February 24 2016

Group photo from friday night in Siracusa

Monday, for lunch, Nonna made scoccia and focaccia! 

With everyone visiting, we called Frida, the other exchange student who lived with Giovanella last year.

Tuesday morning I made pancakes. Pia, Anna's sister, in the background.  

We spent the day at Marina di Ragusa.

It didn't feel like February 21st.

Pia, is an amazing gymnast, so after I took a ton of photos for her she offered to take one for me.

Wednesday we went sailing in Siracusa. In Minneapolis I spend almost the whole summer on my friends little sale boat on the lake, and it's something I've been missing a lot. 

Unfortunately near the end of the voyage both me and Pia felt a little seasick. But during the first half we had a good time. She taught me German and I taught her American Sign Language. 

Thursday morning instead of going to school (Which I had only gone to Monday), I went upstairs to learn how to make ravioli from Nonna. She made the pasta, I sat and watched and we talked. I learned much more than I ever would have at school.

The ravioli! This is just one of the many batches. By the end of the ordeal the whole kitchen was covered in trays of pasta.

In addition to the ravioli, Nonna made small little pastas to take to her brother. She used a very traditional method and materials passed down from her grandmother. She would take the pasta dough and twirl little pieces onto thin rods. She would then role the rods along the ladder-like contraption to give them a swirling pattern.

The finished product.

Don't worry! It's not my arm. Thursday evening I went with Perry to the tattoo parlor. She got a beautiful outline of Sicily on her wrist. As soon as we walked into the room I was more nervous than she was. Half way through, Perry's friend Francesca ask me if I was okay because I had been anxiously hovering over Perry's shoulder, fiddling with her hair, and observing the whole process.

This morning I went with Perry to the bus station to see her off. It was a nice one week visit.