WEEK 2-HOUSE ARREST
While we are forcibly at home this week, we have found plenty of things to do. We have our daily shopping trip and Steves driving school. But it is not so easy for us when the weather turns bad. We have had cold, rain, and sirocco winds, and you all had better weather this weekend than we did, even Tupper Lake according to Newt!
We took a walk in the wind on Saturday and found that it was not so bad away from the sea. This must be why people here always ask us how come we do not have a place in the city so that we can go and stay there when it gets cold. But since it is never that cold (they mean 50 degrees and windy), it does not even seem worth even explaining. Our friends Christine and Brian alternate between living on their boat in the harbour in Sciacca and their house on the hill in Caltabellota, and they have problems whichever place they choose. It is sunnier and usually warmer in the harbour, but the sea can get too wavy when it is windy, while Caltabellota has snow and fog all winter.
Anyway, we took a different route on this walk, past farmers working in fields and past miles of yellow margarita flowers. You could see the mist formed by the sirocco winds over the town of Sciacca from the distance. It was a great walk, and we will take the route again I am sure. When we got home, the two brothers who own the apartments our American guests will lease next week came over, and then Paolo, Ignatzia and Giusy. While they were here, we got a phone call from Anna to come to Vincenzos 11th birthday party.
Toto came to get us and quickly Steve and Toto took off to get the prepared food from a bar in town. Meanwhile, Anna and I went to pick up her mother who had missed the bus. When we got back, all the little boys were in a bedroom playing a computer game. Anna introduced me quite formally, and then I said, Hi boys, hows it going? and they all almost dropped their teeth! They really do not hear too much English here, and they were impressed. They study it at school, but their teachers do not know it that well either.
This birthday party was quite different from American ones I have known in the last few decades, but similar to ones from when I was a kid. There were all ages and sexes represented, from Annas mama of 75 to Leonardo who is just two and dressed like a little man, wanting to be like the big boys. There were no planned activities to keep the kids amused, just balloons and a soccer ball kicked around the apartment and onto the small second floor balcony. The boys rough housed as 11 and 12 year olds will, but came and sat with us and asked us questions about English and WWF Smack down, which was on TV, and caused much interest. We broke a few hearts when we assured them it was not true wrestling and all those punches were not really being landed on the jaws of all those big tough guys. Then they asked us what s-u-c-k meant in English, and how to say, Youre a big fat jerk in English (we also taught it to them in Spanish and French).
The cake arrived after the pizza and arancine, and the boys handled the candles and the traditional big Roman candle that threw off a lot of sparks and excitement. Then Toto took us home, and we were tired form our walk, and more than ready to leave the confusion of a typical Italian birthday party in a typical small Italian apartment.
This morning the weather was even worst and the long red boat taking refuge in the harbor at Baia Renella is still here form Friday night. Look closely and you can see a bit of sun shining in the distance!
We took a walk in the wind on Saturday and found that it was not so bad away from the sea. This must be why people here always ask us how come we do not have a place in the city so that we can go and stay there when it gets cold. But since it is never that cold (they mean 50 degrees and windy), it does not even seem worth even explaining. Our friends Christine and Brian alternate between living on their boat in the harbour in Sciacca and their house on the hill in Caltabellota, and they have problems whichever place they choose. It is sunnier and usually warmer in the harbour, but the sea can get too wavy when it is windy, while Caltabellota has snow and fog all winter.
Anyway, we took a different route on this walk, past farmers working in fields and past miles of yellow margarita flowers. You could see the mist formed by the sirocco winds over the town of Sciacca from the distance. It was a great walk, and we will take the route again I am sure. When we got home, the two brothers who own the apartments our American guests will lease next week came over, and then Paolo, Ignatzia and Giusy. While they were here, we got a phone call from Anna to come to Vincenzos 11th birthday party.
Toto came to get us and quickly Steve and Toto took off to get the prepared food from a bar in town. Meanwhile, Anna and I went to pick up her mother who had missed the bus. When we got back, all the little boys were in a bedroom playing a computer game. Anna introduced me quite formally, and then I said, Hi boys, hows it going? and they all almost dropped their teeth! They really do not hear too much English here, and they were impressed. They study it at school, but their teachers do not know it that well either.
This birthday party was quite different from American ones I have known in the last few decades, but similar to ones from when I was a kid. There were all ages and sexes represented, from Annas mama of 75 to Leonardo who is just two and dressed like a little man, wanting to be like the big boys. There were no planned activities to keep the kids amused, just balloons and a soccer ball kicked around the apartment and onto the small second floor balcony. The boys rough housed as 11 and 12 year olds will, but came and sat with us and asked us questions about English and WWF Smack down, which was on TV, and caused much interest. We broke a few hearts when we assured them it was not true wrestling and all those punches were not really being landed on the jaws of all those big tough guys. Then they asked us what s-u-c-k meant in English, and how to say, Youre a big fat jerk in English (we also taught it to them in Spanish and French).
The cake arrived after the pizza and arancine, and the boys handled the candles and the traditional big Roman candle that threw off a lot of sparks and excitement. Then Toto took us home, and we were tired form our walk, and more than ready to leave the confusion of a typical Italian birthday party in a typical small Italian apartment.
This morning the weather was even worst and the long red boat taking refuge in the harbor at Baia Renella is still here form Friday night. Look closely and you can see a bit of sun shining in the distance!
posted by Sicilian Mama at 6:34 AM
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