Elisa's Italian Lessons

We have been back to daily life in Pennsylvania for over 3 weeks now. I have been slow to write a more comprehensive entry on our Italian experience because I feel like I am still processing the journey. The day before we departed Italy one of our Rotarian friends said it best: ‘the journey is just now beginning.’ In reflection this remark was very accurate.

This past Thursday Nicole and I gave a presentation to the Brownsville Rotary Club about our GSE experience. In sharing our stories I began to fully realize how the trip really was life changing. Some days May still feels like it was a dream. However, when I say it aloud I feel the energy in my body and the excitement in my voice.

I definitely have fond memories of the food, the sights, the farms, and the scenery, but each time I speak about the GSE experience I return to the most amazing part: the people – our team, our Italian hosts, and our home Rotarians.

It is a journey based on teamwork. The five of us did not know each other, but we became a team and most importantly good friends.

The Rotarians and their families throughout district 2100 did not know us, but they took time to share their life and to get to know us.

Rotary is a ‘glocal’ organization. I use ‘glocal’ (one of my favorite hybrid words) because it is true – it is global to local. One is able to travel across the globe, and always be welcomed into local communities – that is amazing. Everywhere we went we were greeted with open arms and a delicious meal (I think sharing a meal is the universal language of welcome in every community).

To continue to express my thoughts, emotions, and lessons from the journey I thought it was best to end with my favorite art form: a collage. Below is a collage of pictures and words that come to mind when I think of our remarkable experience:

Amici (friends) .. laughs .. moving our baggages .. flag pins .. Rotary banners .. jazz .. vino .. ricotta .. sea .. mountains .. agriturismo .. vineyards .. orchards .. espresso .. gelato .. Nicole’s phone alarm .. limoncello .. trains .. daily life .. cultural wisdom and sustainable development .. flowers .. traditional Calabrian music .. tarantella .. mozzarella .. wood ovens .. pronto .. community .. xx (kiss on each cheek)

Jeff's slideshow of our experience in Italy

Rotary GSE District 7330 to Italy District 2100, May 2010 from Jeff Helsel on Vimeo.

So what did it all mean? - Alex

We have been home for a little over a week now and I am still trying to process everything that we saw and did on the trip. I was told before I left on this trip that I wouldn’t be quite the same person when I got back and I have been thinking about that since I returned home. Here are a few things that have occurred to me in the last week and a half.

My world in Cambria County Pennsylvania seems smaller than it did before, I don’t enjoy it here less. It is just that I have seen now that my home is a small part of a much greater whole. I feel in touch with the rest of the world in a way that I did not before. I may exist in tiny Loretto, PA but now that I know another place and another way of living my perspective has been drawn back to reveal more.

Before this trip I could definitely be described as a “homebody”, my family are not generally travelers and I think that passed on to me. But I don’t think I can go back to that mode of living, I have a sort of restlessness to see things new after this trip. While I can’t just run off and leave the county whenever I want I intend to take more advantage of some of the unique diversions of our area. Sometime this July I intend to go visit Falling Waters. I also hope to do a guided tour of Gettysburg on horseback by the end of the summer and I am sure other things will occur to me as time goes by.

My diet has probably seen the most obvious change. Before this trip I ate about five different things. I had a sort of mental block that kept me from enjoying most any kind of vegetable. That is no longer the case. Given the hospitality of our hosts and the quality of the food they gave us I promised myself I would try anything that was put in front of me, and I did so. After a month of eating like that I find I can enjoy a much greater variety of food. I ate a pizza dinner with my parents the other day . Normally I would have turned up my nose at pizza covered with mushrooms, onions and every other vegetable. Now I actually ate the pizza…and gasp…. enjoyed it! I have even been eating salads almost every day since I came home, something I could never do before. I think the health of my diet and depth of my enjoyment of various foods has grown quite a bit because of this trip.

I think this post is already too long so I better stop for now.

Pennsylvania

We were busy continuing to capture the entire adventure in our journals on the plane.

Flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

We and all of our baggage have arrived safely home in Pennsylvania. It was sad to depart District 2100, but we are filled with wonderful memories and excited to stay in contact with all of our new friends.

As we re-adapt to life at home we will now be able to process all of our lessons and incorporate them into our daily life.

The Passage of Time

It is a joyous passage of time. We drink cappuccino and eat breakfast in the morning and then away we go for the day of adventures and making new friends. Internet has been sparse lately, but we will be writing more about our experiences and posting pictures soon.

Cava de' Tirreni

Our week in Cava de' Tirreni was amazing. It is a challenge to fully capture the sights beheld, the history interpreted, the meals shared, and the lessons learned. Our activities included visiting:

Abbazia Benedettina dell SS. Trinita (Abbey), Corpo di Cava (historic city), Ercolano (Roman ruins), Mt Vesuvio, the Almalfi Coast, town of Ravello, Salerno, Ciro's mother's apartment (she is a great artist!), Vietri sul Mare (ceramics), and a boat ride along the Almafi Coast. We met Rotarians from several clubs and gave a full presentation to the Rotary Club of Cava de Tirreni. We also watched the Giro d'Italia and a Jazz Quartet. Our vocational day was spent at the University of Salerno and the Pasticceria Tirrena di Tagliaferri (very rewarding to taste your work). Our week ended with a train ride south to Cosenza in Calabria.

Sunday Shuffling

Our first Sunday in Italy we had a pranzo magnifico (wonderful lunch). After 4 courses (anti-pasto, pasta, meat, and dessert) we had an espresso and went for a stroll in a park in the hills of Naples. We were delighted by the day and the brilliant sunlight.


This past Sunday in Cava we ate a delicious lunch at a charity event for La Nostra Famiglia and afterwards we went for a Sunday ‘Shuffle’ (it is called this because people shuffle their feet while walking at the slow pace). Ciro and his family guided us through the town center and the pedestrian way. The Senatore family is from here so they saw many friends and acquaintances. As we walked, observed the scene, and discussed the traditions with Laura (Ciro’s daughter) we were informed that the large lunch and stroll is customary for Sundays. The evening ‘shuffle’ is when everyone is out to see each other.

Everyone is nourished, the chores should be done, and the week has yet to begin again so it is an ideal time to stroll and converse. Of course in this process it is customary to stop for a slice of pizza and/or gelato. (There are many varieties of pizza, but the classic margarita stands strong; it is beautiful in its simplicity – tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala, and basilica. For gelato my latest favorite is two scoops of fruiti di bosco and noce (fruit of the forest (berries) and nuts.) As night over took the sky, we made our way back to the hotel. We retired for the evening with an appreciation for city design that includes many gathering piazzas and time with family and friends.

Happy Birthday Elisa!

Buon compleanno! Celebrating Elisa's birthday at the Pompei Resort.

May 15, 2010.

I Vini Dei Feudi di San Gregorio, Avellino

The province of Avellino, Italy, surrounded by vineyards, offers wines of international reputation. For instance, we found a bottle of wine at the I Vini Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio priced at more than $500.

The hills surrounding Avellino are covered with vineyards. Here, the vines are being tended during the afternoon on May 14, 2010.

Exploring the I Vini Dei Feudi wine cellar with our new friends in Avellino. (May 14, 2010). On the left is Tatsuhiko Ozaki from Japan. Front row, center, Tonia Coppola. Back row, center, Rita Paola Maietta. The Rotary Club of Avellino hosted the GSE Team and made special arrangements for the private tour of the winery. Tonia's brother, Nello, is a member of the Avellino Rotary Club.

Cultural Immersion

Each day we learn our Italian Lessons as we observe, absorb, and inquire:

• The best food is FRESH and SIMPLE. In Italy we have been eating produce that is in season, bread made that morning, cheese made within 2 days, and fresh herbs. We can name every ingredient on our plate and at times can see the field where it was produced.
• To cut the Italian way: fork in the left hand, cut one bite with the knife in the right hand, eat one bite, then repeat.
• Once you get used to eating dinner between 22:00 and midnight it seems early when someone suggests eating at 20:30.
• When driving: everyone has the right of way!
• Everyone drives a manual car and uses their bumpers
• When learning a language just try
• The key to the Mediterranean longevity is a combination of nourishment, less stress, and climate.
• ENJOY EACH MOMENT!

More on Paestum by Alex

We are often somewhat unsure exactly what we will be seeing each day. We were told we would be seeing some Greek and Roman ruins but none of us expected anything this spectacular. One minute you are walking past a resturaunt and the next you are seeing something that seems like its from another world. This happened to us a few days ago when we visited the ruins of Paestum.

The site consists of three Temples constructed by the Greeks after the founding of the city around 650 BC. One temple (the Acropolis) sits on the cities highest hill and is dedicated to the Goddess Athena, another temple is dedicated to Hera and the deity the third temple is dedicated to is uncertain. It could be another temple to Hera (Goddess of fertility) or to Poseidon(God of the Sea). Each temple is constructed in the same style with huge columns surrounding a rectangular enclosure which would have originally been closed to worshipers. Each temple would have had a wooden roof but those have not stood the test of time like the giant limestone blocks that make up the columns and temple floor.

The whole site is connected by ancient Roman roads. Really large stones sunk into the ground. While primitive now these roads were the lifeline of the Roman Republic and Empire allowing trade to flourish and troops to be quickly moved for defense.

The surrounding environs of the site are Roman (having torn down the Greek style houses after taking the city). One can see the remains of tombs, houses, the forum (open air public meeting place), amphitheater and even a swimming pool.

Paestum Rotary Club Banner Exchange

GSE Team Rotary banner exchange with the Rotary Club of Paestum, Italy. We were invited to speak to the club about our team. Although we had an interpreter available to assist, we all spoke Italian for the presentation.

The GSE pins, which feature an Italian/U.S. flag and Rotary symbol, are very popular items which we share with our Italian hosts and friends.

The Day of the Buffala...

Yesterday we spent the day experiencing the products of buffalo (buffala in Italian). Buffalo milk unlike the cow milk we are use to is a very important industry in Southern Italy. We started off our day touring a local farm with over 250 buffalo ranging from newborns to mature prize winners. It was amazing seeing their efficiency. We then went on to the mozzarella plant where they made, you guessed it, mozzarella made of buffalo milk or mozzarella buffala. If you have never had the opportunity to travel to this region than we recommend you disregard any thoughts you may have had on what “fresh mozzarella” may taste like. I don’t think any of us have ever had anything that even remotely compares to what we have had here and I am not sure if any of us will ever be able to look at mozzarella the same way again once we return to the states. Elisa being the agricultural enthusiast that she is did make a valid point…Why don’t the dairy farmers in our area specialize in cheese? We think there could be a market but maybe that is just us? Besides for the mozzarella we also had the chance to experience buffalo ice cream and even buffalo meat. The meat of course comes from the poor unfortunate animals that cannot produce milk. Apparently buffalo meat isn’t as popular as the milk however we still managed to find it on our plate at the end of the day. For whatever reason we found yesterday to be the “day of buffala” but we’re OK with that since I don’t think any of us were disappointed.

Mozzarella di Bufala, Campania, Italy

Andrew samples the fresh mozzarella di bufala and salad at La Basilica Cafe, Paestum, Italy (May 11, 2010)

Mozzarelli di Bufala served fresh at La Basilica Cafe, Paestum, Italy.

Bufala at the Bellelli Farm, Campania, Italy, May 11, 2010

Mr. Ettore Bellelli at the family owned Bellelli Farm, Campania, Italy, May 11, 2010. Ettore, a member of the Paestum Rotary Club, provided the GSE Team with a tour of the farm.

Making fresh Mozzarella di Bufala at the Azienda Agricola Casearia Barlotti, Campania, Italy.

The mozzarella di bufala manufacturing process is a popular educational and tourist attraction in Campania, Italy.