Day 4: Lessons: Language and History

January 4

 

First of all, thank you for your comments, I'm happy to know you are reading this.  I wonder how long Blogs will live on the Internet.  It would be awful to lose my diary.  I will have to print this when I'm done. 

 

I have more pictures to post, of the family mostly, but not much of the historic center.  Today was very cold and rainy.  They claim it is snow but I would say it is not even sleet.  It gets dark early here and my lessons last until after lunch.  Then I did my blog, and at 4pm, Nonna took me to the town to see some churches.  She told me all about them (in Italian) to which I mostly responded "Si Si Si".  I asked a few questions in very poor form but  she understood what I was asking.  It was already quite dark outside so I have to go back and take the pictures. 

 

La vecchio citta' e" molto bella.  The old city is very beautiful.   The narrow streets have strings of Xmas lights and are so festive and pretty.   I hope to go back again at night and see if I can get pictures.  I need to call Rob and find out what I'm doing wrong with the camera.  I'm a lousy picture taker.  We thought churches were best because of the weather.  I saw churches built in the medieval times and also in Renaissance times.  Viterbo is the town of the popes because, for a few years anyway, the pope lived here and not at the Vatican.  I think he was under attack or something and was safer here.  Serves him right, he probably started the war.  Viterbo was bombed in the WWII, and the churches had to be reconstructed. 

 War.  I hate War.  Perche' War?  Italians have suffered war every 20 or 30 years since the 1800's.  No wonder the South hasn't had a chance to recover.   When has government  had time to do anything constructive?  Anyway the reconstructed churches were still very beautiful but too dark to take good pics.

 

I heard from Luccio Ferri today and he has changed our meeting time from Friday to Wednesday afternoon because we can gain access to original records in the archives at the Risorgimento Museo.  So, that's very cool; but I will miss 3 days of classes now.  So Alessandra has kindly agreed to make the lessons longer and to work on Saturday so that I don't miss any lessons.  I will miss some of the siteseeing she had planned but with the weather like it is, some of these places were "iffy" anyway.  So, the good news is I can plan to meet John and Margaret on Thursday when they arrive.  I need to make another day's reservations at the B&B but it shouldn't be a problem.  Also, I can't complain about another day in Rome.  Every city in Italy is beautiful but Rome is just really special to me.

 

So, poor Alessandra, she gave me a book on Italian language and I made her start at Chapter 8 on the optimistic note that I would remember all I had learned last semester (1 month ago) and be able to start with the past tense where we left off.  But we started talking: half in English and half in Italian.  She told me much about the Risorgimento and life for the contadina (farmers) etc.  And we talked about our children, spouses and grandchild.  We talked about what we like and how the best present we can give ourselves is travel.  It was great fun but slightly off her course plan.  She claims we are sympatico perche' I am Aquarius and she is Saggitarius (I think that was her sign).  Anyway, I like her alot.

 

Yesterday I wrote two letters.  One to a guy at the town hall in Calvello that Herman Tak recommended I talk to..  I needed to ask many questions specific to the Risorgimento and the Carbonari named De/Di Grazia.   And of course, requested help with our family history.  The other letter is a letter to everyone I could find in the white pages who live in Calvello with the names of De/DiGrazia or Trinchitella or Gallicchio (there are no Logiovines).  I simply said: we don't want to impose on your time, we don't claim to be long lost relatives, but if you see 3 Californian tourists wandering around town, please stop us and introduce yourselves.  We would like to hear about your family history in Calvello.  I warned them that I speak very little Italian but I do understand pretty well.  By the way, Alessandra is completely re-writing those letters for me! Sigh.

 

I was doing much better in my speaking ability a few weeks ago.  I think its more difficult here because everyone is talking at once and very quickly and I'm working so hard to understand the context of what they are saying or asking me, that I can't think of my vocabulary.  Hopefully with another week and a half of lessons it will come back.  I have my flashcards and I can cram before Calvello.  My (almost) 55 year old brain is a sieve.

 

I should warn Rob that I've already invited Alessandra to come to California and stay with us.  That would be so awesome.  I feel a part of this family and will miss them when I'm gone.  They have such a gift of hospitality and warmth.

 

A Domani (see you tomorrow)

Maria