Rain, rain, go away, come again NEVER

All it ever does is rain here. That's a lie- it's sunny for like, an hour, and then rains the rest of the time. I'm tired of being wet. I'm tired of my clothes smelling really funky. And I just don't like carrying umbrellas everywhere. Plus, every time even one droplet falls from the sky, these strange Indians come out and try to sell us umbrellas! They are relentless and everywhere! At some point it's going to stop raining, right? But the silver lining is this, I could be in State College where it's pretty soggy too, so it's not like I'm experiencing anything new.

Yesterday we went to Hadrian's Villa. Hadrian was a Roman emperor in about 400 BC who didn't care for Rome, so he built himself a huge villa on the outskirts near a town called Trivoli. He had pretty much conquered all, so he could do what he wanted. I don't think he actually did anything for Rome though; his reign seemed pretty tame. I'll let you know about that- I bought a book.

Then we went to Trivoli. Trivoli is a little town up in the mountains that is really quite amazing. The land was given to a guy named Desti who was a finalist for the papacy but didn't get it, so this was his consolation prize. I had the best sandwich ever there, simple and basic and so wonderful: fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and olive oil on homemade ciabatta that was toasted. Wonderful!

Then we went to Villa Desti, which this guy built for himself out of self-pity. It is just one big garden with a whole lot of fountains, but it was so beautiful! Everything was so green and lush, but I can only expect that when it rains everyday. Words don't do the gardens justice, though. Pics on Fbook.

Today we went to someone’s house for a real Italian cooking lesson. The women’s name was Valeria, and her friends Simona and Tetsi (short for Testiana) helped teach us. We made pasta with zucchini and tomatoes, pasta in a red sauce, breaded tomatoes, chicken in white wine vinegar, and tiramisu. But when it came to eat, it was not just those four courses. In order: wine, bread (no Italian meal is complete without bread), pasta with zucchini and tomatoes, pasta with red sauce, chicken in the vinegar and oil, tomato halved with bread crumbs and parsley, salad, cherries, and tiramisu. Everything was simple to make and tasted great. Success!!

I didn’t expand upon the meal I had in Cori a few days ago. It was our first real Italian meal, and went something like the above meal: wine, bread, antipasti (proscuitto, salumi, cheese, zucchini, breaded tomato halves, and mushrooms), risotto, entrée (veal and grilled zucchini and eggplant), and dessert, which was essentially a fruit salad with a sweet dressing. Fruit is a common dessert here, meant to cleanse your palette and make you feel light after a huge meal.

Today ranked as one of the best Saturdays that I have had. I’d say top three ever. It was such a good day! I decided I want to have the attitude of an Italian woman. I want to cook because there is something accomplished when making a meal from scratch. I want it to take forever and enjoy eating because there is something learned in the experience. I want to be so hospitable to everyone and invite them over for dinner and talk for hours over a long meal because there is something valuable in that time.

In some ways I think that’s how Jesus wanted us to live. He wants us to live with each other, Christian and non, and spend hours together over dinner just talking and laughing and being human together and living life together. To slow down and enjoy life, to love human interaction, to be so enthusiastic in conversation- that’s what it’s about. I want that to be my ministry- cooking for Jesus.