So, I slept in a little too long Sunday morning, but I was up with enough time to have a quick shower before heading off to the English church that I had found online (only a 5 minute walk from where I’m living! God is good.). I guess the church would be classified as Episcopalian- it was very similar to American Catholicism, with a lot of standing up and sitting down, Pastoral readings and responses, and very old hymns. The church is absolutely gorgeous (built in the early 1800s, it’s very gothic and fancy). The pastor is a very enthusiastic man, greets everyone as they leave the church, where he exclaimed how excited he was that I was there, and invited me to coffee behind the chuch. He introduced me to several women, and I was escorted to the back for coffee. I met pretty much the entire church (only about 40 people- mostly there because Naples is a Naval base- most were Brits, but there were a handful of Americans, a couple of Irish, and 1 Canadian). One of the couples invited me to lunch at their house afterwards, and I agreed to go. This couple was Bambi (an American) and Michael (a Brit, even though I found out later that he had been raised in Naples). Bambi had choir practice after church and Michael was running everything else- directing people to where they needed to go, translating an Italian letter, chatting with everyone, cleaning things up, making sure everything was generally in order, and locking up. Since I was waiting to go with them to their house, I got to help with doing dishes and cleaning up, which I was very grateful for because it makes it far less awkward when you’re able to help, as if you already belong, rather than being treated like a guest who isn’t allowed to do anything behind the scenes. Also as I waited, I took turns talking to all the couples who were waiting to talk to the Pastor about him marrying them (there were 4 couples!), and Michael gave me an assignment to help clean up the library- he told me to get rid of a bunch of books so the shelves weren’t so crowded, but I couldn’t do it- I couldn’t condemn any of them. I very much wanted to obey, and I felt awkward telling him no, but I didn’t want to be responsible for that! He said that was okay, I should just take all the books I wanted, then, to clean out the shelves, but I wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of another suitcase to bring all the ones that I wanted back home with me. I picked one out to read and return, though. It’s called in the Arena, and it’s about Isobel Kuhn, a missionary, mother, and wife doing ministry work in China- from the Moody Bible College.
Michael and Bambi’s house was gorgeous- there were 12 staggered terraces behind their villa, making their way down the steep hill to the sea, a beautiful view of Naples, the sea, Mt. Vesuvius, Capri, etc. It’s located up in Pozzuoli (which used to be the area where all the noblemen lived), so it’s got a nice, high view. We had lunch on patio, cooked by the German friend that was visiting them. He made a salad, home-made vinegaret dressing, carrots cooked in sesame seeds and honey, potatoes with bits of ham, fish, and we had it with a light, white wine (less alchohol, so acceptable for lunches). Dessert was fruit, followed by a round of coffee.
We talked for a very long time- Michael and Bambi are very knowledgeable people. They’ve been married for 45 years, and have been living in Naples for most of it I believe. Michael apparently grew up in the villa that they still live in (we talked how it’s strange to people in the rest of the world that Americans never stay in the same house that they grew up in), which has been passed down through his family. It’s a giant property, at least for Naples…you aren’t allowed much land in the city. If I understood correctly, the property had been taken from their family during the war, and when got it back it wasn’t in excellent shape, and they’ve been doing their best to renovate it ever since, but it’s a very time-consuming job.
Anyway, the conversation never lulled as Bambi and Michael love travelling, culture, opera, literature, and architecture, and had an endless supply of tips on where to travel and what to see in Naples. We talked a lot about the architecture and history of the area. I left with maps, tips, a guidebook, a couple of lemons picked from their orchard (one of the levels on the trek down to the sea is full of orange and lemon trees), an invitation to come back, and a promise to see them next week at church.
When I got back, I cleaned up my room because I was no longer the only inhabitant (it was nice having my own, quiet room for a short weekend!), and skyped the family and Dan.
Sunday Dinner- these are great because I get to try a bunch of different things. We finally had lasagna!!! It was sooo good (the biggest difference I could tell- they used slabs of mozzarella instead of shredded, and regular beef instead of Italian sausage). There was also a sort of lasagna made of layers of eggplant and what was similar to Thanksgivin stuffing- I liked it, but no one else seemed to, so I had a lot. I also braved the bruschetta with tomatoes and basil on top (elisabetta showed me to trick to eating bruscetta- pour water from your glass onto the rock-hard bread and let is soak awhile before you eat it so you don’t break your teeth! It was much more enjoyable this way.) There was also salad and plain bread, but I didn’t bother with those
Dessert- Crepes! Glorious! Some stuffed with nutella and some just plain.
I didn’t do tertulia because I was exhausted, and I was planning on going to bed, but I ended up wasting time on with my fancy internet key instead.
Today I went to Italian class, and surprised myself by how well I paid attention. Afterwards, one of the girls ran up to catch me after class, asking if I was the American girl. She was from Belgium and we chatted for awhile about what we’re doing in Naples, and she invited me to go to the Adalfi coast (I had just been reading about it last night, it sounds great) to walk through the Garden of the Gods with her and some other Erasmus (the European exchange program) students this weekend- which is great because I hadn’t scheduled a trip for this weekend yet! J
Okay, Jenn and the Aussies are coming in town soon. I get to play host finally! I’m excited!
KBYE, I’ll write soon.
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