As most of you know Doug is currently on assignment in Grottaglie, Italy and we are lucky enough to be able to join him on this adventure. We have been here for three months now and we have experienced so much already, that I feel like we have been here much longer. We have been to Rome twice now, Pompeii, Croatia, Slovenia, and we have explored most of the cities down here in the Puglia region. Matera was one of the first citites that Doug took us to. It is about an hour and a half away from us and is just beautiful. It is set in the hills and is known for it's ancient cave dwellings. The landscape actually reminds me a ton of the Chico, Paradise area in Northern CA From what we were told it is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. We have seen many old cities here but this one doesn't even compare. They have filmed numerous movies here such as Passion of the Christ and the new Ben Hur movie. We also were just in Gallipoli last week, which sits on the Ionian Sea. The water is so blue and clear. We took a walk on the beach and of course all three boys ended up playing in the water. It was a good 72+ degrees out and what I have come to learn is that Italians are cold blooded creatures. In Washington anything over 70 in my book is shorts and flip flop weather, but here we get strange looks going out in that attire. Most people are still wearing their winter jackets, boots and scarves. So our shorts and flip flop wearing just screams "foreigners".
We enrolled David in a Catholic School in Grottaglie. He really needed a social outlet, and this has helped him a ton. The school week is Monday through Saturday 8:30 to 12:30. Luckily, they are super flexible and he does not attend on Saturdays. His Italian is coming along. We have challenged him to learn a new word everyday, and he is doing well with that. There is also a parent volunteer that speaks English that has been a huge help to him. I also have enjoyed having more one on one time with Matthew and Caleb. At first Matthew was having a really hard time with David being gone. Back in Maple Valley David did school in the afternoons. A lot of the time Matthew either napped, or we were running errands. So they weren't really apart much during playtime. But the alone time has been good for Matthew as well. He is maturing and growing in so many ways.
We started off living in a 2 bedroom apartment and it worked okay but there really wasn't a lot of room for the boys to run and play. Luckily a house in the country came open and we were able to move in shortly after getting here. All the homes here are fully fenced both in the city and in the country. So the boys are able to roam and play. When they get too crazy inside I just send them out to do laps up and down the driveway and around the house. They actually enjoy it! So it is a win for both of us! We have 3 bedrooms (the boys all share the master), a sun room, and a decent size living room. The kitchen is quite small but completely normal for Europe and we make it work. I do have a dryer which is not very common. It is not ventilated at all and the water is collected into a reservoir that you have to empty after each use. It does take quite a while for the clothes to dry but even with that I still am so grateful for it. The house also came with a little dog named Chico (how funny is that), luckily we don't have to feed or take care of him. The owners found him a few years back and keep him here at the house. He is a nice little guard dog. Doug and I are in the "pink room". It showcases a 2 foot statue of Jesus hanging right above our bed. That did take a little getting use to. All the floors here are hard surface. We have marble throughout the house. This is one thing that I have come to detest. Caleb has hit his head more than once. I actually put a helmet on him for a few days because I was just so scared for him, but his falling is not as frequent now and he doesn't climb as much as he use to. I really use to love hard surfaces but they just don't really mix too well with kiddos.
The Puglia region where we are has a lot of agriculture. There are lots and lots of orchards, vineyards, and fields. Doug is sick of hearing this, but it totally reminds me of the San Joaquin Valley in CA at times. I can now point out an Olive Tree and even tell you if it is healthy or not. Most of the orchards are all Olive Trees. I have never seen so many in my life. It is fun picking out the oldest trees verses the youngest ones. It seems as though each tree has a story to tell. But agriculture really is such a part of the culture here. You can find fruit stands on most corners and the produce is fresh and delicious. They pretty much only eat things that are in season. So right now I am enjoying everything that is coming in. I am told cucumbers should be in soon and I can't wait. For a while I just thought they didn't eat cucumbers here at all.
Shopping has been the hardest thing for me here. In the beginning it took such a long time trying to translate each item. I seriously dreaded going shopping. But now I pretty much have it down. It also took some time figuring out what stores were the best to shop at. These are things I just took for granted back in the states. They don't do convenience food here and so it really has helped me, or forced me to cook everything from scratch. I honestly thought I did a pretty good job back in the states but this has helped me be even that much better. I am missing my slow cooker, dishwasher and Kitchen Aid a ton but we make it all work. And I have learned that bread really isn't that hard to make without a Kitchen Aid anyway.
I have been really enjoying the food here. A little too much at times. But I have a love hate relationship with the Italian way of dining though. Italians have "riposo" which is their rest time in the afternoon. Everything closes during this time, and then opens back up in the evenings. It really is awesome to see how the cities come to life again. And it is a family affair, which I love. You can see everyone coming out to experience the evening together. It really is magical. The hate part of the relationship is how late Italians eat. Most restaurants don't open until 8, although you can find a few that open at 7. So for my family it is really hard to keep the boys awake long enough to enjoy the Italian Cuisine as much as I would like to. There have been too many times where they have fallen asleep. Naps would be ideal but I just have to convince them of that.
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