June 18, 2007

Well, I have arrived in Roccafranca! I was a bit off on my earlier coordinates. We are actually only about 45 minutes east of Milano (by train), and quite aways away from the Swiss border. Apparently it takes over 4 hours to reach Switzerland!...ahh well, I never professed to be much of a geographer :-)

Anywho, the village is very quaint, in all the best ways! It is very tidy and the shops are out of a picture book. The town in literally surrounded by corn fields....(Field of Dreams has nothing on Roccafranca!) I met my family, just minutes after arriving here. The family lives in what can only be described as a small villa (ok, I exaggerate, but not by much!) The home is gated and they have a huge and beautiful lawn and pool. I have my own room, and it is quite comfortable (less the mosquitos, who are corn-fed and quite vicious). There is a grandmother (Rosa), mother (Claudia), father (I still have not figured out his name), two children (Thomas:age 9 and Marta:age 6), and 2 or 3 of Claudiàs sisters (Christina, ?????, and ?????). They are the most delightful people. They make me feel very welcome, and Granny Rosa is not content until I am eating and drinking...she is always putting food or drink in front of me and will not take "no, gratzie" for an answer :-)....oh no, here she comes again with a glass and a bottle of some unknown juice....ahhh, it is pinneapple juice and yes, I have agreed to drink it.

We also have a bit of a language barrier. I cannot speak Italian and they cannot speak English. We are certainly having an interesting time trying to communicate. It appears that Americans are not the only ones who believe that if you speak louder, faster, and repeat the same phrase over and over again, then the recipient will eventually understand...Italians do this very thing..supplemented with hand gestures :-) I am getting used to feeling like an imbeccile and smiling like an idiot. I am sure that they wonder over my mental capacities.....