covering) and the way it is built the sun shines through it and you can tell what time of day it is. Like most churches or basilicas in Rome, you need to have your shoulders covered to enter. Another cool thing about the Pantheon is it is free!

Inside the Colosseum

I may walk by the outside of the Colosseo every day, but I have only been inside once. It really is quite extraordinary. I went in on a free day, so I did not take a tour, but hopefully I will do that soon. The Colosseo was built in the 1st Century AD. It was the sight of everything from Gladiator fights to naval battle reenactments. 

Speaking of reenactments....Here are a few shots of some of the reenactors that set up camp in the park across from my apartment. The whole scene to me was a perfect example of what Rome is....the juxtaposition of the old and the new.

Before Jess left we also walked to Villa Borghese which is at the end of Piazza Popolo. From there, you can see a beautiful view of the Roman skyline including the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. 

Rome really is quite an amazing city!

A Wednesday List

So, I have basically had a lazy morning today after taking the girls to school. And because of this, I had some random thoughts I decdided to share.

1. I get my computer back today!! Praying it works, and I can get back to using it.
2. Yesterday, Giulio and I played with some turtles at the park. They were awesome
3. My new favorite food is toast with nutella and bananas...do me a favor and try it today. I mean right now.
4. We had meatballs and french fries for dinner last night. It was suprisingly good and suprisingly un-Italian.
5.  I have read three books since I got here. At the rate I am going I am going to read everything in my Kindle by December...then I don't know what I am giong to do.
6. It is still really hot in rome...like 85 degrees everyday.
7. I am tired of sweating.
8. I also really want to know what is happening on Glee, The Vampire Diaries, Parenthood, and Gossip Girl...Any crazy updates?

Off to get my computer!!
Ciao for now!

Lessons Learned

Let me just say that blogging is a whole lot harder than it looks. I have learned that I am horrible at it! Of course, that fact may be compounded by the fact that my hard drive on my mac crashed, and so, I have been computerless for several days. Word of warning: back up your data. Don't be like me and think that your computer will never crash. That is unwise, and I have learned my lesson. I have also learned that electronics are a heck of a lot cheaper in the US than in Italy, and for that reason, I am taking donations to the Buy Alyson a New Hard Drive Fund. Soon you will find a donate button on my blog if I can figure out how to do it (just kidding...but seriously).

 Anyway, other than that rather unfortunate occurence Rome has continued to be wonderful. I have had massive amounts of coffee, gelato, and pasta, and am relatively certain that I have gained like 20 lbs. Okay thats not true; maybe 5, but still when you go from hardly ever eating pasta and never eating white bread to having both every day you start to feel a bit fat. Interesting fact: there are two different kinds of mozzerella, buffalo and cow. If you come visit, I will let you be the judge of which you prefer. The family prefers buffalo, but I think I still prefer cow. And yes, there are buffalo in Italy, who knew?

Jess, the girl who was the au pair with this family before me, has been in Prague since Thursday, so I have been experiencing what it is like to be here by myself. It really has been great except for the computer fiasco. Basically what I do is get up everyday around 7:00 or 7:15, have breakfast with the family, and then help get the girls ready for school. Then, the girls and I make the roughly ten minute walk to their school, and I drop them off. From that point I have till about 4 o'clock free each day to do whatever I want. Then at 4, I get Giulio into the "pram" a.k.a the stroller, and we head to pick up the girls. Then we spend about an hour and a half at this park called Colle Oppio which is between the school and our apartment. Then, we head home, bathe Giulio, feed him, and then have dinner all together. Its really not a bad schedule!

Hopefully, I will be able to make some friends and be able to spend time with them during my free time!

I will post more pictures soon including pictures of the Colosseum, views of the city from Villa Borghese, and a few pics of the gladiator camp that has set up in front of our apartment for the war reinactment they are doing today. Yeah, I thought that was a bit weird too.
Ciao for now!

La città eterna

I have officially been in la città eterna for 3 full days! They have been packed full of fun and many surprises. The first surprise was that there is NO air conditioning. No window units. No fans. And just in case you were wondering it has been over 90 degrees everyday since I have been here. Fa molto caldo! 


However, the family is wonderful. I mean how could you not love these kids?

They family is so welcoming and it is amazing how comfortable I feel here! I am also to have Jess (their girl whose place I am taking) here to show me around the city and how life works here. I have eaten a crazy amount of carbs and am pretty sure I have already gained about ten lbs, which does not bode well considering the amount of time I have left.

On another note, I really cannot believe how amazing Rome is. Its a mixture of old and new all together. I literally walk past the Colosseum every day, and there are ruins of old buildings everywhere. Here is just a sampling of what we have been update! There will be much more to come later. Oh an sorry no pics of the Colosseum yet, but I promise I will get some soon!