Daily Life

A note I received:
OK, no hurry to answer me back...but have my top 10 questions for you: 1) Do they have WalMart in Italy? If not, how do you buy groceries? for example different vendors per item or what? 2) Do they sell dogfood? 3) How is the cost of living compared to the US? 4) Electricity go out often? 5) Do they have heat? A/C? 6) Broadband internet or dial-up? 7) Easy street signs (if you can read them, that is), or confusing chopped up streets? 8) Laundrymats? 9) How do you buy shoes there? OK, I know you go in and give money...but vendor, big store, what? 10) Toiletries the same? shampoo, conditioner, soap, tootpaste, etc. They are kind of funny questions, but ones I'm wondering about over and over in my head...lol. Some of them might be a cute story when you find out the answers :) Bonus question: What, so far, has been your biggest (happiest) surprise as far a living necessities??

My answers:
1. There aren’t Wal-Mart stores here, but there are big “box” stores on the outskirts of the city. However, they aren’t exactly convenient. There’s an Ikea an hour away, and I’m contemplating taking the train there, but physically carrying everything home is a whole other story! So, I make little trips to neighborhood stores on foot or on my bike. Electronics, appliances, hardware, clothing and groceries are really close. These are tiny! The grocery store is about the size of a Dollar General . There’s a bigger one close to Matt and Angie’s and a super big grocery store is only a quick bike ride away. If I’m walking, I take a cart like thing; basically a bag on wheels. I’m trying to practice sticking close to my house and buying things only as I need them. At the end of my road there is a fruit and veggie market. I go there almost every day. They call me “Dear”. The gentleman at the small electronic/appliance store (where I got my phone, alarm clock, mixer, etc…) calls me “Sweetie”. Anyway, back to the veggies – I try to buy something fresh for dinner every day.
2. Yes, they sell dog food. And cat food. There are even pet stores. Dogs are allowed in restaurants here.
3. It’s so expensive. I can’t explain it. I’ve heard about it – but it actually living it is something so different. Plus, you have to deal with charges from the bank. With those and the exchange rate when you spend 1 Euro, you’re really spending $1.50. At least. Things like plastic shoe boxes (which I’m itching for) are about $5 each. Crazy. Even q-tips are expensive. In Haiti we lived in “bulk” and I always had a closet filled with the year’s supply of toilet paper, shampoo, etc. So, it’s a whole new world for me to shop for things I need at the moment.
4. Perfect Electricity! Although you can only use one major appliance at a time. I don’t mind it at all.
5. My condo (it’s really called that) has radiators. I’m really hoping they work well! I don’t have air-conditioning but some people have it for their bedrooms. I did invest in strong fans and am thankful for them. My house has 4 French doors and the room without them has a huge window. So, things stay relatively nice.
6. I have a little USB thing that let me get the internet. This is great for being around town. There aren’t many places with free wifi. And it helped while I waited for the internet in my house, which came yesterday. As for what kind of internet, that is beyond my understanding. A cord goes from the wall to a box that looks like an insect and then I can have internet all over my apartment, unless I’m in the far corner of my dining room. Then, I have to go back to the USB cord because the wireless is too slow.
7. Street signs? When it comes to riding my bike, I’m just guessing at what I’m supposed to do. If I see someone riding the wrong way on a one-way street, I do it too. I don’t know if I’m supposed to obey all the traffic rules or not. I do have a little cheat sheet I found in a tourist book which I probably should sit down with and poor over.
8. There’s a Laundromat right down the block. However, I have a washer. I love it! I can do laundry any time I want to! It’s the first time in my life. I know this is a silly thing, but I take great joy in it. I need to confess something here: I had a housekeeper in Haiti and I so very much appreciate all that she did. Wow! And my sister really took care of my laundry when I was in the States. So, this infatuation with the washer might be short lived, but for now, love it. I have a dryer which is kind of a rare thing here. Most people hang their clothes out to dry. I chose to spend the money for it because I knew that keeping a house for the first time would be an overwhelming task and that this was one way I could make my life easier. Plus, when language school starts on top of all my normal things… I’m so thankful for it. It does work differently than those in the States. It doesn’t have a vent to the outside. Instead it somehow sends the water from the clothes to a tank at the bottom which you have to empty after every load.
PS. I got a dishwasher, too! Spoil me rotten!
9. I haven’t tried to buy shoes, yet. But there are normal shoe stores. There’s even Footlocker. I don’t know how the sizing differs. I haven’t even bought clothes, yet. I’m going to have to this fall, though.
10. You can get great toiletries here. You can find things like Dove and more expensive brands. They do have lots of stores with really, really expensive things. But, at the grocery store you can find the kind for $1.50.
Bonus:
My biggest surprise has been glass jars. I am loving being a homemaker! I love cleaning and organizing and taking care of my pitiful plants on the balcony. And I’ve loved being in the kitchen. Instead of using Tupperware, I’ve been using glass jars which aren’t too expensive. AND, I’ve started canning! Yesterday I canned salsa and chicken tortilla soup. Fun, fun! But, I use the jars for flower vases and for pencil holders… everything!
Which reminds me, about my flowers. Which, I feel like are a household living necessity. And the one thing that is relatively cheap. The flower market comes to my block every Friday morning. This week I have lilies and hydrangeas. The hydrangeas are on my dining table. The lilies are in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

You Just Never Know, Do You?

A few months ago my mom mentioned to a family friend that I was planning on getting a bicycle when I arrived in Italy. "Well, is she practicing now?" Ummm... no. I mean, how hard can it be if the idiom "it's like riding a bike" means that something is really easy to pick up? A few more people suggested that I go ahead and start riding in America and another family friend loaned me a bike.
So, whoever coined the idiom mentioned above, was not watching me and was definitely taking their life in my hands by walking in front of my oncoming bike.
Dave, my personal expert bike-riding trainer, started me off well. Smooth pavement. Nice park with shading trees. And then up a nice little hill (which I couldn't peddle up) and a little bend to the right and we were in the wilderness. Gravel terrain with big ole loose rocks. Didn't I see little stick cross memorials from where all the bikers had died? The trees reached out to poke my face and my arms and grab a hold of my hair. But, I survived and only a little blood was spilled.
Wait? Wasn't my plan just to ride in Italy to the little market down the street? To language school a mile away? Shouldn't I be practicing on sweet little closed courses where all I had to pay attention to were the birds singing in the trees?
Another time we went to a park that was being developed. This time, Dave researched it. He even watched a youtube video describing it as a perfect place for beginners. That would be me. Well, the real meaning of "a park that is being developed" is that it's undeveloped. There was a little trail that ran through the undevelopedness. Little. Sometimes dirt. Sometimes gravel. Sometimes loose rock.
At one point the trail turned sharply and we found ourselves on a little embankment. It felt like a dam but there was no water anywhere in sight. The trail was about 2 inches wide. OK, I may be exaggerating a little bit. It was about 6 inches wide. If Dave argued that it was a foot wide, I'd fight him on it. Anyway, the point is, that there was a little trail on top of this little dam like thing and I was still a horrible bike rider. I was just about to say, "I can't do this" as I tried to grab hold of a branch to stop the bike. Why wouldn't I just grab onto the breaks? Who knows. The branch did not do it's job and somehow I ended up flipping over to the left. Flipping. Yes. Really. I promise. So I was flipping and laughing.
This was one time I'd like to have a video camera following me. It was one of the most death-defying acts I'd ever performed and no one was there to see it! Dave was in front of me at the time, so by the time he was able to stop his bike and chase down the hill after me, I was already at my twisted resting place. He untangled the bike and my limbs and any of the branches that had hitchhiked for the adventure. He had pure terror on his face. And I could only laugh. What a good story this would make.
I think I'm going to have life-long scars on my right ankle. And I think I really traumatized Dave. From then on, it was only cement trails. But, it all made me a stronger rider. More agile. More in control. More comfortable.
Today I rode my new Italian bike into the center of town. To get there, I had to ride on a busy street that is in major construction. Speedy little Italians rushed by in their speedy little cars, which don't seem so little when you feel like one swirv (yours or theirs) and you'd be a goner. Finally I arrived in the center of town. I do live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's old Italian as old Italian should be. Cobble stone streets (super bumpy). Marble streets (super slick!). Large blocks of stone streets (jarring!). Tiny, tiny little streets. With all those crazy Italian drivers.
So, I did need all my off-roading, crazy trail training after all. Who knew? I'll give you one guess.

"No, wait!"

Earlier this week I heard a message on the radio by Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries. In his message he was talking about waiting on God. This was exactly what I needed to hear. At the time I was feeling rather frustrated and discouraged. I'm thrilled that Matt and Angie and April are there in Italy already. So very thrilled! But, another part of me, I found, was feeling a bit disgruntled and unhappy. *I* want to be in Italy! But, then I heard Dr. Stanley's message and it spoke directly to me. He said, "Sometimes when God says, "Wait," we hear, "No." I will be honest with you, this period in my life -- this past year and eleven months -- has been one of the longest "waiting" periods in my life and sometimes Ann and I have both wondered if God was really saying "no" rather than "wait." But, we have not heard Him say "no," nor are we expecting it. We have been called to cross-cultural evangelism. We know Italy is the place God has for us at this time. We are pushing ahead and working to get to Verona, even while we "wait" on Him and His perfect timing. "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

Getting To Know Verona

April arrived a little over a week ago and we have gotten her moved into her new apartment. We are finally starting to get things set-up and stabilized here in our own apartment. As we have been getting settled you can imagine the numerous trips around town we have had to make. What that has done has shown us parts of the city that we may not have seen otherwise. It finally feels like we are getting to know the side streets. The streets that locals use, as opposed to the numerous tourists that are here in the summer, but predominately during the summer. Angie and April went out for coffee and while they did that I walked all over the downtown center. In Italy, the 'centro' or center of the city is really just that. It is the heart of the city. Most Italians that live in Verona will go often to the centro, because that is where life starts in Verona. Shakespeare describes the reverse this way...

There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself.
Hence-banished is banish'd from the world, And world's exile is death.
—William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Scene iii

Whew, that's a little rough. In softer words, nothing is out there that is not better found here. God provided a great location for us to live in Verona. It is within a 30 second walk to a major Verona bus stop which sits in front of the main hospital. There are eleven buses that arrive and leave from this stop. That makes it very convenient to go to certain places in Verona. And we are very thankful for that.

This weekend I had a car accident. I looked down for just a moment, looked up and saw the cars in front had slammed on their brakes because of a crossing ambulance. I never heard the siren nor saw the ambulance. I slammed into the back of the car in front of me, which in turn hit the car in front of it. My car had the most damage. The front bumper, hood, headlights and at least the radiator internally are busted up. It happened on July Fourth, Independence Day! It also happened on a street named after the Italian who discovered America, Cristiforo Colombo Way. We prayed yesterday that this week we would find someone honest and trustworthy to do the repairs. We also prayed that it would be inexpensive. And we prayed that looking for a mechanic might give us a chance to better know our neighbors. This morning as we were heading out, our next door neighbors were leaving also. I asked Giovanni if he knew of any good mechanics. He replied that he did and since I didn't know where I was going, he would go with me! That is a great opportunity to spend time with one of our neighbors, and very generous on his part.

One thing we have found is that the people of Verona are incredibly helpful, even going out of their way to be so. Ask a cafe owner where a store is and she might pull out the phone book herself, look for the number, go outside and point you the way. Or ask a self proclaimed wind-surfing employee at a hardware store where are the best spots are on Lake Garda, and he might just draw you a map, pointing out the sights along the way and remember your name next time you go in! The people of Verona are very kind, helpful and courteous. We pray that those who don't know about having a relationship with Christ, will seek Him and come to have an abundant life with Him.

Here's to exploring the city some more......