Confessions

Today I got a little bit homesick but for the most random thing.  It was lunch time which I had the house all to myself.  I opened the fridge, looking for something to eat.  Suddenly all I could think about was how much I wanted a peanut butter and honey sandwich.  I would give anything to even lick peanut butter right now.  Afterward as I sat on the bus down to the city center (Duomo square) I was fantasizing making the sandwich and eating it. 
I find myself amazed at the normalcy of Italians.  When I was visualizing coming over here I only thought of what the movies portrayed them and their country.  Which is in some ways similar, like their food in movies is similar.  The talking with the hands like gangsters, cannoli's and all, but overall its so similar to us in America.  Today I sat on the bus coming to and going back home watching the people.  I'm a huge fan of people watching.  Kids running and cramming into the bus, talking excitedly, and of course the social classes amongst teenagers. 
Second confession I am going to make to myself really is that I'm having serious problems falling asleep.  I've been taking Zanix for my anxiety, but I haven't been able to fall asleep by myself.  I don't know why.  I fall into bed exhausted from the spoiled kids tantrums, cleaning, and helping.  I am exhausted, but my brain apparently is not and won't shut off. 
Mental note to myself as well.  Whatever I do.  Whether I get married and have kids sooner or later (hopefully right?)  DO NOT SPOIL THEM.  Teach them to work hard, to clean up after themselves, a sense of independency, and above all else to love and respect me.  Working as an au pair for a family where the kids through things on the ground because they never have to pick it up.  Where they scream until they get what they want.  Where it's okay to hit one another, pinch, and yell.  Where they don't choose their clothes.  Finally where its okay to be disrespectful to adults.  Tessa whatever happens please raise the kids like mom and dad.  I just want to say thank you so much mom and dad.  At the time all I could think of was how strict you where.  Work, work, work, and learning how to be a team player.  Thank you so much for raising me to the best of my potential with hopefully a little room for me to grow with self improvement. 

P.S. On the bus a kid from junior high asked me a question regarding the empty seat next to me.  I thought he asked is this seat taken.  Which I promptly replied "No."  He looked down and moved away from me.  I guess he wasn't asking 'Is this seat taken' rather he was asking, 'can I sit here"  I feel terrible. 

A minor melt down

Here's a picture of the new car that I drive.  It's so cute!  I could literally wrap my arms from the tip to the back its  that small.  Some of you were wondering about the crazy stairs.  Here you go, that's Gabriele in his pirate costume getting ready for the carnival festival in a couple of weeks.  If you look to the top left thats Ilaria's office and on the right hidden is the play room.

It's the second week. I'm drowning in Virgin Olive Oil.  The food here is delicious!  But there's the salad that they eat with salt and olive oil, pasta with olive oil, the potatoes must have oil, the chicken needs oil, and bread needs oil.  My food is swimming in it, yet I've lost a couple pounds.  I have eaten more here in three days then I would have had in a week back home.  Yesterday as I was heading home from picking Gabriele up from school I saw the sunset, and decided that Italy's sunsets are olive oil soaking the sun like an appetizer.
I was asked to get Gabriele ready for school this morning because Ilaria was running out the door early for work.  7:00 I go to get him up, but he's in Ilaria's and Carlos bed.  Carlos tells me come back in five minutes.  So I go, put my contacts in and wait five minutes.  I come back.  I ask nicely, I bring the clothes that Ilaria picked out.  I sit on the bed waiting, I turn on the light.  All the while Gabriele is screaming NO! I reach over and take the blanket off of him, and he starts kicking and screaming.  So much so that Beatrice is now awake.  Great! My nightmare is coming true. Gabriele runs into where Carlos is crying.   So I take the clothes and put them in the bathroom.  He comes in and pushes me out and yells he will do it himself. " Okay, I'll come back to check in five minutes okay?"  I walk way and wait a couple minutes before opening the door up a smudge to see that he has put most of his clothes on and is working on putting the rest on.  "good job Gabriele!"  Now its time for breakfast.  Carlos comes in and tells me Beatrice is in his bed sleeping.  Gabriele is screaming that he doesn't want the cookies for breakfast.  Carlos opens the fridge and asks if he wants a pudding.  Which of course he does, because what child in there right mind wouldn't want a pudding for breakfast right?  A deep sigh from me is my reply.  Carlos is out the door with Gabriele in a few moments, then I hear Beatrice calling from the room.  I come in and she asks, "can we play now?"  Beatrice is suppose to sleep in to about 8:30, then I get her dressed and down to Nona or grandma's house.  But today is not the day for schedules and apparently I've had it too easy up until now.  So I say, "Beatrice, I have to take a shower will you wait a couple minutes, and close your eyes for a second?"  "no!"  is her reply.  Okay I smile I have an ace up my sleeve.  "Do you want to watch cartoon while I take a shower?'  "Yes!" she whispers like conspirator in crime.  I turn it on and hop in the shower.  I must have been in there for five minutes max.  I turn off the water, wrap a towel around me and hear the front door open.  Carlos is back.  Great another upset in the balance.  Why is it that kids act the worst when their parents around?  Why today? why did Carlos have to come back?  I quickly throw on some clothes, walk to where Beatrice is laying watching cartoons.  I tell her in five minutes we are getting dressed before I run into my room, run a brush through my hair.  Now its back into the room, where I turn it off to her screaming "no!"  "Come on Bea let's get dressed for Grandma's house."  "NO!" she yells back, I could almost hear her venom spewing out at me.  I ask her nicely on more time, then reach for her and pick her up carrying her to the bathroom.  No more miss nice women.  All the while she is screaming and crying huge crocodile tears.  "Lift up your arms, up to the sky" I say in a sing song voice.  "No!"  "Do you want to do it yourself?" "no!"  Finally she lets me take her shirt off.  Still crying I try to put the new shirt on.  "NO!!!"  she is screaming now and crying which makes her cough.  "You see what you do"  she yells as she points at me like it's my fault she coughed because she's upset.  " Bea can you please put on this shirt?"  "NO!"  now Carlos comes into the fray.  He says something to her in Italian which she calms down a little too.  But as soon as he leaves it's screaming and yelling and coughing while pointing out it's my fault.  Again Carlos comes in to calm her down. Up to this point I have asked nicely, I smiled, I waited, and have been patient.  Now I feel like crying myself and just saying fine you dress her, but I don't.  I just wait patiently.  Finally she allows me to help get her dress.  Breakfast time, another chance for screaming the N word.  I give up before I start and show her the pudding which of course she wants.  After she is done she seems almost fine.  She is smiling like nothing happened.  I was foolish to think that everything was fine. I am helping her put on her shoes, which she promptly starts kicking me with.  "No Bea that hurts please don't do that"  I say and gently hold her foot while removing myself from her reach.  She moves close and starts kicking me again.  "No Bea please don't do that. Why are you kicking me?"  I ask her.  "I'm mad" she replies.  "Why?' she mutters something in Italian.  (Literally muttering) Well I stand up and ask kindly "What color of coat do you want to wear today? Pink or purple?" "Purple" she whispers.  After the jacket's been zipped up I hand her the scarf and hat her mom specifically asked me to have her wear.  She grabs the scarf and wraps it too tightly around her neck.  I try to help her asking, "do you want it like this?"  "No!"  "okay, how about this?"  "No!!"  Then it's back to crying and screaming.  She runs into her room hides in behind the door.  I calmly walk down to her room and ask her nicely to go with me to leave for Nona's house.  "NOOO!!" she screams so loud.  So I walk away.  What else can I do? She's hysterical.  "Fine Bea I'm leaving for Nona's then, Goodbye."  I wait this usually helps them get their act together.  "NO!" I hear muffled from the other room.  Then a flash of purple and she's crying by the stairs.  I walk over and again ask her nicely to go to Nona's house.  "No!"  she is sobbing uncontrollably.  Carlos comes in and picks her up, talks to her in soothing tones in Italian.  He says to me, "I go down"  "okay,"  I say back.  Bea is instantly cheered.  In fact she is happy enough to run over to me and say "Poppy goes down not you" which I just nod my head.  She obviously didn't get the point across because she told me two more times that I was not going down with her.  Okay I said.  That was the best news all morning actually, but I wasn't going to tell her that.  I just picked up the garbage and took it outside.  Came back inside.  I confess I called my mom sobbing about the whole ordeal.  I was beside myself with worry that I was doing something wrong, and why are they acting like this when they hadn't before.  My mom and dad of course gave me excellent wisdom.  I calmed down, hung up, and I read a book till lunch time.  I went down to Nona's because she called and said in little bit of English, but mostly Italian for me to come for lunch.  I came down, and low and behold Bea runs up to me and hugs me.  Hugs me!  After this morning I was expecting a no, and a scream.  Nona by the way makes the most delicious food I have ever had, and one plateful is not enough.  She heaps food onto my plate.  So much so that I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to walk back up the hill.  Finally I meet Carlos' brother as well.  He's in his twenties, handsome, and very nice.  But must importantly, he speaks a fair bit of English.  We conversed back and forth nothing special.  I must add though that I hope I talk to him again.  So note to self.  I have two spoiled children that do throw tantrums, but I will not let them get the best of me or see me get in any case emotional. 

A new car, and random lostness

First of all remember how manual cars and I do not get along?  Well Ilaria took sympathy on me, and brought their other car home that is automatic.  I'll have to put pictures on tomorrow.  But it's tiny and absolutely cute! It seats two people which is perfect and is about the third of a regular car.  I love driving it!! Secondly I tried today in town to go inside a shop and buy something.  I want to buy a hat and a pair of gloves because it's freezing here right now.  So today while in the square Duomo (main plaza area) I walked around all the streets looking at shops and just walking around.  Once I found the shop that had some cute hats I took a deep breath and walked in.  Immediately my face flushed red, she said bonjourno which I mimicked her in reply.  I then walked up to a hat display and reached out to touch a hat suddenly feeling so self-conscious.  I realized I had no idea if this was a boys store or a women's because of the ambiguity of it I felt flustered about picking up a hat wondering if it was a Male's hat or not then feeling even more embarrassed, because I didn't know how to ask in Italian 'how much?".   Needless to say I turned around face utterly red and walked out fast. I'm sure now that the lady thought I was trying to steal or something.  I felt like an idiot so I did what anyone would, I turned around and headed back to the library.  As I walked I looked at the shops casually, till finally close to the library I found a shoe shop that I wanted to go into for Oxford shoes.  I walked up to the door, there was something in Italian and the blinds were closed.  Okay I guess I'll come back in an hour or so.  I get to the library find a chair next to an older man and sit down and read.   A little side note here, when I get nervous I guess I tend to make everything difficult especially taking off a jacket.  I must of looked like a crazy trying to get my over the shoulder bag out from under my hood in my jacket, and trying to unzip my jacket gracefully.  Yes I'm quite sure I looked idiotic.  I read for an hour then get back up.  Again with the stupid dance trying to get my scarf back on and jacket without causing to many looks.  I'm red in the face as I finally make my way out.  Back up the street I'm walking determined to go to the shoe store.  This time I'll do it! I'll just walk in there and point to the shoe, say seven in Italian/Spanish and try it on.  It can't be that hard right? Well the store still had it's blinds down, and now I could barely make out boxes in front of the window inside.  I try the door just in case, locked, and walk back towards the library.  This is will be my first time catching a train back to the house.  I head towards the train station. I only know where two bus stops are.  One is way back there and I don't know if I could find again, and the other is near the train station behind the library a couple of blocks next to a park.  So there I walk to.  I make it there unscathed which is saying something because Italians drive crazy.  I go up to the number six bus which is the one Ilaria told me goes to Villizano which is where we live.  "Villizano?" I ask the driver.  "no"  he makes a motion out the window, so I step off the bus to look back at the number on the bus, but he closes the door and drives off.  So I stand and wait.   I wait and wait for thirty minutes.  Another number six comes,  this one must be it I think and I get on punch my pass and sit down. As soon as we start the driver makes a right turn and suddenly I realize we are heading in the opposite direction.  Over the bridge, stop from the bus, down the hill and around the mountain.  Stop after stop I am starting to feel panicked.  We have driven around the mountain and I can no longer see Trento. Stop and go goes the bus onward further from Trento.  I just stare out the window take a deep breath and decide to stay on the bus till it goes back to the train station then try to find that other bus stop.  Two more towns pass with a couple of mountains, and tons of vinyards.  I'm starved now because of my lack of breakfast this morning as I helped Beatrice.  Which by the way if you have any advice I could use would be nice.  She wants to order me around, and when I ask her nicely if she wants to play a game she yells NO, or if she wants to she yells YES.  I've gotten her to say please and thank you, but its a constant struggle to get her to play and play nice.  Back to being starved, lost, and a panicked in the bus.  We make it up to Stramounte which is super far away from Villizano, but is considered part of Trento still.  The bus driver stops, and turns off his engine.  Oh no I think, if this is his final stop and he's not running back down what do I do??? So I call Ilaria, explain what has happened, and walk up to the bus driver.  Motioned to my phone saying "I don't speak Italian" and hand him my phone.  After a long conversation with Ilaria he hands me back the phone and motions for me to sit.  I go to the back of the bus and sit down again.  Ilaria tells me to stay on the bus it'll take me to Villizano.  So I sit through another long ride through the mountains back down.  My mom has told me no boys!! With a hint that maybe the whole Alfred thing could happen again except with a bigger creep.  Well sorry mother but there is a guy that lives close to Ilaria's house that is super attractive.  Very very much Italian, and tall.  We haven't spoken to each other because obviously I can't communicate and I'm too embarrassed by that fact.  But he lives really close and this is the second time I've ran into him.   Who knows. I could use a friend.  I just need to get over the hump and say Ciao which is hello. 

My mom might just kill me for this one

Here is some photos of the house.   The one with the wood blocks is the stairs that go up to the play room, and where Ilaria's office is.  Beatrice came down with the chicken pox and bad so She is home sick, as well as Carlos became sick.  I feel bad and I hope that it's not from me.  So I went into town today first with Ilaria, where I finally got my library card yay!  We then had the most delicious hot chocolate you wouldn't believe.  It's not like American hot chocolate at all.  It's solid chocolate melted, so thick and creamy rich that it would make our hot chocolate look like ashes and water.  Next we picked up some groceries and came home.  I have been texting Alfred only a couple times, but he wanted to come to Trento to meet me for coffee or something.  So After lunch I took the bus for the first time into the city center of Trento.  The whole time I was on the bus I felt like a complete idiot.  I had no idea really what I was doing, and less of an idea of where to get off.  So feeling very obvious I choose a random spot that looked like it was close to the plaza and got off.  I started walking.  Of course I had the general gist of where I should go.  I kept walking, more of a sauntering at a fast pace trying not to look too out of place.  Blend in, blend in I kept chanting to myself, and what the heck am I doing meet a complete stranger.  I'm lost, so I kept walking till I heard someone mention something in an accented English.  I turned to them and said "excusi where is the center plaza?" they pointed back the way I came and to the left.  So I turned around embarrassed and headed off that direction.  I took some pictures which I will try to post later that were beautiful.  I waited at the fountain in the center of the plaza for Alfred.  I waited ten minutes then decided to go to the library to grab a book.  Once in the library, that is basically the only place I know how to get to, I found in there small English section a book to read.  Walked back to the plaza and started reading.  This is the part my mom will most likely kill me.  Alfred came.  He of course didn't speak any English, and me, my Italian is uno pocco meaning very little.  We then started an awkward conversation through a translator on his phone.  We walked into a cafe and I said water please. Back and forth with the phone translator.  I found out he's from Albanese, which I had no idea what or where that is from.  So no he is not Italian.  :( He then through translator told me he would drive me home, which thankfully I kept mentioning the family I work for and needing to leave.  Yes I got into a strangers car.  I didn't feel any strong feelings of don't do it, but I did feel like I needed to be extremely careful.  He drove like a grandma, and definitely not one from Italy.  So slow, finally we arrived not at the house by kind of close enough that I could walk but he wouldn't know exactly what house was mine.  I thanked him and got out of the car.  Once I got home, I asked Ilaria where is Albanese and about Alfred.  She told me to be careful because they are Muslim and believe in different things etc.  Needless to say talking to Alfred is no more. I'm okay with that, I felt like I needed to not see him any more. 

Driving

Two days ago I went into the town.  It's so beautiful here! You walk past buildings with fresco's on the side that have been there for a thousand of years.  There's a beautiful fountain, and cathedrals in the center plaza.    A library that's close by, and the University.  But everywhere you look there is attractive men.  This is where I wish I had the gift of tongues so I could talk to them, and not just stand there staring like an idiot.  All I can say is thank you, your welcome, fantastic, and a couple other congratulatory words that wouldn't make any sense to say back to them.  Beatrice the little girl and I have been playing, she usually is at school but has been sick this week so I watch her during the day.  She's very cute, and speaks half English and half Italian.  So I only understand half of what she is trying to tell me.  Gabriele is at school till four so we play until dinner time.  He's very funny and loves playing.  Anyways two days ago after we went into town.  The father, Carlos, decided to teach me how to drive manual.  I've only driven manual twice, and never up hill ( which they only have).  Carlos doesn't speak very much English, and with my little Italian you can imagine how hard it was for both of us.  Going downhill was okay, although I didn't understand when he was saying "no clutch" every time I was braking.  I was so tense.  It's hard to drive in Italy where there is hardly any lights, and no one stops all the way they just drive very fast.  But we made it Gabriele's school to pick him up alive which was good.  But on the way back he drove until he was a little ways away from the traffic in the center of town, got out and motioned for me to drive.  I look up, and notice he wants me to start on a hill with lots of cars behind me.  I'm so nervous about hitting a car if it rolls back.  I put into first gear and lift off the clutch while pushing on the gas.  The car sputters then stops.  I've killed it.  "push in clutch" says Carlos motioning with his hands and pointing to my left leg.  "push in clutch" motions for me to watch his hands as he mimes that he is releasing the clutch slowly.  "okay"  I smile and try it again.  I lift off the clutch while pushing on the gas. Verroom! we move about two feet it sputters and starts chugging "clutch! clutch! clutch!" Carlos yells.  I push the clutch.  Still the car dies. "Aye ma mia" he exclaims.  I Try this again three more times with no result other than a sputtering car, and Carlos laughing himself silly.  He points to himself and says "I drive"  I put it into neutral and pull up on the emergency brake, then hop out and run around to the passenger side.  "I drive, you watch me"  Carlos says to me once I've seated.  Gabriele is in the back laughing at me as well.  Great I can't drive a manual up all these tiny roads without being able to read the signs I think to myself especially when they need me to drive Gabriele to school in the morning.    Carlos continues to point out when he pushes in the clutch and slowly to me as we drive up the winding hills to the house. Once we are in the garage he asks me "how long you drive in America?"  "Five years" I say.  "then why you so..." miming me driving earlier while laughing.  "I've never driven manual"  Laughing he gets out of the car and when we get to Ilaria he mimes the whole thing to my embarrassment.  "You, me practice weekend"  he tells me in the kitchen.  So yes I get to look forward to more laughter as I try to learn how to drive like an Italian.   On another note I'm excited because they are wanting to go to the alps (mountain close by) to go skiing this weekend as well.  Ilaria (the mom) and I, have a good relationship already.  I try to help her as much as I can so she can work.  She is every so grateful, and last night we watched Greys Anatomy together.  :) It's weird to watch an American television show in Italian. 

I made it

I made it to Italy.  What a long journey of airports and airplanes, over 26 hours of travel to get here.  Let me just tell you if you are planning on traveling through the Frankfurt, Germany airport is crazy big and hard to navigate unless you ask lots of people.  Next don't bring lots of luggage to Italy because they don't believe in elevators and to get your luggage anywhere you have to get it up flights of stairs.         I'll try to recount my trip once I arrived in Verona, Italy.  Once I stepped off the plane in Verona I came to the problem that I had no idea how to find the bus to take me to the train station that will take me to Trento.  I did what anyone would and asked the information counter.  They were somewhat helpful but their directions of outside to the right left me a little confused.  I went outside and to the right.  No sign with train on it.  I saw a large group of people gathered around an area and went to stand next to them.  After ten minutes of awkwardly just standing there I finally asked the man next to me if this was where the bus stopped then would travel on to the train station.  In broken English he said yes it was.  Something happened and he yelled at me in Italian then people started to move.  I followed.  Finally the bus came.  I didn't realize it was a fend for yourself kind of moment.  When people started shoving and putting their luggage in an open spot on the weird trunk area I moved to put my luggage in.  It was all full and people were pushing now to get in line to get inside the bus.  What do I do? I just stood there with my luggage utterly confused and slightly worried now.  After everyone had climbed aboard now the bus driver motioned something and said something in Italian and closed the door and left.  I still stood there.  I vowed with myself that when the next bus came I would do everything possible to get on the bus, and put my luggage in the trunk.  I didn't have to wait long before the next one came, and the growing crowd around me started to surge.  I hurriedly moved close and started lifting my luggage and shoving it inside the trunk.  Then I made my way through the bodies of people onto the bus.  I asked the driver if it went to the train station which he said yes to.  Then I  asked if i needed to pay.  He said no.   I went and sat down on the next available seat.  I watched as others came on the train.  They were handed a paper, and were paying him.  Now I'm super confused on why I didn't have to pay.  But oh well I guess.  A girl sat next to me, and I just stared out the window in an exhausted coma.  When we stopped everyone was getting off the bus so I did.  I grabbed my luggage and headed inside the building.  Thankfully it was the train station!   Beautiful cobblestones were on the ground, but as beautiful as they were they were merciless to my hands as I dragged my luggage awkwardly across them.  I found the ticket counter and bought a ticket to Trento.  I walked for a bit until I found an officer and told him I was lost and where was the train to Trento.  He took me to a screen displaying the trains and departures.  Told me it was number 11 and left.  A side note about trains in Italy.  They don't display any stops, only the final destinations.  So the screen didn't say Trento, it said some other town, but if this officer said it was train 11 then it must be right?   I started walking down a cobblestone corridor with people bustling around me gawking at all my luggage.  I found where it was marked number 11 and looked at two flights of stairs.  Yes stairs with no elevator.  I tried dragging my luggage up the stairs.  I packed so freaking much!! My suit cases weighed a ton.  An attractive gentleman saw my predicament.  He was also on my same bus from the airport and carried his own SMALL luggage with him.  He set down his suitcases and heaved mine up the steps.  I walked to the train and guess what, another set of steps inside the train.  He walked up to me and again helped me heave my luggage up and inside.  Then put my small carry on suitcase which weighed about 50 pounds on the top rack and motioned for my huge luggage while speaking in Italian.  I told him it weighed to much and crammed it in the aisle between seats that faced each other.  He motioned for my ticket which I showed him.  He muttered some Italian and went outside the door and off the train.  Well I better follow him.  So I ran and caught up. He showed me how to punch it into a machine that marked that I  had punched it.    We walked to the train.  I took off my jacket and set my purse on the seat beside me.  He awkwardly slid into the seat facing me with my suitcase jammed in between us as a barrier.  He tried talking to me in Italian.  That darn CD my mom gave me was zero help and I said "sorry I don't understand"  There was a pause and I called Ilaria to tell her I made it on the train.  He continued to try to speak to me with hand gestures but I just shrugged my shoulders and repetitively said I didn't understand.  He then brought up facebook and pointed to me.  I said yes I have it.  He picked up a piece of paper and said "penne" which I assume was pen and motioned for writing.  I told him I had no pen.  He grabbed a marker from his bag and motioned again for me to write.  So I wrote my name and pointed to me.  Tessa Farmer.  He wrote something in Italian and said Alfred.   Okay so his name is Alfred.  He pointed to my tags on my luggage.  I tried telling him I flew on an airplane here.  We both stared at each other not understanding one another.  So I looked out the window at the scenery.  Which another side note is absolutely beautiful! Castles and cathedrals passed by as well as small towns that housed acres of vineyards. Also they don't announce their stops.  You have to pay attention to the signs.  He pulled out two phones and started talking really fast Italian, and texting in the other phone.  Then we sat in silence, until his phone started ringing.  He held up a text for me to read.  It read "where are you from?"  I typed on my phone Utah, America.  He seemed really excited about America then called on his phone again.  You know when you can tell people are talking about you? Yeah I could tell he was talking about me to someone.  Then more silence.  More towns passed, and a couple of stops.  Then another text message "Are you married" not spelled correctly but well enough I knew what he was asking. "No" I replied then asked him.  He said "no."  Another phone call more silence and towns flew past.  I practiced keeping myself awake as I stared out the window.  I told him Italy was beautiful, and America was beautiful.  He seemed to understand that.  He pointed to the mountains outside and motioned like he was skiing.  I replied yes, and he was excited again pointing to me and then him and then the mountain.  I assume he was suggesting we go to the mountain together.  I replied no I have to work.  He looked confused.  Then said Hotel and motioned at me.  I said no I stay with family to work as au pair.  We both smiled he shook his head still not understanding.  Another text message with the question of "can I have your phone number?"  Not wanting to be rude, and needing his help to drag my luggage off the train I said yes.  Then the confusion of getting each others number and getting it to work.  Finally it worked and at last we pulled into Trento.  He helped me off the train.  Ilaria was there waiting thank goodness.  He seemed sad to see her waiting there.  He gave me a hug and shook my hand getting back onto the train.                                                             Ilaria helped me with my carry on and we set off.   Down two sets of stairs where I awkwardly thumped my big suitcase down.  Walking down a corridor until more stairs.  Stairs how I loathe you!  I dragged my suitcase up, which is so heavy and set off trying to catch up.  Finally to the car and then the house. They live in a beautiful house on the hill that overlooks the entire valley.  It is so beautiful!!  I played with the children Gabriel, and Beatrice after eating a delicious pasta dinner.  Then went to sleep.  I am still exhausted but am finally getting the hang of the time difference.  Tomorrow Ilaria is taking me into town.  Which will be another adventure full of misunderstandings and lots of confusion.