La mia vita favolosa

Thursday, September 25, 2008. Guess where...

Dear Friends,

I am very sorry that I left you hanging on one of the most interesting weeks of my life (well, "you" being the select few who actually read this...). Let me just give you a quick run down of my days...

Monday- I believe when I left you last I was anticipating my first day of babysitting (mostly because I had not yet told her I would be gone 3 of the remaining 8 weeks I am here... whoops). I met the mom, Giovanna, at her apartment with the older daughter, Eugenia, and the father of the younger daughter, Emelia. We walked to Emelia's school, picked her up, then took Eugenia via Vaparetto to her gym for gymnastics practice (she goes there four times a week!! INTENSE!!) The mom had to show me around so I would know what to do on Mondays and Wednesdays. We played around in i gardini that are close by, then went back home. Emelia and I played until about 6:15 when I had to go BACK to the gym to pick up Eugenia. I was really scared that I was going to get lost, but I didnt! By the time that we got back, it was 7:30 and time for me to leave. I pretty much floated home, I was so excited that I was BABYSITTING IN ITALY!

Tuesday- Another regular day of classes, then off to babysitting! I knew what to do for Mondays and Wednesdays, but Tuesdays Eugenia gets out late and doesnt have gym, so the mom had to show me what to do on Tuesdays (pick up Eugenia and her friend Bianca and bring them back to the apartment). The girls played with my hair and told me that I was as beautiful as a "princepessa." I loved getting to hear them talk in Italiano because I could actually UNDERSTAND them!! It is funny to hear 7 year olds jabber on in every tense imaginable with ALL of the irregulars, while I struggle to conjugate the easiest verbs in the present!

Wednesday- We don't have class until 11:00 am, but I made plans to meet up for coffee with the cousin of two families for whom I babysit back at home. I met him and his fiancee in San Polo (I had never been there before either, and was terrified of getting lost and being late. I didn't even have his cell phone number to call if I got lost...) I was there on time! and had no trouble finding the place! We sat and chatted. I got back to the house to find TWO packages from Mommy! Granted, they were clothes that I already own, but I was so excited to have some warm clothes! Then I babysat. Berta, the other babysitter (I am not sure why they need 2...) and I took Eugenia to the gym and played with Emelia at the park. She and I sat there for almost 2 hours talking in mostly Italian, but a bunch of Spanish in there too about the differences between American and Italian food, grocery stores, etc. It was great because her first language is Spanish and mine is English, and neither of us speaks very good Italian, so it was fun to try to communicate with her!

Today we had a debate in Italian and it was so fun! We argued nord contra sud. Obviously the south won... coke, chick-fil-a, bbq, sweet tea anyone? :) Tonight Jenny, Kayla, and I leave for Slovenia! I am not sure what we are doing there, but we are going and we are going to have a ball!!

More to come on the trip later!
xoxo
mckin

PS- When I was on the Vaparetto yesterday taking Eugenia to the gym, I saw the Vaparetto boy... haha.... ohhhhh my life....