Yesterday, I climbed the Torre del Mangia, the tower in the Piazza del Campo. It was beautiful and I got to do it with Hannah, the girl who has been living close to me and going to a different school. She is really cool and I wish I had more time to spend with her to learn about a volunteer/leadership program she does through her school, her opinions about religion or some of the things she has learned about along the way growing up with 8 (!@!##!) brothers and sisters. Today I went to school and after I volunteered for an English class for adults and college students in Siena. It was really neat to be able to hear the opinions of what the Italians thought about the American culture and how much English they knew already. A question that was asked was, “why is family so important in the Italian culture?” One man responded that he has always put church and Dio (god) before family because in the end, that is what is important. We were about to end the class but another women, probably about 37 years old started speaking. She started to talk about how in her earlier years all she worried about was her career and family was always second. Then she said when it came down to it, work was only work. She told us about how Italians realize and value how special relationships are, especially the ones developed in a family. This is such a prized possession (that I think many American families have lost sight of), that deserves the 2-hour dinner every night or gives reason to Maura fixing the tiniest crease in my bedspread, because that’s what family does. You always need others who will always be there for you no matter how bad you mess up. Everyone deserves that love and security in their life, even if it consists of you and God alone.
I guess I have been scared to admit this to anyone until this point, but I am pretty home sick. Yes, this is the most beautiful place I have been to, I am learning so much, making friends that will last a very long time, and love Maura to death. I guess it just makes me realize that wherever I am I will never forget how lucky I am to have wonderful family, friends, and Jake. I think it’s worse because I have not exactly been able to communicate with you all because I can’t call you with out excessive charges or have limited access to the internet. I know this is a phase everyone goes through after the initial rush of excitement of an exotic new place. This lasts until he or she becomes sane again and gets back into the pace of things. For the time being, I can learn from it. No matter where I am in the world, Brookfield, the little town on the buckeye state’s edge, which may look like a hole in the ground since they tore Valley View down, is my home. Why you ask? That’s where my dad and mom grew up and decided to raise Andrew, Anthony and myself there. Pauly built that house because that’s what momma wanted, no matter if it was feasible or not, he made it happen. My mom would fly across the ocean in a minute if I needed her to. My brothers are the two most adorable kids I have ever seen and I’m so proud beyond words of them. I love you so much, and thank Dio everyday for how blessed I am. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Thank you if you read all of this, sorry for blabbering…..The Palio is yet to come!!! The picture above is where the Palio will take place. This is the most famous horse race in the world and officially dates back to 1500 but actually took place in the 1100's.
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