A tall glass of water

So we're really getting settled in now. Eli is teething and has a fever today, but other than that, we've finally had a fairly routine week.

I just got back from my sketchbook class in Tuscania. Shamefully, I still haven't taken any decent pictures of this absolutely beautiful town, but I did manage to get a quick snapshot of the vista that we sketched in class this morning. It's not the most picturesque vista Tuscania has to offer by any means, but I think the teacher liked it for the "structural challenges" it presented. We spent the rest of the morning sketching a colossal set of warped stairs. My drawing left something to be desired. Despite my frustration, I'm enjoying the class quite a bit.


The painting class is the one I'm really excited about though. I've attached my first two paintings so you can say you knew me when... ha ha. The slightly wonky cup at the top of the canvas was my first effort, and the glass of water was my second. Sam's already sick of hearing about the glass of water, but I have to say I'm quite proud of it. I feel like I've found a new passion. Next week get out of the putty realm and start mixing more colors so I can't wait see how that goes.


Otherwise, nothing much new to report. I've decided I'm going to try and swim regularly while I'm here. I had to have a physical yesterday to be permitted to enter a pool. It's a funny law that Italy has - they won't let you swim unless you receive a clean bill of health from a doctor. Of course my "physical" consisted of the doctor looking me up and down and saying "You look healthy" so it seems like a bunch of nonesense. Also, apparently you're only allowed to swim for one hour at a time. They brand you with a colored wristband when you go in. When you're color times out, you have to leave.

There's a school field trip to an Etruscan excavation site tomorrow. I'm hoping Eli will be feeling better so we can tag along. We also have some day trips planned for this weekend, so we'll have more to report very soon.

Ciao for now!

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!

Let the year begin!

Birthday dinner on Friday night

Serfs and wenches running to and fro.

The scene at the underground Taverna.

We even squeezed in a quick trip to Rome Saturday night. This is Eli and me in front of the Trevi fountain.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes. I had a great day on Friday. One of the host families hosted a dinner at a restaurant in Orte to celebrate the start of the new school year. The restaurant was fantastic. It's set underground in caves that were once used to store food/drink, and who-knows-what back in the day. The wait staff were dressed as medieval wenches and serfs. Anyhoo, the night was fun, but it's been hard getting ourselves on the Italian schedule. Italians have siestas like the Spanish, so everything shuts down from 1pm to 4:30pm. People don't eat dinner until 9pm. Difficult to adapt to with a one year old. Italians train their babies to sleep anywhere - just dump them in the stroller. Stay out til midnight? No problem. Unfortunately, Eli seems to be resisting this particular aspect of the Italian lifestyle. We're working on it, but I think it will take some time and willpower to accomplish.

Friday's high was followed by a weekend low. I'm suddenly missing home and everyone there. I had a horrible bout of homesickness and a "what are we doing here" feeling prevailed. It was compounded by my anxiety about transitioning to being a full-time mom... in a foreign country no less. It's going to be awhile before I can converse with Italian moms, so I'm resigned to having a lonely go of it for awhile. Also, Italians don't seem to take they're babies out for entertainment until they're older. Eli's consistently the youngest one at the playground/park/ etc. I'm going to look into some music or swimming classes, but I think the idea of taking a one year old to these types of activities is completely unheard of here. We'll see what I can scrounge up for us.

I'm feeling upbeat again today so I'm hoping my low point over the weekend was a momentary lapse. Sam is starting his first official day of classes. For Sam, last week was full of placement exams, abbreviated schedules, and long hours (ironic isn't it?) so today is finally the start of his regular schedule. I'm off to painting class this morning. If all goes well by the end of the day my cylinder of mud should be looking like a plastic cup. And I think Eli is quite enjoying his host family (as we affectionately call them). His first day with them on Thursday was a great success. We'll start with three days a week this week.

So all is well with the Savages.

Santa Rosa Hang Over

So, the biggest festival of the year is officially over. We ate, we drank, we saw 100 men carry a huge "thing" lit up with candles.

Now we're back to the nitty-gritty of everyday life in Viterbo. However, we're yet to see what that means for us. Sam had his first day of classes today which, he reports, went very well. He's busy at school assessing placement exams now. I had my first painting class on Monday and I have my first sketching class tomorrow. The classes are in an absolutely gorgeous town about a half hour from here (I'll post pics soon). We're still trying to nail down the daycare situation for Eli, but one of the host family mothers offered to babysit for us in the meantime, so at least we're covered for now.

I'll report more about the classes I'm taking in Tuscania on Friday, but the one on Monday was great. I used to draw all the time, but this was the very first time I'd had a brush in hand. The results were interesting. The assignment was to paint a plastic cup. My painting, thus far, looks like a cylinder of mud. Luckily, 15% of my grade is based on overall improvement - plenty of room for that. There are two other girls in my class who are very nice and don't seem to mind having an older post grad hanging around. They asked me how old I am. When I said thirty, they were stunned and said I didn't look a day over 25. Ah, vanity! They've made my year already.

il Trasporto di Santa Rosa

Alright, people. Here it is. The video of the main event. The second clip is a bit long, but hang in there because the end is the best part.

In order: 1) the Facchini march towards the Macchina. 2) The Macchina comes into Piazza Fontana Grande. 3) The Macchina passes the school. 4) The Macchina dances down Via Cavour. Enjoy!

pics

Read the previous entry before checking out these pics.



Photos:
-the Sagra di la Bistecca
-a few of the corteo storico
-another cute one of Eli sitting on my shoulders
-the mini facchini
-the facchini
-the ceiling of the main room (the salone) of the school

Santa Rosa

Buon giorno, ragazzi.

Santa Rosa is here. After much hullabaloo what with the tornado, the leaning macchina of Santa Rosa, and many days of doubt as to whether or not there would be a procession this year, the day of the trasporto (the procession where 100 men, called facchini, carry the gigantic "thing" topped with a statue of Santa Rosa) is here. Last night we watched the corteo storico or historical parade with people wearing costumes dating from the 12th to the 19 centuries. Also in the parade were the facchini (and the mini-facchini, i.e. the kids who carried the mini-macchina around town a few days ago in another of the many events that are part of this celebration) and the relic of Santa Rosa , her heart, which resides here in town. The heart was enclosed in an ornate box covered with flowers, people, so no, we didn't get a look. The whole event was rather somber, but there was some applause for the facchini who will take part in the main event tonight. At a special dinner after the parade they all receive last rights from a local priest which is pretty intense, I think. It's about noon here on Monday and the streets are already filling with people who are staking out a good spot to watch the trasporto which happens at 9:30pm. When I went out at 9am I already saw a hundred or so people laying claim to a patch of sidewalk.

Tonight there is a pot luck dinner at school so that a few faculty and friends can watch the macchina pass by the front of the school from our windows on the second and third floor and a loggia off of the main room. I usually don't get to jazzed for things like this, but the buildup to this is impossible to ignore. I am eager to see this spectacle, and I wish you all could too. We'll try to snap a photo or take some video so that we can give you a glimpse, but I am pretty sure that this is one of those things that won't quite come off in pictures.

Anyway, Caroline is off at her first painting class in Tuscania (a nearby town), and I am waiting for Eli to wake up from his nap so that I can get out and see what's going on in town. I hope that you all are having a wonderful Labor Day. We'll try to write again soon. In the meantime look at the next post for some pics. Ciao.

p.s. Last night we went to a local festival called the "Sagra di la bistecca". Basically it was a huge bar-b-q with local beef. We had a good time, but we had to make a swift exit when Eli started getting fussy and ranting like a bum at a bus stop.