Buon compleanno

I never would have imagined I would be spending my 20^th birthday in Italy and it has exceeded all of my expectations. Although I got to do some pretty exciting things, what made my birthday so special was whom I spent it with.  Randi Jones is another au pair that lives about an hour away and about a week before my birthday we met up in Vicenza, a larger city that is right in the middle of our two towns. We have only spent 3 days together exploring, laughing and making fools of ourselves but those 3 days have been such a blessing. My prayers for finding good community here have been answered and once again the Lord has exceeded my expectations.

On my birthday, her host family took me to Lake Garda with them! I caught the train to Vicenza early that morning and they picked me up from the train station. As soon as I stepped in the car the children and mom, Chiara, started singing Happy Birthday and they gave me cards that they had made for me. As small as it may seem, this made my heart so happy! We spent the rest of the day walking around the beautiful lake, eating lunch and gelato and then playing in the park for a few hours. I’m sure Randi and I looked ridiculous on the teeter-totter but it was too fun to pass up. I hope I never pass up an opportunity for fear of looking ridiculous, even if it is only on a playground.

When I got back to the castle, yeah- its still pretty cool that I come home to a castle, I played Monopoly with the kids and shortly after we ate dinner. My host mom is an amazing cook and I’ve loved all of the meals so far. We mostly eat pasta or rice and sometimes with meat but never too much sauce. Most nights we just have fruit for dessert but I was so surprised when the room grew dark and flaming candles walked towards the table. They made me a chocolate mousse dessert topped with trick candles!  It was absolutely delicious and so thoughtful! After, Francesca announced that my real surprise was tickets to go to the theatre that night in Vicenza. So Francesca, Maria Teresa (9 years old) and I drove to Vicenza to watch a modern dance performance. It was impressive, but very confusing. Baskets of oranges were thrown on the stage as the couple danced around them. It was closer to a mix of yoga and Hunter and I’s version of a “nerd fight” than actual dancing.

I had a fantastic birthday and I can't wait to see where I’ll end up for my 21^st!