Daily life in Catania

How quickly the time goes. It is crazy to think I have already been here for a month. It feels like it has been longer and shorter at the same time. The days here are long, not in a way that drags, but more in the sense that one can fully appreciate the hours permitted in a day. Having none of the responsibilities as I do back at home, I am able to spend my days here waking up to sunlight, strolling through the bustling city, reading/writing, doing a little yoga, and helping Ida with English. To some, this might seem languid and dull, but my days feel full and my nights restful.

The last couple of weeks I have really had a taste of what daily life is like in Catania. Nothing super eventful has happened (besides the city flooding after a rainstorm), but the quiet has allowed me to spend more time at home with the family. I was truly blessed to be placed with this family. Antonella came home from work last week and told me her colleague asked her about how her "American host" was doing, and Antonella replied, "She's not our host anymore, she's family!"

Here are just a few of the things I have been up to lately:

Firstly, the English lessons have been going well. Each day I can tell Ida gets better and more comfortable with the language even if she cannot see it. We usually talk in English with each other. This keeps her practicing speaking it, and by having me talk to her in English she is able to hear how I pronounce certain words. Now don't think I'm off the hook with Italian. I usually studying grammar and vocabulary in the morning while the family is out, and then I spend a little time talking with the family in Italian. I can understand the language much better than I speak it. This is both good and bad at times. I can listen to the family conversations at dinner now and keep up pretty well, but the minute they ask me a question the conversation has to slow down. The vocab always slips my mind when I'm put on the spot gosh darn it! We did have an interesting day last week though. Salvo, my host brother, felt that the family needed to put themselves in my shoes and be taken out of their language comfort-zone. He suggested we have a day where we could only speak English. I was surprised he said this. He is usually very quiet with me. Nevertheless, Antonella was thrilled with the idea. When the "English Day" came, Antonella greeted me with a very enthusiastic "Good morning! Today...English!" She proceeded to show me a sheet of paper with some phrases written on it in both Italian and English; she had spent the early morning hours translating some things to say to me that day. Overall, the day went really well. The family did really well, even Salvo when I put him on the spot at dinner because he had been practically silent all day. They decided to make "English Day" a weekly tradition while I am here.

The family has also asked that I cook some typical American dished for them, the first of which they requested pancakes. I had to get a recipe from my mom to make from scratch, and I have to give a huge thank you to my mom for teaching me how to bake and cook. I was able to adjust the recipe for what I had available for me here in Sicily. Buttermilk is not common here nor maple syrup. Also, the baking powder here is very different--it looks and tastes more like powdered sugar. Luckily, the pancakes turned out decent, and my God, I have never seen people more excited over some flapjacks! We ate them with Nutella and grated pistachios. "Pancake Day" has also become a weekly tradition in the house now. (Sidebar: If any of you readers have any suggestions for pancake toppings or recipes, please send them my way!) The next requests on my baking list are brownies and pumpkin pie (like what is eaten on the "American day of thank yous!")

Another weekly tradition that I have welcomed into is "Gym Day." Every Wednesday, one of Antonella's friends, Giusy, comes to the house and they do an exercise video together. They were so enthusiastic about me joining them my first week here that I, rather reluctantly, agreed. While I am not the biggest fan of in-home workout videos, I have begun to enjoy this bizarre 30 minutes of exercise. Perhaps it is the change of pace from reading and studying or maybe it is the sheer excitement on Antonella and Giusy's part that makes it fun. They noticed yesterday that I usually make it through the workout without breaking much of a sweat. I told them that back at home I usually go to the gym 3-5 days a week for an hour so this video was pretty simple for me to follow. This was received by a series of "Mamma mia! Cinque giorni di settimana! Mamma mia. Sei pazzo! (You are crazy)."

So I guess I have nothing really exciting to fill anyone in on, no carnivals or parties or festivals happening at the moment. Just living the daily grind...if that's what you can even call it.

A presto!

The family trying pancakes for the first time

Some drinking chocolate and biscotti are the perfect antidote for a lazy Sunday afternoon