USA! USA! USA!

We just got (American) Chinese food. Delivered.

Back in the USA

We are back in the USA for the first time in 2 years. The culture shock is quite intense. Stop lights, not roundabouts. Walmarts. Sports in primetime, not the middle of the night. Today we took my grandmother to lunch; the waitress actually asked us how we were doing multiple times, and did not scoff at our request for a doggy bag.

By far the most shocking, however, is the leap in technology over the past 2 1/2 years. Sports in HD! Cell phones that get the interweb! Everytime I turn on the NFL or NBA in high-def, or I destroy my shopping list in one place, I harken one of two images. Kip's "still love technology" mantra....

or Homer quitely and reverently singing "of thee I sing.." with a tear in his eye at the sight of the Hemispheric Coriolis Effect-Reversing Toilet Contraption in the US-Australian embassy.

God Bless America, indeed

Flying the friendly skies

Parting shot from the tarmac at Sig terminal......

Now, who wouldnt want to sit next to these guys on a trans-Atlantic flight?
All in all, the kids did fine on the flights and the worst part of it was the jet-lag to come. Ook.

Ciao Dodo

Ciao, bella Chiara!

Our flight scheduled for today was cancelled. A little stressful but also a relief as it gave us some breathing room before our transcontinental travel. As a bonus, Vince got to attend the Halloween party at the Dodo with his friends.
I dont know if Vince realized it, but when I picked him up all the teachers and I were crying. Bawling. We met halfway on the language barrier and told each other how life will be different.
This is an excerpt from the thank you/reference letter I wrote for the school. It is addressed to the 2 main teachers, Giusy and Katia, but meant as a ringing endorsement of our experience.

During his time at the Dodo, our little boy has become an Italian at heart. How many American children will ask for pasta instead of peanut butter and jelly? The lunches he has enjoyed at school have broadened his eating experiences. Vince loves all Italian food from antipasti to zuppa! Most importantly, he has learned the Italian language. His comprehension is amazing and he often mixes Italian words with his English. We are amazed at his capacity to understand and communicate using the two languages. I catch him singing Italian nursery rhymes between rounds of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row Your Boat. His favorite is Il Cocodrilo, Come Fa?

The V and Giusy

We were really fortunate to have had this wonderful group of women in our lives. It was no Montessori but the experience was beautifully Italian in the way the teachers truly cared and were able to develop a real, personal relationship with Vince. The classroom sometimes had that wild chaotic energy only a group or preschoolers can create, yes, but that overabundant joy and emotion reminds me of the Sicilians- vocal, forward, unpretentious. Simple and honest.
We all learned something from the Dodo.

So hard to say goodbye

Parting shot at 2001-A Via Bella Vista.

Time is up.
We are set to leave Sicily on 30 Oct.
I think we are both ready to leave: the litter, the sometimes unsettling uncertainty of Italian life, the distance from our families.
I think we both will miss: our wonderful friends, our overseas adventures.
There have been several send-offs in our honor and I have few photos to share as I was either too sad or too happy to actually take any. One pic I do have is Chris in tiny, form-fitting Italian bike short undies from the Motta market. I cannot share it as it is quite revealing but all of our friends got quite a laugh when he paraded out in his farewell gag gift.
Some other highlights: a delicious potluck, a HILARIOUS video featuring cutouts of us (remember the crazy o cto-mom? Well, that is what I look like when I am experiencing angioedema secondary to a bug bite. Awesome.), a nice luch senza kids in Catania, a birthday dinner, a large gathering of families at Alphios, those last hugs goodbye choking back tears (me not Chris- who gave each of his guy-friends a hearty handshake and a ^ see you, man^.
Ciao, Sicilia! E grazie mille!