Ciao!

So I live in Italy now.

That sentence looks crazy weird. Like super crazy. I guess it is a little inaccurate. I mean, I didn’t like pack up and move all my things here. I’m only staying until June. But still, I like, live here. I have my own bed. In my own apartment. With my own kitchen. Crazy. Italy.

Day One: Freaking out.
Some thoughts of mine: Ummmm I don’t speak Italian. Oh gosh, I don’t speak Italian. I can’t understand people. I can’t communicate with people. I feel so dumb. I don’t know how this is going to work. I’m never going to learn Italian. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Oh gosh.

Day Two: Hmmmmmm.
Some thoughts of mine: Wow, this place has the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Wow, this place has amazing fresh markets. Wow, these people are super nice. Oh gosh, I don’t speak Italian. Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Oh gosh.

Day Three: Buongiorno!
Some thoughts of mine: I’m still clueless but I can greet people in Italian and understand when they are greeting me. Hand gestures are helpful. Learning that ‘just going for it’ is key to learning the language. I must break out of my perfectionist mode. Making mistakes is okay.

Day Four: I think this is possible.

After the first few initial days of shock, I’m discovering that learning a new language takes lots of patience and lots of time and lots of practice. Seriously, I’m trying to learn very basic things. Like being able to count from 1-10. And being able to say “My name is...” and such. It’s a process, but it is totally possible for me to eventually have conversations here.

Can I just say that I love my roommate? I am sooo glad that we are here in Naples together. We are so alike that it’s creepy…in a good way. We ventured out to get hot chocolate and do some exploring on our own a few nights ago and it was so much fun. I’m so thankful that I have her with me on this adventure.

So I’m sure all of that leads to the question of why I’m currently in Italy.
Short answer: I’m working with the evangelical church.
If you want the long answer, you know how to get in touch with me. I’d be glad to talk to you about it.

Ellie and I attempted our first meal on our own a few nights ago. We had a pasta dish with pesto alla calabrese con peperoni.  Soooooo good. And we ate part of the largest bell pepper I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m sure the Italians would think we were weird for eating it raw. But it is probably in the top five best tasting things I’ve ever had. YUM.

I really don’t think I will ever eat anything here that isn’t amazing. The Italians know food. And for this, I am thankful.