Recent developments...

I'm going to do this in bullet-point format so we can avoid that whole awkward stage where I try to transition between topics.

• If there is one thing I've learned about Italians since coming here it is that they are the most amazingly giving people I have ever met in addition to having a keen sense for noticing (and responding to) the needs of others. And it's true that I may be overgeneralizing, I only know a few Italians and most of them belong to a single family. That being as it may, I think that we Americans, and many other cultures of the world, could learn a lot from the Italians. Just today I was writing what were my first actual complaints about living here- the freakish cold that I was experiencing. After returning home from church, which various members of the family drive an hour out of their way to take me to (mind you, I didn't ask them to do this, I didn't even ask if I could go to church, they simply offered because they could see that I was a devoted member of my religion and would probably want to go), I found two space heaters in my house, one of them brand new. At lunch I was presented with a pair of new warm winter work boots (my perfect size- I'd been wondering why they've been asking about my shoe size). I had made no mention of either the fact that I was overly cold (whenever asked about being cold I would just say, "Oh, the blanket makes it okay.) or that my shoes weren't exactly up for the work this place requires of them. I've offered to pay for things but they absolutely refuse to accept money. Usually I would continue prodding but the refusal to accept my money is done in such a vehement, typically Italian manner that I back away quickly, as if I've offended them. And, as I write this, finally able to extend out of the protective cover of the blanket without feeling the blood pulling away from my fingers, I realize that there couldn't be a more perfect culture for me to be placed into. For two reasons: One- I have a lot to learn about giving to and noticing the needs of others, these people are a perfect example to me. And two- I am the most passive person I know and if my needs (those that I cannot directly provide for) weren't noticed by others then my needs just wouldn't be attended to. So, even though I have asked for so little I have received so much because I am lucky enough to find myself immersed in a culture of people who are nearly perfect at exemplifying this very Christlike trait. Most Italians, including this family, are Catholic. No, they don't go to church all that often. Yes, they drink alcohol and smoke. But in many ways they are better at following Christ's example than a lot of Mormons.
• On that note about how passive I am, let me tell you a short story. I was at dinner yesterday and there was an older couple visiting. The meal was finished and everyone was engaged in conversation, excluding myself of course, who just sat there listening while trying desperately to pick out words that I might understand. Another older couple arrived and began taking part in the conversations. I realized then that I really wanted to go to bed- I was not proving at all useful in the situation so it seemed very logical for me to just excuse myself and prove useful to myself by going to my little house and showering. But I couldn't figure out the best way to excuse myself. I didn't want to interrupt anybody, and even if I summoned the courage to interrupt, I wouldn't know what to say to excuse myself. Several times there was a lull in someone's conversation and I nearly opened my mouth to say, "Uh, io vado adesso, okay?" while making the charades motion of sleeping. Yet the courage never came. My passivity held true for an hour and a half while I sat there, yawning frequently and blinking a lot in an attempt to look more awake. Finally, at 11:30, everyone else got up to leave, and I finally went to bed.
• I skinned and gutted two freshly killed rabbits yesterday
• I made brownies yesterday, with cheesecake on top, marbled with the chocolate beneath it (not sure if this is the correct use of the verb marble but you get it). Apparently Mary didn't like this marbled appearance, and granted it was not my best work, so she took a bunch of cream puffs and placed them in neat rows over my brownies and topped it all with powdered sugar (sometimes it's no wonder this woman has Diabetes). At dinner everyone really liked my brownies but weren't so fond of the cream puffs, which most discarded on the sides of their plates.
• It's probably not a good idea if, when you're trying to convince someone that your flip flops are fine despite the cold, you look down and one of your toes is yellow due to lack of blood circulation. Maybe this is why I came home to a new pair of shoes.
• Okay, back to the rabbits. I didn't skin all of them, just half. Christian cut a hole in the back and I grabbed one bit of skin, he grabbed the other, and we pulled apart until the skin tore off in my hands. Christian then went to work skinning the head and after this he allowed me to cut into the abdominal cavity to expose the guts inside. Really, if you stop thinking of it as a cute bunny, similar to the dozen or so who were watching this whole process, then it's actually quite fascinating.
• In Italian the words for "I'm sorry" and "I like it" are very similar. I wonder how many times I've told someone I like that I've done something I ought to be sorry for.
• Dear Pimsleur: Please stop making me say that one drives a lot faster in Italy than in America while citing the exact speed limits. The speed limit in Italy is 100 KILOMETERS per hour, not 100 MILES per hour. There's a big difference.
• Remember the deal with not tenderizing your finger? This also applies to cheese grating your finger.
• I had a pretty obnoxious headache earlier. Pretty sure it was due to having inhaled for the better part of three hours the fumes of my shirt, which the day before I had drenched in bathroom cleaner bleach before rinsing it in water until it seemed okay. I spent all of church breathing in the smell of bleach. But hey, at least those two stains are gone.
• Unless you want to be offered everything from brownies to aspirin, don't ever let out to Italians that you have a headache. But if you enjoy being taken care of then just look a little more somber than usual and they will do anything they can to make you feel better.