Come with me to el Parco Nazionale dell’ Cinque Terre

We get up at 5:30am to gather my things, drive to Arona, and catch the early train to Cinque Terre. This is an Italian National Park within the Italian Riviera. In order to preserve it from tourism, the only traffic is train and pedestrian. I came here a little over three years ago, fell in love with it, and now we’re back. It is the one location that I will revisit on this trip.
Approaching Cinque Terre by train is fun. We pass through innumerable small towns, switching trains in Genova and suddenly our train is hurtled into darkness as we travel underneath mountains via the system of tunnels. Boom! There is a flash of blinding sunlight and to the West you catch the first glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea. Just as your eyes are getting adjusted to the sunlight, you are sent back into darkness. This pattern continue for about an hour. But as the bursts of light become more frequent, the levels of anticipation and excitement rise because you know we’re getting close. You can hardly contain your joy and a smile slowly spreads across your face without really knowing why. What is it about this place? Finally, we arrive at Monterossa dell’ Mare and you try to restrain yourself from running as you leave the station and head to the water, beaches, mountains, and tiny towns of Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre (5T) means five lands, and it consists of five tiny towns that are smashed up against the mountainside and spill out into the Mediterranean Sea. It’s the birthplace of pesto and the air is heavy with the smells of the sea, basil, olives, and the mountains. The steeply terraced landscape spill over with flowers, vineyards, and trees weighed down by lemons, apricots, and olives. The towns are bubbling with the life of the natives patroning countless gelaterias, paninerias, and pizzerias. One of the reasons for the precarious nature of these towns was as protection from pirates hundreds of years ago. They tried to fortify their homes and make them hard to access… they succeeded!
Riomaggiore is the first of the five towns. It is the biggest non-resort town, and seems like the logical place to start our day. Murals on the walls greet us as we head to the waterfront. We climb out along the rock outcropping in the bay to eat a picnic lunch. I look at you to say that it’s almost reminiscent of Grand Marais and we’re reminded of bouldering with Team MIS as well. Despite our attempts to be careful, I get splashed by the waves twice and am drenched in the salty water of the sea. We laugh and I cling to the joy that the Lord gives along with humility and humiliations. People we pass on the hike give big smiles and ask in Italian for the story. I just smile back and take a little bow. It’s an easy walk to the next town, and one section is referred to as the “Via dell’ Amore”. We split off from the main path for a while and hike up to the old castle-like stronghold and tower. Across from the tower, I spot an elementary school and tell you that I’m tempted to apply.
We head back to the hike and wind our way over to town number two, Manarola. This is our home base while we’re here, so we follow the explicit directions to the hostal: “Go through tunnel, turn right, go up the hill, and take a left at the church”. The tunnel that is referred to there is painted a bright green and it’s a fun way to get from the train station to the town. There seems to be more of a neighborhood feeling here in Manarola, but maybe it’s because we know it’s home for the weekend. When we went to mass Sunday morning next door to our hostal, we were some of the only non-Italians there. The parishioners were all hanging around the piazza before mass started. Later on in the day, you spot those children who were altar servers that morning playing soccer in that piazza. The feeling of community is permeates this life.
As we head down the path towards town number three, you point out signs that say the path is closed. We hope that they’re out of date, and decide to see if we can maneuver our way through anyways. About half-way there, we discover that the path really was washed out by a landslide and we are forced to turn around and catch the train. I heard rumors of an upper trail later on that day, but we were unable to find it before leaving. Corniglia is the third city of Cinque Terre, and even though we took the train, it is still hard to get to! After climbing the 382 steps up to the city center, we discover the “city on a hill” of this place. It’s the only town not directly on the water, and it’s open to a little more traffic than the others. There are lots of motorcycles and Vespas parked nearby. It seems somewhat fitting the the middle city, the heart of this place, would be the hardest one to access. Talk about being on a remote hilltop!
I remember as we begin the next hike that this one (between #3 & 4) is the wildest, greenest, and toughest of them all. As our feet get splashed and muddied, you comment on the wet trail and how it’s not surprising there was a landslide on the other side of town. Finally, after an hour of arduous hiking, we spot Vernazza, town number four. This is my favorite town out of the five. I find it the most picturesque with it’s rambling staircases and reinforced walkway out into the bay. As we sit and take a rest, there are some ambitious swimmers in the bay, and lots of people sunbathing nearby. I recall that this is the town where I had the best gelato ever at “Gelateria Antigliari” so we visit it twice while we’re here. I’ve made a rule for myself that I can never try the same combination of flavors twice. Saturday brings me “Frutti di Bosco & Ciocolate” (Wild Berry & Chocolate) whereas Sunday is more adventurous with “Ciocolate con Pepperocini & Limon” (Jalepeno Chocolate & Lemon). Whew! Despite your grimace, I try to convince you that it’s really good… honestly!
Finally, we reach town number five, Monterossa dell’ Mare. This last one was another intense hike of about the same length, but it took us longer because I was tired. It’s the most resort-like of the five, and is clearly more touristy and upper class. There are many more people who are here for the beach and the shopping, not the hiking like we are. It does have the only sandy beach, and it reminds you of more typical beach resort towns that you’ve seen. Once we venture off the resort path and start taking back ways though, we both start to see how it’s very clearly still related to the other four.
We had mixed weather throughout the weekend, but it was nice in general. One thing that I couldn’t help noticing was how the scenery changes with the weather. This is most notable regarding the color of the water. When it was sunny on Saturday, the water varied from an amazingly brilliant royal blue to a true aquamarine. On Sunday however, the weather was cooler, cloudy, and brought some rain. The water then appeared a gray to dark blue-green hue. It was a packed weekend and we’re tired, but man was it worth it! Glory to God!

Tri-lingual outings and thoughts

I live in Invorio, Italia which is a very small city of about 3000 people in the NW corner of the country. Every Monday is market day which is a lot of fun. I love going to farmers' markets anywhere, but foreign markets are especially fun. You aren't stopped by language barriers as much because you can point or follow the lead of the locals.

Petrona lives with the Bandera family as well, helping with their cooking, cleaning, and laundary. She is from Bolivia, which means one thing -> Spanish!!! She doesn't speak any English, so whenever we talk, it's in Spanish. It's great! Camilla has also learned a little Spanish in school, so sometimes we encourage her to practice with us as well. When the three of us go out together, especially to places like the market, we are a little tri-lingual trio! Camilla and Petrona speak to each other in Italian, Camilla and I speak in English, and Petrona and I speak in Spanish. It is so cool because we all find ways to express ourselves and understand each other.

I have never studied Italian, but with 4 years of Latin and 5 of Spanish, you can pick it up. I am not really learning to speak it (because I'm supposed to be speaking English with Camilla all the time), but my comprehension is shooting through the roof. It's really cool!

This week went well: Filippo is still at soccer camp, Camilla had her first couple of golf lessons for the summer, and we finally got some sun by the end of the week! I bought a journal /album / scrapbook this week that I'm filling out as I go along. That way, when I get back, I can just stick the pictures into the spaces I've designated for them! Good times...

Adendum 6/13

1.) I finally got my luggage on Wednesday night around dinner time. Just in time for the first skirt Thursday of this Italian adventure. :) Oh man, I was missing my Chacos!

2.) For my first free weekend, I am headed back to Cinque Terre. It is the one place in Europe that I plan on revisiting this time around and I am so excited. I will take the train there early Sat morning, spend all day hiking between the 5 cities, spend the night in one of them (looking online for a hostal as I write this), and then probably hike all 5 towns again on Sunday before catching a train back here. I can't wait! It will be a great way to have my first solo adventure of the summer, by returning to a place I already know and love deeply.

3.) I got to eat lunch today with Camilla, Laura (the mom), Nonno Tezziano (grandpa), Nonna Grazia (grandma), and Tio Matteo. They have a family business (Effe 2) where they make the clothes for some of the top designers out of Milano... the fashion capital of the world. I am sitting in Grazia's office now, next to 2 racks of Gucci clothing awaiting their big premiere show on June 20 in Firenze. Oooh la la! :) Gucci is their biggest client. "Effe 2" makes all of their t-shirts, polos, and skirts. (Alicia, I'm thinking of you hard core while I'm here... you would go nuts!)

4.) Fragola e cioccolata gelato = a winning combo! (strawberry & chocolate... Italians put the various kinds next to each other on the same cone so you can eat both at the same time.) Stracciatella (choc chip) with Nutella is also a good one.

5.) Hope all is well with you wherever you are. Keep those e-mails coming, I love it! Ciao ciao!

Italian Update 6/12

Well, I made it! After a wonderful weekend with my family in Seattle for Ross and Katie (Coleman) McClelland's wedding, I headed to Italia. It was a 9.5 hour flight to Amsterdam; add the Netherlands to my list of visited countries! Then I flew to Milano and everything went rather well... except for the fact that they lost my biggest piece of luggage. Yes, you read that right. I was picked up at the airport by Marco (the dad) and 9 yr old Camilla. (7 yr old Filippo is away for 2 weeks at soccer camp.) On our ride home to Invorio, I was told that I would NOT be living with the family at their house. I would be staying at a nearby hotel. NB: European hotels are very simple and I basically have a bed, closet, and small bathroom. But, it is nice and very close. I am actually very glad to have the blessing of my own defined space separate from the family.

Later on during the day on Monday, I went with the two of them to the grandparents' house in Stesa, on Lake Magiorre to show me the house, give me the key, and to pick up "my" car. It turned out to be a little Mercedes A140... I emphasize the little. It's a classic, black, European "smart" style car.

The two of us have been playing more volleyball than you can possibly imagine, which is funny because I really don't like playing volleyball all that much (little to her knowledge). By the end of my time here, I'll either love it, or dislike it even more. The two of us also ended up doing about a 4 - 5 mile hike (all straight up or down hill) with a gelato break in the middle. She was a trooper! Needless to say, those two things combined with getting over jet lag, adjusting to 12 hr work days, and a whole new schedule have worn me out! :) It's great though.

I have been thinking of you all constantly. I'm finally getting more used to driving here, but it is nuts! :) Some of you would particularly enjoy this part of my job. We got lost briefly for the first time today, but for having a 9 yr old navigator, I would say that's not too bad! Trying to interpret traffic signs and estimate speed are both interesting aspects of that. At least they drive on the same side of the road as the USA!

Be sure to check out my first video update on YouTube and my pictures on Flickr. More updates to come! Feel free to shoot me an e-mail... I love it. I just can't promise responses since my internet access is limited, but I'll see what I can do. Ciao!

End of my First Year of Teaching

So, here I am, at the end of my last day of school. I don't know how it happened, but I do know that I continued to thrive throughout the craziness because of our gracious Father in Heaven. I have realized a few times this year how much I love teaching the Latino community. Last year in El Paso, I could see Mexico from my apartment, and it was a huge part of my life down there. Here's my 4th grade class:

This year, I was hired by a bilingual charter school in Minneapolis. For the first half of the year, I kept my abilities in Spanish under wraps from the kids because I wanted to challenge them. I have predominately used my Spanish in communication with the parents of my school. I had a great conversation with one of the staff members here who recently left the police force in Monte Rey, Mexico and came here. It's amazing what lives some of my young ones have led. Here's a picture of this year's 8th grade class, who graduated this past Saturday. (They're just a little bit bigger than last time.):I am so blessed to have known these young people. Come, Lord, and bless their futures in return, those I will and won't see again. Prepare those whom I will be serving next year. Let Your Name be glorified in all things!

P.S. If you haven't heard already, I am leaving for Italy later on this week. I will be living and working in NW Italia for 6 weeks as a live-in nanny for an Italian family. I will probably be using this blog as a way of regularly posting updates for people to read. Come, Holy Spirit!

updates

I am finally getting caught up on my Flickr posts, got one video up on YouTube, and another one that will hopefully soon follow. :) Check it out.

Declaration of Humanhood

Here is another piece of writing from one of my students. She is a very bright, outspoken, always-going-to-speak-her-mind young woman at age 13. Here's a glimpse:

Declaration of Humanhood

I hereby declare that I am human.
I am human in my joy and laughter, and I am human in my pain and tears. I am human in my need to love and help others, and in my need to be loved and helped by others. I am human in my dreams and accomplishments, but most of all I am human in my flaws and mistakes.

Being human, I am entitled to the following rights:

1. I have the right to be imperfect.
2. I have the right to make many (sometimes huge) mistakes.
3. I have the right to learn from my mistakes and then move on with my life.
4. I have the right to forgive myself.
5. I have the right to feel what I feel.
6. I have the right to laugh until it hurts, and cry until it stops hurting.
7. I have the right to live as I choose.
8. I have the right to happiness.
9. I have the right to my own beliefs.
10. I have the right to true friends and true love.
11. I have the right to be loved by others.
12. I have the right to be loved by me.
13. I have the right to be who I want to be, not what others expect me or want me to be.

She still has a lot of things to figure out, and she needs to work out her rebellious streak. But all in all, she has a good head on her shoulders. Catholicism is a part of her culture, but not of her individual life or choosing. Sometimes I am blown away by her, and I can't help but wonder about her future. She could go off and do so many things after graduating from AMS this spring. We shall see.