Italy: arrival update!

Mi perdoni—Forgive me; this blog is long overdue!

 I blame jetlag.
 I blame the awesome conversations and sheer volume of fun we’ve been having.
Oh, and I blame the beautiful long walks we have around Milano on our late-night quests for gelato. (Which is, I must admit, is quickly usurping Blue Bell Ice Cream in my heart.)

Regardless, we are safe, having fun, and so excited about our new Italian friends! Every day we meet someone new or have an interaction that goes deeper than the day before. Every day I slowly add to my little pile of Italian words and phrases. And every day, I am amazed at the energy God gives me, even though I arrived physically and emotionally exhausted after a long, hard semester.

Here is a short recap of the trip:

One of my favorite things about flying is getting a reverse view of the clouds.

When you run against the sun, the night is short and morning comes early. I was so thankful for my window seat and for Jordan’s comfortable shoulder. This meant that I could lean my tired head in either direction to sleep, and this kept my neck from freezing painfully in one position.

They fed us well on the flight: Chicken Curry for dinner, and then this breakfast box when the sun came up.

I was so thankful that all of my luggage appeared on the conveyor when we arrived.   Our team fared pretty well in this department, but we are still missing one suitcase that was full of goodies for Frank and Pam, the permanent team members here in Milan. Please pray it arrives soon!

Our arrival:

While our friends at home were starting their first REM cycle, we were bustling through a shining Milano airport and jolting down Italian thoroughfares in a rented van.

Inside our van from the airport

My groggy mind mistook our hotel for a pizzeria. It has the look and feel of a beautiful home, with a long narrow driveway and an explosion of red and white roses at the front door. The inside has a narrow 4-story staircase that feels like something out of a mystery novel, and each room is a unique experience of wallpapers, furniture from 4 different decades, and colored tiles.

The man and wife who own the hotel have a beautiful little girl with dark hair and eyes. She is shy of Americans, but her parents are so sweet to all of us, bringing us cappuccinos every morning at breakfast and putting up with our noise.

A typical day:

After an Italian breakfast of cappuccinos, olives, artichokes and Nutella-daubed biscuits (shortbread cookies), we use the breakfast area for a time of team devotions, prayer, and worship.

 Karla and Lindsay both play the guitar—what a blessing!

Then off to lunch on the campus of Universitá Milano-Bicocca! As you can see here, the campus is beautiful—and extremely vertical. The restaurants peek out of the first floor windows, while the dorms and classrooms tower above.

We ride the tram to a second, larger hotel where we hold the English clubs. After a few hours of preparing games, activities and themed lessons, the students start to trickle in. They always look a little shy, but the games are so ridiculous and fun that that ends quickly.

(more to come later!) J We have to leave now for campus!