Well, the holidays have officially wrapped up! Here in Italy
the Christmas season lasts until January 6, the day of La Befana (La Befana is
a witch who flies around on a broomstick and brings candy to all the children). On La Befana day, I took a train to
Verona with some friends to see the festival, which includes a strange ritual.
Even though Befana is a good witch, every year the Italians construct a huge
sculpture of her and then light it on fire when it gets dark. I asked multiple Italians why they
would burn Befana if she brings candy to the children, but none of them could give me an answer. They all just shrug and say “é cosi” (that’s how it is). Poor Befana. Take
a look at the pictures of the burning, it was quite a scene!
The rest of my holiday break was spent in Asiago, a village
in the mountains where my host family has a winter house. Unfortunately there
wasn’t any snow in Asiago, but we drove a bit higher into the Alps for some
snow and some beautiful winter hiking. I absolutely LOVE the mountains, and it
was fun to hang out with my host family and spend Christmas together! On
Christmas day we went to my host aunt’s house for lunch, and all the relatives
were there. I skyped my family in China and Nonno Bruno (my host grandpa) sang
“O Sole Mio” for my American family! Nonno Bruno is so inspirational- he’s 90
years old and still living life to the fullest by traveling and going back to
university to study history.
Lately I’ve been doing lots of reading- I found “The Da Vinci
Code” at a second-hand shop (in English, hehe) for one euro, so I picked it up.
IT WAS SO SUSPENSEFUL! After I finished it I bought “Angels and Demons” (also
by Dan Brown) and am now fully immersed. It gives me something to do during
school when I’m not tutoring in English J
Also, yesterday I tried something completely new and ate at a sushi restaurant
with some of my friends! I was a bit hesitant at first because I’ve never been
fond of seafood, but I was surprised to find that I like sushi a lot! My
favorite was with raw salmon and avocado. I’m still horrible at using
chopsticks though. Ah well.
I think I’m starting to really settle into life here in
Italy! I’ve found a nice balance of having a daily routine and being
spontaneous. I have school and after school activities every day, but I get to
travel and enjoy a more flexible schedule than I had in the States. My language
learning has also been coming along- I really feel like I’ve improved and can
communicate well now. I’m hoping to take an exam at the end of this year (from
the University of Siena) that will give me a certificate in Italian.
Until next time, everyone- best wishes for a wonderful new year!
Hiking in the snowy Alps on new years day!
At the "Casa di Giulietta" (Juliet's house, from Romeo and Juliet) in Verona... you have to touch Juliet's breast for good luck!
The burning of La Befana
Some friendly goats Ellen and I encountered in Bassano :)
At the church choir Christmas concert!
Ellen and I enjoying the view on a hike we did one day
The Alps in winter- could it get more beautiful??
