January 18, 2015
We finally went on our first sight-seeing trip. We don't have our own transportation yet, and we haven't quite figured out how to get around on the bus, so we just started walking toward the base gate that leads to a bus stop. We knew which number bus to get on, so we all 5 hopped on that bus and rode into the downtown area. We didn't really know where to get off, so we just said, "How about here?" and exited at a stop that ended up being very near the area I wanted to see. We walked a short distance and found this really great spot for pictures. A scenic little waterway, a neat building, weeping willows hanging over the bluish-green water. Very picturesque.
It was getting dark and foggy, and suddenly we realized that the park had several large groups of young men, college-aged, standing around and listening to loud music. I suddenly had a very bad feeling and we grabbed the kids' hands and high-tailed it out of that park. We found that just by crossing the street we felt very safe. There were women walking alone, a few couples with children, many people of all ages walking around, shopping, hanging out, and I don't know what else. It was a very busy place. But, we felt like we should start making our way to the bus stop to get home. We found a bus stop, but it was for the wrong lines. We checked the map, thought we figured out the way to walk, quickly decided the map was unclear about where exactly we were (several streets crossed at that spot), and went inside a hotel to ask for directions. We figured someone there would probably speak English. This assumption was correct, and we were pointed into a direction where "all the buses go." As we got closer, we realized it was a train station, found another bus stop with a map, and found that only about 3 buses go through that station. Thinking we knew where to go, we started walking a long distance around a huge park (a different, much safer feeling one) and failing to find the stop we were looking for.
After about 2 hours since the time we got off the bus, we decided to go back to where we started. The kids were worn out and tired of walking. When we arrived at the place where we got off the bus, we kept walking in the opposite direction from how we went from the bus the first time. We were now walking toward the city center, the historic part that I had actually wanted to see in the first place. But, we didn't think that was the direction we needed to go to get home, so we turned back and asked a policeman if he spoke English. "No." Ugh. Thank goodness for Google Translate and smart phones!!! Casey typed in our question quickly and asked in Italian how we get to the bus stop for the bus line to return to the base. He told us to come with him and walked up to the bus at the place where we had exited before. He tapped on the driver's window and asked him where we could get on to return the opposite direction. The driver pointed straight ahead, and there was a bus sitting no more than 30 yards away. If we had continued riding the first bus, we would have gone out of town. At some point that bus comes back to the stop the driver pointed at and returns to the base. So, we waited there and finally made it back to the base, then still had about a 3/4-mile walk from the gate to our hotel. There were some 15-ish-year-old girls on the bus smiling and giggling over Jacob, this cute little blond-haired, blue-eyed, English speaking American boy who was dying to push the little red button to get the driver to stop. So, we didn't get to see a lot of sights on this trip, but we certainly know how and where to go to find them!
Today we were given a ride to church by a sweet girl whom I will call Lucy (until I know I have her permission to use her name) who then took us to her home for dinner with her family of 5 (soon to be 6). Avery made a friend who speaks perfect Italian and loves Littlest Pet Shop, so of course we were already being begged for a sleepover by the time we were leaving. Casey and I really enjoyed the conversation and learned a lot. The husband (let's call him Cameron) served his mission in St. Petersburg, Russia (even at the same time I was in Moscow), so we had a lot to talk about. I felt like we had a lot in common, even many of the same interests. They have been here a few years, so it was a great opportunity to ask questions and get real answers, especially about Italian schools. The picture below is the beautiful view from Lucy's home. The picture does NOT do it justice!
Church was great, of course. I think almost any Latter Day Saint will attest to feeling at home at church, no matter what country they are in. It is one of the most beautiful things about this church. It is the same EVERYWHERE. The lessons we had today were the same lessons in Altus, Oklahoma; Zelenograd, Russia; and Puebla, Mexico. It is such a comfort to have that consistency. You know what questions to ask, like, "Which room does the Gospel Doctrine class meet in?" and, "Does my child go to Sharing Time first or to his class?" The gospel is true in any language, in any building, in any city. There is no variation, and no confusion. You don't choose where to go to church based on whether the preacher preaches to your liking, or whether Sister So-and-So wears a purple hat with birds on it. You just go, and you follow the teachings of the Savior and His prophets.
I look forward to many more adventures! Not necessarily to writing about them, though. Haha A necessary evil. So until next time, good night! (I still have to write about my new friend, Mary (name changed), who met me and Jacob for a play date and took us to a little pizzaria right outside the base gate on Friday.)
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