Bikes, Mountains e bambini

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Buon Giorno Tutti!
Oggi e molto freddo ma anche bellisimo
It has been so cold lately but also very sunny and beautiful.
I have so much to catch you all up on but I think I will skim over some and leave some smaller things out.
I want to start by telling you about some of the big changes in my life right now. The semester is ending in a few days but I am not ready to leave Italia. I knew I wouldn’t be ready to leave so early so I thought ahead and booked my ticket back in May. I was brainstorming of ways to stay here and things I could do and I thought of Wwoofing. Wwoof is a really awesome program that hooks people up to work on various organic farms all over the world. There are tons of farms in Italia and tons in Sicilia where I am really drawn to go. So I was getting excited about that but also sad and not sure if I was ready to leave my friends here. Then, the Universe totally provided and opened another door for me. Christina, my cuisine teacher told me that some of her friends were looking for Au Pairs. So I contacted them and met them. One of them only really wants a language partner, so I have been meeting with her once a week. She does have a boy who is one and a half and I plan on steeling him because he is the cutest thing ever. The other woman lives in a small town about two miles from Viterbo in a Beautiful house. Her two boys are nine and ten. I have babysat for them twice and I am planning on moving into their studio in the back of their house in January. She sounds really easy going and only needs my help in the evenings some days. So I am also trying to find a job for the mornings. The boys are crazy, especially the older one. They are testing me right now. It is always hard in the beginning because you want them to like you but you also know you need to set boundaries and you don’t want them complaining to their mom about you. But they are fun and I think the more I hang out with them the easier it will become.
A little bit more about kids. Katie and I are trying to get our babysitting flyers out. In this process we have received little support from the program leaders of USAC, they seem quit apprehensive about the idea and don’t think we will find work. Also, my roommates seem to think it is funny, especially when I asked Alessandro to revise our flyer and he wouldn’t stop laughing because apparently it sounded as if we were offering ourselves. Anyway, we printed them out and tagged along with one of our friends last Friday to volunteer at the kindergarten and first grade. I wanted to do this a while ago but it never worked out. When we got there we sat in a kindergarten class of about 15 kids. They were so cute and funny. We hung out with them for a while, and then went to another class for a little. The second class was a little bit more emotional. The teacher pretended she was on the phone with Baba Natale (Santa) and had some of the kids talk to him. They were mesmerized for a while but afterwards there was a lot of crying and unrest. They were still cute. Then Katie and I asked if we could put some flyers up and left some on the front desk for them to hand out. After, we went to the second grade, they were much more interactive. They wanted our help with “Jingle bell rock” because they are performing it on the 18th. So we stood in front and wrote out each phrase on the board then practiced it with them and danced a little. The teacher wants us to come to the performance; she actually wants us to come an hour early and will probably make us be in it as well. It sounds fun to me; I just have to practice because I don’t really know the song either.
Another exciting thing in my life is that I finally climbed the mountain!
This is the mountain that I tried to climb about three months ago but it didn’t really work out. So, on Saturday, I was having a hard time, so I woke up and headed out for a run. I decided to take a slightly different route and found myself surrounded by more nature than I have been in a while. I just kept on following these roads up and up and I then I realized the mountain was getting closer and closer. So I realized I was totally being guided to climb this mountain. I eventually found the trailhead and entered. It was a beautiful hike, lots of barren trees with the leaves all over the ground. The terrain is so different than Humboldt or even trails in the Bay. There were huge boulders and even sand. At one point, I stumbled upon some prickly little pods all over the ground. I realized that they were chestnut pods. Then I saw chestnuts scattered all over the earth. I collected a bunch and stuffed them in my pockets. I felt like such a hunter-gatherer earth woman. But when I baked them they were mostly rotten and had worms.
Yesterday, Katie and I finally fixed up the bikes. There have been four bikes sitting downstairs since I got here. I want bikes so we can go on bike rides together to places like the hot springs. Today I went on a bike ride by myself towards the mountain again. I almost froze my fingers and my face off but it was liberating. Anyway, last night we walked two of these beat up bikes across town to this bike shop my friend told me about. When we got there, there were about three guys behind the counter and then all of a sudden this older women comes out of no where and take charge of the situation, she was cool. Katie’s only needed air, but mine, which is really Alessandro’s needed an air and I a new inside tire air holder thingy. Somehow I communicated this and they told us to wait while they fixed it. We went out side to try out Katie’s bike and we saw the guys laughing as she road by the window. Then we came inside because it was freezing. While inside, we started talking to the women in Italian. She tells us that she bought this store with her husband 60 years ago, she is 81 now. She also asked us about ourselves. I told her my mom is coming for the holidays and asked her what she is doing. She also told us we should find husband in Italia and just stay. She was so funny and wonderful. Then when my bike was done, I asked them if they could lower the seat a bit. I expected one of the guys to do it but no, the lady pulled out her wrench and attempted it herself. I helped her a bit, but with women power we got it done together.
As we left, she said “ci vediamo (see you)”, this is never a good sign when you leave a repair shop, but I hope I do see her again someday.
So I am very excited about the bikes. Tomorrow, for my birthday, I told Katie we have to bike to the hot springs.
I am having mixed feeling about everything right now. I am artificially excited because so much is happening and about the happen but under the surface I am sad. There has just been a lot going on lately. I think everyone in my house is ready for the break and ready for a change but also sad about it too. The boys must be used to having new people come in and out but that makes me sad a little. I know I am only moving two miles away but I know it will be different and I have to accept that. I feel really close with my roommates, like they are my family I am just nervous that as our living situation changes, so will our friendship. I am probably worrying about nothing; this change may be good for all of us. We may no longer be roommates but maybe this change will bring us closer in some ways. I am also nervous about going from living with crazy, young, fun people to living with a family. It will definitely be different. That is another reason I wanted to fix the bikes, so I can have more freedom to go back and forth and not just depend on the bus.
Anyway, sorry for the sappy feelings moment, just had to share that. I am really excited for my 21st birthday in Italia. Then my mom is coming on the 21st! We will have Christmas in Viterbo then go up to Venice for three nights, then to Florence for four nights during the New Year, then to Siena for her birthday. I am really excited about all of this. It will be so fun showing someone I love all of my life here. This is also a big birthday for both of us, and to spend it in Italia! That has been our dream to come together since I was 16.
Ok ciao tutti! If I don’t write before the holidays,
Buona festa!
Ciao ciao
Baci baci

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