The last two days my work has been helping to weed in the garden and around the berry bushes. There are so many slugs here! I’m sure they like the wet weather we’re currently having. While we were weeding and then having lunch Giorgia and I chatted about the different political, educational and social systems in the US and Italy. I love getting to know people from other countries and having these kinds of conversations. I learn so much not only about their countries but my own and my assumptions about what is ‘normal’.
I’ve also been planning my travels after I leave Pia‘s house. I am so excited that my college roommate Stacy is going to join me for a week as we explore the areas where our ancestors lived! It will be wonderful to have a travel companion. Stacy and I have had experience traveling together, she came to visit me when I lived in New Zealand and we did a few road trips then. Most recently we traveled to our roommate reunion in Chicago.
I’ve been getting some of my own paid and volunteer work done in my off time and enjoying more delicious food made by Pia – most recently a tasty cheese pie with roasted radishes and arugula salad for dinner. One night when we all made our own meals, I tried a classic Swedish dish of krogarpytt – finely chopped potatoes, meat and onion fried up in a pan. I added some sweet pickled beets from last year‘s garden and it was a fantastic combination. We had harvested a lot of arugula from the garden, so I had another arugula salad, only needing to add a bit of pepper and olive oil for a wonderful meal. The animals are also very keen when it is their turn to eat!
After dinner last night I went for an evening wander around the grounds and church next-door, then we played some intense rounds of Skip Bo.
