Friday Afternoon in Asolo

Friday afternoon we took Uncle Devin to Asolo. 

 

The first thing we did was hike to the top of the castle.

 

 

"Oh man," said Cate.  "How many steps do you think there are?"

"Maybe a million," said Ben.

 

Resting at the top of the castle...which was closed when we reached the top

.

Devin and I got in some good cardio on the way up since he was carrying Maggie and I had Cece in the Baby Bjorn.

Gelato at the famous Asolo landmark, Barre Centrale, to celebrate our ascent

Movie star sighting in Asolo

The view from the second castle tower we climbed.

We found ourselves at another "castle" in Asolo.  I'm not sure it really was a castle but it had a tower and this one promised a cafe and a playground.  We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to relax with a beer and watch the kids play. 

 

This lasted about 4.5 minutes until Cece woke up and needed to nurse.  And about two minutes after that Cate tied Maggie to the rope so she could swing.  But Maggie forgot to hold on and was suspended upside down, 3 feet in the air, until Devin raced over to rescue her.

 

Then Ben started throwing rocks.  Cate got hurt on the chain link fence adjacent to the café.  And then Cece needed her diaper changed.  With no other options I had to change her in the grass, next to our table.

 

Figuring we had violated enough Italian child rearing taboos for one day we left.

 

Even though, by this point, Devin and I were badly in need of another drink...



Italy: Things We Like

Pago Fragola (strawberry) juice

Italian School

The CIMBA office staff have arranged for any of the American children to attend school, free of charge, while we are in Paderno.

I met with the director, Ernesto, this morning.  He speaks perfect English and said that Cate and Ben could start this afternoon.

The school itself is in an old villa so the outside does not resemble a typical American school at all.  The inside, however, is very similar to any American elementary school I've ever been in.

Self-portraits, handprint owls and other art projects line the hallways.  There are cubbies outside the preschool classrooms.  Posters listing school rules lined the stairwell.

It was fascinating.  I wanted nothing more than to document everything but I didn't want to impose on Ernesto's goodwill.

Cate and Ben were both placed in a Level 1 classroom, which has kids ages 5-7.  I did take a quick picture of their classroom (see below) while the kids were out at recess.

 

Devin picked them up after two hours and the first thing Cate said when she walked in the door was, "It was awesome!"

 

Ben concurred and was excited to show me some pictures his new friends had drawn for him.

 

Starting at Level 1 the children at the school have five hours of English instruction a week.  The kids are eager to practice their English with Cate and Ben and I'm hoping they will be able to pick up some Italian as well.

 

They had only been home about 10 minutes when they began asking if they could return tomorrow.

Doing More With Less (Part 2)

While living a simpler life is, well, simpler in many ways I will admit that there are a few things that I miss.

And I miss them a lot.

First, I miss my dryer. 

We have a washing machine in our apartment and for that I'm grateful.  However no one in Italy has a dryer and so we hang out our clothes to dry.  This would not really be a problem but due to the cold rainy weather it's taking days for our clothes to dry.

Everything feels (and smells...) slightly damp. 

I also miss Hy-Vee.

Not only do I have an enormous family, by Italian standards, but I buy an enormous quantity of food to feed them.  Last week Devin dropped Cate, Cecilia and I off at Famila, a large grocery store in nearby Fonte. 

(Famila is a big, American-style grocery store.  I actually dislike going there because it is so big and I can't find anything.  But my kids love it because there is a mini-pet store inside with a giant parrot that greets all the customers by saying, "Ciao!")

After I paid a EURO to rent one of the big shopping carts (which is actually smaller than a standard Hy-Vee shopping cart),  I placed Cece's infant seat inside

And then there was literally no room in the cart for anything else. 

So I asked Cate to pull a little grocery cart (these are free) alongside.  By the end of our trip, we had bread, toilet paper and yogurt piled around the baby and Cate was pulling two of the little carts behind her, each filled to the very top.

The Italians stared.  I honestly think they had never seen anyone purchase so much food at once.

And then I had to bag all of the groceries myself.  In theory this doesn't sound like a lot of work but when there is only one cash register open and 14 antsy Italians are waiting to purchase their five food items, it's a bit stressful.  I couldn't get the bags to open.  I set the yogurt on top of the eggs.  I was sweating profusely and doing my best to offer feeble apologies in Italian.

I miss economy-sized Jif peanut butter.

We eat a lot of peanut butter and, as you might expect, it is quite difficult to come by in Northern Italy.  We brought a big container with us and it lasted about 5 days. 

So we are now purchasing pint sized jars of Skippy from the tabacchi close to campus.  Each jar costs 4.75 EURO (~$6.15) and we are working our way through about two small jars a week.

I estimate by the time we leave I will have spent $62 on peanut butter.

First Day of Italian School (!)

More to come...

Drama Queen

Maggie:  When does Daddy come back?

Me: Oh about 10 days. 

Maggie:  And then Devin will leave?

Me:  Yeah, he will stay for a few days and then go to Morocco. 

Maggie bursts into tears and begins crying hysterically. 

Me (immediately concerned):  What's wrong?  Are you okay?

Maggie (rubs her eyes, still crying): Then I won't have any uncles in Italy!!!

Italy: Things We Like

Italian Ketchup (compliments of Kraft)

 

It does not taste exactly like ketchup in the US (probably due to the absence of high-fructose corn syrup) but Maggie and Ben do not complain.

Italy: Things We Like

Rosemary & Olive Oil Pringles

 

(Yes, we have become a little obsessed with Pringles...)

Doing More With Less

Chris and I were hoping that this trip would give us an opportunity to reset.

We've spent much of the last few months trying to get rid of stuff--games, toys, clothes, household items, unused wedding presents--in preparation for our house remodel.

Yet it seems that no matter how much stuff we get rid of, we still have a hell of a lot of stuff at our house.

This trip to Italy, we figured, would be an opportunity for us to do more with less.

The six of us can fit into a 2-bedroom apartment pretty easily, although I will admit it's a bit crowded on rainy days.

Cate, Ben and Maggie are sharing a room and we haven't heard a single complaint about the sleeping arrangements.  We don't have a dishwasher (well, except for me) but it's not a problem since we really only use the same five plates over and over.  It certainly doesn't take very long to pick up at the end of the day.  It takes me about 5 minutes to put our laundry away.

We don't have a lot of stuff here.  We don't have many clothes and we certainly don't have many toys.

And the kids aren't bored.  At all.

On the contrary, I think the lack of toys has forced them to become more creative.  Chris and I were amazed last week when all three of our kids played an elaborate ninja game together for almost an hour. 

We are very fortunate that there are two other families in our apartment building who have a parent teaching in the CIMBA program.  This translates into 5 other kids with whom we can play soccer, walk to the park, share snacks and have dance parties with.

To be totally honest a lot of the time the kids just mess around, which requires surprisingly little stuff.

Definitely messing around

Making forts with our neighbor, Finn

Taking naps

 

Reading

Smiling at Cece McGee

Making potions on the patio

Playing in the bidet

The Changing of the Guard

Chris left for 12 days at home and Uncle Devin is now officially on duty.

The kids and I both miss Chris. A lot. 

But so far, so good in Paderno. 

Today we took a CIMBA sponsored trip to Possano, birthplace of Canova. It wasn't the most interesting place we've been but we did have gelato before we came home. 

Toothless in Asolo

Last Thursday we drove to a little town nearby called Asolo for dinner and, of course, gelato.

 

Asolo's town square is truly picturesque.  It's literally inside the walls of an ancient castle perched high up on a hill.  The views are amazing.

 

On our way up to the castle Cate pulled out another tooth.  She will clearly have a tough time eating sweet corn when we return to Iowa next month. 

 

The tooth fairy easily found us in Paderno.  When Cate woke up the next morning she found 1.50 Euro under her pillow (~$1.95 USD). 

 

With that exchange rate, Cate should try to lose all of her baby teeth in Italy.

 

Toothless in Asolo

 

Cate and Ben in Asolo (Maggie refused to be photographed)

And I had to include this picture. 

Chris, driving "the Beast," must have circled the main fountain in Asolo 15 times before finding a place to park. 

 

The kids actually loved watching for him to drive by again. 

And again. 

And again.

Venice

Today?  Venice.

It was amazing.  I have never been anyplace like it.

And to see the excitement on my kids' faces was priceless.  We read several books about Venice in preparation for this trip but that is no substitute for seeing Venice in person.

Everywhere we looked there was something new and interesting to see---a water taxi, a nun eating gelato, a gondola floating under a bridge, two tourists kissing, Venetian carnival masks, pigeons.

It was also exhausting.

We were all tired from walking and from trying to keep track of our massive brood of children in such a busy city.  Thankfully Cece was easy to keep track of since she slept in the Baby Bjorn for almost the entire time we were in the city.

It is a great city to wander through if you are an adult.  Not the best city to visit with four children under the age of seven.

We splurged on a water taxi from the train station to San Marco square (60 Euros!).  Cate was very excited to see all of the landmarks in the square as we just finished reading a Magic Treehouse book where all of the action took place in Venice.  She was thrilled to see St. Mark's Basilica, the Clock Tower and the many winged lions around the square.

Ben was excited to feed (and chase) the pigeons.

Then we wandered.  We had no real agenda, which did not really serve us well in Venice although it's been great in other, smaller cities.  We found a small pizzeria for lunch and then set off in search of an English language bookstore we'd read about online, hoping to add to our small collection of books.

By the time we found it, we'd been wandering through narrow streets and passageways for more than an hour.

It was closed.  And would not open for two more hours.

So we snacked on gelato and crepes while we watched the gondoliers from a nearby bridge.  Maggie entertained the crowd around us by shouting "Ciao!" at every gondola that passed under the bridge.

We hopped on a water bus just as it started to rain.  About 10 minutes after we arrived at the train station, we saw Uncle Devin emerge from the arrivals hall.

All smiles on the water taxi

Feeding the pigeons in San Marco Square

View from the Rialto Bridge

Gelato!

Cate modeling her Venetian souvenir

Everyone was excited to see Uncle Devo at the station. 

He's spending the next few weeks with us while Chris heads

home to catch up on some work and check on our house remodel.

Although we didn't really see any great sites I truly think this is a trip that the kids will remember for years to come simply because we saw so many things simply by wandering through the city (both by foot and by boat) that we had never seen before.

We saw a number of boats including: a funeral boat (with the casket resting on the top), a moving boat (carrying a dining table, chairs, and a wardrobe), a water ambulance, a UPS boat (complete with the brown/yellow logo), a water taxi, a police boat, and more gondolas than we could count.

I'm glad that we went but I would compare the experience to spending the day at an amusement park (without the fun rides).  It took every ounce of parenting prowess that Chris and I possess to shepherd our kids through the busy streets, to keep them fed and hydrated, to prevent them from falling into a canal and to keep them from accidentally breaking one of the million little knick knacks sold on every street corner.

Such constant vigilance is exhausting.

I'm definitely looking forward to a quiet Sunday in Paderno.

Italy: Things We Like

Ringo Cookies

 

(These sandwich cookies are half chocolate and half vanilla with chocolate frosting insides.  The kids love them!)

We Arrive in Venice!

Baby's First Blow-Out On A Train

Approximately 10 minutes into our trip from Castelfranco to Venice.

I'm sure changing her diaper and clothes on the train violated about 7 Italian norms for public conduct.  

Baby's First Train Ride

From Castelfranco, Italy to Venice!

Overheard

On the train to Venice

Ben: I hope no one sits with us. 

Cate:  Let's just say these seats are reserved. No one will understand us anyway. 

Italy: Things We Like

Gelato!

Italy: Things We Like

Paprika Pringles

Disconnected

For the first time in a very long time, we do not have immediate access to the Internet.  It’s available on campus, which is about a 5 minute walk from the apartment, but despite our best efforts we are unable to get wireless at the apartment.

On the one hand, this is good since it requires me and Chris to be more present and I’m certainly not shopping from my iPhone on this trip.

But on the other hand it makes many things more difficult.

For example, the CIMBA program coordinators indicated that they will use e-mail to share information with us.  No problem except for the fact that I can only check my e-mail once a day (if I’m lucky!) so I’m forever late in responding to e-mails.

I’m not sure how my students will contact me with questions or concerns.  At the faculty orientation a phone list was passed out.  I was surprised to find a phone number listed for me since I don’t currently have access to a phone.

It’s hard to become disconnected when I’m so used to having everything—texts, weather forecast, the New York Times, Amazon.com—available with the swipe of an iPhone. 

One very positive outcome of the lack of available technology is that Chris and I have probably talked more in the past week than we have in the past month.

Mt. Grappa

Paderno, the town we are living in, sits at the base of Mt. Grappa which is located at the base of the Dolomites between the Brenta and Piave rivers.

We're fortunate that the university offers numerous bus tours each week to surrounding communities and attractions.  Students, faculty and their families are welcome to attend any or all of the tours.

Yesterday we took the tour to Mt. Grappa.

We should have known that it might be a bit colder than we expected when Stefania, the CIMBA office assistant, met us at the door to the bus and said, "Won't you be cold?"

Chris assured her that we were tough.  We're from Iowa, after all.  So we boarded the bus in jeans, light sweaters and, in Ben's case, a hoodie and shorts.

I should have known that this might not be sufficient when Stefania boarded the bus a few minutes after we did carrying a down parka and winter scarf.

The weather and the scenery was beautiful when we started to ascend the (very!) winding roads up Mt. Grappa. 

We got off the bus at the top and it was foggy. 

We ascended the steps to the WWI memorial at the top and it was raining.  By this point Maggie was in tears, complaining of the cold.  Cece was protected with a thin blanket and, luckily, she is now used to waking up in strange circumstances and so didn't make a peep.

We sought refuge in the café adjacent to the museum where several college students already sat huddled around small cups of cappuchino, iPhones in hand.  (Believe it or not there is WiFi at the top of Mt. Grappa.  I heard one student remark that the connection was better there than on campus).

The kids had just settled into their afternoon snack of ice cream (!?!) when it started to snow. 

Maggie looked out the window and asked, quite seriously, "Is it summer in Italy?" 

We assured her it was.

I think the kids enjoyed the journey more than the destination.  Although riding in the bus on those narrow winding road, inches from passing trucks and cars, made Chris and I almost physically ill, the kids loved every second.

Ben in particular loved just looking out the window and noted the following things on the way up the mountain:  5 hang gliders, 3 concrete mixers, 2 horses just standing by the side of the road and 1 sign indicated a buffalo crossing. 

(I didn't actually see the sign so I can't vouch for wild buffalo in the mountain but I did see the horses.  As well as all of the signs warning of the possibility of falling rocks...).

Just before the snow started to fly.  Maggie was not pleased. 

And, clearly, we are not dressed for the weather.

Castelfranco

If last Saturday was a typical "Italian" afternoon then last Sunday was a typical "American" afternoon.

We hit the mall in Castelfranco, a town about 35 minutes from Paderno with a beautiful city center surrounded by a walled castle fortress that has stood for centuries. 

A walled castle that we did not see because we were on the outskirts of town near the mall, the drive-in McDonalds, and the car dealerships.** 

In our defense, the weather here has been unseasonably cold and rainy.  The one pair of "cozy" pants that I packed for each of us is simply not enough.  We have a washing machine in our apartment but no dryer, as is typical in Italy.  Our clothes air dry which, if the weather were warmer (and drier!) would not be a problem.  But it's been so damp that Ben's Nike socks take three days to dry.

After we finished our shopping we stopped for gelato.  So the trip was not a total cultural loss.

Then we went to the bowling alley.  Given that neither Chris or I are avid bowlers we do seem to go bowling a lot lately.

I think the highlight of the visit was the automatic popcorn machine.  For 1.50 Euro you could purchase a fresh, albeit small, bucket of popcorn. 

I think we had to buy at least four little buckets to satisfy the hungry mob that accompanied us.

**
(NOTE:  Castelfranco is quite a bit bigger than Paderno, where we are living.  There are no chain restaurants, very few shops and not a single car dealership in Paderno.  If it were not for the influx of American college students each semester, Paderno would be a very, very quiet little town

And no. 

We did not let the kids eat at McDonald's on the way home. 

Although we were very much tempted by the ease of the drive-through window).

Bassano

 

On Saturday we visited Bassano, a small city close to Paderno.

We had no schedule, no agenda.  There were no major sites to see or museums to visit.

We parked outside the old castle fortress surrounding the city center. 

We wandered through the market where vendors were selling shoes, bags, and jewelry. 

We found a seat at an outside café and the kids chased pigeons while we waited for our food.

After lunch a street vendor made balloon sculptures for the kids and we stopped for gelato.

As we walked through the narrow streets I said to Cate, “Today is a better day, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Do you think you would ever want to come back and do this again?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she said.

“I think we should definitely learn Italian before we come back,” I said.

“Me too,” she said.

Progress.

Things Are Looking Up

"Mom?"

"Yeah Cate?"

"I think I might live in Italy when I grow up."

Are these ALL your children?

Prior to our trip we had been told that Italians love children and, for the most part, this seems to be true.  Most Italians seem to have only 1 or 2 children and so, in contrast, our family of six is quite large.

This is often the first thing that people comment on when they meet us, “I have never seen such a big family!” or “Wow!  Are these all your children?”

Generally people seem to view the children as a blessing, making comments like, “Bella!” or "Bellissimo familia!"as they gaze at the kids with affection.

1st morning in Paderno

Realistic Expectations

Prior to our departure I imagined what it would be like to spend five weeks in Italy with our kids.  I envisioned us strolling through a small market, the kids eagerly pointing to new and unexpected food items in excitement.  Chris and I would gaze on adoringly, proud of our intrepid children’s willingness to plunge into a new culture and embrace change.

Well, although we’ve experienced a few moments that closely resemble this fantasy we’ve experienced a lot of moments that are, essentially, business as usual for a family with four kids under the age of 7.

The first few days everyone was tired and I think we all missed some of the comforts of home.  Adding to the sense of uncertainty was the fact that until 2- hours before we left Iowa we had a pretty regular routine of school, preschool and other activities—a routine so regular that even Maggie would remind me that she had dance on Wednesdays and music class on Fridays.

So to find ourselves in an unfamiliar culture without any predetermined structure to our days was challenging for the kids and for Chris and I. 

Bedtime was the hardest.

For Cate and Ben the feelings of homesickness seemed to be magnified at bedtime.  They missed their friends, our house, the dog, Legos, and Ben even missed the contractors who had been working at our house.

I, too, remember my first time abroad as a high school student.  During the family stay portion of the trip I was incredibly, profoundly homesick.  And, even now, despite the amount of time I’ve spent abroad there is always an unsettling feeling at the beginning of any trip when you are trying to get your bearings and simply just figure out how to accomplish the daily tasks that you take for granted when at home.

Rubbing Cate’s back as she silently cried into her pillow the second night I felt profoundly guilty.  And selfish.  After all, I’m the one that pushed for this opportunity and believed that my kids would embrace it from the beginning.  Clearly my expectations were not as realistic as I’d expected.

The next day, things were a little easier.

 A few other families moved into our apartment building, providing instant playmates.  We found a little tabachhi shop close to campus where the owners, Bruna and Diego, greeted us warmly every time we walked in the door.  We found some salami that met with everyone’s approval.  Maggie began shouting, “Ciao!” (hello/good-bye) and “Buon giorno!” whether the situation calls for it or not.

And that, I think, is progress.

I’ve made my peace with the fact that the kids don’t have to love every minute that we spend in Paderno.   Even if they are counting down the days until we return to Iowa, I hope that this trip has a lasting impact on them.

Perhaps it will take many years for me to see this impact.  Maybe it will be when Cate decides to learn French in high school or Ben decides to study abroad in China.  Maybe they will be less afraid to try new things or meet new people. 

And that outcome is worth waiting for, even if it takes 10 years.

This is how we roll...in Italy

Everything is smaller in Italy.

The shower is smaller.  Our kitchen sink is smaller.  The washing machine holds fewer clothes.

The packages of grapes sold in the supermarket are smaller.  Even the yogurt containers are smaller, and we’ve been buying our beer in 3-packs.

Nothing here seems to be supersized.

Nothing, that is, except for our mode of transportation.

A rental car is provided to faculty members as part of the compensation package.  Due to our large family size, I anticipated that we would end up with a large station wagon or a small minivan.

Instead we ended up with what is essentially the Italian version of the 1980’s conversion van.  It seats nine. And since everyone in Italy drives a tiny Fiat or Peugeot, our van is noticeably, conspicuously big. 

Every time Chris backs out of our tiny garage---a garage in which said van barely fits—I can’t help but laugh as the size of this thing is simultaneously embarrassing and hilarious. 

Our Week in Pictures

The taxi ride from Venice to Paderno

 Lemon soda at Pizzeria del Sole

 

 View from my bedroom window

 Our patio with Mt. Grappa in the background

 Swinging at the park near our apartment

Cece McGee wakes up to enjoy the Italian outdoors