Austin Anecdotes: First Weeks Braving Rome

We’ve been in full swing over here in Rome. Sight-seeing, school, making Italian friends, house-hunting, van-hunting and so much more. So far, we've each eaten our weight in gelato and put away our fair share of pizza, pasta and wine. Teehee! We’ve seen the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Circus Maximus, Spanish steps, Vatican and Pantheon. I love that we can just pop down to city center, which is about 5 miles away and quickly look around, knowing we'll return for more in-depth visits in the future (after tourist season).

The kids started Italian school and they’re doing well considering all the big changes and new language. I wish I could be a fly on the wall in their classrooms to observe them as their teachers speak in Italian. Thankfully, their school has an emphasis on learning English, so they get a little help through that teacher. Surprisingly, Lyndsey has been having the hardest time of the kids. Please pray for her. We thought her engaging and social ways would work well in Italian school, but I actually think she finds it so hard to use those gifts with the language barrier. It breaks my heart to see her struggling. Over the next week, we’ll have an Italian tutor to accompany the kids to school for translation. We’ve heard after a few months, the kids usually start speaking and understanding the language better. Our hope is that Lyndsey and the others will forge through this initial hardship.

Our apartment is about one mile from school, which is convenient since we’ve been car-less. Usually the kids take a taxi in the morning with David and I walk to pick them up in the in afternoon. I’m getting good exercise, which is needed considering all the gelato. We walk everywhere- to the grocery, store, restaurants, shopping and park- I really enjoy all the walking.

The grocery shopping has been quite the experience- let’s just say, we go to the store at least once a day. A family of seven, plus Jen, cannot survive on the 1 liter milk sizes or the miniture yogurt pints. Additionally, the refrigerator size is about the size of my college dorm room refrigerator, so buying a lot of anything for the fridge isn't an option. I knew I’d miss Costco but believe me, I REALLY miss Costco. Jen and I joke about how our lives are full of grocery shopping and laundry. The laundry is another force to be reckoned with--Without Jen’s faithful commitment to laundry I’d be a wreck. We basically have a mini washer and that’s it. No dryer. What the heck?! A family of eight simply should not be without a cloths dryer, especially when the kids are seven and under. We’re praying our long-term apartment (yet to be found) will permit a clothes-dryer. P.S. Did I mention Jen is amazing!? We couldn’t survive with out her.

A new paragraph is required for Jen. She has been my personal life-saver, an embracing friend, a dependable helper, and a great playmate. We want to keep her forever. She has walked into our family and handled the transition so well. Going from the life of single-ness to a life with five kids and two exhausted parents is no easy feat. We’re so grateful for her fortitude and loving-kindness to our family. Hugs to Jen and please say a prayer for her as she also is trying to get her nursing license transferred to Italy.

For those of you who pray for my mom, thank you. She is doing better, not great, but better. It may be possible her high heart rate and other symptoms came from the treatment, but who really knows? Her body has been through a lot over the years and it’s all so unclear, but we’re grateful she is on the mend.

There is so much more to write, but I am going to post this or I may never get around to it! (I’ve been working on this post for a couple weeks). Blogging has proven to be just another way to fail at social media. :) I’ll try to post simple, small blogs— let’s see how that goes.