January 22 2017

Thursday I met Andrea at our favorite little tea shop. There were cookie samples!

I finally got my christmas package from my grandparents! My grandma sent me her collection of Pocket Stories, which she has just published! She also has a blog where she publishes her stories if anyone is interested in reading!
http://pocketstories-kcoskran.blogspot.it/ 

Friday was my third rugby practice. The ages of the girls range from 15 to 23. It's a seven's team so the game is much faster, and I think the girls generally have more experience than my teammates back at home. The practices have been difficult after over four months with out playing rugby. In addition to being physically difficult it has been hard to mentally catch up and find my place on the field.
 The most important thing is that the girls are super nice and welcoming. Every friday they eat together. This particular practice it was also the coach's birthday, so we had cake after practice (I know, a little counter productive).

Saturday, Dorottya from Hungary flew in early for Anna's birthday. Her and Anna did a direct, short exchange two years ago. Anna went to Hungary for a month, And Dorottya came to Sicily for a month.

We had sometime after picking up Dorottya from the airport so we went to Taormina because neither me or Dorottya had seen it before. It Is a beautiful little town on the hills by the ocean.

The main street.

Zio Aldo found a cat friend.

I though this arc was really pretty.

Taormina.

We went to the greek amphitheater. It is the second largest after the one in Siracusa. The view of the ocean was beautiful, but I thought the one in Siracusa was prettier.

After a chill afternoon Anna, Dorottya and I met up with friends for dinner. One of the interesting things about living in a small town in Sicily is that the groups of friends are very solid and close. In my opinion, in Minneapolis, people usually have a group of close friends, but because of the constant movement with in the schools and greater access to after school activities there are more off-shoot groups. Both situations have some pros and cons.

When people have only one group of very close friends, there is a lot more consistency and reliability. As a pro, groups in Ragusa rent out spaces to hang out in, kind of like a clubhouse (which is where we hung out last night). With a larger group each person pays about 10 euro a month. I don't think this would work as well in Minneapolis because the groups are much more fluid and there wouldn't be the same reliability. The con to have such solid groups of friends is that if there are problems or falling outs, there are not many options or places to go. After a life time of developing different groups, its really hard to integrate yourself into a new group. In Minneapolis, there is a lot more flexibility and opportunities to join different groups.

After coming home, Anna, Martina Dorottya and I all slept down stairs in Anna's apartment. This is a picture of what was laid out for breakfast. I grabbed granola from upstairs to mix with yogurt, but of course when you have access to pistacchio cream you have too eat some of that as well.  Even despite my best effort to stay active and eat healthy I have gained about ten pounds. 

While the U.S has been concentrated on the Inauguration, Italy has been anxiously watching a different event unfold. Italy has been experiencing many snowstorms, and to make matters worse, earthquakes. On the 19th an earthquake caused an avalanche that almost completely covered a mountain hotel, Hotel Rigopiano. From what I have pieced together from the news updates and the articles online, around 30 people were inside the hotel during the avalanche. Two men were outside, one trying to get medicine for his wife from the car, and were able to contact help. After two days of intense work (The only way rescue crews could arrive was on skis!) six people have been found dead, and eleven have been rescued, including all four children who were in the hotel. Around 23 people remain inside and contact has been made with at least a few. Everyone is still hoping for the best. Please send positive thoughts to Italy!