Bringin' home the pancetta

Hey there. It's Sunday afternoon, and we just got back from the Host Family picnic which took place in a sort of park-like place in a neighboring town. It had a great view of alto Lazio (the area we live in), and we had a fun time. It was a pot-luck affair where each host family contributed, and as you could imagine, the food did not disappoint. One student was celebrating her birthday today, and her host family brought enough homemade tiramisu for everone (over 120 people). I stuffed myself to the gills as I am wont to do at such occasions, and then I played volleyball for an hour or so with some kids. Overall it was a nice event, but to some degree I still felt like I was working on a Sunday.

Eli and Caroline have been a bit under the weather lately, and we have heard that there is some sort of bug going around. They are feeling a bit better after some long sleeps, and I suspect that they are on the mend. Despite their condition we took a short trip yesterday to a neighboring town (Tuscania, where Caroline's classes are) for lunch and some playtime in a local park. The town is beautiful, and we had a very nice meal that included a quail egg frittata with porcini and truffles. The grassy park just inside the walls had an amazing view (you will have to take our word since we forgot to bring the camera), and Eli walked to his heart's content as we chilled out in the shade.

On Saturday morning as Caroline and Eli slept in I went for my first bike ride the local cycling club which I hope to join soon. They are a pretty hilarious group of guys. We met at a local "piazzetta" which was really just a parking lot. After some brief discussion they decided on the day's route, to Orte and back (about 65 kilometers with two mild climbs). They took off with a shot, and Pat, my boss here, assured me that they had started faster than the usual pace. A few of the riders in the group are clearly very serious cyclists, and I only saw them for 30 seconds or so before they glided up the first hill. The rest of the group pretty much took over the road (there were about 30 of us) and many were yelling at cars and/or pedestrians as we made our way through the first two towns. In Bagnaia a bunch of us got stopped at a train crossing, and there was a lot more yelling this time mixed with a lot of laughing. When the train came by, the conductor gave us a few shorts blasts, and Pat leaned over to me and said, "The conductor... he's in the group too." I have never been on a social ride before, but this was a blast. The guys were yelling and laughing all the way up and down the hills, and they were joking with me, the new American. After separating from them, the 4 americans on the ride (Pat, me, and two other faculty members) went on our own to Orte. The way back starts with a slow and steady climb that really broke me down (for the cyclists reading this: I had to switch to a compact double because they just don't do triples here. I am feeling the lack of the "granny" gears, but I am determined to make the best of it), but I regrouped and made it back to Viterbo safe and sound if not a bit tired. I am hopeful to join this group soon. This was my first significant ride since I went up to Tomales Bay in early June, and I really felt the time off. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that after a few more warmups I can hang with the ragazzi.

That's it for now. We'll try to write again soon and post some pictures. Keep logging in to skype. We hope to chat with more of you!