Andiamo has become
my favorite phrase in Italian because its always the start of a new adventure.
Generally, I like to have some kind of plan, not a set
schedule just a vague idea of what the future holds. I haven’t had a day-to-day
plan much less a long term plan since the day I left the states. My host family
and Italians in general don’t like to plan, so I never really know whats going
on until a moment before it happens. Usually it happens like this--
Marta: “Sammie, are you ready?”
Me: “For what?”
Marta: “We are going out, do you want to come?”
Me: “Sure.”
I never have any idea where we are going, what we will be
doing or how long we will be there. This weekend was no different, we went to
Sorrento for a long weekend and luckily I was notified just in time to pack my
bags.
We left Naples on Friday evening and got about 5 minutes
from home when something crashed into the window. Marco’s bike that was
strapped to the top of the car fell off and almost broke the window before scratching
down the rest of the car. This happened at a busy intersection by the sea, but
in true Italian fashion, we made the road ours and just waited right in the
middle for Marco to repair the bike, ride it home and walk back to us. No
problem, the cars can go around us.
Once we got going, it was a beautiful drive past Vesuvius on
the coast, through long tunnels and on steep cliffs to a small town where we
had dinner at a friends house and watched a religious procession through the
streets that recounted the years of Jesus’ life leading to the cross. Everyone
was cloaked in black and hooded (kinda like the KKK) and the crowd was silent
while we watched from the balcony.
I spent the next few hours playing in the garden with the
kids, talking to the few people that knew a little English and eating way too
much. It was midnight when the kids were drifting to sleep and the adults
finally decided to leave.
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| Sorrento is famous for their lemons and you can clearly see why |
I’ve been able to meet many of my host family’s friends here
in Naples and this weekend we spent the weekend with Barbara and Alberto and
their two girls Carla and Mary Jo. We stayed at their summer home in Sorrento.
The house was one of the coolest I’ve ever seen; the house was in sections all
connected to a beautiful patio that overlooked the ocean. So from my bedroom I
would go outside and up some stairs and turn left to get to the balcony and the
kitchen or go right to get to the living room and other guest rooms. I love
mazes and hidden nooks so this house was like my dream, not to mention its in
one of the most beautiful places in the world. Naturally, I got to sleep in the
tower because I’m a Principessa! Once
again, I didn’t know what the plan was for the next day so I got up, took a
shower and got dressed before going to have breakfast. Everyone else was still
asleep. I’ve quickly learned that the American definition of morning is much
different than the Italian. Italians don’t use the phrase “afternoon” so when
they make plans to meet in the morning it could mean anytime between 11am and
4pm. So after the typical Italian breakfast of cookies and milk we all went
into the center of Sorrento and walked around the maze of streets and ate
lunch. We spent the evening back at the house where I learned how to play chess
and got beat by all of the kids several times.
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| To the left: Bay of Naples and coast of Sorrento, to the right: coast of Amalfi, and behind me: Capri |
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| The view from our balcony, below are lemon and orange trees |
The next day, Easter, I got to wake up to the most beautiful
sunrise and sit on the balcony reading Moral Revolution and soaking in the
truths of my Savior. After breakfast we went on a hike to one of the most
beautiful places I’ve ever seen. From the top of the mountain you could see
Capri, the entire bay of Naples, the coast of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. There
have been several times along this journey that I have been stopped in the
tracks by the beauty before me, especially in Rome. The Colosseum, Trevi
Fountain and ancient ruins were incredible but this time was different. I literally
had to catch my breath, but not because I’m out of shape but because the beauty
before me was purely the work of the one who set the world in motion, rose from
the grave, created me and took the time to plan this incredible adventure for
me.
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| Me with all of the kids: Carla, Mary Jo, Marta and Bebbo |
My host dad, Marco, is the sweetest because he makes sure
that I never miss a photo opportunity with the kids. He always offers to take
pictures of us from several angles. After chasing lizards and picking lots of
flowers with the girls, we went to another part of Sorrento for another long
hike. By the time we returned home for lunch, it was about 2pm and the house
was filled with more friends to share lunch with. We had aperitivos, two kinds of pasta, specialty meats, 2 huge chocolate
eggs bigger than my head and a typical Neapolitan Easter pie pastiera. Then, after more chess, we all
went on a walk through town down to the coast where the adults sat at a café
and talked with everyone in town while the kids and I played in the sand and
climbed on the rocks along the shore. One of the coolest things about living
with an Italian family is that you are immersed into the culture in a way that
you couldn’t if you were only traveling. I go everywhere with them and get to
see “behind the scenes” Italy. I get to see what its like to live like a true
Italian; I get to hear all the gossip, learn their customs and become part of
their family.
On Monday, we ate breakfast and packed our bags to go back
to Naples but first we stopped by the beach to spend a few hours enjoying the
last bit of the weekend and soaking up the sun.
I’m starting to get sad about leaving my Italian family and
this beautiful country. I can’t believe I’ve been here for 4 months and not at
all where I planned to be when I began. It would have been so easy to call it
quits and go home during the hard times in Venice, but I’m incredibly thankful
that The Lord had a different plan for me. I’m learning that I’m always safe
because God always has me in the palm of His hand. If you can learn to trust that,
be brave and go beyond your comfort zone then something incredible is waiting
for you. I promise.
