Ciao! Ciao!
As of today I have 3 weeks and a couple days with the family. This summer sure has gone by fast. I am writing because I am not sure how much I will be able to write during my last few weeks here. We leave for Croatia a week from today. The first week we will sail around a few islands on a sailboat manned by Cesare and a friend. I am a little nervous as I do not want to be seasick the entire week! I have medicine just in case. The second week we will stay in a hotel on the island of Vis. This island is very small and off of Croatia. I am sure it will all be very beautiful.
Yesterday my Italian friends, Tiziana, Flaminia, and Tiziana's cousin Martina, came to the vineyard. Unfortunately we could not swim, as it has been storming for the last 3 days. At night it is actually cool and I have used my sheets for the first time since coming here! Even though we could not enjoy the pool as planned, we had a nice long lunch, toured the vineyard, and hung out talking with Caterina. Caterina is a very funny girl. When asked by her grandparents why she didn't speak English, she said, "I am afraid I will forget Italian!" She is always doing something to make me laugh or observing something I otherwise would never notice. I guess being 8, the world is new and your eyes are fresher than those of us who have been around longer. We continue to bond (I feel like the big sister) and now I have her saying, "You crazy" and listening to lots of American music. Among her favorites are "Hey Ya" by Outkast and "Yellow" by Coldplay. Lately we have had some good laughs, as we will start to say something to each other at the same time and I will use the Italian word, and her English word. We continue to learn! Yesterday I was explaining how difficult Italian is compared to English. I could not convince her, but here was my example. The verb for "go" in Italian changes dramatically for each noun while the English has only two differences:
Io Vedo I go
Tu Vedi You go
Lui-Lei Va He-She goes
Noi Andiamo We go
Voi Andate You go
Esso Vanno They go
Of course this is only present tense! but you can see what I am dealing with. This language is very beautiful but difficult. I guess it all depends on your perspective.
I will go to Venice one last time (at least for this summer) on Monday for dinner. I will see the city at night for the first time! I will be staying with Flaminia as Tiziana is going on holiday. As for this weekend, another two days of the pool, lots of Materossi family, and friends. My last weekend here at the vineyard. Love, Natalie