It has been non-stop ever since I arrived in Italy! I have been having a wonderful time!
When I arrived at the Milano-malpensa airport I had to take a 1 hour train to the Milano Centrale train station. I spent a lot of time in that train station last summer; I even slept in it one night. It felt like I was home! From there, I had a 2 hour train ride to Modena. Laura picked me up from the station then drove me to Carpi. We drove to Gabri's school, Sacro Coure, which reopened this semester. She gave me a tour of the temporary school they set up on the football field. It is much nicer than the trailers I'm used to in the United States. Sacro Coure's repairs should be finished by September.
After we watched Gabri play futbol for awhile we went to a lunch with his entire class and teachers. There was a lot of Lambrusco , tastey "donut bread" with prosciutto, and the "hamburger helper dish". The "food" are the names Emily and I gave them. All of the dishes are typical to the region. I find it funny watching the teachers drink in front of all the parents and students; I can't imagine ever doing that in the US. In Italy the students stay with the same class and teacher during grades 1-6. Since I was placed in Gabri's class last year I get to see all my students again. I love it!
A couple hours later we drove to Modena to have dinner with the Forghieri'a friends. They live in this big, beautiful, old farm house. They have an enormous garden and make their own basalmic glaze. Most of what we ate for dinner came right from their garden. Also, they have two sweet little girls. One daughter is Gabri's age and she attached herself to me all night long. I just love Italian children.
I was exhausted because I didn't sleep at all during flight so I ended up passing out on their couch for a couple hours. The next day Laura let me sleep until 1 pm. I slept for over 14 hours. It was wonderful. That was the first good night of sleep I've had in weeks.
That afternoon they took me and one of Gabri's friends to the beautiful city of Mantova.
It is about a 30 minute drive. I got to see the Po River on the way which is the main river in Italy. Mantova is an incredible city that is surrounded by three lakes. The main part of the city is the castle. It was built by the Gonzaga family. We walked around the city for a few hours, ate gelato (of course), and Laura purchased a couple cakes that are typical of the city (see below)
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