Traveling by train is NOT for the Faint-of-Heart or the Weak-of-Knees (or the Overly-Friendly, apparently)!!
February 4th.... I made it to Jesi (pronounced "Yezi") and I am a happy camper!! I absolutely ADORE my new family and am very excited to connect and learn more about them (and from them)!! They are all so sweet, warm, open-hearted and kind (and just as excited to have me here as I am excited to be here)!! It's time for bed, but I just have to say how wonderful it was to sit for a few hours chatting about life (their lives, my life, what's important in life)....all those meaningful things I love to talk about with people!!
My train trip went well although it was another grey, foggy day so I wasn't able to see much. Very LONG tunnels through the mountains on my way to Piacenza (in case you want to look at Google maps to see where the train went) then a few towns, but mostly acres and acres of farmland with layers of mist and fog creating a mystical feel as I chugged along rhythmically...lulling me into that peaceful place of contentment - thinking about how basically, people are good and kind when met with friendliness and generosity. And from that space, I welcomed the seemingly nice, older man to sit across from me when he stopped at my seat (I figured that was the kind, polite thing to do for an elderly man).
I was feeling pleased with myself for understanding that he was saying (in Italian) that he was from Napoli....so of course I said I was American; he told me I was beautiful so I said "grazie" and smiled (having experienced more "open" compliments from Latin men before); then responded with a nod and smile when he pointed out we both have blue eyes; and then he asked if I was married (in the future I have to remember to say YES!!!)....and then it went downhill from there!!
There was a lot of gesturing and "amore" but at least THIS guy couldn't get close enough to "rest" his hand on any of my body parts!! "Then again," I thought to myself giving him the benefit-of-the-doubt, "maybe he was just being kind and telling me I looked warm, friendly and beautiful" (the words I sort of understood). But NOPE!!!....the finger gestures and pointing to "private parts" was pretty clear...yikes!! I finally picked up my tablet and ignored him, and he got up and took a different seat.....whew!! Goodness!! I guess I need to be a bit less friendly because I think smiling and nodding a lot must be sending out the wrong vibe (or I'm misunderstanding what men are saying on public transportation)!!
Ahhhhh.... the joys of the journey continue!!
Once I got over my shock, I enjoyed listening to the guy across the aisle on his phone (making a reservation for a hotel in Rome.... I think...??)!! I was pleased at how many words I was able to pick up and felt reassured that I will be able to learn a bit of Italian if people speak slowly enough!! Since the dad in Genoa REALLY wanted everyone to speak English, the only Italian I heard was really fast with no context (and everytime I tried to clarify with the girls what was being said, I either got "the teenage eye-roll" or a look of disgust at my stupidity)!! Ahhhhh teenagers....not the most confidence-inducing tutors to help me learn a bit of Italian (but I have a feeling my luck is about to change because I now have Matilde....a sweet, kind, English-practicing 13-year-old to help me)!!
After a little lunch in Piacenza (dragging my bags down-then-up the necessary stairs), I finally found my next train! It appears the train stations in Italy don't think escalators or elevators are necessary (probably because people here do so much walking and climbing of hills), so everytime there is a change of trains, it requires going down a huge set of stairs, under the track in a below-ground hallway, then back up another set of stairs to the next train (just hoping you've read the board right and they don't change tracks)!! The train made stops in Parma, Bologna (these are real places, not just food!!), hit the coast in Rimini, travelled through Fano (which I waved at, knowing I would be back there on Sunday), then Falconara (where I made my final train change to Jesi)!!
So here I am....happy as a clam!! And my sweet new family found out it's my birthday tomorrow (reading my Facebook post....without even using Google translator) and got me these lovely roses for my birthday!! I feel so happy and honored to be here with this family....and now I'm sure I will sleep well!!
My train trip went well although it was another grey, foggy day so I wasn't able to see much. Very LONG tunnels through the mountains on my way to Piacenza (in case you want to look at Google maps to see where the train went) then a few towns, but mostly acres and acres of farmland with layers of mist and fog creating a mystical feel as I chugged along rhythmically...lulling me into that peaceful place of contentment - thinking about how basically, people are good and kind when met with friendliness and generosity. And from that space, I welcomed the seemingly nice, older man to sit across from me when he stopped at my seat (I figured that was the kind, polite thing to do for an elderly man).
I was feeling pleased with myself for understanding that he was saying (in Italian) that he was from Napoli....so of course I said I was American; he told me I was beautiful so I said "grazie" and smiled (having experienced more "open" compliments from Latin men before); then responded with a nod and smile when he pointed out we both have blue eyes; and then he asked if I was married (in the future I have to remember to say YES!!!)....and then it went downhill from there!!
There was a lot of gesturing and "amore" but at least THIS guy couldn't get close enough to "rest" his hand on any of my body parts!! "Then again," I thought to myself giving him the benefit-of-the-doubt, "maybe he was just being kind and telling me I looked warm, friendly and beautiful" (the words I sort of understood). But NOPE!!!....the finger gestures and pointing to "private parts" was pretty clear...yikes!! I finally picked up my tablet and ignored him, and he got up and took a different seat.....whew!! Goodness!! I guess I need to be a bit less friendly because I think smiling and nodding a lot must be sending out the wrong vibe (or I'm misunderstanding what men are saying on public transportation)!!
Ahhhhh.... the joys of the journey continue!!
Once I got over my shock, I enjoyed listening to the guy across the aisle on his phone (making a reservation for a hotel in Rome.... I think...??)!! I was pleased at how many words I was able to pick up and felt reassured that I will be able to learn a bit of Italian if people speak slowly enough!! Since the dad in Genoa REALLY wanted everyone to speak English, the only Italian I heard was really fast with no context (and everytime I tried to clarify with the girls what was being said, I either got "the teenage eye-roll" or a look of disgust at my stupidity)!! Ahhhhh teenagers....not the most confidence-inducing tutors to help me learn a bit of Italian (but I have a feeling my luck is about to change because I now have Matilde....a sweet, kind, English-practicing 13-year-old to help me)!!
After a little lunch in Piacenza (dragging my bags down-then-up the necessary stairs), I finally found my next train! It appears the train stations in Italy don't think escalators or elevators are necessary (probably because people here do so much walking and climbing of hills), so everytime there is a change of trains, it requires going down a huge set of stairs, under the track in a below-ground hallway, then back up another set of stairs to the next train (just hoping you've read the board right and they don't change tracks)!! The train made stops in Parma, Bologna (these are real places, not just food!!), hit the coast in Rimini, travelled through Fano (which I waved at, knowing I would be back there on Sunday), then Falconara (where I made my final train change to Jesi)!!
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