Eat! Eat!

In Italy everyone in the church wanted to have the pastor and his family over to their house on Sunday for a spectacular meal. That being my dad and subsequently me, I ended up spending my Sunday afternoons in the homes of the Italian congregation. This was either pretty cool, in the event that the family had kids my own age (who owned video games), or it was pretty boring if I ended up sitting around the living room for what seemed like years. There was always good food though! And lots of it!

Sunday dinner in Italy is nothing like Sunday dinner in the US. It's not like the kids are called down to eat roast chicken for a half hour and that's that. No, eating is an event! As soon as we walked through the door, we were led to the living room, offered a seat, and an appetizer or as they call it, an antipasto. Conversation would immediately begin about the family and the church. A little later someone would yell "a tavola" and we would all gather around the table. Where in America we often dish up for ourselves, the Italians serve their guests heaping piles of food... so you had better come hungry. We would then begin to enjoy the primo which was usually a big bowl of pasta. Now, if you are a beginner to the whole Italian culture thing, you may scarf down that delicious lasagna and think to yourself, "Ahhh that was delicious, and filling, but not too filling. I don't get why everyone makes such a huge deal out of Italian dinners." Now this is where you have gone wrong. First, because this is simply the first course (not even the main one) and there is much more to come! Second, you have eaten too quickly, which would cause the hostess to glance over at your empty bowl, smile, and immediately refill it. This is like an Iron Man race, you have to pace yourself. You can't shoot out of the start at a dead sprint! So after the pasta we were served some kind of meat dish which was technically the main course and called the secondo. Along with this would be the contorno, being a vegetable dish which complements the meat. This is all filled with lots of talking and can last for a few hours. When everyone has settled down slightly the dolce is served along with espresso. This is usually some kind of pastry and was my personal favorite part of the meal.

It seems to me that Italians really know how to live. Enough with all this super fast paced life style we strive for in the US. Its killing us. You've got to settle down and relax over some great food with family and friends.

Google Maps: A Nostalgic Trip

Google maps are so amazing! Whenever I'm feeling a little nostalgic about the places I've lived... guess what!? I can take a virtual tour of my old stomping grounds! Maybe its not as good as the real deal, but it sure beats the cost of a plane ticket every time I feel like visiting.

Just a few days ago I was missing my old home in Naples, with it's rolling hills, green vineyards, and lush orchards. So I decided to tromp down my old road. It ended up being harder than I thought, since it used to be called Via Pendine Casalanno, but now its just called Via Casalanno. Ahhh how the world changes... Well I did eventually find it and zoomed as close as I could to my old home. After I had had enough of staring at rooftops I wanted something more! So I used Google's greatest feature of all, Streetview! This is what actually allowed me to take a stroll down memory lane (aka Via Casalanno). I clicked by all of my friends houses, then past a house that housed some crazy dogs, then past the dumpsters that I would take the trash out to every day, and finally to the good ol' pizzeria where the family would go to eat. So if you ever feel like checking out an old memory, you have nowhere further to go than the internet... hmmm that's kinda pathetic.

Wake up and smell the espresso

After being back in the states for a while I realize how amazing my time in Italy really was. I never realized how lucky I was until I moved away. Now isn't that the truth... you never know what you've got until its gone.

I never found anything special about my living situation and I could not for the life of me understand why anyone would want to go see so many crumbly old buildings. My family would hosts guests from the US from time to time and we would always go out and show them the famous sites, such as the Colosseum, St. Peters, or the Catacombs. I however, would have much rather rode my bike around the apartment complexes than tour such a historical city. Its just like the chorus in that Steven Curtis Chapman song, See The Glory

I'm playing Gameboy sitting in the middle of the Grand Canyon

Or eating candy sitting at a gourmet feast

Or wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean

Tell me what's the deal with me

Wake up and see the glory

Hmm I wonder what is the deal with me... It seems like a lot of people settle for a weak little substitute when they could have the real thing. I mean what's the deal with Guitar Hero? Sure its fun and slightly more addicting than heroine, but why not go out and play a real musical instrument? We just don't realize what we could be experiencing. I personally have to take a look around and make the most of what I've got or else I'll look back on my life and think that I should have paid more attention or taken advantage of certain opportunities. I don't want to take for granted all the blessings that I've got.

What's all this about?

My upbringing was different... very different. Most Americans I know were born right here in their home country, but not me, I was born in a boot, floating in the Mediterranean. That’s right I was born in Italy! Now the title of this blog makes a little more sense doesn't it?

The first eleven years of my life were spent living as the son of two missionaries, while the next ten have been spent as a pastor's son here in the good old United States of America. Understandably, these unique circumstances have shaped me into the guy that sits here typing away at his laptop. I’ve had a lot of fun over the years and think that you may enjoy hearing about them.