Living like an Italian

So I've lived in Italy for 2 months now. The people at the book store, cupcake shop and gelateria know my name and occasionally treat me for free because they love Americans around here. I get to wake up and go running along the coast of the Bay of Naples with a view of the volcano Vesuvius. I am living with a family who is beyond generous, fun and they have welcomed me into their family as one of their own children. I'm so blessed to be here and I'm cherishing everyday that I'm here. I'm still learning new things about the people, the country and the culture everyday. Here are a few things that I find are unique to Italy-

The thing about Italy is…

Italians actually do say “Mamma Mia!”

The sidewalk is a land mine field of dead soldiers- no one cleans up after their dogs

Nothing is really “illegal” but some things are just “frowned upon”

All food is healthy here- everything is fresh and local. Italians have no idea what preservatives and trans fats are. The food is incredible in the south especially. There are at least a hundred different kinds of chesses. Naples is in the Campania region, where the mozzarella is the best in the world! 

Everyone has their groceries delivered. Every morning after breakfast Flor calls the grocery store with a list and 20 minutes later we are stocked with food again- its like magic

Everything Italians say sounds really important, every sentence is full of passion even if they are talking about the weather

As if Italian wasnt confusing enough- each region has a different dialect. In Naples, Neapolitan is the dialect but not many people speak it. It is an official language that is similar to Italian but it is not taught in schools.

Carnevale costumes are more important than anything and Italians spend big euros to dress their children up

The police don’t do anything- there are 3 branches of the police here and their sole job is to look good in their uniforms

If Italians recognize that you know English they’ll shout the only English words they know at you, even if they don’t make sense

It’s a waste to buy local train and bus tickets, none of the locals do. But you better have a ticket on a regional train because I’ve seen someone get thrown off the train for not having one and it did not look like a fun time

American music is always popular and everyone loves it but no one knows what the lyrics mean

Gelato is like a religion- everything could be closed but the gelateria is always open. Always.

Pizza is taken very seriously. Naples is the birthplace of pizza and it lives up to it. The first pizza was made for Queen Margarita so plain cheese pizza is named after her.

Even the toughest looking men kiss eachother on the cheeks and hold arms while they walk and talk. Italians are so affectionate but no one gives hugs. I’m still bad at the greeting and always go for the wrong cheek first creating some awkward encounters.

The view from our balcony, the bay of Naples is a 5 minute walk away

Mamma Mia, I'm in Napoli!

My life has been one big Italian mess from the moment I arrived and its just starting to calm down. On Tuesday, Feb 4^th I left the castle gates in Thiene for good. It wasn’t a good situation to live in anymore and I didn’t agree with the way that the parents treated their children and me. Plus the 4-year-old boy liked to bite me and he drew blood. So I left -with no plans of what to do next. So, naturally, God had to step it up and provide for me and He did exactly that. I stayed with Randi and her precious host family and they welcomed me in with open arms and a couch more comfortable than the bed I had in the castle dungeon. I stayed at Marco and Chiara’s house for a week and arranged to move to Rome to stay with a family that my dad knew there. I also ditched half of my clothes because it wasn’t possible for me to manage two huge suitcases on the trains. I had to take two regional trains and then at Roma Termini catch an intercity train to St. Peters station where my new host mom would pick me up. My train was half an hour late to Rome and I knew my new host mom was waiting so I was rushed to say the least trying to figure out which platform to go to. I arrived at St. Peters and found my host mom and as we were loading my luggage into her car I froze. My backpack wasn’t there- it was still on the train that was now making its way down the tracks to the next stop- with my computer and PASSPORT inside. No big deal.

I just like to set up impossible situations so that God can show off how powerful and in control He is. Because He loves me and is my daddy who always protects me, He delivered my backpack safely back to me. I am a witness to his miracles. Guys, there is literally no other explanation- had the Lord of the universe not been with me I would’ve been at the mercy of the US embassy and in a world of chaos.

My second day in Rome I was wandering around the city feeling a little homesick when I see Dan DeMerchant and a group from Link Year walk up the stairs from the metro! Divine appointment? I think so. There are 50 metro stations in Rome so the fact that I randomly came across them is more than a coincidence. 
After 10 days of living in Rome it was time for me to move again. One of my friends from home, Lindsay Gardner, is an au pair in Naples and hooked me up with an awesome family down here. I made the move and have been here for a week with a family that lives in a beautiful part right along the coast. The mom, Marina, and the dad, Marco, are so great. They are some of the most relaxed and generous people I’ve ever met! On my first night here Marina told me that I was now her oldest child and to tell her if I needed anything at all! They have two kids: Marta -10 and Umberto- 8. They know a little bit of English but I’m having fun teaching them new words and they’re having fun laughing at my attempts at Italian. They’re both crazy and fun! I love spending time with this family.

The Lord has finally given me a place to settle in and feel at home. This is the first place that I have actually unpacked all of my bags and organized my things. Although these last two months have been hectic, challenging and have almost broken me, I know the Lord was pushing me to stand up for myself and fight for what I want. I had to face some hard conversations and confrontations. I had to be vulnerable and ask for help sometimes from complete strangers. But the entire time I could feel the Holy Spirit guiding me and the Prince of Peace holding my heart. I was by myself but never alone. 

"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."- Psalm 16:8

"If the only challenges we face are those that life has thrown at us, then we are merely living life in reaction only- we are not pushing ourselves and directing our destiny. Our greatest challenges should be those we give ourselves to reach our full potential." - Brendon Burchard