Palermo!

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO PALERMO! 
Palermo is where my family is from in Sicily.  In fact, there is the "Piazza Ballarò" that is home to the famous Ballaro Market (Mercato Ballarò), and I had made it my mission to finally see it after years of hearing about it.  After an hour and a half bus ride, Bill and I arrived in Palermo only to find out that we were on the opposite side of the city as the Ballaro Market.  Who knew!  Thankfully, the city was not a New York or DC, so we made it to the other side in a good amount of time and got to get a glimpse of the whole city on our way.

We ran into the Teatro Massimo, which is Palermo's opera house.  I expected it to be impressive (I mean, we ARE in Italy), but this...was HUGE AND INCREDIBLE.  Massimo.  Bill and I wanted to go in, but unfortunately they were only holding guided tours Tuesday through Saturday (of course), so we did our best by walking all the way around it and checking out whatever we could.  We are now determined to be hired to sing there one day.  We put it on our list.

Today we are packing to finally go back to the US!  We will miss it here very much- people have been so welcoming and kind, and the weather is gorgeous.  This has truly been a trip of a lifetime and in the meantime, we have even become comfortable linguistically and culturally.  That was the goal!  All of our expectations and hopes have certainly been met, and now we cannot wait to come back home and tell all of you about our great experiences.
Ciao for now :)
Aubry and Bill

New friends!

Bill and I have spent yesterday and today with our new group of friends from the high school in Trapani.  Yesterday we planned to have dinner with them...little did we know, "dinner" meant not our normal 5:30-6:00, but 9:15pm.  Shocker.  We were a little hungry.  However, we went to a great pizzeria with them and ordered some amazing pizza...the best we've had so far.  After dinner, they took us for a walk to an ice cream shop.  They ordered some AMAZING ice cream for us and we were so excited to be trying something new!  Then they took us to a pub nearby (this is common to do after dinner..."dinner, a walk, the pub, sleep").  They were so welcoming and insisted on paying for EVERYTHING the entire night.  Bill and I didn't spend a penny.  So nice!  We had lots of fun, although, only one of them really knows how to speak English, so our Italian is being forced to improve.

Today they took us to the "saline" which was absolutely breathtaking.  The saline is the place where salt is collected from small pools of ocean water that evaporate.  They took us there right at sunset, so the reflection on the pools of the islands and the sky was incredible.  Since it was a little chilly, they then took us back into town to get some cioccolata calda italiana (Italian hot chocolate).  We thought, "Okay, hot chocolate...that will be nice.  It's something we have at home, but whatever."  Boy were we wrong.  This was truly "hot chocolate."  It was chocolate and cream melted and covered with whipped cream and some kind of chocolate candy.  SO DELICIOUS.  We're going to try to re-create it at home.

During hot chocolate, they asked us if they could make dinner for us on Tuesday at our apartment in exchange for American Brownies.  Funny what other cultures think is great.  Something that we think of as nothing special, they think is absolutely wonderful.  So, we agreed and since our apartment has no oven, our friend Martina is going to take the batter over to her Grandmother's house nearby.  That will be a sight!
Our friends are great and they have offered their homes to us the next time we visit.  Their parents were even upset that they didn't ask us to stay with them sooner so that we wouldn't have to stay in the apartment alone and spend money.  How wonderful!  We are most certainly blessed and this trip has been more than we could have hoped for.

Dinner with the Iozzia's!

It's been awhile since we've updated, and boy do we have a lot to share!
Yesterday we started off our day with a trip to a nearby town of Segesta with Alberto.  In Segesta, there are ruins that are some of the oldest in Europe.  When you go there you are not even allowed to take a rock or pebble (but since nobody was looking....haha just kidding.  We didn't really take anything).  Two of the most impressive things that we saw were the temple and the theatre.  The temple was so old that nobody even knows who it was built for, but they suspect that it was built for Zeus.  The theatre sat 3,000 people at one time and was quite the sight!  Imagine being surrounded by the beautiful mountains and countryside of Sicily while singing art song...how wonderful.

After we had taken our time in Segesta, we went with Alberto to pick up what are known to be the best cannoli in Italy.  Boy were they delicious!  From there we headed to his house to meet his family!
Since Alberto's mother and grandmother do not speak English, we were forced to speak Italian (which was a good thing!).  We watched an American  movie (which was nice) and then once Alberto's sister Paola's friend Claudio arrived, we began eating dinner!  Alberto's mom served us such a beautiful meal...we were so happy to be in a home with a wonderful family.

After dinner, we had the great honor of watching none other than some home videos and helping Paola with her English homework!  It was a great evening.
Later on, Paola and Claudio took us out to hang out with their classmates.  Everyone was so welcoming and we had a fantastic time!

Tonight we have plans with some of the students that we met last week.  Can't wait to meet some new friends!

Best. Day. Ever.

...Well...so far, at least.  Today we were "kidnapped" again by Alberto!  Yay!  This time he took us to his old high school and to the famous Erice!
Going to the high school was so interesting and really fun.  The students are in classes just like we have, but they stay with the same people in their classroom all four years of high school and the teachers go room to room instead of the students.  We went into the classroom in which Alberto's mentor from high school was teaching that class period and the students were so wonderful and eager to ask us questions!  Our favorite question that was asked was, "Do you really have cheerleaders?  And the prom?"  So funny.  They were also shocked when we told them the cost of our college tuition...as they should be.  They think it's ridiculous and so do we!
After talking with them for awhile and giving a few of them our number (haha), we went onto another class.  This time, we were asked to sing!  Imagine that.  We sang a few things and it was fun.  That's what we study for anyway.  After singing, we answered a few more questions (all in Italian, mind you...Alberto was VERY impressed by our comprehension skills and how much they have improved.  Yay!) and then left with Alberto to go to Erice!
Erice is the mountain that is located just outside of Trapani that overlooks the sea.  We saw beautiful castles and the countryside...we also ate in a local tavern where the woman who was serving us gave us cookies (the ones that my Grandma makes that I haven't had in a very long time...fig cookies with sprinkles) and a taste of their wine.
We're running out of time...we have to go pick up a new camera for me before the store closes, but we will update again tomorrow with anything that we missed!

Adventure to Marsala!

Yesterday Bill and I took a day trip to the nearby town of Marsala.  We took the train from Trapani (although we missed the first one...gave us a good opportunity to work ourselves out of a mess by using our Italian!) and had a great half an hour ride to our destination.  Or so we thought.  We got off at our stop and for some reason, a policeman told us to get back on the train.  Why?  Who knows.  I think that he thought that we got off at the wrong stop (stupid Americans), but NO!  We knew what we were doing...he just screwed everything up.  That just shows you that you can't trust anybody.  Even middle-aged Italian men who look like your relatives.  Anyway.  We got on the train and the train attendant took our tickets, and looked at us like we were crazy.  He asked us if we knew that Marsala was the stop that we had just passed by and we replied that we did.  That confused him even more. 
Although he was confused, he was very helpful and told us to get off at the next stop and that the next train that would be coming would be ours.  We did what he said, hoping that he was right, and sure enough, a train came within a half an hour and we were back on our way to Marsala!  Once the train stopped, we BOLTED out (just in case any other crazy poilicemen told us to get back in the train again) and started our adventure!
When we first got there, we thought it was not much to see, but when we finally got into the heart of the city it was just as beautiful as we had hoped!  While walking around and exploring, an old woman stopped us and started speaking rapid Sicilan to us (we have mostly heard standard Italian when people speak to us, so this TOTALLY threw us off), and asked us if we were brother and sister.  We replied that we were just friends and then she started speaking quickly again and we didn't comprehend anything that she was saying  from then on.  After she was done with her monologue, she shook our hands and told us to have a good holiday (even though the holiday season just ended).  That made us laugh.

While exploring, we found some great Cathedrals and shrines...each more beautiful than the last.  We also found this stunning garden that was once a military quarter for the Spanish.  We explored the city until the sun set, and on our way out of town, we visited the local wine shop.  The woman working there was the sweetest ever and helped us find a great wine from Marsala (they're known especially for their wine), while keeping us on our budget.  She and a family who was also in the shop were extremely helpful and friendly, explaining to us what the wine goes well with.  Although we had been speaking in Italian the entire time, the wife of the family started explaining things to us in English (she was clearly proud of her English-speaking skills!).  It was adorable.  The woman from the wine shop then let us all try some of their delicious dessert wine and after we checked out, gave us some pistachio truffles for home.  That visit completely made our night!

Although the day was wonderful, we only have a few photos because my camera broke that afternoon.  Of course.  Today's mission: get a new camera before we go to Erice and Palermo later this week!

Messa in Italia!

This morning Bill and I woke up bright and early to go to mass...yay!  We are so lucky that our apartment is really close to the big Cathedral in town...it is beautiful.  Mass was really wonderful- it is so great to see such a unity between the Catholic Church everywhere.  Even though I didn't understand quite a bit of what the priest was saying, I still knew exactly what was going on and even learned a few new vocab words because mass all around the world is the same!  Incredible.  (Although, everything was a little more grandiose here...they used insense whenever possible and there were 6 servers.  One even brought the priest a glass of water in the middle of mass.  Haha you wouldn't see that in the US!) The only part that was difficult for me to understand was the homily because that is, of course, different with every service and priest.  However, it was a very interactive mass and homily and the priest even asked Bill and I a question during his homily.  When we didn't respond right away, he asked if we were Italian and when we said no, we are American, he went on with his homily to say that "...and the Americans are children of God!"  We thought that was funny.
Later on in the mass when the priest lifted up the prayers of the people, he went around the Cathedral and asked certain people if they had any prayer requests.  And guess who he asked on our part of the Cathedral?  That's right...the Americani. 
Anyway.  I thought mass was really wonderful and inspiring...faith is so universal. 
Now Bill and I have just bought train tickets to Marsala for tomorrow!  We can't wait to see a new city, and you can bet we'll be adding some new pictures!

Rained out...or in...

Today Bill and I finally were able to go outside and enjoy Sicily again.  Yesterday we woke up to thunder and lots of rain, and as soon as we went outside, it started hailing.  SO, we decided to make it a day where we stayed in.  We decided to go buy a movie and g to a local pizzeria to get some dinner.  While we were there waiting for our pizza, the owner started talking to us (in Italian!) about where we were from in America and how he just loved Philly and New York.  This is exactly the kind of experience we had hoped for!  We got to practice our Italian speaking and comprehension since this man didn't know any English.
Speaking of ordering food, we are slowly but surely becoming naturals at living the Sicilian lifestyle.  We have no problems getting meals from the local bakery (like we did for lunch today) and are loving getting to know the people while doing so.
Although we are loving the Sicilian culture, we couldn't help but stop at the local burger place for dinner the night before last.  However, these burgers are not like you and I know them to be.  When you get tomatoes on your burger here, you literally get cherry tomatoes cut in half on your burger.  The roll is also very Italian...way too big and takes away from the taste of the burger itself.  Oh well.  It was a good try. (Bill and I are also dying for a cup of coffee...coffee like we have in America...not espresso.  I've also been craving Buffalo Wings like it's nobody's business.  It's funny what you realize you rely on when it's out of reach.)
After eating our "burger," walking down main street, and doing a little bit of shopping, we came across a concert that was being held in the town center.  They were performing vocal and instrumental Christmas music...what a treat!
Our plans for the next few days include taking a bus or train to the nearby towns of Marsala and Palermo. And we are still anxiously awaiting dinner with Alberto's family!

Kidnapped by Alberto: Day 1

Bill and I woke up at the painful hour of 8:30 this morning to a text from none other than our great friend, Alberto!!
He picked us up outside of our apartment, greeting us with oranges and lemons from his home, and took us to the other side of town and the countryside.  As he was driving, I don't think there was one minute of silence.  He made sure to give us all of the historical facts...especially the facts about the Americans destroying one of their theatres in WWII by bombings...oops. 
Our first stop was the fish market where Alberto tried to pretend to be an English speaker so that the vendors wouldn't bother him haha.  Everything that we saw was fresh as of that morning and some of it was still living!  It was absolutely incredible.  We will definitely go back and take pictures for you to see.
Next we stopped at his house in the country which was magnificent...unlike anything I've ever seen.  He then took us to a cafe/bakery nearby to treat us to our first breakfast of espresso and cornetto (YUM). 

On our way back into town, we stopped to pick up his cousin Vittorio.  The four of us took a pit stop in a comic store and then went to a bakery to pick up lunch!  To my surprise and delight, I saw lots of desserts there that I have seen in my own kitchen at home!  Alberto had us try spingi (which is common in the Hagadorn and Ballaro households) and it tastes exactly the same here as it does at home...cool!  I also saw some cookies that my Grandma Preteroti used to make, but I can't remember what they are called.  All in all, it was neat to see that our recipies have not been "Americanized" in the slightest.

We took our lunch of carbs carbs carbs back home and I couldn't even finish 1/4 of it.  Everything is SO heavy.  Pictured above is our meal...at the very top is a sandwich of chick-pea patties, to the left is a risotto ball stuffed with veggies and meat, and to the very right are olives cooked in dough.  DELICIOSO!
So that was day number 1 with Alberto- can't wait to see what he has in store for us next!  We have the coolest TA ever...

How to handle a roach...

That's right...a roach.  They have those here too.  AND THEY ARE HUGE!
(and Bill was very brave...and NOT too scared to pick up the couch.  Hahaha...ha.)
We got home to find a friendly visitor that had a few too many legs for Bill and I to be comfortable with.  While we tried to lure it out of our apartment with crackers and nutella (haha...don't laugh at us!), it found its way under the couch and has "disappeared."  Out of sight, out of mind, right? 

Although the roach was an exciting part of our night, I'd say that meeting up with Alberto (our Italian Teacher's Asssistant in Oberlin) and his Dad was pretty great too!  WE FINALLY FOUND HIM!  He and his dad are SO funny and are a very educational duo.  Alberto has promised to "kidnap" us for a few days (should we be worried?  Nah.) and has told us that his mother and grandmother are already putting plans together for their true Sicilian meal that we will be sure to enjoy later on in our trip.
In other news, we visited a museum that was located in an old church yesterday.  It was dedicated to the Lenten  festival/processional that the "Trapanese" have every year where they parade around town with huge statues of the stations of the cross.  It was pretty amazing...and we even got to sign a little book at the end with our names and where we were from! 
So despite our friend the roach, yesterday was another great day in Sicily!

Sunny Italy

Hi everybody!
Today Bill and I finally woke up at a decent time...9:52am!  I think our bodies are finally adjusting to the time zone.  We started the morning with walking in Trapani's "central park."  It was nice and full of busts of late composers and presidents of the mafia...just like America, right?

(Sorry it's turned the wrong way...these silly Italian computers are confusing us)

Later on, we ordered a delicious lunch of spaghetti al pomodoro (mine) and risotto con i funghi (Bill's).  It was wonderful.  Then we got some fresh fruit from a local vendor and headed back home because everything closes from 1pm-about 4pm, unlike the US.

It is warm and sunny here today and we are really enjoying it!
Our next destination is an old church that we've been eyeing lately that has been turned into some kind of museum...

à domani!

Auguri!

...Whatever that means.
Happy New Year from Sicily, everybody!  Yesterday Bill and I had a wonderful day.  We woke up and walked down to the harbor where we ordered and ate our first gelato (which was nothing short of delicious).  Later on, we found the shopping center that we posted about in our last blog, and to pick up where we left off, we DID order our first meal in Italian!  Hooray!

 
We went to a family-owned pizzeria that had the most delicious pizza and antipasti that you could imagine.  However, we ordered more than we could handle, I think.  Everything was really rich and heavy and we almost had to be rolled out of the place.

As we were paying for our food, we got to talking with the owners and they were so friendly (a trend that seems to be setting itself for us here).  They gave us a free map (like we need more of those...) and talked to us about America and their family that they have there.  Overall, it was a successful night of food, shopping, and half Italian speaking.
Our next plan was to find our way towards the New Years festivities.  However, a bunch of teenagers with extremely loud and threatening firecrackers threw us off of our path.  People were throwing these EVERYWHERE and we even thought that they were going to be thrown at us at one point (scary!).  As we were heading home, more and more shady characters started showing up and so, with no New Years festivities to be found, we called it a day and watched Kathy Griffin until we fell asleep.  Disappointing.
Today we got off to a late start, as usual.  I don't think we have gotten over our jet lag yet, but we are planning on taking on the day tomorrow at 10am!