Il Mio Posto

So much has happened I haven't found time to write about it!

I found out the youth group, I mentioned before, is not connected to Comunione e Liberazione (CL).  (Although I am meeting a girl next week to find out about CL!)  This youth group is just like the ones back home except it's for college-aged kids.  What a good idea!  Why stop offering fun get-togethers with other young parishioners, simply because you are not in high school anymore?  I am loving them!  I got lost on the way to the first meeting (as usual whenever I go to a new area) and ended up being escorted to the door of the Carmelite suonerie (nuns) convent.  Good thing I love adventures.

We meet every other Sunday and last week we visited the Villapizzone community.  What is this community, you ask?  Well they explained it to us for an hour and half..in Italian.  They are a group of families with three Jesuit priests, who all live in the same gated neighborhood together, share all of their income, and do whatever they can to help each other.  They attend public school and do everything else normally though.  It is just like one big Catholic family.

I've met both of my host parents' parents now.  Simone's parents are very gentle and amiable.  His father used to work with computers and he printed me out a bunch of maps of the Milan area the first day we met, so I would never get lost.  His mother was a French teacher so she is very friendly and cheerful, but only knows random English words (which she calls out every so often whenever I'm around haha).  She helps explain my Italian homework to me so I understand it better.  Simone's sister, Serena, is a fashion designer.  Her website is www.pupigia.it.  She is very talented! I hope I get to visit her shop soon.  She has a girl and a boy of nearly the same ages of Sara and Matteo!  Their names are Diletta and Philipo.  I love the name Diletta.  It is derived from an old Italian word "diligo",  meaning "the one who you love the most".

Daria's father knows the most English out of the grandparents and her mother is a typical Italian.  She cooks, talks alot/loudly, and tries to feed you 'til you burst.  Her signature dish is her amazing homemade pizza.  She doesn't make an effort to speak English and thinks I understand more Italian then I do..maybe because I don't have room to say much so I just smile and nod.  Haha no!  She helps me practice speaking and pronouncing every time I ask.  She took me to apply for my Permesso di Soggiorno (permit to stay) last Monday and was so helpful.  Not to mention it made me look better being accompanied by an elderly Italian woman.  I love the family though!  Can't wait for the holidays.

My host parents are both lawyers and work very hard.  Daria has had to make two trips to Madrid, Spain for three days since I've been here.  Luckily between Alina and I, we can handle everything so when we're told she's leaving the night before nobody freaks out.  I do all I can here to help out.  I go on grocery store runs all the time and entertain the kids to let Alina cook in peace.  (BTW, I did cook dinner one night but I need a little more practice..)  The other night Daria told me a funny story of Sara writing "My mommy writes down the dinner for Alina to cook", during a school exercise, instead of "My mommy makes dinner".  I could never be a working mother!