I'm on a Train

We are on the train. 8 hours. Some train ride. Plus, a mysterious hour and a half stand-still on the track. What a delay. We've been on it all day. The rice balls Amanda and I ate on the ferry from Sicily to Italy were good, though! The train is not full, so we have the whole 6-person compartment to ourselves.

I'm tired after last night and this morning, but don't want to sleep because then I won't be able to sleep later tonight. Last night I barely slept at all. And this morning was nothing but crying. I probably won't ever see these people again. It's horribly sad. Nearly everyone was sobbing. I'm going to miss them. I really treasured my time with them.

We should get to Rome around 8pm. Then we'll take a taxi to our hotel, pee, go out to find dinner and gelato (since we still haven't had any -- can you believe it?!). We haven't peed on the train because it's literally a hole above the tracks. Eeek!

Buona sera!

Random Day 2: The Bitchin' One

This morning, we went into Patti with Zio Tino, and he took us to a gelato shop his sister-in-law owns. We had frangola granita (strawberry ice) with cream and sweet bread, and it was AMAZING! All so fresh and authentic! Amazing! Then we visited Cousin Rosa's sister at her job at a clothing boutique, then her brother at his seaside bar/cafe. Then we spent about half an hour on the beach. It was beautiful and the water was clear blue and warm. Gorgeous. The only thing we did not like was that the beach is not sand, but little rocks. They don't get into everything like sand does, but it's uncomfortable to sit on and hurts to walk. Then we returned home for lunch.

I look drunk and fat, but I'm not. :-P

Zio Tio said that when his son (Maurizio) visits, he goes down to the gelateria every morning for breakfast, haha! We got a tour of the kitchen, too! Naturally, I took pictures.

After lunch, I visited the kittens. All 4 were there! Momma helped me clean the pus out of the eyes of the 2 non-skittish ones--though one that hid can barely open her eyes because of the goop. So sad. The runt is still alive! Barely, but alive. She's stronger than she was yesterday, but not as strong as she was 2 days ago. She almost topples over when she sits still, she's so weak. Her eyes were nearly pussed shut, but Momma squeezed it out and cleaned them. Though the pus filling her nose wouldn't come off. She so skinny. It hurts your heart. The other friendly kitten, however, is an absolute joy! She is so cuddly yet all at once playful! She'll fall asleep in your arms, then get up and chase a string relentlessly until you make to leave and she tries to follow! All of us love her. I wish I could take her home. :3

Ok, rant time.

While walking out to the cows (which we fed fennel from our hands!), I made a comment about my sister's shoulders being red from the sun and wondering aloud how red they'll be after her youth group's missions trip to Alabama next week. (I promise, this is not a religion-based rant [this time], though there are tons of things I could say about youth groups and Jesus camps, mostly from first-hand experience.). My sister assured me that her shoulders would be fine, because they are not allowed to wear tank tops on the trip. My first question was (though I could have asked "boys too?") was "What about swimsuits?" My mother reassuradely replied "Oh, they have to be one-piece." I said "They're still showing their shoulders" and left it there, so as not to make the rest of this vacation bad for me. To account for this, I am going to write my thoughts here. I am not even going into the "girls can't but boys can" portion of it because the process of social development, thus acceptability, is lost on a group of people who believe that some kook who found 12 poor and desperate men to help create the image that he was the son of God is the only thing worth of religious devotion (Yeah! Fuck Nature! She was on crack anyway!) and that it is impossible for the human body to be looked on and appreciated as something beautiful but instead is only capable of enducing lust (thanks again, fundamentalist teachings. That was your fault. See: The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti). My thoughts focused on Who Cares if it's only for one day! You're allowing uncovered bathing suits for the day at the water park. One image is all someone really needs, just one look before the "guys" as we're taught, have formed an image in their imagination. And it's not just the shoulders or a riské view of the nape of a girl's neck *gasp* but her crotch, too! Her VAGINA! -- every curve! Clearly, bare shoulders lead to sex, and unwed sex leads to loss of virginity, and loss of virginity means loss of morality and/or loss of love for God, which all comes to mean one thing - YOU WILL GET PREGNANT! Because condoms don't work and EC (emergency contraception) is actually Pennyroyal Tea in pill form! Clearly, it is assumed that their teachings cause both girls AND boys to hate vaginas, but I'm here to tell them that it only works on girls; the sexually-repressed boys can still think of nothing but the tiny piece of bathing suit fabric separating them from that forbidden vagina.

I don't understand why they are forbidding girls form wearing tank tops on this trip, but not in their tri-weekly youth group meetings. Are they worried about the people in Alabama who might look at them for a couple of days then have to rely on their memories or photographs for their masturbating pleasure? Or are they really wanting to solidify that these youth group girs really belong to the youth group boys, who may gaze on their shoulders (and occasionally vaginas) whenever they want? A service I once attended about purity once told me that boys will imagine what they can't see and low necklines and legs just point them towards what they shouldn't be imagining. OH PLEASE! People are going to do that no matter HOW much fabric is covering your C cups! Better to let them see more so they are exposed to the imperfections than let them keep on imagining their future wife as a Playboy Bunny and being vastly disappointed later on--because we all know people have a tendency to take their frustration out on that which has disappointed them.

For Fuck's Sake! There's a difference between trying to beat the heat and trying to get some cunt to stick his cock in your cooch!

Nevertheless, incongruency is stupid and if there is no solid reason for the rules, then the rules are not justified.

Random Day 1: The Boring One

Today, we went with Zio Tino to a small city called Gioiosa Marea. We walked around a little, took a few pictures, very boring. Then we went to Capo Caraval. We walked by the ocean, took a few pictures, many old men in Speedos, very boring.

Today has been very boring and disappointing, for the most part. Seafood for lunch (and dinner last night), stupid fucking kids that won't shut up, no places that sell the sweatshirts we all want (should've just gotten them at the tourist places), bored and hungry.

The only fun thing that has happened today is Nazio drove us up to the top of the mountain, to Gioiosa Vecchia (the old Gioiosa). It's 800 meters up! There are the ruins of an old city up there. Really cool. Beautiful view. Wild oregano!

The red car is where we started hiking up the mountain.

Other than that, I've napped, visited the kittens (the runt is weak and almost dead, if not already), and wanted to throw the badly behaved kids off a cliff. Maybe their stupid parents, too. Honestly, I'm sick of it here. We've been here over a week and still have not stopped at a sweets shop. These kids are driving me insane, and I'm just getting bored.

Tomorrow is our last day. We're *supposed* to to go to the beach and try to find those sweatshirts, but lots of other stuff has not happened as I was told it would.

Saturday, we'll spend on a train.

Then hopefully Rome won't suck.

LATER:

We just had a huge party. They were so rowdy (and drunk! which made the children tolerable). We had so much fun! They had a cake that said "Benvenuti in Sicilia!" and multiple bottles of booze, including one of champagne that exploded on its own and sent the tipsy group into hysterical laughter.

The ending of the day made up for the shitty beginning. The chicken tonight was to DIE for! It was a few chickens from their own farm. I will never eat a tastier chicken as long as I live!

Today, Amanda had her first shot. And I was there. I have a picture. :-P

Random comment. I've noticed here that they don't use plates or cups. They use plastic. Regular flatware, but plastic otherwise. All over Sicilia! Just a comment. An observation.

Anyway, our celebration is over, and we have one more day here. I definitely have my favorites out of the bunch, but it is going to be heartbreaking to leave everyone. <3

Gotta Love the Fontane Farm

These days have certainly blurred together. I still love it here, but I'm about ready to head home. 2 hours locked in a room with children is killing me! And I can never really figure out if Teresa wants us here. Dad, yes; the rest of us, I don't know. Then again, she is a very loud Sicilian, so maybe I'm just being a sensitive American.

Today, we got up and went to Tindari in Patti, where there is a Greek theatre (and other ruins) and a popular church. The art is so beautiful in cathedrals -- I wish it weren't wasted on things as obsessive as religious cults. Then again, that may be the only way to really preserve it. Anyway, it was beautiful, and the church was next to a fantastic view of the shoreline. (Going back to the religious cult idea: Rumor has it that the Virgin Mary took the Bambino to that particular spot on the Sicilian shore and God made a pool for the baby to play in -- in the middle of the sand! Damn selfish child. It has an entire ocean to play in -- he could have chosen any spot on the shoreline! -- but no, he wants his own pool. Whatever. ANYWAY, they say that if you look down on these little pools on the shore, you can see the outline of the Virgin Mary holding and looking down at the baby. Yes, "religious mumbo jumbo" was my first reaction, too. But I didn't feel like walking all the way home. *sigh* cults.)

After admiring the sights, we walked around the little tourist shops. I bought a spoon-holder with the island painted on it. So, yes. That's awesome. I'm excited.

After Tindari, we came back, ate lunch, had a siesta (which consisted of my mom sleeping, me reading, and Butt and Dad walking around), then explored the farm. So we: found 4 adorable stray kittens, hassled a spotted pig (affectionately called "Cowpig" by Amanda "It's two-thirds bologna!"), touched another pig, milked a cow, and rode a horse! I really didn't like the horse-riding because I didn't know much about the horse and its training--and because the last [and only] time I had ridden a horse, it laid down on me and nearly crushed my leg. (The other one reared up with my friend on it.) I was not very comfortable with it.

* Interjection from Amanda: "I'm a pterodactyl! I'm pterrifying!" *

Those kittens--HOLY SHIT--they were so cute! Momma and I both fell in love with the runt of the litter. It and another let us get near them, and we held and loved them. If we had been in the States, I would've taken them home. :3 They were not cleaned well (crusty eyes and noses -- one couldn't even see because of it!), so we figured the momma was gone. Uncle Vito told me later that she was around. So I'm confused. Poor babies. I wants them. :(

Anyway, after seeing all the animals and feeding them, eating dinner, and relaxing, we are now in bed -- and I am pooped! I'm half-way through A Child Called It (because I finished Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger earlier today), and it's horrily sad, but I guess I just can't get past the title-I do not see "it" as bad! The gender studies part of me is coming through too strongly, I think. Too bad I read the title before I read the book -- the "it" thought won't get out of my head! (If you want to understand more of what I'm talking about, read this story: X: A Fabulous Child's Story)

Regardless, Buona Notte!

Exploring Fontane

Me: "I haven't pooped all day!"

Dad: "It takes awhile..."

This is a cute millipede. :3

Now, that was certainly the loudest dinner I've ever attended. Everyone was there and activities included an uncle-nephew drinking contest and two kids under the age of 5. Damn. They were still running while I was falling asleep!

Today, we went to a place on another part of the mountain with Zio Tino to take photos (and collect porcupine quills -- he said when he was a boy, he would gather them and use them to write!). Then we visited Tino's wife's mother, who will be 90 on July 4th. She's my dad's paternal uncle's mother-in-law. I'll give you a cookie if you can concisely tell me how she and I are related. We also saw where my Nonni [grandmother] use to live. And Tino told us that Poppi used to walk down the mountain (in only 30 minutes!) to go to the shore and help the fishermen. Then walk back up! It's steep as fuck. Holy shit!

The rest of the day we spent wandering around the property. They have 4 dogs (2 nice, 2 guards; 1 of the nice ones is the spoiled indoor pet), tons of chickens (for meat and eggs), a few sheep, and some goats (about 12 total), 6 stray cats that wander around (though they only leave out enough food for 2), 3 pigs (they are so cute!!!), 2 cows (1 milk cow, 1 which will be eaten in 6 months), 3 rabbits (for foodsies) and a mare! She is so beautiful! We learned where everyone in our family used to live on the property/where they grew up. It was a very fun day. All we do is eat and explore (and nap). It was very fun, even though the grunting pig woke us up this morning. :-P

Tomorrow, we will be touring in a city (including a pretty church).

Ciao!

Dreams, Mount Etna, and traveling to Fontane

Had 2 really weird dreams last night. The weirdest: the school board put forth the Pepper Bill, which said that gay people and vegetarians were not real people and would not be considered as such. It was a very stressful dream. Very frustrating, as you could (or couldn't) imagine.

Mom has been sick all day. Her stomach has felt weird for a few days, and last night and today were the worst. But she's doing a little better, now.

Mount Etna was so cool! Mom didn't go because of her stomach, but Dad, Amanda, and I did. Zio Tino came (our navigator!) and stayed in the car. The three of us went in a crater, then climbed to the top of a huge one that was formed in 2001. It was a really long and hard climb, but we made it! Amanda was first, then dad and I got up. We were out of breath a lot, haha. Bad shape + high altitudes = DAYUM.

Afterwards, we bought some souvenirs and had lunch. Then we left for Fontane.

Let me tell you, Fontane is gorgeous! It is really high up in the mountains, and on a family compound. We wake up in the morning and there is a perfect view of the mountains and the blue water! Absolutely breathtaking! Amanda and I are staying in the room where my Poppi [grandfather] and his 7 siblings were born. WOW!

We had dinner with this massive chunk of family: Zia Carmella and her husband Vito, Nazio and his wife Teresa, Nino (Nazio's brother), and Tino. So many names! Nino had meningitis when he was 15 months old, and the fever was so high for so long that it injured his brain, so he's mentally handicapped. But functioning well! They have here TONS of land, 4 dogs, 2 cows (1 for milk, 1 to butcher in December), 3 pigs, lots of chickens, a garden, and many fruit trees (figs, olives, plums, etc.). It's amazing! And at dinner, they were trying to fix me up with Nazio & Teresa's youngest boy Antonio... Umm... Awesome.... Let's hope that doesn't continue. :-\

Now, we are finishing up our showers and going to sleep. We are here for 5 nights, then on to Roma. What a great vacation this has turned out to be! Ciao!

Tomorrow Here, Today There

It's just past midnight, and I still have interwebs, so I figured I'd update about the rest of my day.

This evening (after I took a nap that I never got woken up from), we went to dinner with Maurizio and his sons and wife. We went to this festival downtown somewhere and walked around the shopping booths and ate at a fantastic pizza place.

We didn't get any gelato or ice yet, but I'm sure it's coming. I've heard rumors that one of the people we'll be staying with next owns a gelato shop!

Anyway, I'm off to take a sleeping pill and read for awhile. Up in 8 hours to go see Mount Etna (a VOLCANO!!!)! Then we'll eat lunch and drive to Fontane to stay with the other part of the family. There is internet there, but it's ethernet, so we'll see how accessible it is. Whatever! I'm not horribly worried about staying in touch. This is already more than I expected. But I'm on vacation, so I don't want to be doing my translation and such. I had my vacation approved, so no worries. :-P

My Uncle Tino said that a few years ago when Etna erupted, he would sit on his porch and watch the lava pour down the sides. Reallly cool!

Have a photo of Mount Etna, and I'll be in contact sometime soon! <3

?raB ekidnolK a rof od uoy dluow tahW

I would turn that phrase around! And I'm good at it, too!
What would you do for a Klondike Bar? <---SEE?!?! ^_^

I answer questions and give advice. You won't get a response until at least June 30th, but SUSPENSE IS AWESOME AMIRITE?!

Carbonated water or American water?

American water? Are we such assholes that mineral water has been named after us?

Mineral water, please. It's easier to see the purty of the water. xD

I answer questions and give advice. You won't get a response until at least June 30th, but SUSPENSE IS AWESOME AMIRITE?!

Sicilia!!!

I seem to have stumbled across wireless Internet! I am currently sitting on my [once removed] aunt and uncle's balcony (which has a SPECTACULAR view of Mt. Etna!) while listening to people shout in support as the Italy vs. New Zealand game begins.

I have been keeping a travel journal, so I will type in the entries on here (with corresponding photos!) as I find interwebs/get home. I have SIX PAGES so far! Sooo HERE GOES! xD


June 18-19: The ones that blur together.

I am currently so tired that I am having a bit of vertigo and can barely see straight - so my writing is suffering. Alas, I will do my best!

I had a hard-core breakdown two days before the trip. Lots of yelling and arguing and crying. Tensions were very high, and I was worried that they would carry over to the actual trip. But it turned out ok!



Our first flight went well. On time. We landed in DC around 5pm on the 18th. We were supposed to leave from DC to Munich at 8:15, but the flight was delayed until 10:05. It was disheartening, but we knew we would still make the connection from Munich to Catania, Sicily. So we spent time eating, walking around the terminal, and played cards--

My uncle just asked my sister if she wanted a beer. AND SHOUTS FROM THE NEIGHBORS BECAUSE OF THE ITALY VS NEW ZEALAND GAME THAT IS CURRENTLY GOING ON. AAAANYWHO!

--We certainly enjoyed our time in a non-cramped space.



On the flight, which was an easy 8 hours because we flew at night, there were 2 mostly-well behaved infants and 2 HORRIBLY behaved toddlers. They threw tantrums and just screamed and yelled whenever they didn't get something they wanted. It was awful. I had trouble sleeping during that flight, though I believe I slept quite awhile beacuse when I awoke (TO ONE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PAIN-IN-THE-ASS TODDLERS SCREAMING "TURN THE LIGHT OFF!!" AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS FOR TWENTY MINUTES WHEN STEWARDESSES WERE BEGINNING TO SERVE BREAKFAST. I told my sister that I was seriously considering silencing the kid myself, and we all know that it wouldn't end well for the kid--but the rest of the plane would probably testify in favor of me in court), we were being served breakfast and had only an hour and a half to go. Still, I have been in need of good sleep ever since.

Once we arrived in Munich, we chilled until our flight to Catania, which left a bit late, but no worries. I slept soundly for a solid hour during the flight, hugging my backpack. I'm fairly certain I looked like the guy in SkyMall.


Anyway, lots of pictures, a landing, and almost losing our luggage later, we met our waiting family outside customs. I am sad to report that we did not get a Sicily/Italy stamp on our passports, as we received a stamp in Germany because both countries are in the EU. I am very sad.

My dad and Maurizio, my cousin, once removed, went to get my dad's renal car while we waited in the outside pick-up area with my once-removed uncle Tino. We were waiting and this adorable stray dog came up! He looked to be part German Shepherd, as his markings matched those of our dog, but he was a little on the skinny side and had burrs in his fur. His nails were clipped, though. He rummaged through trash cans and begged off of people, but he ended up sniffing us then laying down on Amanda's foot to sleep. In all that noise! Also, this is the first dog with balls intact that I have ever seen.



Dad and Maurizio finally returned with their respective cars, and we left for Tino's house, where my aunt Mary was waiting. And they have a HUGE dog! He's 11 years old with nothing wrong with him! Sooo cute! :3



Food, talking, trying to understand excited relatives, baths, more food, and learning new words.

And now -- SLEEP! It's only 9:30pm. I feel like an old fart! :-P


June 20: Taormina

I slept like a rock last night. I woke up a couple times but fell right back to sleep. I had a couple weird dreams, though. One was: a friend from high school and I went to my old church and I just was so upset and my parents were there and I think I was making out with someone (can't remember who--someone I haven't seen in awhile) then people showed up for church and I got out of that situation but started making a scene because "nobody got it" and blah blah blah, I rocked the boat, the Christians hate me, parents drove me home, the end.

And now that I've written the second dream down, I can't remember the first one. It was something to do wtih my last 2 swipes and food. Whatever.

We went up to Taormina today. They don't want lots of people driving up there, so they won't let non-residents park there. We parked in a parking garage then took a bus.



Taormina is really touristy, but we went in the morning, before the tourists got there. My sister and I each bought a Taormina bag--few people are going to have one or even know where it is. Just so you know, it is a city up in the mountains, so it's beautiful and surprisingly hot. It was absolutely gorgeous. We spent more for lunch than we did for 2 bags and an apron! 30 euros! And 24 for the other stuff. It's not horrible, really--and much less than we'll be spending in Rome--but it's ok. It's not like we didn't learn our lesson. Now we're headed back because Aunt Mary made pasta (which dad also didn't think about. Oh well!).



We're just relaxing tonight. Maurizio said there's a fantastic Italian ice stand close to the house, so he might take us all there later. :)

Tomorrow, we're going to Mount Etna. It's going to be really cool! Then we'll go back to the house for lunch, then say goodbye and drive 2 hours to Fontane. Amanda, Mom, and I all want Sicilia hoodies, so we're going to look for them there because it'll be less touristy and cheaper.

I'm understanding a lot more Sicilian than I expected to. There is no English outside my immediate family, so I'm learning a lot through immersion. I was expecting my knowledge of Italian to be better--here's hoping I'm just as good at it as I am with Sicilian! I'm still having the anxiety when peopole speak to me, so I don't understand much then, but my listening (and interpreting for my Ishy and mom) is pretty good! Then again, this is based on me expecting not to understand anything. The French and Latin has helped a lot.

Dad is sharing music with Mauizio. He loves 80's much, like ACDC and Led Zeppelin and Van Halen and such. It's hilarious.


ANYWAY! Goodbye for now! Perhaps you'll hear from me tomorrow afternoon before I leave for Fontane, but who knows!