A Sicilian traffic jam

Here's something you don't see everyday in the states. Sheep holding up traffic.

I had an appointment yesterday on the base, so I made the trip. It's about a 30-40 minute drive to the base from our housing development. Since we live in the country, it is not unusual to see herds of sheep, cows, or horses. Sometimes the farmers walk their herds down the middle of the street.

Yesterday I encountered 2 herds. One going to the base and one when I was driving home. Basically, you have to just stop your car and wait for them to pass. I usually try to get on one side of the road so that they will just go around the car. That doesn't always happen. Since sheep are not so bright, they will go around both sides of the car. Next thing you know, you are in the middle of the herd in your car. It's a strange, yet funny experience. Yesterday a couple of the sheep tapped on my driver side window with their noses as if they were saying, "hello in there." One even stopped to lick my driver side mirror. I guess it tasted good.

Wow--things that I could never see happening in Virginia.

Humor and a haircut

Today a friend and I decided to get our hair cut. I also wanted to get some high-lights. We originally were planning to go to the mall for our haircuts. However, after talking about it, we decided to find an English-speaking salon. We both felt that we may not be able to accurately describe what we wanted done to our hair in Italian.

We went to a salon that is across the street from the base. This particular salon is advertised in the base newspaper as "convenient to the base and English spoken." So we gave it a go.

The salon owner was a gregarious (and hilarious) German woman who has lived in Sicily for the past 20 years. She speaks several languages including English. From the moment we walked in the door, she was telling us stories and making us laugh.

As far as our hair, we were both happy with the results. We both agreed that we would be back again for our next haircut.

Afterwards, my friend and I had some lunch and did some window shopping at the mall. It was the perfect girly-girl day!

Fresh veggies and fruit

Yesterday, a woman in my neighborhood and I went to a nearby town to go to the open air market. On various mornings through out the week, different towns have markets where you can find fresh produce, meats, cheese, and sometimes clothes.

This market was small compared to the one in Catania as this was a much smaller town. However, at the smaller markets, you can find some better deals. I bought some fresh strawberries and bananas. My friend bought strawberries, cucumbers, and a pineapple.

We also got a chance to practice our Italian as it's harder to find people who speak English in these smaller towns. We are both taking the Italian language class, so we encouraged one another to try conversing. It has been interesting trying to learn how to communicate and thrive in another culture.

Thursday's adventure!

Jeff and I decided to venture out on another road trip. We both had heard that Taormina is a beautiful city that we should see. It is definitely a tourist hot spot, according to my Sicily guide book. However, April is supposedly a great time to visit before it gets too crowded. It was actually still somewhat crowded for a Thursday afternoon in April. A school bus of kids arrived at the same time we did. Mama mia!

All kidding aside, we had a wonderful time. Taormina is a city on a hill with mountains that flow down to the sea. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It has a quaint town at the top of the mountain that you have to take a shuttle bus to reach.

Jeff and I spent some time walking around, looking at the shops, and taking in the amazing panoramic view at the top. We decided to have some dinner and found a cute restaurant that had terrace. We enjoyed more of the view as we ate dinner. After dinner we got some gelato and looked at a few more shops. This was definitely a fabulous day. To see more of our day, click here.

Home is where your heart is

Today driving home from church, we starting talking about the things we miss from the states. Now, keep in mind, we know that we are totally blessed to be living in Italy and are enjoying every minute of it. However, sometimes you just miss those familiar places and faces.

We miss...

-Going to church at Providence NewLife

-Going to our fave spots: Moe's, Panera, Starbucks, and Chick-fila

-Reading the Sunday newspapers (Jill)

-Wawa and 7-11 (getting gas here is so different and expensive!!!)

-Target and the malls (not just Jill on this one :)

-Our friends

-And most of all...our families

Again, we know that living in Italy is totally awesome, but sometimes you just get a little homesick for those things you left behind.

Keeping busy

This week has been a busy week so far. On Tuesday, I went on a field trip called "shopping for local food." The base has several events planned for military spouses. These events are very informative and are usually free.

On Tuesday, we were supposed to go to an open air market to shop for local food. However, since it was a rainy day, the markets were closed. Instead we went to Carrefour, which is similar to Wal-mart. It was still a very successful field trip as our guide helped us recognize signs and names of food. I bought some fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, and cheese. I even got some espresso to try!

On Wednesday, I started an Italian language class. They are offering this class in my neighborhood. It was so helpful. It will meet each Wednesday of the month of April. I am hoping to be able to hold somewhat of a conversation in Italian.

We are looking forward to exploring more of the island of Sicily when Jeff has some time off. Life here is definitely interesting!