Elfin Forest Adventure

When I was Italy I had 4 months to do everything…and I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was there, in it all.  And now I have 5 months of college left…and in some ways I deny the fact that there is such a short timeline.  5 months.  That’s it.  Done. I’ve started making a list of things I want to do while I’m in this place and this community.  Some of them I’ve done before want to do more often, and others it will be the first time.  On that list was going to the Elfin Forest.  Not the Elf forest, but the Elfin forest because there was some confusion.

My friends Katie and Alison and I went on a Saturday afternoon adventure.  We went and got Costco samples as treats, then hit up the coffee shop for some warm beverages {otherwise known as hand warmers} before heading to the beautiful town of Los Osos.

The Elfin forest, not what any of us expected.  But it was beautiful and we took pretty pictures.  We watched the sunset and talked like girls do.  We laughed and looked at Morro Rock.  We saw the low {too low} tied of the marsh lands.  And we breathed the fresh air.  It was marvelous and one thing off the do list. 

Yay for Saturday adventures…and many more to come!

Changing Your Perspective By Being Gone

There’s a lot of directions I could go with that title, but we are going to go with what a friend emailed with today. 

"As I continue to let the fact that I am halfway across the world sink into my system, I am coming to realize how much this opportunity...will change my life forever, including my views on culture, luxuries / necessities, food, and life in general."   

And it made me smile because this is what I try to tell people whenever they ask about my time abroad.  What do you want me to tell you?  That it was amazing, wonderful, and hard.   That I learned.  That I’m different.  I’m changed.   

These changes just happen.  Just like the way that you change as you grow up and maybe the way you were in second grade with your best friend is not going to be the way that you are when you are 45 with your best friend.  Let’s hope not! There is something valuable about being gone.  About placing yourself outside a situation and outside what is going on in this country, in this city, at this time, at this specific place.  I think that's why we have imaginations.  And I think that's why God created our imaginations to be a tool.  They can help us to be able to adapt to that place.  He gave us imaginations and other tools so that he could change us.  That might be a round-about way of saying that...let me know if I need to connect the dots better. Everything we do, every situation that we are placed into changes us. 

While writing this I even found some of my own perspectives changing.  I’m not a fantasy person, I love The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, but that's as far as I go.  I like things to be logical.  And let me tell you the imagination is not logical, but my imagination is a tool.  It allows me to empathize with others and envision what life might be like say...in Torino, Italy…right now.

Crazy

Crazy.
…That time has flown by so fast.
…That so much has happened in the last few days.
…That finals are this week, and so is the packing and cleaning and goodbyes.

This was my last weekend in Torino and it was go, go, go. You all found out about the mis-adventures of Italian style on Friday. That night was such a great way to start off the weekend. Since the buss and metro weren’t running Robyn and I walked. We walked downtown which took us an hour. Oh and when we left it started sprinkling. I have to say it was so fun to walk in the falling water that reflected in the car lights and the Christmas lights.
We arrived at the church that I’ve been attending, for dinner with some new friends. We had some funny, entertaining and somewhat awkward Italian conversations with the guys while we waited for our last friend. My friend Luigi asked “do you speak Italian? Do you speak dialect? No? Well, those are all I know. I don’t know English!”
As a typical Italian meal, we had pizzas. Mine was large and I have no idea how I finished it. But it was delicious.
During the meal we talked, conversed {mostly in Italian, which means I didn’t say much} and laughed. We went around the table and did highs and lows of the week. In Italian it is called “bello e bruto” or the beautiful and the ugly. I may change my phrasing when I’m back in the US, watch out! One of my friends remarked that his “bruto” was that he is taking a swimming class and his time was too fast. I did swim team in high school for a year so we talked about that. And then, he asked me about the stroke. I know the mechanics of freestyle and watched as my coach taught us tricks {thanks Gordy}. You should have seen us. I had to stand up so I wouldn’t knock anything on the table over and we went over the technicalities.
I am happy to report that he went and timed yesterday and he got under the correct time! {I guess I did know what I was talking about!}

My view at coffee house...hence the lack of pictures After our dinner we walked back to the church and went to “coffee house”. It’s a concert put on once a month with bands of every genre. It’s a time of socializing and music. It was so fun! Half the music was Italian songs and half were in English.
A perfect Friday night of friends, food and music. This was one happy girl.

Italian Style

Today I was going to do a day trip to Milan. I haven’t been to see anything other than the train station and the airport. It is the fashion capitol of the world. It is only 2 hours away, and that is taking the slow{=cheaper} train.
So I got up early with some of my friends. We knew that there would be a bus and metro strike so we wanted to ride the metro while we could. We got to the train station and looked at the board and this is what it looked like:
So much for a day in Milan. So glad I didn’t get the tickets for the Last Supper that are time blocked. So glad that I had a good attitude about the day. Tomorrows plans were mostly executed for today, and tomorrow, well, hopefully I’ll make it to Milan…

This brings me to “Italian Style” or “Stile Italiano”, a phrase that is used when something is distinctively Italian. It is why the bus and metro strikes are published and even run during the hours that people are going to and from work. It is why the train conductors said, “hey why don’t have a strike today too?” And it is why there is constant honking from double parked cars. Italians do things differently. There’s something that can’t be explained by anything other than saying “Italian Style” and moving on.
It’s the reason that you can see cars parked like this:

It’s reason that businesses usually close from 12.30-3.30pm every day.
It’s why some people seem to not work because there are honestly laws on the number of hours a shop can be open.
It’s the reason that cappuccinos can’t be ordered after 11am and that walking around with anything other than foccacia or a gelato is frowned upon.
It’s the reason that people stare at everyone that they pass on the street.
It’s the reason that politics and religion are not a taboo topic.
It’s the reason that if you go back to restaurant or are friend s with the owner you may get a discount.
It‘s the reason that people travel farther to purchase bread or vegetables from the shop that they have ‘always gone to.’
It’s the reason that fast food does not exist, and meals are elaborate.
It’s the reason everyone says bonjourno or ciao as they walk past.
It’s the reason that they always try to speak in English, even if you are trying to practice your Italian {and they don’t know very much English.}

It’s just the way that Italians do things.
Italian Style.

Exploring History {Saluzzo}

As a child you are taught to learn from your mistakes. I love the Anne of Green Gables quote where Anne tells Marilla “the great thing about me is I never make the same mistake twice”. The point of learning history in school is to pass the traditions and knowledge of what has been done in the past to make the future better. But there is the common phrase of “history repeats itself.” As Europe is struggling I am praying that they are learning from their past. I pray that they use the things that have divided them throughout history and use them for the further integration and unification of Europe.
I am a lover of history. You’ve heard me talk about my love of too many things and ‘history’ makes the list. Growing up I was a reader and my favorite genre was historical fiction. This weekend I got to live a history class. It was the ultimate field trip.
I visited the Santa Maria Abbey {built in 1154… wow!} and learned that this covering right here {in the picture above} is rumored to be the spot where the Italian bank San Pablo was started. It was started back when monks were living in and running the abbey. We didn’t go through the abbey, but just seeing the outside was enough. Abbeys were built along the pilgrimage routes, so I was on the path of religious history. What is even more impressive is that this was a way to spread ideas along these routes. Monks that lived in the Abbeys are what we can attribute the studies of Socrates, Aristotle, and others to. Their job was to copy the books to be passed on. They not only copied the Bible {remember this is by hand} but the works of philosophers and thinkers.

The buildings in the area that are authentic have a certain style and are made with brick. {It makes my heart happy to see the rustic history} The house that I stayed in was also made of brick and had an outdoor oven and a chapel on the property. Yes, this little farm had a chapel where services used to be held hundreds of years ago. The oven would have been a meeting place for the whole community to come and back their bread. It is rumored that a religious community probably lived on the property hundreds of years ago. This place of hospitality for me had also been a place of community in the past. {Again, makes my heart happy}

inside the chapel When we walked around Saluzzo we saw the old town that still has the walls and gates. We went to the castle and church on the hill. My hosts got married in the church and they showed us how the place has changed from when it was built in the dark ages to now being a hotel. It has been a converted to a hotel because that is the only way that the church will have upkeep. Since the church staff has become smaller and the attached quarters are no longer used the nuns and priests are not up keeping the building. The church still has original fresco paintings from when it was built.

the gate
the church lit at night
the ceiling in an attched building being restoredagain, orginals being restoredThe castle nearby was a jail for awhile. It was just closed in the 1970s when all the fancy technology came out. Before the location of the jail was moved, it was known to be one of the tightest on security. It is almost within the city, but apparently the citizens preferred being able to converse with the inmates. {Italian Style}


up by the jail, it's authentic. can you tell?!?The town of Revello that I saw on Monday morning, while dropping the kids off at school, was originally the retirement city of the queen and her court from Saluzzo. How crazy that a court would be so big to create a new town! From this town if you look up at the mountains there are the ruins of a castle that was also a fort. The French chancellor had it demolished {I don’t know how, but there may have been different country boundary lines then?} because it could see the entire valley and was on the trade line. This meant they not only had the military advantage, but could tax the trading. Big problems for the French!

oh yeah, I was there too...All this history not only backed up my historical fiction readings, but also brought back of everything I learned and memories from Mrs. Richardson’s and Mr. Burrell’s classes on European history. I did learn {and remember} some things, I promise!
See history can be fun, especially if you get to experience it!

Take a walk with me?

Will you take a walk with me? We are going to head on over to Valentino Park. Today is a holiday so it’s a happening place!

Isn’t it beautiful? It gets dark here quite early, hence the shifting shadows and bright colored skies.
We have arrived at one entrance with the huge fountain. I haven’t spent much time in this park I love walking through when I have a chance. There is such a unique mix of flowers and plants.

It’s called a park but parts of it are more like a garden. There are paths all around like this one. It makes me feel like I’m in a storybook.

It’s the start of the Christmas season and there is an indoor carnival on part of the property. There is a mix of English carols and Italian carols playing through speakers. There are families everywhere. For me, this park is about capturing moments. The little girl picking up petals with her grandfather in the rose garden. The couple with their first child all bundled up and we watch as trying to take pictures of the little one smiling. The boys racing around the arches and over the bridges playing tag.

It’s starting to get dark so it’s time to walk back for some spaghetti, tea and some reading. Thanks for walking a part of the city with me!

This is a part of the list. Another one marked off.

Making it an Adventure

Sometimes even going out for lunch can be an adventure and that was what happened yesterday. I went out to lunch with my friend Vickie and immediately I declared we were going to have an adventure. Life is an adventure, so might as well call it what it is. It was also an adventure for these reasons
a) We were taking public transportation {the only transportation other transportation we can afford other than our lovely feet} Let just say you never know what’s going to happen when you step on the bus or metro.
b) I had been to this place before, but when you are going somewhere as a destination, even if its not the first time something is bound to happen
c) There are people in this world and walking the streets. People are different and make life interesting. Interesting usually translates to an adventure in my experience.

I went to this little place with my parents and a Torino friend. She highly recommended it and I have wanted to go back. This place makes the “before I leave” list. It is run by a couple that is Sardinian and German and they serve Sardinian dishes. {Sardinia is an island in the south of Italy, so you don’t have to look it up!}
So Vickie was a few minutes late. I saw the bus go by and knew another one would come by in 20 min. We made it onto bus number 2! We didn’t have to change buses; I had been to that side of town, {though not much} we were good to go…err yea, I messed up. We got off too early. But it was a nice day so we went for a walk along the river {gorgeous}. We reminisced about time in Italy. We talked about going home and what that would be like. I think we needed that time, so I didn’t feel bad.

I forgot, we saw this on our walk

I think they were doing repares

but it looks like they were repelling

for fun

look closely, very closely We arrived at the place and got a table for two. We stared at the menu. Yes, in fact stared. We usually can get by and figure out what things are. This was a handwritten menu which adds a nice touch {but makes it oh so hard to read}. Vickie who knows more Italian didn’t know what it said, and I was counting on her!

Then in walked a sweet Italian woman and after talking with the owner’s wife came and said she spoke English and talked to us a bit. She was so excited to learn we were from California and that I know the area where her nieces live. She explained the menu to us and this serving plate on the wall. It’s made of cork and is typical Sardinian. They use it to serve the pig after they have roasted it over a fire.

We ordered a pasta to share and then eat got a meat dish. We ended up getting the same thing and it was a Sardinian specialty. The pasta had ricotta from Sardinia, so it was shredded. And the meat was pork with roasted herb potatoes. It was so delicious. I cannot describe. We had thought about getting something sweet at the end but were both so full.

Some of my friend's art displayed Finding our way home proved to be more of an adventure. We took the correct bus and visualized which side of the street we needed to be on to go the correct direction. Why do buses have to turn? That proved to be the problem. We got on the correct numbered bus and promptly realized that the bus turned…the wrong direction. So we got off. But the stop across the street that we half ran to did not prove to be a stop for our number. So the bus passed us and we decided a detour was in order.
So it being a nice day, we walked into the downtown area and took our trusty bus that we knew would take us the same spot, no complications. We know the direction and sides of the street for this bus like locals. And we both arrived home, safe, and no worse for wear.

on our walk, the River Po Needless to say I enjoyed my day, my lunch, and detours. Every day is an adventure!

Olympic Style

Before coming to Torino I got asked a lot where why the name “Torino” sounded so familiar. In 2006 a pretty big event happened here. An event that is broadcasted all over the world…The Olympics!
I haven’t been to the Olympic village because it is on the outskirts of the city in how shall we say this, sketchy part of town. There’s not much left that is exciting over there but some of the buildings used are still around. There is the lingotto mall which was the FIAT factory and then used during the Olympics and now is a mall. And the Olympic arch can be seen from some of the apartments of my friends and there is the skating rink.
During the holiday season the skating rink is opened and you can go ice skating! Mondays are discount night. So guess what I did Monday night?!? I went Ice skating on the former Olympic ice rink.
Someone has proof that I was there; I just don’t personally have it. When I get it, I’ll let you see. I do have proof in the form of a bruise on my knee. I was doing so well. I hadn’t fallen, not that I hadn’t had a few attempts. Then out of nowhere, bam! On the ground. It wasn’t too bad because it was near the end of the evening.
There is something about ice skating that brings people together. There were so many students from my program there and they were all at different levels. People who don’t normally talk to each other were helping each other skate. My Korean friends were fearless. It was so fun to encourage them to go another round. To tell them that even though I’ve skated before I still can’t stop well. And even listening to them talk about how sore they were. I think my favorite conversation from the night was with Seowon and I told her to bend her knees just a little bit. That it would be easier. She said “I can’t!” and I told her just a little bit. “like this?” “yep!” After the next lap she came up next to me and said “it really works!”
The skates we rented were plastic and there was no difference between male and female style. It was interesting not being in figure skates with a toe pick. The boys adapted better since hockey skates are similar to the ones we used.

I had a lot of fun brining in December with this winter activity! What is your favorite winter activity?

I have a list of things to do in Torino, before I leave Torino. Yesterday I killed two birds with one stone, so to say. There is a café that always looks so nice around the corner from where I live. They have a case full of pastries and it reminds me of the Victorian Ice cream parlor at Disneyland.
The reason I haven’t gone before is that they have the most interesting hours. I cannot seem to figure them out! I go when I think they should be open, and they are closed. When I go by a week later, at the same time, they are open. I can’t find the pattern, but someone must know it! It is Italia, so there may be no method to the madness!

On the list was to:
~eat a cannoli while in Italia: shameful that I have not done this yet, I know! But now I have. They were small, but they were cannoli!
~order something at this café. Something. Anything. No matter the cost. I did.

There are no pictures of me, because I went hoping that they might be open so no one came with me. Every time I plan to go with someone it’s closed. If you want to use your imagination I was wearing my red coat that is very famous here on the blog, and had really shiny hair {which was odd} pulled into a pony tail.
I did well in my Italian, as in I didn’t speak any English while there {mostly because there was no one to speak English to}. I ordered my pastries and a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate would form a layer that was half a centimeter thick between spoonfuls. This was non drinkable hot chocolate! The cannoli is filled with sweet crème, and it was a perfect balance to burning my tongue on the chocolate!
While I stood and enjoyed my snack I reflected on Torino. I’m going to miss this place. I’m committing to taking one day at a time and enjoying all the wonderful things I get to experience here.

What is your favorite cold weather sweet treat?