Yikes! It’s been a month since my last blog. My how time flies. Mike and I both have been very busy. Me, with studying or my driver’s test, and Mike is seriously studying Italian. We do, however, take time for fun, as the cover photo suggests. To see the photo album, click here.
I attended a week of driving classes in Vasto and was totally frustrated. The instructor spoke for 45 minutes, very rapidly, and then quickly flipped through a series of slides. So, at the end of the first week, I asked if I needed to attend classes, as I really was not getting anything out of them. They agreed I could study on my own, since they can monitor my progress based what quizzes I’m taking. I’ve actually been very disciplined. I set my alarm as if I was going to work (heaven forbid), eat a little breakfast, and hit the books for 3-4 hours every day. I do take a break every hour or so, getting up to walk around, and do some stretches. My plan is to study each chapter (there are 25 of them) and take and pass a quiz on each subject (they call them “arguments”). Once I’ve completed all of the chapters, I’ll start taking sample tests that are available on line through my school and other free test sites. These sample tests have 30 true/false questions that cover all of the arguments. If I can consistently pass those tests for a week, then I think I’ll be ready to take the real test. The school will make the arrangements for that. But I’m at least 4 or 5 weeks away from that. There is so much to learn, and it’s all in Italian!
What is really helping me is the fact that Mike is studying Italian in parallel. While I’m in my “study room”, he’s at the dining table plowing through the edx.org beginning Italian class. I am very grateful for this for a couple of reasons. First, it keeps him busy while I’m studying. Second, it gives me hope that one day we will be able to converse freely with our Italian neighbors, relatives and friends, as well as make needed appointments and reservations.
Rest assured, we do take time for relaxation. One day we went for walk along the beach at Vasto Marina. Chilly, but beautiful. And we’ve taken time to go out to lunch occasionally.
I may have mentioned that the fireplace in our house is not really functional. We would love to have working fireplace, because the living room area is large and the heater just doesn't adequately warm the room. We bought a small stand-alone unit to supplement it. So we talked about getting a wood burning insert in the fireplace that will generate heat. The owners of the house, Julia and Valerij, agreed to share the cost. We found a reputable shop in Attessa and ultimately placed an order. However, it won’t arrive until July. I guess the manufacturer is backlogged due to demand and lack of supplies. It’s Italy! Anyway, we had a nice day in Attessa, and took some time to walk around and grab a bite to eat. We saw a cute jewelry shop and Mike insisted on buying something for me for Valentines Day. 😊 Attessa is a very charming hilltop town. Along one walkway we found a tree lovingly wrapped in red crochet.
One day Mike saw Giuseppe trimming our olive trees and went out to help. Giuseppe says that he still has many more trees to trim. It’s that time of year.
I’ve met a delightful woman named Mariagrazia Palmitesta. She is fluent in English, as she taught Italian at Ol’ Miss for a few years. A native of Casalanguida, she’s very active in the community. She talked me into joining a group of women who get together once a week to crochet and chit chat. Of course, it was an easy sell: meet more people, force myself to speak Italian…. I’d heard about this group, but never knew who or when to contact anyone. They had just a received a big donation of boxes of unsold yarn from a shop that recently closed. And they are organizing an Easter egg hunt for the children in the village, making crocheted eggs.
Their big project currently underway is making a wall hanging mosaic of tiny crocheted flowers. Here's a photos of the design. They will enter it into a contest with other area villages. I’ve updated my crochet skills and am actively making crocheted flowers. You definitely should take a look at the photos. Click here.
This past week we had an appointment with the Questura to get Mike’s Permesso renewed. We thought we were supposed to go to Chieti to do that, but the morning of the appointment, Mike received a call from the Questura telling him to go to Lanciano. Fortunately, Giuseppe went with us. We arrived a little early, waited, and eventually were waved away, telling us that they would call us when they wanted to see us. Giuseppe asked that they call him rather than Mike, and we are grateful for that, since he will ask the right questions. So now we wait again. It’s Italy!
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