Back in the U.S. of A.

I'm back home now, just posting some final photos online at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=83185&id=697459212&l=cc5d3d1810

I miss the kids terribly. Trying to get back into life here, which is intense since we have an upcoming move to Chicago. (For those who don't know, I am starting my Master of Divinity this fall at Meadville Lombard, where I was recently awarded a full-tuition scholarship.) The new adventure is amazing and I am so grateful for all of it, but planning a move back to a big city is starting to make me hyperventilate a bit. And of course, it's keeping my mind off of India, which is good and bad, I guess. No huge emotional breakdowns...yet. But like I said, I am missing the kids like crazy. It's hard to feel my way through it because nobody here knows the kids. To everyone here - even Matt - they're just little brown children in photos. The pictures can't convey their perfect personalities or the depth of love I feel for them. It's this really foreign world that has suddenly become very personal to me, and I think that's what makes this transition hard.

Hoping to start compiling my thoughts and journals into a book this week - I'm sure that will help me to process everything. In the meantime, I'm going to wait by the phone for the girls to call me from India. (I left them with my cell phone, which I loaded with 1000 minutes so they can call me whenever they want. I jump for joy every time they call.) And I'll keep thinking of them and praying for them and sending all the love I got out to the subcontinent so they know I'm still there....

More New Pics of the World's Cutest Kids

Just added about a dozen more photos to the link below, so click it again to check them out!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75875&id=697459212&l=9f3fe88242

Thirty is definitely the new black!

So I celebrated my 30th birthday last weekend with a full-blown party. It was probably the biggest party I have ever had, being that about 140 guests were in attendance (most of them under the age of 16, but whatev). It was amazing and spectacular and I have never felt so loved - not just by the kids, but also by the wonderful letters and cards I received from my friends and family back home. Thirty is totally rad!

I met two new friends at my birthday party. One of them is a friend of a friend from Florida, and she lives here in Hyderabad! Small world... She and her roommate were sweet enough to come to the shindig AND to invite me to spend this weekend at their super snazzy apartment in Hi-Tech City - which is where I am now. Pizza, wine, and hot showers, oh my! They are fabulous girls and I am psyched to be embarking on a girlie weekend with the ladie of H-bad. So I will keep this short and go get my groove on with the girls. In the meantime, here are a few pics of the birthday festivities... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=75875&id=697459212&l=9f3fe88242

Wish you were here!

Love to all,
Mae

Donations Needed for Summer Fun!

Dear friends and family,

Some of you have already received my email about this, so if that's the case, please disregard this. And if you have sent me a donation, THANK YOU. I cannot tell you how much the kids and I appreciate it.

For those of you who haven't gotten my email, I am requesting small donations that will go towards fun summer activities and treats for the 120 children at the home. Their summer holidays begin in just a couple of weeks, so it would be nice to be able to do some special activities with them during their break from school. If you are able to donate just $5 or $10, I will use it towards supplying the kids with special treats that they don't normally get to enjoy, like ice cream, trips to the zoo and the cinema, and hopefully even a visit to Snow World (a theme park dedicated entirely to snow!) or Ramoji Film City (India's Universal Studios). By Indian standards, these theme parks are very spendy, but at only about $5 American per child, it's quite a bargain compared to our theme parks in the U.S.!

I know the economy is terrible right now and I'm sure you are hesitant to give away anything during such tough times, which is quite understandable. But if you would like to contribute any small amount, you can be sure I will put it to good use helping the kids to have some fun and memorable times. If you are willing and able to contribute, you can use Paypal to send the donation directly to the email address homemaed@gmail.com . I will be able to access the donations quickly and easily so that the kids can start enjoying the benefits of your generosity right away. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you all are enjoying the arrival of spring!

Love from India,Mae

Subcontinental Homesick Blues

Well, I'm experiencing some major homesickness this week, so feel free to drop me a line if you have time - I know it would help to hear how everyone is back at home. I just discovered today that you have been posting comments here, so I just now saw them all for the first time! So it's probably better if you email me directly at my gmail account to make sure I actually see your message.

I visited another Child Haven home in Tamil Nadu this week, and that certainly contributed to my homesickness. Going to the airport and boarding a plane that wasn't heading home was a bit sad, and also, it was rough to uproot myself again, even if only for a few days. I am just now getting comfortable at my home-away-from-home in Hyderabad, so it was disorienting to go to a whole new place and start all over. Needless to say, I was very happy to return, and I was overjoyed to see "my" kids again! The children in Tamil Nadu are also great, of course, but I missed all of our little buggers like crazy!

I was also just plain glad to make it back to H-bad safe and sound, as I was entirely convinced the whole time in Tamil Nadu that I was going to die of a scorpion or snake bite. I know, I know, I am so paranoid, but several people had told me they run rampant there, so I was terrified! (For the record, I didn't see any of either variety!) However, at one point, my rear-end started burning like crazy in one concentrated spot, as though something had stung me. I rushed to my room and used a handmirror to check it out (gag), only to see a big red welt! Well, I was sure that this was it, and my wonderful life was over. I ran to the nurse so she could check, and she was busy nursing her baby. So I sat with her, feigning patience, while she finished nursing and proceeded to powder the baby head-to-toe, apply ink marks to the baby (for identification purposes in case the baby is ever taken), dress the baby, and put her down for a nap. The whole time I just knew that the venom was seeping into my veins and suffocating me from within, but I just smiled and waited. When she finally looked at my snow-white bottom, she assured me that it was not an insect bite but had been caused by the heat, which is merciless and humid in Tamil Nadu. Thank Shiva! She patched it up for me and I went to lie down for a bit. But about an hour later, I was suddenly very dizzy and disoriented, thirsty beyond all recognition, and nauseous. This time I knew beyond all shadow of a doubt that death had me in its claws! Surely she had misdiagnosed me and the terrible venom was slowly poisoning me. So wouldn't you know, I just burst into sobbing wails in front of everyone! Two lovely older ladies who were volunteers there took me to their room to mother me for a bit, and the nurse was beckoned once again. She was adamant that it was not an insect bite, and it was suggested that I was dehydrated. Well, if you know me, you know that I am constantly drinking water, and that is no different over here, so I thought this couldn't be the case. But then the nurse brought to my attention the fact that I haven't been ingesting much salt (they don't put it in the food often here) and I was sweating like a wildebeest in the humidity. Turns out she was right. After some electrolytes, two liters of water, and a nice sleep, I felt like a million bucks. Hooray for not dying!

Speaking of being terrified... two nights ago on of our girls suddenly felt that she was being possessed by an evil spirit. Unfortunately, no one came to get me, so I did not bear witness to all of this, but I heard many accounts of it from children and staff the next day. Apparently, this happens every so often with some of the girls. She says all she could see was red and she couldn't even see her own reflection in the mirror! She was apparently saying that she was the devil and wanted to die, and she was trying to run away to hurl herself into a well. Scary, no? Poor girl was so shaken all day yesterday. The western-style doctor came and blamed it on - what do you know? - dehydration, but that seems like pretty extreme behavior to come as a result of dehydration. The staff all believe she really was possessed, however, and because the girl is Christian, they called the parish priest to come by for an exorcism! So Father Sebastian roared into the yard yesterday afternoon, an old Indian man with white hair and a long white priest's robe, riding a shiny red motorcycle painted with the word "Pleasure" on the side! (I couldn't make this up if I tried.) All the children were gathered for a special prayer and blessing. I was a bit squeamish at first since most of our children are NOT Christian, and it is very important to Child Haven that we honor every child's religion, but Father Sebastian opened the prayer by calling to God by all his names (Allah, Shiva, Yahweh, Jesus, etc.) and saying that all are one God, so we can each pray to our own God and know that they are all one. I really appreciated that, especially coming from a Catholic priest! He also read a passage from the Bible (in Telugu) and later explained to me that it was about washing away impurities in the soul. Well, this was incredibly ironic, because just as he finished, the septic tank pumping truck rolled into the yard to pump out our tank! Ha! Talk about impurities.... Anyway, after the prayer and the reading, he splashed Holy Water on all the children, with a special focus on the troubled girl, and into each of the children's rooms in the building. I think it made all the children feel a bit less fearful of what had happened, so if it eases their minds to call on God, I say more power to them. I certainly don't know enough about the mysterious powers of the universe to say what really happened - dehydration, depression, or possession - but we should try everything to get the girl feeling better.

Well, that's the bulk of the excitement coming to you live from India. It took my about three hours to write this and to post the pics (below) due to a power outage at the internet cafe. Power outages happen every day here, which is a bit of the pain, but it's teaching me some good Indian-style patience. So go back and read this all again and be sure to savor every word since it was such a pain in my heat-rashed behind to accomplish this!

Lots of love,
Mae

PS - Posted more pics - a lot this time, and they are even rotated properly! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=64840&id=697459212&l=ee6a4

PPS - Just taught the kids to sing "What a Wonderful World!" It is awesome and I will video it to post here soon. That's right, I'm bringing a little Louis Armstrong to the subcontinent! Rock on!

Trying to post more photos, but it takes such a ridiculously long time, so there are only a few here, and two of them I could not get to rotate! Sorry about that, but here they are: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=64840&id=697459212&l=ee6a4

Will try to upload more again soon!

Still feeling much more tired than in real life. I think I am having trouble adapting to the pollution and dust and heat. It was 100 degrees yesterday and it is still considered cool winter weather! Other than that, things are good. I just started a creative writing project with the kids to help them with their English writing skills. Should be interesting! Some are quite good with their English, others speak almost none (even though they are schooled in it). Yesterday just before the school bus came, one of the second grade girls showed me a two-rupee coin she had. I asked, "What will you purchase with it?" Blank stare. So I said, "What will you buy with your two rupees?" "Money," she exclaimed. "Yes, I know it is money, but what will you spend it on?" "Yes!" she said, and ran for the bus. Like I said, the creative writing project should be interesting....

I am going to visit another Child Haven home at Kaliyampoondi next week for a few days. It is in the southernmost state of India, Tamil Nadu. Their home is huge - 250 kids! Will be interesting to see how it compares to the home I'm at. But I'm a bit nervous - apparently, I need to be careful of snakes and scorpions at this home. Yikes!

The kids had a huge dance show at their school last week. It lasted over four hours! Not your typical American Christmas pageant! It was wonderful - they all worked so hard on their dances, and their costumes were amazing. Photos weren't coming out too good, but I am going to try to video one of the small children doing his dance, because it is pretty much the greatest thing I have ever seen!

Gotta run for now. Be well!

Getting into the Rhythm of Life

I know I haven't been blogging too often, and unfortunately, that probably won't change. Internet access is limited and rather slow, so it's hard to find the opportunity. But I am keeping a very detailed daily journal, and I may try to compile it into a book upon my return, if I am feeling particularly ambitious! We'll see....

For now, I will say that I am just now getting into the flow of things here. Just two days after I arrived at the home, Bonnie-ma came, so all was especially busy with her visit. And unfortunately, the busy-ness of that led to my getting quite sick for the past two weeks. I think it was just a throat infection, but when combined with the jet lag and extreme change of environment, it left me extremely exhausted for two weeks! Terrible! I felt so awful, just languishing in bed every day, unable to play with the children. I have started to feel better just the past couple of days, and I hope I stay healthy for the rest of my stay in India.

All the resting time did afford me the opportunity to make Valentines for all the children, which was nice. My hand was quite sore after cutting out 125 pink hearts with a pair of sub-standard Indian scissors! I tried my best to make sure I spelled every child's name right on their Valentine (with names like Parmeshwari and Hanumanthu, this is not an easy task!), and I think I had about a 95% success rate. The kids were thrilled with the Valentines! The older boys all hung them on the wall in their room, and some others put them into their diaries. I think it is quite rare that they receive anything that is personalized since there are so many of them, so this was a special treat. I always loved Valentine's Day as a school child, because I thought the exchange of Valentines was so much fun! I thought it would be nice to share that with the kids here, who otherwise would not have had any type of Valentine's Day celebration (even though V-Day is a holiday here in India).

I've also had loads of reading time during my recovery, during which I read Obama's "Dreams from My Father" and Elisabeth Bumiller's "May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons," both quite good. I also read "The Mermaid Chair," which I did not like at all, despite loving "The Secret Life of Bees." But as Matt always teases me about, I read it to the end anyway! (Once I start a book, I am simply unable to stop, in the hopes that a bad one will redeem itself by the end. Usually doesn't happen, but I never learn my lesson!)

Because of being sick and having Bonnie-ma's special visit, today was only the second morning that I woke up with the children. At 5am, a VERY loud school bell goes off for about 60 seconds throughout the home, followed by about 5 minutes of VERY loud Hindi music! It is still pitch-black outside and quite cool at that time. All the kids brush their teeth right away and then assemble for morning prayer (which incorporates all the children's religions). Then, the boys head outside to do some morning exercises. It was fun to join them, and I plan to make it a regular habit, although next time, I will wear something more practical than my nightgown! After the exercise, we all head in for hot, fresh soy milk, which is prepared each morning at the home. Delicious! I asked one of the girls if they also did exercises, and she giggled and said to me (as though it were so obvious), "No, sister! We girls have to do our hair!" Silly me.

I am very happy to finally be getting into the rhythm of things here and hope I will stay good and healthy now! If you have a moment to send me some mental wishes for health, I'm sure your positive energy will do me a lot of good!

Hope all are well!

Love from the subcontinent,
Mae

My first days at the home!

My first several days at the home have been everything I could have hoped for. Upon arriving last Friday, I was greeted individually by 130 beautiful children, each offering me a warmhearted "Good evening, sister!" along with the biggest smiles I have ever seen. That alone was just amazing. The children then swarmed around me - holding my hands, touching my necklace and earrings ("Very nice, sister!"), asking me about my moles and freckles, and all telling me their names at once! Not an easy task to learn 130 Hindi/Telugu names, most of which have 3 or 4 syllables and are entirely foreign to me, but I'm doing okay. Eleven days in, and I think I know about 3/4 of them. I am trying so hard to learn them quickly, because the children constantly ask if I know their names and are crestfallen when I don't!

My first night here, all the children sang me a welcome song during their daily prayer meeting. Each night they all chant a very, very long Sanskrit prayer that is inclusive of all religions. It is of utmost importance to the founders of Child Haven that every child's religion be respected, which is one of the things that drew me here. I love learning about their beliefs! And they are amazing to be able to recite these long prayers. As it is, they are all trilingual, speaking Hindi, English, and Telugu (the mother tongue of Andhra Pradesh, which is the state this particular home is located in). They work so hard, attending school six days a week and having lots of study time once they get home every day.

I think the most incredible thing for me so far has not only been the overwhelming love the children have so freely given to me, but also their joy for life. I have worked many years of my life with children in some capacity or another, and these children are by far the happiest I have ever seen. What a testament to simple living! They have so relatively little but have hearts full of joy! And they are so grateful to be at Child Haven. They are all either orphans or have been brought to the home by their destitute families, and Child Haven provides them with food, shelter, and quality schooling until they are old enough to succeed on their own. Child Haven was founded by Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino (Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa to the kids), who insist that the home be run according to Ghandian principles. Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa are not only parents to all the children (as well as about 1,000 others in seven other homes around India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Tibet), but they are also their heroes! Bonnie-ma visits every home four times a year - an arduous task for a woman in her seventies, but she is a bundle of energy, love, and commitment. She was at our home in Hyderabad a few days ago, and the children were over the moon to see her! They prepared special dances and songs for her, which were so beautiful to see.

One of my favorite things about the children is their affectionate nature - familiarity with me is instant, and they always want to hold hands or just cuddle. And boy, do I love hugs! This is definitely the place for me!

For those who don't know, I will be living at the home until early May. I have my own room, which is very luxurious considering that the children must sleep about 25 to a room so that Bonnie-ma and Fred-pa can care for as many of them as possible. I also have my own bathroom attached, which is taking a bit of getting used to! They have squat toilets here, which are essentially just holes in the ground. (My thighs are going to be in great shape after a few months of this!) And showering is a matter of filling a bucket with water from the the spicket and dumping it over myself! Not quite what I am used to, but very effective! I take all of my meals with the children, which usually means some form of rice and dal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is very tasty but a bit messy for me, as it is all eaten by hand (right-hand only) while sitting on the floor. The children do this much better than me, but I am getting better! It's a bit new for me to have spicy food and rice for breakfast, but I am tolerating it quite well so far. And I am loving the chai and soya milk, which is made directly from soybeans right in the home! Of course, I can only drink bottled or boiled water, as the tap water here is filled with bacteria that could kill a person whose body is not accustomed to it. But so far, I am dining like a king! Everyone said I would lose weight in India, but I'm not so sure - I can only eat about half as much as the children, and still, I am always stuffed! However, just yesterday some of the women here were saying I was looking thin - "not so much fat as before, sister" - and that I needed to eat more or else my husband would be very disappointed when I go home! Ha!

I will try to update my blog as often as possible because I have so much to tell! But internet access is very limited, so I will do what I can and let you use your imaginations to fill in the rest.... Hope all are well! Love from India!

Ah, the children!

My first few days at the home have been AMAZING. I feel so much love and warmth from all the children, who call me "Sister." I have so many details to share with everyone, but I have spent all my internet time today uploading photos, which can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60427&l=06536&id=697459212
I promise to write more soon - so, so much to tell!!!!

Incredible India, indeed!

Sorry to have been entirely delinquent since Venice. Rome, Sienna, the French countryside, and Paris were all amazing! I could not have wished for a better honeymoon with the love of my life.

Rather than going back and trying to narrate the past few weeks in detail, I will just start from where I am today, which is INDIA! This is my second day here, and I am already in love with this spectacular place. Got into the airport yesterday about 4:30am and after wandering around confusedly for a while, took a cab to my hotel in Hyderabad. (I am staying at a hotel the orphanage recommended for my first two nights here, as I needed to run some errands and settle myself before I head to the home tomorrow.) At about $80 per night, the hotel is very spendy by India standards, but it is LUXURY all the way. And a three-course meal from room service is only about $12! Amazing after coming straight from Paris, which may actually be even more expensive than Manhattan.

So, I got into the hotel about 6am yesterday and slept until about 2pm. I was so nervous about venturing out into the world for the first time when I woke up. I put it off as long as possible, having no idea what to expect. The hotel gave me the address of a mall where I could buy some traditional Indian clothes and told me the best way was to take an auto-rickshaw. I didn't even know exactly what that was, and they are insane! Like little tiny go-carts, open on both sides, and everyone drives like New York on crack! Seriously, I cannot believe how people drive here, but they are all so calm about it. I kept closing my eyes really tight, bracing myself for the impending crash that somehow never came! I actually did see one scooter run into another, and the two guys laughed it off and kept going, no hard feelings! (It was actually pretty fun, and overall, I felt significantly safer than I do driving in Minnesota during the winter.) Tons of scooters and rickshaws, along with a smattering of cars and beat-up old buses. I have never heard so much horn honking in my life! A constant stream of honking. I think they rely on that instead of using mirrors or checking before they switch lanes. It was a really fun way to see India for the first time, being in the open air but still having my own little space. I saw a family of 5 on a SCOOTER no bigger than regular little motorcycles! Two tiny kids on front, then dad driving, then mom at the very back, riding side-saddle with a baby in her lap. Whoa! And not nervous at all! And today, I saw lots of people riding camels, right on the highway, along with the traffic. Spectacular!

All the people here seem very nice and VERY eager to please. They are all trying to make a buck from us rich white folks, so I have to be careful not to get overcharged for things, but there is a really genuine kindness to the people here in spite of that. I feel very welcome. I had the same driver yesterday and all day today. His name is Arvand, and he either waits for me at every stop, or I call him on his mobile when it is time to pick me up. My own private driver, helping me run all over the city! I feel safe using the same person - he seems nice and trustworthy and is quite a good driver given the circumstances! I think he is trying to get as much out of me as possible, but I am glad to pay and help him make extra money. And still, it is a bargain. All told, I spent $12 today on my own private driver who took me all over Hyderabad for seven hours! Less than the cost of a taxi from the West Village to Midtown!

I bought my first sari today, which was quite a process. First I had to go to a fabric shop, and then they told me they didn't actually make the saris, so they sent me to a tailor. So I bought this beautiful silk for about $16 then had a tailor make it into a blouse and wrap for about $10 more. I had to go to the tailor three times altogether, but I finally have it, and they helped me try it on and show me how to wrap it. I also ordered four traditional suits called salwar kameez, which I am going back to pick up in the morning. These are knee-length tops with loose-fitting pants, and the shops will custom make them. They showed me countless fabrics and then let me choose the exact cut I wanted. Altogether, the four complete outfits will be about $35. What a bargain! (I am shopping like a maniac, both because I want to wear traditional Indian dress while I am here, and also because I love spreading a bit of wealth around.)

Also got an Ayurvedic massage today. THAT was an experience! Gone are the days of my very discreet massages with the beautiful Denise Ozdemir of Duluth! These ladies strip you down and rub you ALL over! (Seriously.) You have two masseuses at a time, and they watch while you awkwardly maneuver out of your sweaty clothes, then they tie on a loincloth (as though that provides any kind of relief from embarrassment whatsoever)! Then you have to sit on a stool while they rub your head first by pouring hot oil all over your head and massaging it into your scalp. (I don't know about you, but the LAST thing I want to do when completely naked in front of two strangers is SIT DOWN - the most unflattering position on earth.) Then they have you lay on a wooden table and they pour more oil all over you, until you're as slippery as a seal. And they work in perfect synchronicity, one on each side. It felt great, but I had to focus quite hard on not giggling as I kept comparing this zany experience to my traditional American massages. This was no holds barred, people! Seriously, they must have rubbed my butt alone for a good ten minutes. I kept trying to be all mature and think about the human body as natural and beautiful, but I just kept laughing when I thought about the fact that two women were rubbing my greased-up bottom! I hope to grow up soon.... Anyway, the massage was followed by a steam, where you sit on a stool in a wooden box with your head poking out through a hole in the top. Once you are soaked with sweat, they lead you into a shower so you can hose it all off. A very slippery experience with all the oil! But also quite nice. Altogether very relaxing, an hour's worth of treatment for about $20 (this was a very fancy spa). They also gave me the name of a place to get a pedicure, which I need as I will be wearing sandals while here. (SO hot already, and it is only January!) I go in for my pedicure tomorrow morning, cost $4.

So at the end of my first two days, I totally LOVE India. I ride around trying not to let my mouth hang open. I am just amazed by how exotic and real it all is. So much going on, so many dichotomies, such fascinating people. The smog is tough (like constant second-hand smoke) and the poverty is devastating, but it is truly a magical place. It is everything I was expecting - difficult and challenging, but spectacular. I can't wait to head to the orphanage tomorrow afternoon and meet 150 new children! WOW! Could I be any luckier?

Buon Anno from Venezia!

I think I have said "I LOVE ITALY" at least 30 times since we arrived in Venice on Monday. I keep telling Matt that Italy seems to be able to hear the secret whispers of my soul, and it actually answers them. It is spectacular. We head on to Rome tomorrow and from there, Tuscany, so I can only imagine how much more amazing the Italian leg of this trip can possibly become. So far, Venice is utterly magical. Like no place I have ever been.

Why I Love Italia
By Travelin' Mae

1) Pizza - Need I say more?
2) Pasta - The Spaghetti with oil and garlic here in Venice was seriously one of the top 5 meals of my whole entire life. Such a simple dish that I make all the time at home, but this was like eating gold.
3) Wine - It is literally cheaper than the water here. We spent New Year's Eve drinking wine on tap, sold in recycled water bottles, at the low low price of €1.50 per liter! Also, we think it is extra special that it is socially acceptable to drink wine any time of day, anywhere. Seriously.
4) Cheese - As Matt and I rode in on a train from Munich, through the beautiful Italian countryside and all its many vineyards, we spent a lot of time in the fabolus dining car, eating wonderful cheese and bread and drinking great wine. In the DINING CAR. On the TRAIN. Just imagine how good it is now that we are on land.
5) As we dined on the world's best pasta on 30 December, the Home Alone 2 soundtrack was actually playing. For those of you who know me, you know that there are few things I love better than Christmas music, and that this soundtrack is pretty much tops of all Christmas music as far as I am concerned. In fact, I played it myself on my iPod on Christmas Day. And here we were, FIVE days after Christmas, in Italy, dining on amazing pasta and wine, and listening to the magical sounds of Macaulay Culkin's wacky adventures. Ahhhh....
6) Mary Poppins on TV in Italian. Supercalifragilisticexpialidogo!
7) Gelato, Tartuffo, and especially Sorbetto. Somehow it is both creamy AND tart in the same moment. Delicioso!
8) The centuries-old villa we are staying in happens to be next to a bakery, so every morning around 5am, the greatest smell I have ever smelled in my whole life comes wafting into our room. Magic!
9) Post boxes - little, red, and freaking adorable. They make mail fun again!
10) Siestas - They respect the need for daily naps, minimum 2 hours long. Everything shuts down from about 1 till 3. Sweet Dreams!
11) Cappuccino - Delicious, and no Starbucks in sight!
12) Venice itself - so magical. And yes, we actually rode a gondola, which was spectacular.
13) At midnight on New Year's, it actually started snowing. For reals. Big, fluffy, dreamy snow. Sigh....
14) Everything sounds beautiful in Italian.
15) Purple is apparently the new black here, and not only do the Italians promote it, they embrace it fully. Everyone is in every imaginable shade of purple here.
16) Really cute Coca Cola cans - skinny and tall. I didn't expect it, but I am finding Coca Cola to be one of the comforts of home I am leaning on a lot here. Better than McDonald's, I figure.
17) Really great Chinese food. Yes, I am as surprised as you are. It was the only place open on New Year's Day, and it was GREAT. And lots of excellent vegetarian options, even egg rolls. Best Chinese food I've ever had is in Italy. Go figger.
18) So very romantic....

Grazie, Italia!