Rogliano: Day 1

The ride to Rogliano was about 4 hours, like the ride to Paestum, though more uneventful. When we finally got into the hills and arrived in Rogliano it was surprisingly cold, and there were all these old men standing around to “greet” (and I mean stare at) us. We were early so we waited for the families to show up at 4, during which time we all charged this snack table they brought for us. Seriously, like starving wolves crawling over each other. I had the best pizzette ever! Then they announced families and kids one by one and we went off with them to their house. My family is a group of 4: Fausto, il papa, Marilena, la mamma, Kevin age 12 and Manuel age 6. The kids are adorable!! I was exhausted and didn’t understand much of what they said to me the first night, so I set the bar nice and low. I think I understand Marilena the most because she makes sure to speak a little slower to me, except she does that thing where she yells like because I can’t understand I also can’t hear her. It’s starting to bug me a little, but at least when she gets louder I know she’s talking to me specifically.

The first day I told Marilena what foods I don’t really like, which included not eating a lot of meat and not liking cheese (but I tried to impress that I will eat what she cooks and am willing to try cheeses), but I’m not sure how that’ll go because now she’s worried about cooking for me. The first night we went to a pizzeria down by the ocean for dinner. My family is neighbors/good friends with the family that Caitlin is staying with, so we all went to dinner together. They ordered an incredible amount of food as antipasti—cheese, all these different meats and salami, fried stuff, and frutti di mare which was chopped up octopus. I tried a little of everything, really liked the frutti di mare, as well as these little fried balls. I realized during my second one that it was a little fried ball of crab meat! Just like a fried shrimp, but instead it’s crab meat and for a shrimp tail there’s a little claw. Freaking love those things. Marilena said she can get them for me at any supermercato, so I guess they’re common here. Yes!!

At this pizzeria there was a dance floor and this guy playing live music. First I thought this 20something kid was DJ-ing, then we realized he had a keyboard and thought he was playing that. Then we finally realized he was actually playing an accordion! There were a bunch of old people (who apparently had dressed up to come out and do this. I mean there were sequins involved and everything!) who came out and started doing different waltz-type dances. Then it turned into a line dance situation; it looked like everyone was doing the hustle, but way more difficult. Then the accordion kid, who looked really miserable and bored, played the tarantella, and I told my host mom I want to learn the tarantella dance. She showed me some can-can type dance that did not match up with the line dance everyone was doing, so I don’t know who to believe.

After all this antipasti, I was full, but they still proceeded to order a large (and I mean large) pizza. It was divided into margherita, everything on it, and ‘Americana’ which had French fries and pieces of hot dog on top! Of course I tried the Americana, and it really wasn’t bad. Caitlin wasn’t feeling well after antipasti so she didn’t have any. Then after dinner we all went outside and the parents had a smoke, and poor Caitlin went over to a corner to sneeze, then got sick. I felt so bad, what a rough first night.

On the 20ish minute ride back home to Rogliano, I stopped listening. I think they were still talking to me, but I was too exhausted to think. During dinner Caitlin and I hit the wall mentally, but after a glass of wine I could still form a few sentences. But in that car I was done. Also, they all laugh at me when I buckle my seatbelt while sitting in the back seat, which they don’t do here. Manuel likes to even stand up in the middle of the back seat, and I keep envisioning his cute little head going through the windshield.

I really like this family, I know my Italian is going to improve so much. But being with them makes me extremely homesick and mentally exhausted. This is why, right now, I’m really missing both home and Rome at the same time. Maybe once my head feels like it’s not going to explode I’ll miss them less.